Report: Tennessee basketball assistant is the frontrunner for in-state head coaching job
Rick Barnes may soon be looking to replace a key assistant.
Jeff Goodman of Stadium reports that Tennessee assistant Desmond Oliver has emerged as the frontrunner for the East Tennessee State job.
Oliver brought over 20 years of experience as an assistant coach when he joined the UT staff in 2015. He got his start in 1994 at Niagra. He was on staff at Texas A&M 1997-98 and Georgia 2004-09.
Oliver’s Tennessee bio notes he was the lead recruiter for Grant Williams, a player he helped develop from an unheralded, 3-star prospect into a consensus first-team All-American, the first back-to-back SEC Player of the Year since Corliss Williamson in the mid-1990s and a first-round NBA Draft Pick. Williams was also a finalist for every National Player of the Year award in 2019.
In addition to Williams, Oliver’s resume of NBA draftees at UT includes Admiral Schofield and Jordan Bone.
Tennessee assistant Desmond Oliver has emerged as the frontrunner to replace Jason Shay at East Tennessee State, source told @Stadium.
I’ve known Oliver for 20 years, and he’s the perfect guy to move ETSU forward.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) April 3, 2021