Candidates to replace Simon

Technically Arizona has two open coaching positions, but in reality the Wildcats need to replace Miles Simon who will not be back to coach the 2008-09 season. There are some early favorites for the job.

Reggie Geary
Geary is both a former UA player and staffer. He served as director of basketball operation for one year before moving on to an assistant coach’s role with the NBDL’s Anaheim Arsenal. He was promoted to interim head coach in the middle of that first season and was retained for the spot for the past season. He is expected to remain in that role if he does not pursue another job.

Geary was a four-year contributor in the early 90’s. He was a starter on the 1994 final four team and led the team in assists as a senior in 1996.

He has experience at the college level as he was on the recruiting trail the early portion of the spring of 2005 before Miles Simon was named head coach.

Rodney Tention
Tention was an assistant coach at Arizona under Lute Olson for eight seasons. He coached in a national championship game and three Elite Eights before accepting the head coaching job at Loyola Marymount. He had two solid season’s for the Lions, getting his team within a bucket of the 2006 WCC title. Last year the team won just five games and Tention was let go.

Tention admitted to having informal discussions with Lute Olson about the opening when Kevin O’Neill was replaced and it would be surprising if Tention was not at least a candidiate to replace Simon.

Sean Rooks
Rooks is a former UA standout from the early 90’s who wound up having a lengthy NBA career. Rooks spent last season with the Long Beach Jam, actually serving as interim head coach for a few weeks.

Rooks played 11 years in the NBA for seven different teams. He averaged 6.3 ppg and appeared in 29 playoff games.

Mike Dunlap
Dunlap is an assistant coach with the Denver Nuggets this past season and is considered a hot commodity in the coaching community. Prior to joining the Nuggets he was a head coach D-II Metro State for nine seasons where he won two national titles and led the team to two other Final Fours.

Dunlap also has head coaching experience in Australia and was an assistant at USC, Iowa and Loyola Marymount.