Kevin Durant Reveals Surprise Pick For Longhorns Coach

Russell Springmann is an assistant coach with the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles, and they are in the Sweet 16 of this 2021 NCAA Tournament.

Matt Galatzan | Mar 27, 2021

The Texas Longhorns men’s basketball team is in search of a new head coach after Shaka Smart jumped/was pushed to Marquette on Friday. UT, a source told LonghornsCountry.com, immediately turned its focus to an "active pursuit'' of Texas Tech head coach Chris Beard, a former UT student.

But former Texas freshman sensation Kevin Durant has another idea ... regarding another guy with Austin ties.

Russell Springmann, Kevin Durant said via reporter Jeff Goodman, has "been through a lot, but I think his journey has helped him in a way. I know he’s happy now and that’s what matters.”

Durant is referring to Springmann - who recruited Durant to Texas - being on the staff of Rick Barnes ... until Barnes departed for Tennessee and didn't take Springmann with him.

But now? Russell Springmann is an assistant coach with the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles, and they are in the Sweet 16 of this 2021 NCAA Tournament.

Durant thinks his success at ORU should give Springmann a shot at the big time. merits a shot at coaching a major program:

“It shows he can recruit at the highest level and also the mid-major and lower level,'' said KD, now a superstar with the NBA's Brooklyn Nets. "He knows the game and is persistent. Beyond that, he’s a great person and a friend to me and my entire family.”

Beard is the top choice here, and there is another good list of candidates just in case, and yes, the John Calipari rumor is out there. But while Durant might not be quite right about what the Texas program needs right now, he does seem right-on in his evaluation of the work in general of Springmann.

Who do you think is the best candidate to replace Smart? Comment and join in on the discussion below!

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Published Mar 27, 2021

MATT GALATZAN

Matt Galatzan is the Managing Editor and Publisher of Texas Longhorns On SI and Texas A&M Aggies On SI and a long-time member of the Football Writer’s Association of America. He graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration. Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry in 2014 covering the Dallas Mavericks and SMU Mustangs with 247Sports. He then moved to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, eventually being taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of the Longhorns and Aggies sites a year later. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels, including Twitter on @MattGalatzan.