It's only been a week since Arizona State parted ways with men's basketball coach Bobby Hurley after 11 years. Finding a successor soon is a priority with the transfer portal opening on April 7. Arizona State's roster is made up primarily of underclassmen with eligibility left, and they're going to want to know who the coach is.
There are a lot of names being floated as possible replacements for Hurley. Some make perfect sense. Here is a look at two that have been picking up traction.
ASU is one of three Big 12 men's teams that will head into next season with new coaches. Cincinnati also has a vacancy, while Casey Alexander, formerly from Belmont, replaced Jerome Tang at Kansas State.
Mark Madsen, California
California head coach Mark Madsen yells to his team during the first half against North Carolina in Berkeley, Calif., Jan. 17, 2026.
There are few jobs tougher than the California job when Madsen stepped in. Madsen, 50, was at Utah Valley for four years, with his team going a combined 70-51. He has been in Berkeley for three years, his record there being 48-49. That may not seem like a number to get excited about, but consider that Cal was 3-29 the year before he took over and 38-87 in the four-year tenure of the previous coach, Mark Fox.
Cal is not an easy job. Its resources are modest, and if Madsen can turn a program around there with little to work with, he can probably do it anywhere.
Cal improved from 3-29 to 13-19 his first year, and then 14-19 in 2024-25, with the one-game improvement coming despite moving from the Pac-12 to the more competitive ACC. His team is 21-11 this season and will be participating in the NIT. It is the first 20-win season for the school since 2017.
Madsen played nine years in the NBA with the Lakers and Minnesota Timberwolves, so NBA experience is a bonus.
It may be tough to find a coach from a major conference who would consider the ASU job, but the travel in the ACC is difficult, and Madsen is used to working with modest resources. So, this would be a huge win for both parties.
Eric Olen, New Mexico
New Mexico head coach Eric Olen reacts on the sidelines during the first half against San Diego State Jan. 17, 2026, in San Diego.
Olen, 45, is rounding out his first season heading the program at New Mexico, which narrowly missed the NCAA Tournament field and is competing in the NIT. His team went 23-10 and tied for third in the Mountain West in the regular season.
Olen previously was the head coach at UC San Diego from 2013 to 2025. He was leading that program when it transitioned from Division II to Division I. His record in his years at UC San Diego, the school for which he played, was 240-119 (.669).
One interesting footnote from his time at UC San Diego — it did not start offering athletic scholarships until 2014. In his first year there, he had to recruit as the only coach in that conference who could not offer scholarships.
UC San Diego transitioned to Division I and the Big West for the 2020-21 school year.
He is a two-time Big West Coach of the Year and earned coach of the year honors twice at the Division II level.
Coming from a non-power conference school, ASU would be a step up for Olen.
