usatsi-19904662-1.jpg
USATSI

The NCAA Tournament is taking everyone's attention, as it should. Things have been outrageously fun through the first days of the Big Dance.

That said, the carousel's movement isn't slowing. Behind the scenes, interviews are ongoing and more positions will be filled in the coming days. More jobs will open as well. I'm still keeping an eye on all of that, too. 

Over the weekend, ETSU hired Wake Forest assistant Brooks Savage, while Western Kentucky plucked Texas A&M-Corpus Christi coach Steve Lutz. Other than that, it's been quiet in recent days in terms of hirings and firings. 

Right now, the coaching buzz centers around whether Ed Cooley will leave for Providence and if/when Rick Pitino leaves Iona -- likely for St. John's -- after the Gaels were knocked out of the NCAAs by UConn. 

As for the rest of what's happened, take a tour below. This page will update again in the coming day(s). We're at 37 jobs that with vacancies and/or turnover. 

Major-conference openings


Out: Chris Beard
Following Beard's suspension (and eventual firing, in early January), interim coach Rodney Terry's gone 18-7. The job is coveted; UT ranks as one of the 10 best gigs in men's college hoops. Athletic director Chris Del Conte isn't giving Terry the most optimistic support that he'll keep the job, sources said. Texas has brand new facilities and will be moving to the SEC in a year. It's going to attract a big name, but nobody at this stage really knows who that will be, though questions loom over whether Kelvin Sampson would be tempted enough to leave what he's built at Houston. Jamie Dixon's name has been attached to the job as of late, but the situation still feels foggy.

Out: Patrick Ewing
Really a sad thing how Ewing could never get Georgetown going. Six years and an honest go of it, but it wasn't meant to be. Now the Hoyas have to bring in someone that can drag Georgetown out of the bottom three of the Big East, where it's been most of the past decade. Here's my list on the six candidates who should get a look, but subsequent to that story publishing I learned that Georgetown president John DeGioa, who's running the search, has not contacted Rick Pitino's camp and does not want to pursue the Hall of Fame coach. Is this Ed Cooley's job to turn down?

Out: Jim Boeheim | In: Adrian Autry
Boeheim's career ends with a loss at the hands of Wake Forest in the 8/9 game of the ACC Tournament. The Naismith Memorial Hall of Famer coached the Orange from 1976-2023 and won 1,015 games, second most in history to Mike Krzyzewski of Duke. There was also the apex: 2003's national championship run with Carmelo Anthony. Boeheim has been succeeded by Autry, who played for Boeheim in the 1990s and has been on staff since 2011. Boeheim had a longer association with Syracuse University than any other coach in college sports history: nearly 60 years.

Out: Mike Brey
The Fighting Irish will make their first hire in 23 years. Brey is done following an underwhelming denouement in South Bend. AD Jack Swarbrick will not be using a search committee to fill the vacancy, and this job should attract an intriguing pool of names. Initial candidates being rumored include Penn State's Micah Shrewsberry, Ohio State's Chris Holtmann, Miami Heat assistant (and former ND player) Chris Quinn and Colgate's Matt Langel.

Out: Mark Adams
Adams is done after just two years after controversy and instability behind the scenes lampooned his second season. He resigned Wednesday evening. "My lifelong goal was to help and be a positive influence on my players, and to be a part of the Texas Tech men's basketball team," Adams said. "However, both the University and I believe this incident has become a distraction for the Texas Tech men's basketball team and the University, which I care about so deeply." Questions remain about if AD Kirby Hocutt, whose had a litany of issues with coaches and inappropriate behavior, has a long future at the school. Grant McCasland (North Texas) and Paul Mills (Oral Roberts) are two obvious names to keep an eye on for that job. 

Out: Mike Anderson
The school fired Anderson after four years. It was viewed as an outside-the-box hire in 2019, and it never panned out. The question is: Can St. John's get Rick Pitino? He's the program's No. 1 priority. The Johnnies haven't won an NCAA Tournament game since 2000. They need to hire someone who can provide legitimate optimism. If it's not Pitino, who?

Out: Josh Pastner | In: Damon Stoudamire
The Yellow Jackets lasted seven years with Pastner, but it was time for a change. Stoudamire was not an on-the-radar candidate initially, which means AD J Batt successfully navigated back channels, identified his guy weeks ago, and pulled off as big of a PR win as he could with this hire.

Out: Kermit Davis | In: Chris Beard
The school fired Davis on Feb. 24, about one month shy of allowing Davis to finish out his fifth season. He went 74-79 and made the NCAAs in his first year on the job. Beard is back in college basketball after barely more than two months of unemployment after his firing at Texas in the wake of a domestic abuse scandal that formally ended when a felony charge against him was dropped in February. 

Out: Mark Fox
Fox was fired after four seasons. He's been replaced on an interim basis by Chris Harriman. The job is among the five-or-so worst at the high-major level for a variety of reasons. I'm hearing San Jose State coach Tim Miles isn't involved as of Monday, but UCSB coach Joe Pasternack and UC Irvine coach Russell Turner are being looked at. A name I'd toss into the ring: LMU coach Stan Johnson.

Other openings

1
Out: Mike Balado
The Wolves were coached by Balado for six years and fired him after his buyout dropped in mid-March. The program last made the NCAAs in 1999.
2
Out: Mike Brennan
Brennan lasted a decade at American. He made the NCAAs in his first season there. Three names that might be in play for this job: Virginia assistant Jason Williford, former Hartford coach John Gallagher and former Siena and George Washington coach Jamion Christian.
3
Out: Jimmy Allen
The Black Knights played seven years under Allen and were, for the most part, a middle-of-the-pack Patriot League team. This job requires a specific kind of coach and recruits, obviously, specific kinds of players -- guys who want to represent their country and attend for reasons beyond basketball.
4
Out: Nate James | In: Corey Gipson
James is out less than two years after taking the job. The former Duke assistant was 17 games under .500 through two seasons (21-38), but Austin Peay was a job in transition, moving from the OVC to the ASUN this season. Gipson moved quickly to get this job, and I'm told was able to push for an aggressive salary pool in the negotiating process.
5
Out: Michael Huger | In: Todd Simon
The Falcons hired Southern Utah coach Simon, who was 38-14 the last three years for the Thunderbirds.
6
Out: Nathan Davis
Bucknell split from Davis after eight seasons, which included a 129-155 record and NCAA Tournament appearances in 2017 and 2018. Bucknell is arguably the best job in the Patriot League and will be competitively chased. The program has made the NCAAs eight times. Villanova's George Halcovage and Syracuse assistant Gerry McNamara are two of the candidates the school has identified early in its process.
7
Out: Jim Whitesell
The Bulls made four NCAA Tournaments in five years under Bobby Hurley and Nate Oats, but the momentum couldn't continue under Whitesell. This search will probably take some time.
8
Out: Desmond Oliver | In: Brooks Savage 
Two seasons and done for Oliver, who went 27-37. It wasn't so long ago that ETSU was competing for NCAA Tournaments and winning the SoCon under Steve Forbes. And so, a former ETSU assistant under Forbes, Savage gets the job on a four-year contract. 
9
Out: Brian Burg In : Charlie Henry
The Eagles bring in Henry, an assistant at Alabama, to try and bring some life into an Eagles program that is arguably the worst in the Sun Belt. Henry replaces Burg who was on a weirdly short leash and only given three years by athletic director Jared Benko. The Eagles went 43-45 in three seasons.
10
Out: Will Ryan In : Sundance Wicks
The Phoenix hired Sundance Wicks, an assistant coach for Wyoming the past three seasons. Wicks replaces Ryan, who was fired after he went 2-19 this season.
11
Out: G.G. Smith
Tubby Smith's son was promoted to the full-time job a year ago but was fired following a 14-17 season. Similar to Bucknell in the Patriot League, High Point is a highly coveted job in the Big South because of its campus setting and facilities.
12
Out: Brett Nelson
Nelson went 27-84 in four seasons. The Crusaders, who reside in the Patriot League, have made one NCAA Tournament since 2007. The school will likely look to land someone with previous head coaching experience at the mid-major level.
13
Out: Zac Claus | In: Alex Pribble
Pribble, an assistant at Seattle, was hired to replace Claus, who went 28-88 with the Vandals. Idaho is an appealing mid-major job in that part of the country now due to new facilities, but it's traditionally a sub-par team in the Big Sky. 
14
Out: Steve Masiello
The 11-16 Jaspers had a sideways campaign after firing Masiello on the precipice of the regular season. RaShawn Stores did an admirable job in a very tough situation, and it remains wait-and-see whether he'll get promoted to the full-time position.
15
Out: John Aiken | In: Will Wade
Aiken was fired after just two seasons and a 22-45 overall record. Former coach Heath Schroyer is now the AD and decided Wade was worth the risk. Wade is awaiting a ruling from the IRP due to his role in LSU's case, wherein he was caught on a wiretap talking about paying players. That verdict will come down in the spring.
16
Out: Bill Herrion
Herrion's contract was not renewed after he went 227-303 in 18 seasons as coach of the Wildcats.
17
Out: Brian Kennedy
A seven-year run with one above-.500 season (2018-19) led to Kennedy's resignation on March 6. The Highlanders play in the America East, and the job ranks near the bottom in the conference.
18
Out: Greg Heiar
A calamity of tragedy and abuse poisoned this program, so much so that the school's chancellor shut the season down in February. Days later, Heiar was rightfully fired in the midst of his first season. NMSU will pick up the pieces and rebuild in the spring, but the question is: Who wants to take this kind of job? Someone will, but the task is going to be heavy. The school's biggest appeal to potential candidates is its NCAA Tournament viability as a mid-major: The Aggies have had a tournament-level team 11 times since 2007.
19
Out: Will Jones
NC A&T is in the midst of a challenging transition from the MEAC to the Big South to the CAA in a three-year span. Interim coach Phillip Shumpert has kept the Aggies competitive in the league after Jones was fired. A&T went 8-10 in conference play.
20
Out: Corey Gipson
The Demons are in search of a coach after Gipson left after just one season to take the Austin Peay job. That's a whiplash-like turn after having Mike McConathy from 1999-2022.
21
Out: Todd Simon
Simon left after going 65-28 overall and 38-14 the last three years for the Thunderbirds to take over at Bowling Green.
22
Out: Brian Gregory
The Bulls had one above-.500 season in six years under Gregory, who leaves with a 79-107 mark. USF is a tough job in a league (the American) that is bringing on six more members this summer.
23
Out: Aaron McKie
The former Temple star went 52-56 in four seasons and will remain on as a special advisor for the athletics department. Said AD Arthur Johnson: "Aaron has been a highly-decorated student-athlete, committed alumnus, husband, father, and a dedicated coach for Temple these past nine seasons, both as an assistant and head coach. Every step of the way Aaron has represented the University and the program in the finest manner. We are extremely grateful for his long-standing service to Temple and the men's basketball program." Get Matt Langel before someone else does.
24
Out: Steve Lutz
Two years, two NCAA Tournaments, and now Lutz heads to Western Kentucky. The Islanders' gig is in a great location and is probably the best job in the Southland at this point.
25
Out: Greg Young | In: K.T. Turner
Young was fired in February following less than two years on the job. Turner, who has great recruiting connections across Texas, arrives after spending the past two seasons as an assistant at Kentucky and Oklahoma. He will be the program's fifth in a seven-year span. It's been bungled since Scott Cross' quizzical firing (after winning 72 games in three seasons) in 2018.
26
Out: Rick Stansbury | In: Steve Lutz
Stansbury's run lasted seven years and included a .610 winning percentage (139-89), but he's the first coach in program history to fail to reach the NCAA Tournament. This is a good mid-major job with proud tradition. Lutz figures to restore some roar to a region with which he's familiar. This is a quality hire, and Lutz has a good recruiter's eye.
27
Out: Isaac Brown
Brown was interim coach in 2020-21, got Wichita State to the First Four and was given the full-time job. The past two seasons: 32-28. The Shockers finished outside the top 100 at KenPom. Former Maryland/Wichita State coach Mark Turgeon is rumored to be interested in the opening, as is Furman coach Bob Richey and potentially Houston associate head coach Kellen Sampson. Wichita State is spreading its net far and wide. This is a key hire at a crucial time for the program.
28
Out: Jay McAuley
The Terriers had McAuley for less than 2.5 seasons; he was pushed out due to internal strife between him and his players. Dwight Perry has coached the team since. Wofford went 16-15 in the regular season. Two names linked to this are former assistant/current App State coach Dustin Kerns and former Wofford assistant/current Virginia Tech assistant Kevin Giltner.