Texas A&M will not retain men's basketball coach Billy Kennedy for a ninth season, according to a report Tuesday from the Houston Chronicle.
Kennedy coached the Aggies the last eight seasons where he amassed a 150-115 record, but his lack of success getting to the postseason may have doomed him. In eight seasons, he led the program to only two NCAA Tournament appearances. Texas A&M finished the regular season last week with a 13-17 overall record, and will likely miss the Big Dance again this season, barring a miraculous SEC Tournament run.
Kennedy took the program reins from Mark Turgeon in 2011 when Turgeon took the Maryland job, and was at the helm when the Aggies made the leap from the Big 12 to the SEC. In his first season coaching in the SEC, A&M went 18-15 overall. Under his watch, the program had not dipped below 16 wins until this season.
Texas A&M will have a wide variety of names from which to interview and select its next coach. The Chronicle reports that Virginia Tech coach Buzz Williams, a Texas native and former A&M assistant, is expected to be a top target. Williams has been the subject of coaching searches in previous years, but has remained with the Hokies since taking the job in 2014. He's expected to lead Virginia Tech to the NCAA Tournament for a third consecutive season.
Kennedy recruited well in his time at Texas A&M and enjoyed some success, highlighted by a 28-win season in 2015-16 in which Texas A&M secured a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament and advanced to the Sweet 16.
