Michigan Basketball: 5 realistic options for Wolverines next head coach

Michigan basketball has to replace head coach John Beilein and while there are many candidates, here are five that are the most realistic.

It has been a whirlwind 24 hours for everyone who follows Michigan basketball and with the Wolverines embarking on a head-coaching search, things won’t settle down anytime soon.

When it comes down it, this hire is the most important hire of Warde Manuel’s career and it’s one that will easily define the success or failure of Michigan basketball for the next decade.

Look how far back the football program was set when Rich Rodriguez was the head coach, it took a long time to get competitive again and the basketball team doesn’t want to go down that road.

That being said, there is a lot of discussion about what kind of coach Michigan basketball should hire. Obviously, guys like Brad Stevens, Chris Beard, Jay Wright and Tony Bennett would be tremendous hires, but they aren’t realistic.

Unless Stevens is fired by the Celtics, I don’t see him as a possibility. Even then, he may be more interested in another NBA job. The other guys aren’t going to leave after winning championships or in the case of Beard, getting really close to winning one.

That doesn’t mean Michigan doesn’t have options, it does. UM has an elite program, a ton of resources, a solid fanbase, a decent group of players returning and everything needed to win.

So here is a look at five guys who could realistically replace Beilein.