Milwaukee Bucks assistant coach Darvin Ham has made the rounds for recent head coaching vacancies over the last couple of years. But could his chance to become a head coach come where it all started for him nearly 30 years ago?
First reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski Saturday afternoon, Ham is set to interview with his alma mater, Texas Tech University, this weekend for their vacant head coaching position after Chris Beard was recently hired by Texas University.
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Ham played at Texas Tech from 1993 to 1996 after previously playing at Otero Junior College in Colorado. While there, he played an integral role for a 30-2 Red Raiders team that went to the Sweet Sixteen in the 1996 NCAA Tournament.
From a local perspective, the ripple effects of having Ham being seriously considered to return to Texas Tech University comes after Marquette University hired Shaka Smart, who was previously at Texas and whom Beard is replacing for the Longhorns.
And per Matt Norlander of CBS Sports, rumblings have gained strength in regards to Ham being considered by the Red Raiders while pressure is on the school’s athletic director to replace Beard with a worthy candidate.
Heard rumblings on this last night.
— Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) April 3, 2021
Texas Tech AD Kirby Hocutt is under immense pressure to get this hire right after losing Chris Beard. As Woj notes, Ham has been moving along the track toward being a head coach at some point. We’ll see if it’s TTU or not soon enough. https://t.co/9IhyPmQdq0
Darvin Ham has stayed patient for a coaching gig while remaining with the Milwaukee Bucks
There’s no question that Ham certainly qualifies as a worthy candidate, especially after the experience he has gained on NBA benches. It’s been with Mike Budenholzer where Ham has linked with between their shared time with the Atlanta Hawks and currently with the Bucks for the last eight-plus seasons.
Over the last couple of offseasons, Ham has been considered for a number of head coaching vacancies. It was last fall where Ham had reportedly interviewed with the Chicago Bulls, Indiana Pacers and the L.A. Clippers and while he has not yet made the next step in his coaching career, he still managed to make a strong impression all throughout.
While Ham’s aspirations to become a head coach remain in spite of those rejections, he has previously discussed what it’s like waiting for the next step while remaining content with the Bucks and under Budenholzer:
"“No one knows the timing, no one can pinpoint the time. Going into a situation where you have to present to teams how organized you are, your IQ and hopefully that matches up because a lot of times, the people who are hiring you have a different sense of how they want to play than you played and have success with…When you’re dealing with human beings, you’re going to be dealing with different ideologies and philosophies, so I try not to put too much weight on trying to predict how someone is going to perceive me. I’m just going to put my work in, unveil to them what has made me successful and the programs I have been a part of and allow them to make a choice. If they pursue me, great. If they don’t, hell, my landing spot is as good as any, if not the best, in terms of my consolation prize is going back to Milwaukee and then going to compete for another championship next year. Hell, I’ll take that any day of the week and twice on Sunday.”"
While Ham’s case is clear cut and worthy of an NBA coaching gig, the stars have aligned for him to take a massive step in his coaching career. The opportunity to return back to Texas Tech only makes it that much more appealing for the Bucks lead assistant. Stay tuned on Ham’s coaching prospects.