STORRS, Conn., April 25 (UPI) -- Connecticut men's basketball coach Kevin Ollie is a producer of immediate success.
In his second season as Huskies coach, he led the team to a national title. Now the 43-year-old is intrigued about coaching one of the NBA's most storied franchises, according to the Los Angeles Daily News.
And the interest is mutual.
Byron Scott was fired by the Lakers Sunday night, leaving the gig open for a cast of candidates.
UConn coach Kevin Ollie said Monday that he has had no contact with the Lakers. He said he will always listen if... https://t.co/8ae4S7N6Fh
— Andy Katz (@ESPNAndyKatz) April 25, 2016
Luke Walton, Jay Wright, Roy Williams, Tom Izzo, John Calipari, Ettore Messina, Jeff Van Gundy, David Blatt, and Jeff Hornacek join Ollie on the Lakers' shortlist, according to ESPN.
Ollie told ESPN's Andy Katz that it would take "something very special," to snatch him from the Huskies.
"UConn coach Kevin Ollie said Monday that he has had no contact with the Lakers. He said he will always listen if called but it would take "something very special" to pull him away from UConn. He added his daughter is in high school and his son is at nearby Fordham and family is very important to him. Ollie was recruiting in Indianapolis over the weekend," Katz reported.
Ollie played in the NBA from 1997 to 2009, averaging 3.8 points and 2.3 assists per game.
The Huskies coach currently has three years left on the five=year extension he signed in 2014.
