The rumors swirling around Kevin Ollie’s future are nothing compared to last season, after the UConn Huskies won the NCAA men’s basketball championship. But the fact that his name has been mentioned recently as a possible candidate for the Oklahoma City Thunder coaching job in the NBA, led to Ollie issuing a statement Wednesday morning.
UConn fans can relax. Ollie is focused on the season ahead at UConn.
“As I have said many times, I am proud and honored to be the head basketball coach at the University of Connecticut and I have no plans to pursue other opportunities,” Ollie said in the statement. “We are already excited about next season and I am looking forward to preparing our team to be the best we can be on the court, in the classroom, and in our community.”
For the seccond season in a row, Thunder coach Scott Brooks has been on the hot seat and there has been speculation that the franchise would replace Brooks. There was one report that Ollie was being “seriously considered” for the Thunder job.
Given the success of Ollie in his short tenure at his alma mater, this might become an annual ritual at UConn. But for now, Ollie has removed his name from speculation again. He was linked to the Thunder job because he played there and has a strong relationship with Kevin Durant, last year’s NBA most valuable player.
UPDATE (April 22, 2015; 3:30 p.m.) The Thunder announced Wednesday afternoon that Brooks has been fired. Brooks had a .620 winning percentage at Oklahoma City and led the Thunder to five playoff appearances in seven seasons. The injury-plagued Thunder missed the playoffs for the first time since 2008-09, falling short on the final day of the regular season.
It has been reported that Florida coach Billy Donovan is interested in coaching in the NBA and could replace Brooks.
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