2018 Coaching Carousel

[STEVEHOLT]

More on Matta and Georgia, also says one of the board's favorite coach, Creepy Crean is a candidate -
Georgia won't play in NIT; Matta visit planned

Pitino going to be next Georgia head coach.

 

[OrangeXtreme]

 

[MSOrange]

Sources: CSU Northridge hiring Mark Gottfried

 

[MSOrange]

UTEP hires Fresno State's Terry as coach

 

[orange79]

Report: Georgia looking into hiring Rick Pitino

 

[realorange]

No Pitino at Georgia

Paul Finebaum shuts down Rick Pitino-Georgia rumors: 'I would be dumbfounded if that happened'

 

[Shark58]

Connecticut
Out: Kevin Ollie. Four years after winning a national title as a No. 7 seed, Ollie is now out. It's a rare fall from the top of the sport in terms of how fast all of this happened. Ollie's name was linked to potential NBA openings as recently as two years ago. It remains to be seen if UConn will have to pay him more than $9 million to buy out his contract. A legal battle could very well ensue. As for the opening, Rhode Island's Dan Hurley is considered an obvious choice to step in there. Hurley would certainly listen to offers -- but he's in the midst of his best season yet. URI is still playing in the Atlantic 10 tournament, and the Rams are good enough to make the second weekend of the NCAAs. If Hurley is UConn's top target, it may have to wait a couple of weeks to get an interview.

Georgia
Out: Mark Fox. Georgia's made a change after nine seasons under Fox. The Bulldogs made the NCAA Tournament twice (2011, 2015), each time as a 10 seed. Fox should have a shot at a mid-major job going forward if he so chooses. As for Georgia, candidates that are reasonable to consider include former Indiana coach Tom Crean, Duke assistant Jeff Capel and former Ohio State coach Thad Matta.

Pittsburgh
Out: Kevin Stallings. Pitt's disastrous hire from just two years is now complete, though the school is likely going to have to shell out $9.4 million to Stallings to make him go away. It goes down as one of the biggest coaching-hire busts in college hoops history. Pitt went 8-24 this season, including 0-19 against ACC teams. In two years, Stallings was 24-41. The Pitt job has promise, but the question becomes how much can it pay and who can it lure in? Tom Crean could be a potential fit. Rhode Island's Dan Hurley will probably get a call.

Cal State Northridge
Out: Reggie Theus. The former NBA player and coach could not find success in the Big West, bottoming out after five seasons with a 6-24 record. Theus, 60, went 53-105 at CSUN.

In: Mark Gottfried. ESPN reported on March 12 that Gottfried would take over. It's certainly a big-name hire for a Big West school, but Gottfried left behind a situation at NC State that wound up having the Department of Justice poking around the men's basketball program.

 

[Shark58]

Maine
Out: Bob Walsh. After four seasons, Walsh decided to walk away from one of the toughest jobs in college basketball. Walsh texted CBS Sports on March 5: "I have decided not to pursue a contract extension at Maine. Looking forward to pursuing new challenges." Walsh is wired differently than a lot of other coaches. He could opt to stay on as an assistant in D-I, or he could coach at a lower level, or he could get out of the business altogether.

In: Richard Barron. What's happening at Maine is a rarity on a couple of fronts. For one, Barron is the former women's coach at Maine. He is taking over the men's program after a medical leave of absence caused him to step away from the women's team previously. Also, it's rare to see a program have its head coach step down -- and then announce that coach's replacement, who was not on the staff, within a matter of hours. Maine is on a slim-pickings, tight budget and is one of the toughest jobs in college basketball.

Louisville
Out: Rick Pitino. The Cardinals are a bubble team who've been coached all season by David Padgett, tagged with an interim title. He's the only member of Pitino's coaching staff who was kept on after the FBI scandal broke and Pitino was fired in early October. (Pitino is in the process of suing the school.) The Cardinals still await NCAA review regarding illegal activity uncovered in the FBI probe, meaning the program could be subject to another round of sanctions. When that happens no one knows, and so it's tough to gauge how many high-profile candidates for this job would consider passing on it with so much uncertainty. When free of any NCAA restrictions, Louisville is unquestionably considered a top-10 gig in the sport. Reasonable names Louisville should consider include Xavier coach Chris Mack, Wichita State's Gregg Marshall, Providence's Ed Cooley, Cincinnati's Mick Cronin, Virginia Tech's Buzz Williams and former Indiana coach Tom Crean.

Ole Miss
Out: Andy Kennedy. Ole Miss and Kennedy officially parted ways on Feb. 18. He went 245-156 in 12 seasons, making the NCAA Tournament twice. The Ole Miss job is considered bottom-three in the SEC, so athletic director Ross Bjork will need to nail the hire in order to upgrade the program in an upgraded SEC. Middle Tennessee's Kermit Davis would be a natural fit for the program.

Colorado State
Out: Larry Eustachy. Resigned on Feb. 26, following being placed on administrative leave for an investigation into how he treated his players. Eustachy left with $750,000 for this season and $250,000 over nearly the next year. Candidates include South Dakota's Craig Smith and Drake's Niko Medved, among others. The job, which is in a desirable spot in the Mountain West, will probably pay around $600,000 in the first year of coach's contract.

 

[Shark58]

East Carolina
Out: Jeff Lebo. Resigned on Nov. 29. This is a bottom-tier AAC job. The Pirates went 10-19 this season. Take a scan at every program in a Major 7 conference, and the only one that might compete with ECU right now in terms of desperate need of a complete overhaul in identity and personnel is Washington State.

Charlotte
Out: Mark Price. Houston Fancher took over after Mark Price and Charlotte severed ties in December. The 49ers, once a program expecting to make the NCAA Tournament nearly every year, went 2-16 in C-USA and seem to be starting a long process of rebuild from the athletic director on down. Charlotte basketball was at one point an unquestionable top-50 program, but we're almost two decades removed from that.

Utah State
Out: Tim Duryea. A 16-win average over the past three seasons led to an unexpected firing of Duryea. The school's administration is obviously in search of returning to the success from the Stew Morrill era.

Missouri State
Out: Paul Lusk. The industry had murmurs about Lusk's job status in the final weeks of the season. The Bears were the preseason favorite in the Missouri Valley but went 7-11 in league play and finished 18-15 overall. Lusk spent seven seasons with the program and averaged 15 wins per year. Many who do work or have worked in The Valley consider it a top-two job in the conference now that Wichita State has left.

 

[Shark58]

San Diego
Out: Lamont Smith. On March 7, Smith resigned from his alma mater after three seasons. The 42-year-old was arrested at the airport on suspicion of domestic violence the day after USD's regular season finale at San Francisco. However, Smith was never charged and his lawyer released a statement clarifying that charges were never held against against Smith. Legally, the matter is over. Smith was hired at San Diego in 2015. The Toreros' 18-13 season ended in the first round of the WCC tournament.

UTEP
Out: Tim Floyd. On Nov. 27, Floyd abruptly retired after a 1-5 start. Floyd coached the program for seven full seasons. He never got to the NCAA Tournament at UTEP. The Miners went 11-19 in the regular season.

In: Rodney Terry. This rumor had picked up steam in the week before it happened. UTEP announced Terry as its new coach on March 12. It got him to leave Fresno State. He's familiar with Texas, so it might wind up being a long-term win for the program. The Miners play in C-USA, and this job, although once a place where NCAA Tournaments were attainable, is one of the toughest spots in the league.

Eastern Kentucky
Out: Dan McHale. Eastern Kentucky terminated McHale on Feb. 26 after just three seasons. EKU athletic director Stephen Lochumueller made the call, which took some in the industry by surprise. McHale went 38-55 but never made the OVC tournament under his watch.

Pepperdine
Out: Marty Wilson. The school announced on Feb. 14 that this season would be Wilson's last. The Waves went 6-26 this season, including nearly upsetting Saint Mary's in the WCC quarterfinals on March 3. The school last earned an NCAA Tournament bid in 2002 under Paul Westphal.

 

[Shark58]

South Alabama
Out: Matthew Graves. Evan Daniels of 247 Sports reported on Thursday that Graves was let go after five seasons with the Jaguars. His team went 14-18 this season; Graves' record with USA was 65-96. He is a disciple of Brad Stevens, having served as associate head coach under Stevens at Butler. Under Graves, the Jags never finished .500 in Sun Belt play.

Loyola (MD)
Out: G.G. Smith. Multiple reports surfaced on Thursday that Smith has been fired after five seasons with the Greyhounds. The program was never above .500 overall or in league play under Smith. The Patriot League-based school last made the NCAAs in 2012 under current Siena coach Jimmy Patsos.

Marist
Out: Mike Maker. A bad four-year run led to Maker's end with the Red Foxes. The program totaled only 28 wins in his tenure. When the next hire is made, it will be the sixth coach in 16 seasons at the school. Marist is considered a bottom-third job in the MAAC.

Bryant
Out: Tim O'Shea. The Bulldogs transitioned to D-I in 2008-09. O'Shea spent a decade with the program, but the team was a miserable 3-28 this season. The job is considered a good one in the Northeast Conference. One potential candidate who Bryant could look at: Jim Ferry. The Penn State assistant coached LIU Brooklyn to back-to-back NCAA Tournaments in 2011 and 2012 -- in the NEC.

 

[Shark58]

Western Carolina
Out: Larry Hunter resigned after 13 seasons with the program. Hunter won 193 games, good for second in program history. The SoCon program based out of Cullowhee, North Carolina, will lose five seniors and potentially more players to transfer due to the change in leadership.

High Point
Out: Scott Cherry. The school announced March 7 that a "mutual" agreement between Cherry and the administration had been made to sever ties. Cherry was at High Point for nine seasons, and often had a top-two team in the Big South. In five of Cherry's seasons with the program the school won 10 or more games in league play. Injuries to top players prevented the school from reaching the NCAA Tournament.

Little Rock
Out: Wes Flanigan. This was a surprising one. Little Rock won an NCAA Tournament game just two years ago under Chris Beard. Flanigan got the job, dealt with some adversity, but is out only two years later. Flanigan went 22-42.

"I am appreciative to coach Flanigan for his service to the university and our basketball program," school AD Chasse Conque said. "At the conclusion of each season I evaluate each of our programs. Based on where we stand today, we felt our men's basketball program needed a change in leadership."

UC Riverside
Out: Dennis Cutts. It was not a nice start to 2018 for Cutts, who was fired Cutts on Jan. 1. The Highlanders went 4-12 in league play under interim Justin Bell. The program has been in Division I since 2001-02 and has never gotten to the NCAA Tournament.

"There is a need to elevate our men's basketball program to a more consistent level, to more effectively compete with mid-major Division I programs," the school's athletic director said in January. "We need a coaching philosophy that will accelerate our program's overall success in the Big West Conference, that emphasizes a culture for champions."

 

[Shark58]

McNeese State
Out: Dave Simmons. He lasted 12 seasons at one of the toughest jobs in the Southland Conference. Simmons' peak came in 2010-11, when the Cowboys went 21-12 and lost in the league title game. The school last made the Big Dance in 2002.

USC Upstate
Out: Kyle Perry. The university dismissed Perry and school athletic director Julio Freire on March 1. Perry was brought on just last October. The Spartans rated as the worst defensive team in college basketball. This program is moving out of the Atlantic Sun and going to the Big South.

Longwood
Out: Jayson Gee. Went 7-26 and was there for five seasons. The Lancers started 3-3 in Big South play before losing 12 straight. Gee's team did not win a non-conference game vs. a Division I opponent this season. In five seasons, he never won more than 11 games at the school, which has been in Division I since 2004-05.

 

[Shark58]

Incarnate Word
Out: Ken Burmeister. It was year No. 5 for the Cardinals in D-I. It was their worst season yet, a 7-21 finish with a 2-16 record in the Southland. The administration needs to make the right kind of hire to replace Burmeister in order to get on track in the Southland. It could be detrimental to D-I transition if the next coach can't bring the program to the top half of the conference in the next three seasons.

Delaware State
Out: Keith Walker. The Hornets ranked 350th out of 351 teams at KenPom this season. Walker lasted four seasons as a head coach in the MEAC. The program last made the NCAA Tournament in 2005.

 

[Trueblue25]

Cronin? Cooley? Mack? Buzz????

Louisville’s coming out of CHEATING looking pretty.

 

[Deano]

Didn't realize Jeff Capel is being considered for Georgia job. Man if he were to get that who would be the new $$$ man at Dook then.

 

[Frozen]

Didn't realize Jeff Capel is being considered for Georgia job. Man if he were to get that who would be the new $$$ man at Dook then.

The question of who will succeed Coach K is pretty intriguing. There are a lot of candidates: Capel, Hurley, Wojo, Amaker and Brey as a long shot.

 

[OrangeXtreme]

 

[MSOrange]

Ole Miss expected to hire MTSU's Kermit Davis

 

[OrangeXtreme]

 

[Cheriehoop]

Unless it was a money issue , why would Matta even tease about returning to coach if he couldn’t give his all. Shouldn’t that be an issue he and his family decided on beforehand?

 

[MSOrange]

Unless it was a money issue , why would Matta even tease about returning to coach if he couldn’t give his all. Shouldn’t that be an issue he and his family decided on beforehand?

That's what I thought when I read it. He should be pretty familiar with what's involved in coaching at this point and I doubt Georgia was asking him to do anything outside the norm.

 

[pearl31]

That's what I thought when I read it. He should be pretty familiar with what's involved in coaching at this point and I doubt Georgia was asking him to do anything outside the norm.

yeah seems odd - holding out for an acc gig?

 

[OrangeXtreme]

 

[MSOrange]

I would say that's a sign that he's the favorite. Usually you don't need an agent to negotiate a high school coaching job that he has now.