Friar Coaching Candidates: Eric Olen — Is He the Right Kind of Gamble?

It didn’t take Eric Olen long to reach the NCAA Tournament after leading UC San Diego through its transition to Division 1 basketball.

Olen, a 45-year-old Alabama native, started his coaching career as an assistant at UC San Diego in 2004, took over as head coach there in 2013, and oversaw a quick rise as the program moved to D1.

The Case for Eric Olen:

In Olen’s first three seasons as a Division 1 head coach, the Tritons finished below .500, but they reached the CBI Tournament after a 21-win campaign in 2024 (falling to Chicago State and Wesley Cardet) before the big breakout came in 2024-25.

UC San Diego became eligible for the NCAA Tournament for the first time last season and they wasted little time making it — finishing with a 30-5 record (18-2 in conference play) and earning a 12-seed.

They took on Michigan in the first round of the Tournament in a game in which they trailed 10-0 from the jump. UC San Diego battled back to take their first lead with 2:30 left, but fell in the waning minutes.

Despite losing in a heartbreaker, the season was a smashing success for Olen’s group. They had the highest NET and KenPom rankings of any team outside of the Power 5, and finished 61st nationally in Adjusted Offense and 30th on the defensive end.

Some numbers that stood out? Olen’s group ranked fifth nationally in Turnover Percentage, 31st in Effective Field Goal Percentage, and defensively they were third nationally in Turnover Percentage and 18th in defending two-point field goals.

After 21 years in San Diego, Olen took the New Mexico job last spring following Richard Pitino’s departure to Xavier.

The roster was completely cleaned out after Pitino departed, while Olen started the season with just one player who had suited up for him previously.

Regardless, the Lobos went 23-10 this season and 13-7 in league play, falling shy of an NCAA Tournament bid. They beat Santa Clara (98-71) and VCU (81-78) in consecutive December games. Those are two NCAA Tournament clubs whose coaches have been tied to the PC job.

Perhaps most encouraging for New Mexico fans, Olen won a lot while leaning on freshmen.

Jake Hall led them in scoring at 16.0 points per game. He was named Mountain West Freshman of the Year and is one of just three freshmen in league history to be named First Team All-Conference (along with Anthony Bennett and Kawhi Leonard). The California native averaged 17.5 points per game in league play and has made over 100 three-pointers at a 44% clip. He scored over 3,100 points in high school — second-most ever for a San Diego high school star.

Olen got huge production from another freshman, albeit one with professional experience, in Tomislav Buljan. He put up 12.5 points and led the conference in rebounding (10.4) and double doubles. Buljan, who played for the Croatian national team, grabbed 4.5 offensive boards a night.

Their fourth-leading scorer, 5’11 guard Uriah Tenette, is also a freshman. New Mexico’s roster features seven players from California and four internationals.

Offensively, Olen stated that he tailors things to his highest-usage players. He borrows concepts from everywhere — the NBA, Europe, and other programs across the country. He told Jon Rothstein last summer that his teams will look different depending on personnel.

As we’ve seen across the sport in recent years, success at the D2 level quite often translates when the best coaches are given the opportunity. Olen’s record his final five seasons in D2?

• 24-8

• 27-6

• 21-11

• 26-8

• 30-1

The Biggest Question Marks:

While the transfer portal has made high school recruiting and regional ties less significant, Olen’s entire career has been in the West. The Big East, and the Providence job, come with very distinct personalities that you almost have to experience firsthand to truly understand. There would certainly be a cultural adjustment and a learning curve assimilating to the Big East style of play.

It’s also fair to consider if Olen would leave New Mexico after just one season. He was obviously very loyal to UC San Diego.

The Final Word: Olen is a very intriguing name, even if he doesn’t have the familiarity or flair of others tied to the Providence gig. He’s a coaches’ coach with sparkling offensive and defensive metrics who has won with a very young core in a good league.

If the Friars want a coach who wins, develops, and adapts, Olen belongs on the shortlist.