Eight potential candidates to replace Lorenzo Romar as Washington’s basketball coach

Washington athletic director Jennifer Cohen says she has a list in mind of potential replacements for Lorenzo Romar, who was fired Wednesday after 15 years as the Huskies’ head coach.

“That’s my job,” said Cohen, in her first year as the AD. “I need to be prepared, and I’ve done my homework.

“I’m looking for somebody that absolutely has a passion for developing young men on and off the court — that’s who we are at the University of Washington. That’s really important. Somebody that has a high standard for excellence. And somebody that has a vision and a plan and an understanding of what Washington’s all about, and that they know that they can build a championship culture here.”

Cohen didn’t reveal anyone on her short list, but here are eight names who could be worth a look.

Eric Musselman, Nevada head coach: The 52-year-old former NBA head coach (Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors) quickly resurrected the Wolf Pack program. In his first season, Nevada won the 2016 CBI championship. This year, Nevada won the Mountain West and is in the NCAA tournament. Musselman has already been linked to the opening at Cal, which also came open Wednesday when Cuonzo Martin left for Missouri.

Kevin Keatts, UNC-Wilmington head coach: Keatts, 44, has the Seahawks in the NCAA tournament for the third consecutive season and is seen as an up-and-coming mid-major coach. A Louisville assistant from 2011-14, he doesn’t appear to have any West Coast connections.

T.J. Otzelberger, South Dakota State head coach: The former UW assistant has led the Jackrabbits into the NCAA tournament in his first season as a head coach. No. 16 seed SDSU plays No. 1 Gonzaga on Thursday.

Leon Rice, head coach, Boise State: A Washington State graduate and an assistant at Gonzaga from 1998-2010, Rice is 142-86 in seven seasons at Boise, with two NCAA tourney berths. On Thursday, Boise knocked off Utah, 73-68, in the first round of the NIT.

Archie Miller, Dayton head coach: The 38-year-old younger brother of Arizona coach Sean Miller spent three seasons on his brother’s staff in Tucson before taking the job at Dayton in 2011. He’s 140-62 there and has the Flyers in the NCAA tourney for the fourth consecutive season. Question is, would he want to come to the Pac-12 and coach against his brother?

Randy Bennett, Saint Mary’s head coach: Bennett has built the Gaels into a regular NCAA tournament team and has been linked to a number of openings over the years. He’s got the coaching chops, but he seems content at Saint Mary’s. “The longer I stay, the more I want to stay,” he said last year.

Gregg Marshall, head coach, Wichita State: Marshall falls just below Gonzaga’s Mark Few as a pie-in-the-sky candidate. Marshall is a favorite of some UW boosters, but his $3.3 million salary makes him an extreme longshot for UW.

Brandon Roy, head coach, Nathan Hale High School: One of the greatest players in UW history, Roy led Hale to its first state championship in his first season as a coach, a title team built around star Michael Porter Jr. It seems far-fetched that Roy is ready to be a major-college head coach, but many Husky fans would love a reunion at some point.