Former Jayhawks who could follow in the footsteps of Jerry Stackhouse & Juwan Howard | The tale of tait

So, Vanderbilt recently hired Jerry Stackhouse, a former North Carolina great, to become head coach for the next six years, and Michigan brought back former Fab Five member Juwan Howard to coach Wolverines.

These two movements – along with others like them over the years – have made me think.

What older Jayhawks might one day put themselves in the shoes of Stackhouse and Howard and take over a university program, be it at the KU or elsewhere?

Obviously, there are a dozen former KU players who are currently coaching in the college ranks, so let's remove them from this list. No Manning. No Turgeon. No Walters or Haase. No Ballard or Boschee. No Tad Boyle, C. B. McGrath, Brennan Bechard, Jeremy Case, Brad Witherspoon, Brady Morningstar.

We are talking about names that could come out of nowhere to surprise you. And there are several that come immediately to mind.

First, for full disclosure, it's not like Stackhouse and Howard are getting into the training from nowhere. In 2015, Stackhouse was hired by the Toronto Raptors as an assistant coach. He then became head coach of the G League franchise in Toronto for two seasons. Last season, he was back on an NBA bench as assistant to the Memphis Grizzlies.

Howard has also spent the last years on an NBA bench, after a career of 19 years and consisting of 8 teams, with a six-year stint as assistant coach of the Miami Heat.

Whether they work at university or not, these guys have experience on the sidelines and a program, and there is little doubt that they also know basketball.

Both were absolute stars at the university and had a resounding success in the NBA.

So let's go back to the original question.

Which former Jayhawks not on the list above correspond to this last line after being stars at the university before knowing the success of the NBA?

Easy answers. Paul Pierce. Kirk Hinrich. Nick Collison.

All three bring a little intrigue to the training equation, but Pierce seems to be heading for a career in front of the camera as an NBA analyst, so we'll eliminate him.

Hinrich and Collison – where they are going to be mentioned again as a duo – are two spectacular options that have remained around basketball and have already worked in coaching skills.

Hinrich, who had a solid career with the Chicago Bulls, worked in many camps and grew up as a coach.

Collison, who has just retired from the Oklahoma City Thunder, has spent the last seasons of the NBA as a coach of bench players within the OKC.

There is little doubt that the two former Jayhawks, if they wish, can quickly find themselves on the way to the head coach someday. The way to take up this position at KU is a little longer and may never be fully present. But these two players are at the top of the list of potential KU potential players who are not currently coaches and who could make the jump.

Landen Lucas, Sherron Collins, Mario Chalmers, Russell Robinson and Devonte 'Graham are also on the list.

For former KU players who are more closely aligned with the Stackhouse / Howard mold, Brooklyn Nets assistant Jacque Vaughn and Santa Cruz Warriors head coach and assistant coach Aaron Miles and Mike Lee are immediately in mind.

Be wary of miles in this group. This guy could be a star coach one day.