Jerry Stackhouse wanted to coach Vanderbilt so badly, he says, he turned down NBA interviews to take the job.
Stackhouse was introduced as Vanderbilt’s new head basketball coach on Monday, and said that he canceled NBA interviews he had lined up when the school approached him.
“I can’t say there are too many college situations that I was looking to go to with my trajectory being what it was in the NBA,” Stackhouse said, via Adam Sparks of the Tennesseean. “I was on pace to sit down and talk about a head coaching job in the NBA this offseason already with a couple of teams. I had those interviews lined up.
“But when (athletic director Malcolm Turner) approached me about the possibility of this job and being here with this university, it was hard for me to say no to him. I am super excited that they feel like I’m the guy to bring the magic back into Memorial.”
Stackhouse did have some pretty high-profile NBA interviews last offseason, so he’s very much telling the truth about his career trajectory. It is interesting that he’d jump at the Vanderbilt job, but it is a large program in a power conference, so it’s not completely absurd.
