Texas Basketball: 3 assistant coach candidates to replace Ulric Maligi
Michael Curry, Vanderbilt associate head coach
Another option that Beard and the Longhorns could look to replace Maligi this offseason that has a wide range of coaching experience is the Vanderbilt Commodores associate head coach and former Detroit Pistons head coach Michael Curry. As another coaching option that would give Beard and the Longhorns another angle to take to form the staff this offseason, Curry would be an interesting hire that brings a ton of knowledge and NBA prowess to the table for this program.
Curry wouldn’t be a fast-rising assistant coach that could be a real spark on the recruiting trail for the Longhorns like Cohen could. And he’s not a proven assistant coach/recruiter in the Big 12 that the Longhorns would be familiar with such as Lowery.
What Curry does bring to the table is a more than two-decade-long proven track record as a successful coach at the collegiate and NBA levels. He’s a former NBA assistant and head coach during his time with the Pistons in the 2000s. Curry also has college head coaching experience within the last decade during his five-season-long run with the Florida Atlantic Owls.
Last but not least, Curry did show out on his assignments on the recruiting trail in the last calendar year with Vanderbilt. He’s also found success recruiting out of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex as two of the highest-rated signees in Vandy’s 2022 class are Texas natives. Four-stars Lee Dort and Noah Shelby are also two of the highest-rated Vandy commits in the last decade for that program.
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And you can thank the efforts of Curry on the recruiting trail for the success that Vandy had in signing one of the best classes in the recent history of the program during the 2022 cycle. Curry was the primary recruiter for three of the blue-chip commits in their 2022 class.
Moreover, it remains to be seen if a notable major conference college hoops program such as Texas would be able to lure Curry away from Vanderbilt. If that is a possibility, he should be a candidate Texas considers to replace Maligi.