Michigan Basketball: The latest on Wolverines search for head coach

Taking stock of some of the big-name candidates

As soon as Beilein’s departure became official and everyone overcame the shock of his leaving, the attention turned to who could replace him and some of the first names dropped were Donovan, Stevens, Jay Wright, Chris Beard and Tony Bennett.

As pie in the sky as some of those names appear to be, Michigan appears ready to inquire about some of them, including Wright according to Sam Webb of the Michigan Insider ($).

He essentially says the same thing about Stevens and Bennett. The problem is that it remains to be seen whether any would be receptive if Michigan came calling.

It sounds like Stevens now prefers the pro game to college and it’s just hard to see Wright or Bennett leaving Villanova or Virginia. Same with Beard, who reportedly has his eye on the NBA and has family issues that would keep him in Texas.

The one big name that continues to linger is that of Billy Donovan.

While message boards don’t always have the most reliable information, Webb posted on this message board ($) that Donovan would be interested if Michigan approached him and when you think about it, it makes sense.

Donovan has one year left on his deal and things haven’t gone well in Oklahoma City after Kevin Durant left. If the Thunder lose in the first round again next season, Donovan will certainly be out of a job and with ESPN reporting he could be interested in a move back to college, the ball appears to be in the Wolverines court right now.