Memphis Grizzlies Rumors: Jerry Stackhouse Discussed As Option To Be The Next Coach At Vanderbilt
By Chris Kern
The Memphis Grizzlies are lucky to have one of the top assistant coaches in the game with Jerry Stackhouse, but that may not be the case for much longer as he has been linked to the opening at Vanderbilt University.
The Memphis Grizzlies have a good young head coach in J.B. Bickerstaff, but they also have one of the top young assistants in Jerry Stackhouse. He continues to get the experience needed to become a head coach.
Sources: Two names of interest in the Vanderbilt coaching search are Memphis Grizzlies assistant Jerry Stackhouse and Charlotte Hornets assistant Ronald Nored.
— Evan Daniels (@EvanDaniels) March 31, 2019
He has been discussed as a potential NBA head coach candidate, but there hasn’t been much talk of him going to the college game. Who knows how interested he or the school in a potential deal, but it is good to see him being discussed at least since he clearly is deserving of being the head coach somewhere.
Vanderbilt let go of their recent head coach, Bryce Drew shortly after their season ended because they finished with just a 9-23 record which included zero conference wins during SEC play. They did not live up to expectations at all, but some of that was unfair.
This was projected to be a fringe NCAA Tournament team before they lost Darius Garland to injury early in the season. They went 4-0 in the games he played and finished including quality wins at USC and at home against Liberty. That’s part of the job though, when you lose your best player you have to find ways to adjust and they weren’t able to do so.
These schools could have a nice connection though since Garland has been discussed as a potential draft target for the Grizzlies this summer. Before his injury, he certainly seemed to be a top-five pick and even now he still could be taken in that range. If Memphis decided to trade Mike Conley, they could draft Garland to replace him.
dark. Next. Draft Prospect Jarrett Culver Leads Texas Tech To The Final Four
Jerry Stackhouse will get his chance eventually so there’s no need for him to rush into this. If he wants to wait for an NBA job I would expect him to be a candidate for jobs as early as this summer. The college game is a place where many successful NBA coaches got their start, so if Vanderbilt does pursue him, he certainly should consider it.