Michigan Basketball: LaVall Jordan, Shaka Smart get key endorsements

Brad Stevens and Billy Donovan weren’t interested in the Michigan basketball job but they reportedly offered their opinion on who should be hired.

When John Beilein first left Michigan basketball for the Cleveland Cavaliers, everyone was saying that the Wolverines should aim high.

Michigan basketball did exactly that, going after Brad Stevens and Billy Donovan or at the very least, reaching out to them to see if there was any interest. According to Sam Webb of the Michigan Insider ($), there was no interest as both appear content to stay in the NBA.

Yet, Webb also reported in the same article that both candidates have offered their endorsements to Michigan. Stevens, who is close to Beilein, said that the Wolverines should go with former Beilein assistant and current Butler head coach LaVall Jordan.

Donovan, on the other hand, recommended his old assistant coach, Shaka Smart, who is at Texas but is rumored to be a candidate.

Things with Smart took a twist last night as he interviewed Michigan assistant Luke Yaklich to be an assistant on his staff. Smart may just be going about his business until he knows otherwise or maybe it means he isn’t interested in the job or hasn’t been contacted.

It just doesn’t seem like something you would do if you wanted the job, unless Smart figures he could interview Yaklich for Texas and potentially to stay at Michigan at the same time, were Smart to eventually get the job.

At any rate, two of the big fish every Michigan basketball fan wanted are unattainable and now the decision seems to be down to their recommendations (Jordan and Smart), Juwan Howard and any other candidates that may emerge.

While I have no qualms with Smart, in my opinion, he’s not the best fit for Michigan. It just seems like an awkward fit with his style and the fact that Texas might be willing to negotiate when it comes to his buyout is slightly concerning.

Howard’s lack of head-coaching experience is worrisome, which is why keeping the current assistants or at least surrounding him with experienced coaches will be key. He will need to learn how to recruit, although his transition to coaching college offense after the NBA should be easy.

Everyone seems to have good things to say about Jordan. He has three years of head coaching experience and is clearly a bright mind. Is the Michigan job too big for him? That’s hard to say.

He led Butler to the NCAA tournament in his first season and then fell back to the NIT in year two. Of course, that doesn’t mean anything necessarily. He was instrumental in some of Michigan’s offensive changes over the years and will know how to recruit for the Wolverines.

Obviously, it’s very early in this process but unless some other names emerge, Jordan, Howard and Smart seem to be the most likely candidates and they all have their proponents.  At the end of the day though, the only opinion that matters is that of Warde Manuel, the man making the decision.