Creative Ideas for Memphis' and Arizona's Head Coaching Vacancies

This one would be a shocker to everyone outside the state of Tennessee. The chances of a SEC coach moving to a Conference USA school are slim to none, but Stallings perhaps could foresee a future filled with easier opponents and better recruits.

Stallings is also a proven winner, something Memphis will require when they hire their new coach. Stallings doesn't have a lot of notoriety among college basketball fans, but his coaching ability is not something that can be questioned. Between big SEC victories and Sweet 16 trips, Vandy could be looking for a new coach themselves.

Candidate 5. Mike Brey, Arizona (Notre Dame)

Brey has probably been over-hyped in his time at Notre Dame. His teams score a ton of points, but play defense like the NBA's Golden State Warriors. Brey could come to the sad realization that Notre Dame will never win another Big East title in this era, competing against the likes of Jay Wright, Rick Pitino and Jamie Dixon on a nightly basis.

Arizona fans would embrace Brey's coaching philosophy, and provide Brey a fresh start minus the suffocating pressure he must be feeling after this season's surprising decline.

Candidate 6. Bobby Cremins, Arizona or Memphis (College of Charleston)

This one would be a complete shocker. Cremins has been coaching in relative anonymity for the past few seasons, with his most newsworthy event this season being the defeat of Davidson and Steph Curry in the Southern Conference semifinals.

Who knows if Cremins would relish the chance to leave what must be a relaxing job by the beach. If his competitive juices were to get fired up, perhaps we would see Cremins hired by either school looking to replace a legend with a highly successful veteran coach.

Candidate 7. Randy Bennett, Arizona or Memphis (Saint Mary's)

2008 Co-Conference coach of the year in the West Coast Conference, Bennett would be a solid yet unspectacular hire for either school looking to hire him. The Saint Mary's coach would have to be deemed an "up and comer" type coach.

In seven years at Saint Mary's, Bennett is the winningest coach in the program's history, and this season his team was one of the last team's out of the NCAA Tournament.

If Patty Mills decides to go pro, Bennett would be wise to jump at the chance to coach Arizona or Memphis. 'Zona would make more sense from a regional standpoint, and Bennett would bring with him a proven track record of winning. Along with a jump in pay and job prestige, Bennett could catapult himself onto the national coaching stage with a successful stint at either school.

Candidate 8. Rick Barnes, Arizona (Texas)

Barnes has been mentioned before for high-profile jobs, but thus far he has stood firm in Austin. Perhaps Barnes seeks to escape the shadow of the "football school" label that Texas is undeniably tagged with, and decides to go somewhere where basketball is indeed supreme.

While this would be a lateral move at best, Barnes would continue the winning tradition at Arizona. Barnes is one of a handful of coaches that Arizona fans would endorse as a proven winner.

Candidate 9. Fran McCaffery, Memphis (Siena)

Back to back first round wins in the NCAA Tournament give McCaffery credibility in the eyes of athletic directors around the country and it's only a matter of time before he takes the plunge and moves to a bigger school.

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