Memphis Grizzlies’ Nick Van Exel Could Be Next Assistant Coach to Bolt

As the Memphis Grizzlies’ 2018-19 regular season comes to a close, they could very well lose their second assistant coach — Nick Van Exel — in a matter of days.

The University of Cincinnati is searching for a new head coach, but they may not have to look very far or long. The answer could be found on the Memphis Grizzlies‘ coaching staff in the form of Nick Van Exel.

Van Exel has just completed his second season on the Grizzlies’ coaching staff as an assistant. He was originally brought into Memphis to support David Fizdale, and once that era ended abruptly, he was retained under J.B. Bickerstaff.

Even with Fizdale attempting to pry Nick Van Exel away from the Memphis Grizzlies, “Nick the Quick” refused to bolt to New York Knicks territory. He remained loyal, even when his assistant coaching counterpart Keith Smart made the transition to New York, too.

In looking at Van Exel, that decision was special. He was not a one-and-done. Especially considering a new role in the NBA as an assistant coach, he clearly values his role and wants to build some consistency, especially the Grizzlies’ young guys that he has begun to develop into nightly contributors in the NBA.

On Tuesday, the ESPN‘s Adrian Wojnarowski broke the news of Nick Van Exel expressing interest in the head coaching vacancy at Cincinnati. The destination should not come as a surprise since Van Exel is one of the all-time greats to hail from Cincy.

As Wojnarowski pointed out, Jerry Stackhouse parted ways with the Memphis Grizzlies one week ahead of the season finale. In what was a very quick hire, Stackhouse landed the head coaching title he had been seeking, though it was within the NCAA ranks rather than the NBA stage.

Even in consecutive losing seasons with Memphis, Nick Van Exel and Jerry Stackhouse are catching the eyes of big NCAA programs. That means a lot. People outside of the NBA and the Memphis Grizzlies are taking notice of the impacts they are having on young players. This is significant considering NBA assistant coaches typically do not receive much love as their biggest feats take place behind the scenes.

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Aside from their contributions made within their short coaching tenures, both Nick Van Exel and Jerry Stackhouse spent 13 and 18 seasons in the NBA, respectively. Their mentorship of young players in today’s game is invaluable. Plus, many players today looked up to both of these guys as they were hoops stars of the 1990s and 2000s. This could lure highly-ranked recruits to select programs such as Cincy and Vandy, only more so than in seasons’ pasts. For instance, look at what Penny Hardaway has done in short order at the University of Memphis.

It was a big loss when the Grizzlies lost Stackhouse to Vanderbilt. It will be as big of a loss if and when Memphis loses Van Exel. These two guys have finally boosted the Memphis Grizzlies’ youth development program and this will soon become the biggest offseason in quite some time for Memphis considering their rebuilding efforts via youngsters Jaren Jackson Jr., Jevon Carter, and more.

It will be interesting to watch the situation at the University of Cincinnati. How soon will they make a move to fill their head coaching role? Plus, is there mutual interest between Van Exel and the university?

If it is anything similar to the Stackhouse and Vanderbilt storyline, the answers will be very soon and definite mutual interest. Now that the Memphis Grizzlies’ 2018-19 regular season has officially come to a close, expect these discussions to gain traction in the coming days.