Stoudamire a “Name to Watch” in Arizona’s Coaching Search

Former Portland Trail Blazers and Arizona Wildcats point guard Damon Stoudamire could be a name to watch after Sean Miller’s departure from the Tucson-based basketball program. On Wednesday, the University of Arizona parted ways with Miller. In the aftermath of that decision, Stoudamire was mentioned inside a list of potential replacements from CBS Sports.

The report from CBS Sports had this to say about Stoudamire’s candidacy:

Stoudamire is an all-time great former Arizona player who has helped Pacific make progress over the past five seasons. Though just 71-77 overall as a head coach, he won the WCC Coach of the Year honor last season after leading the Tigers to a 20-win season, and they were 9-9 this season. As a former NBA Rookie of the Year, former Arizona star, ex-Wildcats assistant and current college head coach, Stoudamire checks basically every box you can think of. He scored 1,849 points under Olson and led Arizona to the 1994 Final Four and is revered at the school.

With the Blazers, the Portland native appeared in 529 games over eight seasons. Stoudamire retired from the NBA after a brief stint with the Spurs in the 2007-08 season. As mentioned in the article from CBS Sports, Stoudamire has served as Pacific University’s head coach in recent years.

Miller, who was part of Arizona’s program since 2009, was at the front of the bench when a federal investigation into the Wildcats’ basketball program unfolded in 2017. During his time in Tucson, Miller’s squads made three separate runs to the Elite Eight.

You can read the full list of potential coaching candidates at CBS Sports.