Cuonzo Martin looks like a frontrunner because he played at Purdue and grew up in East St. Louis, Ill., Midwest ties that helped Martin recruit 2016 Illinois Mr. Basketball Charlie Moore from Morgan Park to Berkeley, Calif. Yet as compelling as Martin is, his third Cal team qualified for the NIT. UNC Wilmington coach Kevin Keatts merits consideration after leading his team to two straight NCAA tournaments, but the Groce experience could make Whitman understandably wary of going the mid-major route. Monty Williams, a Spurs front-office executive and a top NBA head-coaching candidate in June, already declined Whitman's overtures. Sam Mitchell, the NBA coach of the year in 2007, expressed his desire for an interview through his buddy, former Illini star Kendall Gill.