The Milwaukee Bucks are continuing to conduct an expansive coaching search as Boston Celtics assistant Jay Larranaga is the latest name to surface as an interviewee for the head coach position.
Another name has entered the fray of the Milwaukee Bucks’ head coaching search.
According to Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe, the Bucks interviewed current Boston Celtics assistant coach Jay Larranaga this past Friday regarding their head coaching vacancy.
Celtics assistant coach Jay Larranaga met with the Bucks on Friday about their head coaching opening.
— Adam Himmelsbach (@AdamHimmelsbach) May 14, 2018
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Larranaga first burst on to the coaching scene in 2008 when he became head coach of the Irish Men’s National Team (while simultaneously playing for said team). He left that post in 2010 to have a brief stint as an assistant coach at Cornell University before accepting the head coaching job with the then D-League’s Erie Bay Hawks.
It was Larranaga’s time with the Bay Hawks where he built his reputation. In two seasons as a G-League head coach, Larranaga went to the playoffs in both seasons and accrued an overall record of 60-40. This success with the Bay Hawks led him to being hired as an assistant for the Boston Celtics in 2012.
He has kept this role through to the present day, though the Bucks will not be the first team to consider Larranaga for a head coaching role.
When the Celtics entered a rebuild in 2013, Larranaga was briefly considered as a replacement for Doc Rivers, but Brad Stevens was ultimately hired for the job.
That same summer, the Philadelphia 76ers interviewed Larranaga before deciding on Brett Brown as the head coach. More recently, Larranaga has interviewed for multiple head coaching vacancies during this current summer of 2018. He has reportedly interviewed with the New York Knicks, Atlanta Hawks, and was a finalist for head coach for the Charlotte Hornets.
As outlined by Matt Velazquez of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, the Milwaukee Bucks will reportedly be narrowing down their initial interviewees down to a short list of finalists who will meet with the Bucks’ ownership group for a final decision to be made.
This comes as ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports that Mike Budenholzer is the “focus” of Milwaukee’s coaching search and Matt Velazquez reports that Budenholzer will once again meet with the Bucks on Tuesday.
Next: Milwaukee Bucks, Toronto Raptors reportedly competing for Mike Budenholzer’s services
Larranaga is currently coaching in the Eastern Conference Finals with his Boston Celtics having a 1-0 lead over the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Celtics were 55-27 in the regular season and have beaten the Milwaukee Bucks in seven games and the Philadelphia 76ers in five games en route to their matchup with the Cavaliers, all with Larranaga as an assistant.