Arizona State is on the hunt for a new men's basketball coach, and athletics director Graham Rossini is whittling down his list of finalists for the job. Former Sun Devil point guard Derek Glasser, currently an assistant coach at UC Santa Barbara, has emerged as one such name. Here's everything you need to know about the unorthodox candidate.
Fear the Beard
The first reports of Glasser's candidacy came as an initial shock, but it's easy to see why it's become a real thing: James Harden.
The most prominent player in program history, Harden has made plenty of money in the NBA and has begun giving back in the form of NIL. A year ago, he pledged to do what he can to support the basketball program, and recently partnered with Adidas for custom jerseys made available to both men's and women's teams.
Harden, who played alongside Glasser at Arizona State, reportedly has made it known to boosters and officials in the administration that he would like to see Glasser be the next head coach. And, reportedly, Glasser's initial pitch to boosters suggested that his hiring would come with a sizable increase in contributions from Harden.
Just how sizable? That's a tough question, and the answer may be unknowable. Some have suggested that Harden may donate enough to effectively double Arizona State's current NIL warchest, which would put the Sun Devils comfortably into the middle tier of the Big 12. That alone would be a massive improvement.
But should that be the main criteria?
In the age of NIL and the transfer portal, having money on hand makes it significantly easier to attract top talent. However, attracting talent is no guarantee of success on the court, as was proven thoroughly by the Hurley years.
Hurley frequently landed prized recruits, even bringing in two 5-stars a year ago in Jayden Quaintance and Joson Sanon. All of those recruiting wins manifested into zero trips to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
That said, money talks. If Glasser can walk into the head coaching job and immediately double the program's funds - while still working to fundraise among other boosters that aren't currently earning an NBA paycheck - that's more than any other candidate can say right now.
Don't overlook the shadow cast by the Beard.
Activate the Valley 2.0?
If Glasser is ultimately hired, it will make for a good side bet to see how long Rossini gets into the introductory press conference before referencing Kenny Dillingham.
While Rossini was not the one who actually hired Dillingham, he's seen the impact that move has had. The young, energetic Sun Devil alum coined the phrase "Activate the Valley" in his introductory press conference, and quickly made it more than just a phrase.
Like Glasser, Dillingham had never been a head coach before. Yet he understood the nuances of the Arizona State job from having attended the university and working there early in his coaching career. That helped Dillingham earn buy-in from fans and boosters early on.
That said, Dillingham had stops at blue bloods Auburn, Florida State, and Oregon right before coming home. Arizona State probably hired him a year before he was truly ready, but everyone in the coaching world knew Dillingham was going to be a head coach before long.
Glasser's only coaching stops thus far have come at Rice and UC Santa Barbara. Not to devalue his experience, but Glasser's resume doesn't quite compare to Dillingham's as of now.
Regardless, the appeal for Glasser can largely be tied to the success Dillingham has enjoyed. Glasser understands Arizona State because he was in the belly of the beast not long ago, and that could be a pivotal factor in reawakening a fan base that's lost a lot of enthusiasm for men's basketball in the last few years.
Inexperience causes plenty of concern
Glasser has never been a head coach. Not only that, he's never even coached on the Power 4 level. If Arizona State hires him to be their head coach, he'll be learning on the job while also contending on the biggest stage in the premier basketball conference.
That's enough to make even the most optimistic fans wary.
Glasser's pitch appears to showcase some self awareness, though. He understands that such a hire would be unorthodox, and it's been floated that Glasser would dedicate resources towards filling his coaching staff with seasoned veterans in order to ensure he has the necessary support.
Scott Pera is one such name. Harden's former high school coach took a job at Arizona State under Herb Sendek, and Harden followed not long after. Pera helped the Sun Devils to three straight seasons of 21+ wins, including the last time the program reached the Round of 32.
Pera later became the head coach at Rice, where he went 96-127 in seven seasons. The program looked to be gaining momentum, but the move to the American conference seemingly let the air out. Notably, Rice has had consecutive losing seasons since moving on from Pera.
This past year, Pera took a job at alma mater Penn State as the general manager. Glasser may be eyeing Pera for the same role in Tempe, or perhaps as his top assistant on the coaching bench. Either way, the ties between these two have seemed to be part of the pitch.
Glasser's connections to both Harden and Sendek could help fill out the rest of his staff, too.
Jay Larranaga, the son of legendary Miami coach Jim Larranaga, has spent the past five years as an assistant with the Los Angeles Clippers, the last three of which he's worked directly with Harden. Larranaga has interviewed for a few head coaching jobs this cycle, but may be enticed to join the Sun Devils if that doesn't pan out.
Roy Rogers is a longtime NBA assistant who worked with Harden for a considerable time with the Houston Rockets. Known for his defensive coaching, Rogers joined the staff at Memphis a year ago, but was just let go as part of a house cleaning from the head coach, who is sitting on a very hot seat.
Regardless of what names Glasser has on his staff, it seems as if he plans to lean on them while he adjusts to being a head coach. Given that one of the more common complaints about Bobby Hurley was his unwillingness to bring in assistants that could infuse fresh ideas to the offense, that should be well received from Glasser.
Unique background could be an asset
There are plenty of things about Glasser's candidacy that are unique.
His status as the program's all-time assist leader would make this a great homecoming story. The rise from Big West assistant coach to Big 12 head coach would be unprecedented. Glasser even got his start as a coach working as the video coordinator at Rice, a similar career path to Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra.
However, there is one underrated aspect of Glasser's experience that could make him an asset as head coach. Before getting into coaching, Glasser was an agent with Athlete Management Group, working for NBA players. According to his bio on the UC Santa Barbara team site, Glasser "negotiat[ed] more than $2.1 million in player salaries and manag[ed] endorsement partnerships with major global brands including Nike... and Adidas."
In the age of NIL, and a world where universities are now allowed to directly pay players, Glasser's direct experience with negotiating player salaries and endorsement deals would be critical. Very few coaches can say they have that specific type of experience; Glasser can.
Additionally, his relationship with Adidas is huge. Currently, Adidas is the apparel partner for Arizona State, and the two just re-upped again. But Adidas has also become a kingmaker of sorts in the basketball recruiting world. The fact that Glasser has dealt directly with Adidas as an agent in the past could help strengthen that relationship in Tempe for the future, especially after rumors of tension between the brand and Arizona State's outgoing coach.
By far the biggest knock on Glasser's candidacy is simply the unknown of what he brings as the man in charge. After all, not even Glasser knows for sure how he'd fare as a head coach anywhere, let alone at Arizona State.
But if Glasser can shore up that area with an experienced staff, his combination of school pride, financial backing, and unique background could result in a home run hire for the Sun Devils.