Just months after leading Stanford to a 30-2 record and a berth into the NCAA Tournament, Cardinal head coach Mike Montgomery is expected to bolt for the NBA as early as today, ESPN.com’s Andy Katz reported Thursday.
Golden State relieved head coach Eric Musselman of his duties late Wednesday, opening the door for Montgomery, a 26-year veteran of the college ranks, to sign with the Warriors, according to an anonymous Pacific-10 Conference source quoted by The Associated Press.
Katz reported that Montgomery is in negotiations with the Warriors for a four-year, multimillion dollar contract.
His departure marks the end of an 18-year run at Stanford. Montgomery compiled a 393-167 overall record with the Cardinal, leading Stanford to 12 NCAA Tournament appearances, including an appearance in the Final Four in 1998 and Elite Eight in 2001.
Stanford has been to the NCAA Tournament the past 10 seasons and has been ranked No. 1 in the nation in three different seasons under Montgomery.
He also took the Cardinal to three National Invitational Tournament appearances, winning the championship in 1991.
“We’re still all gathering this in,” Stanford junior Nick Robinson told the San Francisco Chronicle.
Montgomery led the Cardinal to 26 straight wins without a loss this past season, coming close to a perfect season. Stanford lost to Washington in the final Pac-10 regular season game, then swept through the Pac-10 Tournament before losing to Nevada in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Montgomery, who is set to be the Warriors’ ninth coach since 1994 and 22nd in the team’s history, replaces Musselman, who went 75-89 in two seasons at Golden State.
“It’s been a great two years,” Musselman told the AP late Wednesday. “The players have played their hearts out. The organization’s headed in a great direction. … I got an opportunity of a lifetime and will always be grateful to the Warriors for that.”
When Montgomery is officially named head coach of the Warriors, it will leave open a high-profile position at one of the top academic institutions in the nation.
Maples Pavilion, Stanford’s home court, is currently undergoing a $30 million renovation and is expected to be ready for play at the start of the upcoming Pac-10 season.
According to the (San Jose) Mercury News, Stanford athletic director Ted Leland already has a contingency plan in place for Montgomery’s replacement. In the spring of 2003, when Montgomery briefly spoke to UCLA after the Bruins fired Steve Lavin, Leland commissioned a report to rank the best options should the coach leave.
It is widely believed that Nevada’s Trent Johnson, whose Wolf Pack knocked off Gonzaga en route to the Sweet 16 this past season and is a former Montgomery assistant, is the top choice for the newly opened position. Johnson pulled himself out of competition for the vacant Utah position in recent months.
Names also being mentioned in media reports include Gonzaga’s Mark Few and Rice coach Willis Wilson, a former Stanford assistant.
Oregon head coach Ernie Kent also has ties to Stanford, serving as an assistant coach under Montgomery during the 1990-91 season, the year the Cardinal won the NIT Championship.
Kent left to become the head coach at St. Mary’s (Calif.) in 1992, a post he served at until 1997 when he took over the Duck program in 1998.