At the beginning of the 2013-14 NCAA basketball season, Kevin Ollie’s UConn Huskies were not considered to be legit title contenders. Ollie was in his second year as coach of the Huskies and the team missed the previous NCAA tournament because of violations.
However, Ollie played the underdog hand he was dealt and turned it into a national championship win over the Kentucky Wildcats. With the victory, Ollie became just the fourth black head coach to win the NCAA championship and the first to win since Tubby Smith in 1998.
Although black players have dominated the hardwood for years in the NCAA, black coaches haven’t been given the opportunity to achieve.
John Thompson (Georgetown 1984); Nolan Richardson (Arkansas 1994); and Tubby Smith (Kentucky 1998) are the only other black coaches to win a national title.
During a recent interview with Fred Williams of the Tulsa Shock, he spoke about why Kevin Ollie’s victory was so important.
“For Kevin Ollie, it was a huge because he and his team were underdogs throughout the entire tournament,” Williams says. “Secondly, to see any minority coach get the exposure of going to the Final Four is phenomenal. I think it’s going to open more doors to minorities in the coaching business to be interviewed a lot quicker.”
Unlike the NFL, the NCAA doesn’t have a program similar to “The Rooney Rule,” which forces all teams to interview at least one minority candidate. As a result, it can be difficult for minorities to get a shot at a head coaching position when they aren’t given the opportunity. In a sense, most coaching staffs are like “good ole boy” networks where friends hire friends.
Williams believes that if more head coaches would mentor minorities, it would increase the probability of black coaches being hired.
“A lot of minority coaches have to pay their dues as recruiters and other coaches have to first work at a mid-major school,” Williams says. “I think in the last 10 years, it has been proven that a coach can guide a team to the finals and win a championship. It’s not an easy process for us. You have to have good mentors who can guide you along. It’s a process and you have to be patient. You have to have the will to represent so that others will have the opportunities to go forward.”
Fortunately for Ollie, UConn’s former Hall of Fame coach, Jim Calhon, gave him a shot at being an assistant and eventually played a part in him being hired as the head coach. For other minorities who are looking for a similar opportunity, it may come down to building relationships with the hopes of finally breaking through.
“You have to network, go to the Final Four and speak with coaches who have been there,” Williams says. “You have to be a student of the game. You have to have it all together once you get that shot.”
