Milwaukee Bucks assistant coach Darvin Ham’s name has been mentioned in the rumor mill countless times over the last several months.
The long-time assistant had been linked to several previous NBA head coaching vacancies, and it seems like it will only be a matter of time before he finally lands one. That certainly made it interesting when ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Ham interviewed with his alma mater, Texas Tech University regarding their head coaching vacancy this past weekend.
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Former head coach Chris Beard was hired by Texas University and Ham emerged as a prime candidate for the vacant position. Spending three seasons of his collegiate career with Texas Tech between 1993-1996, the connections were there for the 47-year-old if he wanted a shot at a head coaching gig.
However, it appears that Ham will be staying put in Milwaukee as a member of Mike Budenholzer’s staff for now. Wojnarowski followed up his original reporting with news Monday that Ham indeed discussed the opening with Texas Tech but ultimately turned down the position with bigger aspirations in mind.
The reasoning behind the decision stems from Ham’s desire to land a head coaching opportunity specifically in the NBA at some point in the new future. With another offseason approaching, Wojnarowski noted that the 2004 NBA champ could very well have that wish come to fruition very soon.
Darvin Ham has been linked to coaching vacancies since being a member of the Milwaukee Bucks’ coaching staff.
Ham has been with Budenholzer as an assistant coach dating back to 2013 when they were with the Atlanta Hawks. Since then, several of Budenholzer’s other coaching assistants have received NBA head coaching jobs, including Kenny Atkinson, Quin Snyder, and most recently, Taylor Jenkins.
Ham nearly joined that ever-growing list this past offseason, as he indeed interviewed with several organizations following Milwaukee’s early postseason exit. As detailed by Wojnarowski on a previous episode of his The Woj Pod podcast, the long-time assistant reportedly made a story impression with several organizations that had head coaching vacancies:
"“I think there’s a group of young and not so young black assistants who are going to be head coaches. I thought last year’s interview process, guys didn’t get jobs, but I think there are a few guys on the cusp.I would tell you Darvin Ham in Milwaukee, who made an incredible impressions with the Clippers and Indiana.”"
Although Ham struck out then, he will certainly be among the most coveted assistant coaching candidates getting interviews this time around as well. While it is far too early to be looking at specific organizations just yet, Ham’s opportunity to land a head coaching gig in the NBA will almost undoubtedly become a reality over the next several months.
While still in the distant future, it seems inevitable that the former player turned coach will finally get a crack at his long-desired head coaching opportunity soon enough. It has been a long time coming for Ham, and he certainly deserves the chance after serving all these years as an assistant.