Not sure that Larranaga is any different than Kelsey. The NBA glitter looks good but Kelsey has been in the fire for 4 years and understands the college game more than Larranaga does.
Not saying Kelsey should be our top option, I'm just not sure why people would be so opposed to him but okay with Larranaga. (And also McCall for that same reason).
The pro connection matters more so in bball than in fball. It matters in recruiting and on the court. Larranaga has a great rep as an X's and O's coach on that level which should translate quite well at the NCAA level. A guy like Kelsey being 'in the fire' is great but an NBA-level coach should dwarf him in a head-to-head matchup with equal talent. I think it matters
that much. Like chess vs. checkers. Now, that's a ridiculous statement in fball since there's not necessarily much difference in terms of strategy. Basketball on the two levels is much different strategically IIUC. I'd be curious to hear others' thoughts on that.
Recruiting-wise, it's much easier to get an audience as an "NBA guy" than it is as an up-and-comer, no-name guy regardless of the fact that a strong argument can be made that Kelsey is actually an accomplished coach.
That's just my $0.03.
On a different note, why's everyone thinking Holtmann is potentially available? It'd be a hard sell to pull him from there, especially after them having a (former?) player die recently.