Bob Driscoll, the Athletic Director at Providence, must be ringing his hands with glee as he watches this year’s NCAA Tournament.  Nearly all of his prospective candidates to take over for Tim Welsh as Head Coach have lost their games, save one.  Time to speculate, so here’s the list I have been promising for 2 weeks (with stats and excerpts from Scout.com):

Jim Larranaga, George Mason:  Larranaga is a coach who is very familiar to Providence fans. Larranaga is a 1971 graduate who as a senior captain on the basketball team led the Friars to a 20-8 record and the NIT. In his coaching career, Larranaga was an assistant under Terry Holland at Virginia during the Ralph Sampson years, and later was the head coach at Bowling Green University, where his teams played in three NIT tournaments. He was named Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year in 1996-1997. Larranaga was then hired by George Mason, where in eleven years as Head Coach, Larranaga has made the NCAA four times in a conference that usually only receives one or two bids. Larranaga led the Patriots to the 2006 NCAA tournament as an 11 seed, and went on a miraculous run to the Final Four. As a result, he won the Clair Bee National Coach of the Year Award for his leadership. His George Mason teams have played efficient offensive basketball, and his aggressive ‘scramble’ defense has also won praise for its pressure man to man with trapping principles. An alum, Larranaga has enjoyed tremendous success recently. A solid teacher and fundamentally sound coach who knows how to run a program.  At 58, he’s on the older edge of candidates, and the question remains about his ability to recruit at the highest level.

Kevin O’Neill, Arizona: O’Neill took over for Lute Olsen as the interim Head Coach ast one of America’s premier programs on a moment’s notice.  He guided Arizona to the NCAA Tournament, but with Olsen returning he will probably look for a soft landing at a decent mid-level program like Providence.  There is literally no track record here, so this would be a really risky hire.  It is also unclear if he has any east coast roots or connections.

Jim Christian, Kent State: Jim Christian has consistently coached Kent State’s Golden Flashes to twenty win seasons. In fact, Christian became the first coach in MAC history to win 20 games in all six of his seasons as head coach, as he entered the 2008 season with the second highest winning percentage in conference history. Christian has posted a 135-57 (.703) record at Kent State.  After Jim Christian’s first season at Kent State, he was named the National Rookie Coach of the Year by Basketball Times. Christian’s Kent State teams have made the NCAA tournament twice in his six years as head coach, and have qualified for the NIT in three other seasons.  In the 2008 season, Kent State achieved the University’s first ever regular season ranking of 23rd in the AP Poll. Jim Christian’s Kent State teams have been known for their tenacious defense, depth, and balanced scoring.  An intense sideline motivator, his teams come at you, and as a URI grad, he also understands the PC-URI rivalry.  Not a big name nationally, Christian wouldn’t be a sexy hire, but he can coach.

Craig Robinson, Brown: Robinson has guided Brown to the inaugural CBI Tournament in just his second year as coach. The 19-9 Bears established a school record for victories in a season and have a chance to win 20 for the first time in their 103 years playing the sport. Robinson came to Brown from Northwestern, where he spent six years under Bill Carmody, and played his collegiate ball at Princeton under Pete Carril. He’s spent some time in the national limelight as Barack Obama’s brother-in-law, and runs the same system on offense and defense as fellow Princeton grad, John Thompson III of Georgetown, with backdoor cuts and patterned offense. If you like the way Georgetown plays, you’ll like Robinson. Could be JT III before JT III was JT III. Has elevated Brown in a short time to Ivy contenders. Great pedigree. Not a lot of experience and as a result, not much of a track record to examine. Would be a high risk hire.

Phil Martelli, St. Joes: Martelli is one of the more talented but underrated coaches in the country. His St. Joseph’s teams have excelled for years in the A-10 Conference without great fanfare under his old school leadership style, as the Hawks have made the NCAA tournament five out of the last 11 years.  However, his 2004 team thrust Martelli into the national spotlight as the Hawks went undefeated in the regular season and Martelli was named National Coach of the Year.  Besides success in the NCAA tournament, Martelli’s Hawks have also reached the final game of the NIT twice during his Saint Joseph’s tenure. He has a reputation as a coach whose teams are always prepared, excelling on both ends of the floor, and rarely play zone defense. Saint Joseph’s under Phil Martelli has often overachieved, and the Hawks have developed a reputation for playing their best basketball in March.… great Xs and Os, excellent recruiter, superb with the media, but will he be a fish out of water outside of Philadelphia?

Bob McKillop, Davidson:  McKillop is one of the most unassuming coaches in America. He has never been a self promoter, but since Davidson joined the Southern Conference in 1992, McKillop’s teams have won the Southern Conference Championship on multiple occasions, taking small but prestigious Davidson College to the NCAA tournament five times in that period.(4 in the last seven years) He’s also led Davidson to three NIT appearences. While Bob McKillop grew up a New York basketball player, he’s become a respected fixture in North Carolina over the years; first as a college athlete at East Carolina, and now as the Head Coach at Davidson. In the past two seasons, McKillop’s Davidson Wildcats have only lost 1 conference game. McKillop’s teams are known for their preparation and attention to detail, as he is known for stressing fundamentals and team discipline. As a result, Davidson has often played the role of giant killer, knocking off more talented non-conference opponents from major conferences. He is an excellent strategist and bench coach.  A New England guy, his teams play great team ball and he knows how to build a program.  Like Larranaga, he’s 58 and has been at Davidson for 18 years. Does he have the energy to compete in the Big East?

Keno Davis, Drake:  Davis is in his first year as a head coach after spending five years as an assistant under his father, Dr. Tom Davis, at Drake. Prior to that, Davis was an assistant for six years at Southeast Missouri State and for two years at Southern Indiana under Bruce Pearl. Keno has guided Drake to a 28-4 record this season. The Bulldogs play a fundamentally sound, superb passing offense and apply tough pressure defense, in making their first NCAA appearance since 1971.  A New England native, Davis might want to come home. Tutored by great basketball minds, his team plays an unselfish, fun style of team ball.  With only one year of head coaching experience, there isn’t a big track record to look at. Can he recruit at the highest level in the East after spending his college career in the Midwest?

Tim O’Shea, Ohio:  O’Shea arrived in Athens from Boston College, where he spent four seasons at his alma mater under Al Skinner. He moved to BC from URI with Skinner, where he was Skinner’s top recruiter for nine seasons. Ohio was named College Basketball’s “It” Team in 2005 by Espn.com, and the Bobcats have enjoyed steady success under O’Shea’s tutelage. This season, Ohio compiled a 19-12 record. Ohio’s top season under O’Shea was the 2004-05 campaign, which saw a NCAA run, but the Bobcats have been postseason contenders on an annual basis. O’Shea has always played an Al Skinner-type of motion offense, along with tough man to man defense. After serving under Skinner for 13 years, O’Shea knows how to win, play a style and run a program. Has great contacts in New England and can spot under the radar players. Like Christian, he would not be a sexy hire.

Other Darkhorse Candidates, some with SERIOUS baggage-

Jimmy Baron, Rhode Island

Travis Ford, Massachusetts (my first choice FWIW)

Fran Fraschilla, St Johns/Manhatten

Jim O’Brien, BC/Ohio State

Pete Gillen, Xavier/Providence/Virginia