Milwaukee Bucks: 10 potential head coaching candidates

Tony Bennett

Successful college coaches have a tumultuous history in terms of making smooth adjustments to the NBA, but it’s not reason enough to immediately dismiss the idea out of hand. Out of those who could fit the bill for Milwaukee, Tony Bennett has to stand out as one of the most obvious candidates worthy of consideration.

Bennett has been the head coach of Virginia since 2009 and has helped to establish the Cavaliers as one of college basketball’s most consistent programs. Without the recruiting pull or resources of many of their rivals, Virginia manage to compete at the top level every year thanks to very well defined principles on both ends of the floor.

Bennett has a preference for frequent movement, intelligent cuts and active screeners creating space that wouldn’t otherwise be there for shooters offensively. In terms of defense, his teams often look to pack the paint and trust in length and positioning rather than pressure to limit efficient looks inside and out. Bennett’s coaching style certainly seems tailor-made to maximize the strengths of the Bucks’ roster and also address some of their longer term weaknesses.

Although he hasn’t had NBA coaching experiencing to date, Bennett did play for the Charlotte Hornets for three seasons. He has also had success in developing players who went on to be impactful in the NBA, with Bucks guard Malcolm Brogdon arguably standing out as the best of that group too.

In building the case for him, it’s also worth mentioning that he’s a Wisconsin native, who played at University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, started his coaching career in the U.S. as an assistant with the Wisconsin Badgers, and is the son of Wisconsin basketball legend Dick Bennett.

With a winning record of 276-117 (.702) with Virginia, would Bennett be able to turn down an NBA opportunity that would also act as a homecoming and a reunion with one of his best former players? The Bucks could certainly do worse than asking that question.