Report: Ollie interested in Thunder job despite public statement

Kevin Ollie said he wants to stay at UConn, but he may be eyeing the Oklahoma City Thunder coaching job now that Scott Brooks has been dismissed.

Ollie released the following statement in response to NBA coaching rumors Wednesday, via Matt Zampini of The Daily Campus.

As I have said many times, I am proud and honored to be the head basketball coach at the University of Connecticut and I have no plans to pursue other opportunities.

We are already excited about next season and I am looking forward to preparing our team to be the best we can be on the court, in the classroom, and in our community.

The statement was released before Brooks was fired by the Thunder on Wednesday. Ollie maintains significant interest in the Oklahoma City job, according to Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski. 

Not only that, Wojnarowski writes that Ollie is a top choice for the Thunder - along with another NCAA coach, Billy Donovan.

Adam Zagoria of SNY reported Monday that the Thunder were interested in Ollie as a possible replacement for Brooks. Ollie finished his NBA playing career in OKC in 2010 and is close with Kevin Durant. Zagoria also reported that Thunder GM Sam Presti visited Ollie recently.

A year removed from winning the national championship, Ollie has compiled a 72-33 record in three seasons with the Huskies. UConn has the 30th-ranked incoming draft class for 2015, according to ESPN.