Kevin Ollie voted college coach most likely to jump to NBA

Kevin Ollie came out on top of recent poll asking about the college basketball coach most likely to leave for the NBA.

The early success of Billy Donovan and Brad Stevens will ensure NBA teams continue to mine the college ranks for head coaching candidates. CBS Sports.com recently conducted a poll of over 110 coaches asking, “Which active college coach is best suited and most likely to next jump to the NBA?” UConn head coach Kevin Ollie was the winner, and here are the overall results:

Other coaches who received three or more votes include Sean Miller (Arizona), Larry Krystkowiak (Utah) and Avery Johnson (Alabama).

Ollie removed himself from consideration for the Oklahoma City Thunder job before Donovan took it, so talk of a move to the NBA is not new. He also told the Los Angeles Times he found the Los Angeles Lakers job “intriguing” just this past April, before Luke Walton was ultimately hired.

Ollie has three years left on the five-year extension he signed with UConn in 2014, but that would not impede a job switch. Add in 13 seasons of playing experience in the NBA, along with his relative youth at 43 years old, and it’s clear Ollie will remain an appealing candidate.

Since 1994, 11 college coaches have made the jump to the NBA, with the two biggest names (John Calipari and Rick Pitino) failing and returning to college. Collectively, that group has posted a .411 regular season winning percentage over 27 seasons.

Related Story: 10 college basketball recruits we're excited to see next season

The jury is still out on Fred Hoiberg, after one non-playoff season with the Chicago Bulls. But Ollie seems more likely to follow the recent model of Donovan and Stevens, and have success as an NBA head coach. It’s clearly a matter of when, not if, Ollie makes the move to the pros.