Bill Walton wants Barack Obama to coach UCLA

Bill Walton, UCLA legend and ESPN broadcaster, is aiming high when it comes to selecting a new men’s basketball coach for his alma mater.

Walton and Dave Pasch had the call Thursday night when UCLA hosted Stanford in its Pac-12 opener and its first game since Steve Alford was fired Monday.

It seemed fitting then that Pasch asked Walton who he thought could succeed at UCLA and what characteristics the next coach should possess.

Walton’s answer was far from expected:

Barack Obama, the 44th president of U.S., is a huge basketball fan and famously made releasing his March Madness brackets into an annual tradition. His brother-in-law, Craig Robinson, played at Princeton before coaching at Brown University and Oregon State. He’s currently the vice president of player and organizational development for the New York Knicks.

Obama doesn’t have any strong ties to UCLA, or coaching for that matter, and Pasch pointed out Obama wouldn’t be in the discussion. It didn’t stop Walton from pursuing it.

“Well you keep saying that, but why? Why are you so negative?” Walton said. “… I’m sticking with Barack Obama until he says no.”

UCLA defeated Stanford, 92-70, under interim coach Murry Bartow. No word yet from Obama, who is likely busy enjoying his premiere on the Billboard charts.

More from Yahoo Sports:
• Ticket prices plummet for college football title game
• Steelers’ Brown responds to ex-teammate, calls him ‘Uncle Tom’
• Soaring TV ratings, streaming viewership an NFL bright spot
• Thamel: How Saban’s evolution changed Alabama