The Texas Longhorns’ head basketball coach job is open, and Kevin Durant has a suggestion for the school on who to hire.
Durant told Jeff Goodman of Stadium that he wants to see former Longhorn Royal Ivey get a shot at the job. Durant made it clear he wants to see someone with a Texas connection get the position.
Ivey and Durant never played together at Texas. However, the pair played together for the Oklahoma City Thunder, and Ivey is currently an assistant coach with Durant’s Brooklyn Nets.
Brian Davis of the Austin American-Statesman thinks Ivey will at least be looked at as a candidate, but perhaps not the first choice. The new coach will be replacing Shaka Smart, who bolted for Marquette after six underwhelming seasons in Austin.
Durant attended Texas only for one year, but his loyalty has never wavered. The Longhorns have been happy to take advantage of that connection, but it hasn’t fostered a lot of notable success on the basketball side of things in recent years.
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