A look at the coaching changes
As is usually the case, a number of college basketball head coaching positions saw a change since the end of last season. And as is also the case most years, there were some things that stood out about them.
Although many occurred before the live recruiting weekends in April, a surprising number occurred during the recruiting periods, later in the spring or in July. When a coach is fired for lack of results this late, one has to wonder if the athletic director has been asleep at the wheel since a lack of results could have been determined several months ago. It’s one thing to fire a coach for an NCAA violation or something off the court at that time of the year, but with the time missed out recruiting, it makes no sense.
Several moves that occurred were quite surprising or otherwise newsworthy at the time. Tubby Smith’s departure for Minnesota from Kentucky really set a lot of things in motion and caught everyone’s attention. It was long thought that Dana Altman would never leave Creighton, but he did just that – for 24 hours, at least. Altman took the Arkansas job before deciding to go back to Creighton, making Arkansas’ search reminiscent of North Carolina State’s the prior season and that of West Virginia when John Beilein took the job. Speaking of Beilein, his departure for Michigan was another noteworthy one, made all the more so by Bob Huggins leaving Kansas State after one year to succeed him at his alma mater.
A noteworthy trend was the hiring of former head coaches of BCS conference schools by a number of mid-majors. This was not unprecedented before this off-season, but the number of such changes hasn’t been equaled. It happened all across the country, as both of the new Big West head coaches had most recently been in the Big Ten (Dan Monson, now at Long Beach State) or Big 12 (Jim Wooldridge, now at UC Riverside), while on the east coast, Coastal Carolina hired former Auburn head coach Cliff Ellis. In the Midwest, two MAC schools did the same thing as Bowling Green hired former Seton Hall head coach Louis Orr and Northern Illinois hired former Colorado head coach Ricardo Patton.
Air Force
Previous coach: Jeff Bzdelik
New coach: Jeff Reynolds
Analysis: Bzdelik moved on to the head coaching job at Colorado after keeping the Falcons as a winner. In his place is Reynolds, who gets his first Division I head coaching job after serving as an assistant to Bzdelik. Reynolds won’t have an easy go of it right away since many key players from last season’s team depart, but the system that has worked in recent years should stay in place.
Arkansas
Previous coach: Stan Heath
New coach: John Pelphrey
Analysis: Heath’s firing was suspect given the progress the program made under him, as they went from nine wins to 22 in 2005-06 and 21 last year, both resulting in trips to the NCAA Tournament. In his place is Pelphrey, who has an SEC pedigree from his playing days at Kentucky and then as an assistant coach there. He’s quickly established himself as a winner at South Alabama and should be able to do the same at Arkansas. It wasn’t easy for the school to get to this point, as they had hired Creighton’s Dana Altman, before he returned to Nebraska 24 hours later.
Ball State
Previous coach: Ronny Thompson
New coach: Billy Taylor
Analysis: The story of Thompson at Ball State was a big one into July and isn’t over yet as the NCAA is investigating rules violations that occurred under his watch. Twice Thompson and his staff were in the gym with players when they were not supposed to be. Later, racist notes were slipped under the door in his office, and no clues were found as to suspects in an investigation that has basically died since there were no further leads. He finally resigned in July. In his place is Taylor, who knows the state of Indiana well and made Lehigh a consistent contender in the Patriot League. It’s a good hire, although the Cardinals won’t be contenders right away as there is some rebuilding to be done.
Binghamton
Previous coach: Al Walker
New coach: Kevin Broadus
Analysis: Walker led the program into its Division I years with some success, as the program quickly became a consistent first division team in America East. One of the top assistants on the east coast, Broadus has extensive experience around the nation’s capital, where there is always plenty of talent. That could mean a change in the face of the Binghamton program, which under Walker featured a good number of junior college players. Broadus is a solid hire, especially fresh off a Final Four appearance, and he’ll inherit a cupboard that certainly isn’t bare for 2007-08.
Bowling Green
Previous coach: Dan Dakich
New coach: Louis Orr
Analysis: Orr is back in the college game after a one-year hiatus, and this should be a good move. Orr is from the Midwest and can recruit that area well, as he did that while at Seton Hall (which was also part of his downfall there). He won his fair share there, so there’s plenty of reason to think that he’ll win again and especially now that he’s in an area he can recruit well.
Butler
Previous coach: Todd Lickliter
New coach: Brad Stevens
Analysis: The school continues to do what has worked well in the past by promoting an assistant into the top job. Lickliter was the most recent to do it, and now Stevens takes over. He has the familiarity with the program that will keep the continuity in it in the immediate, and having been part of the recent success at the school, he knows what it takes to win there. Proving that being familiar with Butler is paramount, all of Stevens’ assistants either played at the school or were on the staff before this year.
Chicago State
Previous coach: Kevin Jones
New coach: Benjy Taylor
Analysis: This isn’t an easy job at all, as the program has struggled for a long time, and being an independent only makes it tougher. Taylor comes to the school after two seasons as an assistant under Dave Dickerson at Tulane, including a 17-win season last year. He has prior experience in the area, as he was the head coach and athletic director at North Central College in Naperville, a Division III school. Before that, he was an assistant coach at Indiana State and spent five seasons as the associate head coach at Northern Illinois in the late 1990s.
Coastal Carolina
Previous coach: Buzz Peterson
New coach: Cliff Ellis
Analysis: Peterson left after bringing the program up nicely in a short time, taking a job with good friend Michael Jordan as director of basketball operations for the Charlotte Bobcats. In his place is the 61-year-old Ellis, who becomes the second recycled coach hired in South Carolina in the last two years (following Bobby Cremins at the College of Charleston last year). Ellis was a winner at Auburn in ten seasons, but was fired from the school as there was an NCAA investigation going on at the time. He wasn’t named in the investigation, but the program went on probation and lost a scholarship.
Colorado
Previous coach: Ricardo Patton
New coach: Jeff Bzdelik
Analysis: Patton decided he was out before the 2006-07 season began, as he opted not to seek or accept a contract extension. Bzdelik takes over after continuing the winning ways at Air Force. While some may suggest that Bzdelik merely inherited the talent, he won despite some key injuries, and his success there can’t simply be dismissed as winning with someone else’s players because they still had to win the games. Bzdelik has also coached in the NBA prior to becoming the head coach at Air Force, so he has coached at a high level although the NBA is a different game. Perhaps the best selling point right away is that he wants to be there, something that can speak volumes to current and prospective players alike.
Colorado State
Previous coach: Dale Layer
New coach: Tim Miles
Analysis: Miles was fast becoming a big name in the coaching ranks, as he coached North Dakota State to big wins in each of its first two seasons in Division I and a 20-win campaign in 2006-07. That’s something Colorado State hopes will continue, as the Rams underachieved in recent years under Layer. For good measure, Miles left North Dakota State in great shape, as the program should instantly be a factor in the Summit League and not just this year.
Denver
Previous coach: Terry Carroll
New coach: Joe Scott
Analysis: While Scott’s move back to Colorado surprised many, it was perhaps a pre-emptive move on his part since his seat may well have been heating up at Princeton. It was also a fitting end to the coaching cycle for Denver, as Carroll basically went AWOL. He took a long leave of absence during the season, then didn’t return phone calls to the athletic director and a phone number for him could not be found by an Associated Press reporter. Scott has won before, so the struggles in his first and third years at Princeton may well prove to be anomalies.
Drake
Previous coach: Tom Davis
New coach: Keno Davis
Analysis: “Dr. Tom”, as he was known, retired after 32 seasons and leaves Drake in his son’s hands. The program is in better shape than it was when he got there, as it has had its share of improvement despite not reaching postseason play. The progress it has made means that if Keno takes the next step, the Bulldogs will become a postseason team before long.
East Carolina
Previous coach: Ricky Stokes
New coach: Mack McCarthy (interim)
Analysis: Stokes was reassigned within the athletic department in August after posting a 14-44 record in two seasons. McCarthy had been the associate head coach and will now lead the team on an interim basis. McCarthy had some success before as the head coach at Tennessee-Chattanooga, leading them to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 as a No. 14 seed in 1997.
Eastern Washington
Previous coach: Mike Burns
New coach: Kirk Earlywine
Analysis: Burns was abruptly fired in June after the school self-reported an extra benefit. He had two seasons left on a five-year contract. Earlywine was most recently an assistant UNC-Wilmington, but the big benefit for Eastern Washington is his prior Big Sky experience as he was an assistant there for seven years before heading to Wilmington. In 22 years as an assistant, he’s been all over the country geographically, which will only help him as the team has to rebuild without star Rodney Stuckey.
Evansville
Previous coach: Steve Merfeld
New coach: Marty Simmons
Analysis: Merfeld just couldn’t get the program going in his tenure, showing some flashes of potential but never becoming a regular contender. In his place is Simmons, who has plenty of familiarity with the program as he starred there and is a member of the university’s athletic hall of fame. He also has had two stints as an assistant coach at the school for a total of 11 seasons, and that is reason for fans of the program to be optimistic as he takes over.
Florida A&M
Previous coach: Mike Gillespie
New coach: Eugene Harris
Analysis: Gillespie was fired in August months after being arrested in May on charges of stalking a former girlfriend. He later pleaded no contest to the charges and was sentenced to a year of probation. In his place is Harris, who was most recently an assistant coach at Georgia State on Rod Barnes’ new staff there. He has deep recruiting ties in the south from his past experience as a lead recruiter at Clemson and Auburn and also having spent a year at Alabama. That bodes well for a program that has one of the better track records in the MEAC.
Georgia State
Previous coach: Michael Perry
New coach: Rod Barnes
Analysis: With the program now in the Colonial Athletic Association, the school let Perry go after the season to find the coach they expect will guide them to success there. Barnes is a solid choice given that he has proven he can coach, once winning the Naismith Coach of the Year award while at Mississippi. He was most recently an assistant to Jeff Capel at Oklahoma.
Harvard
Previous coach: Frank Sullivan
New coach: Tommy Amaker
Analysis: Sullivan is one of the most well-liked and respected coaches, so it’s only appropriate that his replacement be of similar stature. Amaker never brought Michigan to the NCAA Tournament, but he’s well-liked and respected and now has a new start. Harvard seems like a good fit for him, considering he went to Duke and his wife has a career in academia (she will be joining the faculty at Harvard). He’s already making an impact on the recruiting trail, as he has two excellent commitments for next year.
Hawaii
Previous coach: Riley Wallace
New coach: Bob Nash
Analysis: Wallace retired after a great run at the school and at a job that is not easy. The school replaces him with someone who knows the program as well as anyone, as Nash starred at the school and has been an assistant there the past 24 years. That ensures continuity and also means they hired someone who knows the landscape, and that should make this prove to be a good hire.
Illinois State
Previous coach: Porter Moser
New coach: Tim Jankovich
Analysis: Moser’s firing was a curious move considering he was about to have his best team and a real chance to contend in the Valley. The program made very good strides and was about to have what was viewed as the make-or-break year for his tenure, but he won’t get it. In his place is Jankovich, most recently an assistant at Kansas but with prior head coaching experience. He spent four seasons as the head coach at North Texas, nearly reaching the NCAA Tournament in his first season, and also was head coach at Hutchinson Community College for two seasons.
Indiana State
Previous coach: Royce Waltman
New coach: Kevin McKenna
Analysis: Waltman had some success early in his tenure, but couldn’t sustain it as the program fell on hard times at the end of his tenure. In his place is McKenna, who was most recently an assistant at Creighton, the school that has had the most success in the Missouri Valley Conference since Dana Altman has been the head coach. He spent some time in the NBA after his playing days at Creighton, a good selling point for recruits.
Iona
Previous coach: Jeff Ruland
New coach: Kevin Willard
Analysis: Ruland was let go after a season to forget, and a year removed from the NCAA Tournament. In his place is Willard, the son of Holy Cross head coach Ralph Willard. A year ago, he was offered the job at Delaware, then had the offer rescinded due to a past DUI arrest. He is the latest Rick Pitino disciple to enter the head coaching ranks, meaning he’s well-schooled from both his father and one of the game’s top coaches.
Iowa
Previous coach: Steve Alford
New coach: Todd Lickliter
Analysis: The Hawkeyes scored big in getting Lickliter, who did an excellent job at Butler. He won with players that were not highly coveted out of high school, consistently beating very good teams along the way – in fact, they went 2-0 against Big Ten teams this past season. It’s another of several good moves made by Big Ten schools this off-season.
Kansas State
Previous coach: Bob Huggins
New coach: Frank Martin
Analysis: Perhaps no new head coach arrives with more questions than Martin, known as an excellent recruiter. He has no college head coaching experience, which is one reason for the questions. A bigger reason was that to some, it wasn’t a given that all of the top recruits that signed with the school would still come, but they have. Martin is a good basketball mind and will work his players, so there won’t be a question of effort and he will be able to attract more good talent in the future.
Kentucky
Previous coach: Tubby Smith
New coach: Billy Gillispie
Analysis: Many Wildcat fans wanted Smith gone a long time ago, and they finally got their wish when he left to take the head coaching job at Minnesota. After a couple of coaches said no, Gillispie accepted the job and has quickly become a cult hero in Lexington. He’s put energy back into the program and is sure to be a fan favorite, at least initially. The one way to remain a fan favorite is to win games and championships.
Lehigh
Previous coach: Billy Taylor
New coach: Brett Reed
Analysis: Taylor left in August to take the head coaching job at Ball State, and the school promoted Reed to the head coaching spot. Reed has been at the school for the past five years, becoming the associate head coach last year. Taylor leaves the program in good shape, and Reed should keep it that way, as he’s a bright young coach who has been seen working hard on the recruiting trail on plenty of occasions.
Liberty
Previous coach: Randy Dunton
New coach: Ritchie McKay
Analysis: Dunton was not brought back after a 66-85 record in five seasons at the helm of the program he was first with in 1989 as an assistant. Succeeding him is McKay, who had bounced around for a while before his last job as the head coach at New Mexico. There, he had some ups and downs in his tenure. This is his first job on the east coast, so it will be a change in that respect.
Long Beach State
Previous coach: Larry Reynolds
New coach: Dan Monson
Analysis: Reynolds did not have his contract extended after last season despite an NCAA Tournament run. There is wide speculation that the reason for this move was the fact that the NCAA was investigation alleged recruiting violations that occurred since Reynolds became the head coach. In his place is Monson, who was fired during the season last year at Minnesota. Monson had success on the west coast before at Gonzaga, so he’s proven he can win before.
Louisiana Tech
Previous coach: Keith Richard
New coach: Kerry Rupp
Analysis: Richard had his share of success at the school, but it wasn’t recent and that led to him being let go. Rupp has a reputation as an excellent recruiter, and he’s already showing that off early in his tenure as the Bulldogs picked up some very good late signees and then got Olu Ashaolu for this year after he was originally a member of the class of 2008. Rupp has served as an assistant to Rick Majerus and Mike Davis, including being the interim head coach at Utah in 2004 while Majerus took a leave of absence.
Maryland-Eastern Shore
Previous coach: Larry Lessett, Jr.
New coach: Meredith Smith (interim)
Analysis: Lessett resigned after the program struggled to a 13-75 mark over three seasons. Smith was named the interim head coach a day later, but according to reports the team did that without following up with a permanent hire so that they could take more time to hire the next full-time head coach. Smith is an alum of the school with more than 30 years of high school coaching experience before he became an assistant at UMES for three years.
Marshall
Previous coach: Ron Jirsa
New coach: Donnie Jones
Analysis: Jirsa couldn’t get the program going in its Conference USA infancy, so he was let go at the end of the season. In his place is Jones, a native of Point Pleasant, W.V. who was a part of Florida’s recent run of two straight national championships. He also has experience at the school since he was part of Billy Donovan’s staff there before heading to Florida. Jones has wasted little time injecting life into the program, getting key transfers and winning some early recruiting battles. While the Thundering Herd don’t project to contend in Conference USA this season, they look improved already and should have better years ahead. This has all the makings of an excellent hire.
Michigan
Previous coach: Tommy Amaker
New coach: John Beilein
Analysis: Amaker was thought to be on the hot seat all season long, and another trip to the NIT sealed his fate. The Wolverines have had plenty of talent all along, and now they turn to Beilein, who will have a major change in this job. Beilein has won everywhere he’s been, but he’s done it away from the spotlight and away from major cities. Now he’s near a major city (Detroit), and it will be interesting to see how he fares recruiting-wise and how fans take to it, as he’s known for recruiting players who might not appear to be good enough to play at the level his teams play at. His West Virginia teams are prime examples, as many of their players weren’t seen as Big East prospects coming out of high school.
Minnesota
Previous coach: Jim Molinari (interim)
New coach: Tubby Smith
Analysis: After firing Dan Monson during the season, the Golden Gophers did very well in getting Smith to take over. Although he was the subject of a great deal of negativity in Kentucky, Smith knows how to win and should flourish outside of the extreme spotlight. He has also proven himself to be a solid recruiter of talent that flies under the radar, which is exactly what Minnesota needs. It wouldn’t hurt if he could keep home some of the best talent in the state as well, something the prior coaching staff failed to do consistently.
Missouri-Kansas City
Previous coach: Rich Zvosec
New coach: Matt Brown
Analysis: Zvosec was fired after six seasons at the helm of the program, experiencing some success along the way that included the two winningest conference records in the program’s history and a Mid-Con Coach of the Year award. The program also won a Division I-high 18 games in his first season at the helm. In his place is Brown, who spent the past five seasons as an assistant at West Virginia and the prior five years at Richmond, all under John Beilein. He also spent three years as an administrative assistant to Billy Donovan at Marshall and Florida, so he comes from two winning coaches.
New Mexico
Previous coach: Ritchie McKay
New coach: Steve Alford
Analysis: Alford seemed to wear out his welcome in Iowa despite having his share of success, including a 9-7 Big Ten record this season with a young team. New Mexico thinks they got a major coup in hiring him, and that might be the case. Alford won at Missouri State and at Iowa, although in the latter case not to the degree fans wanted, so he’s proven he can win and a change of scenery might be just what the doctor ordered.
New Mexico State
Previous coach: Reggie Theus
New coach: Marvin Menzies
Analysis: Theus left to take the head coaching job with the Sacramento Kings after bringing New Mexico State back to prominence, winning the WAC last season. In his place is Menzies, who like Theus was previously an assistant at Louisville and has also been an assistant at UNLV, USC and San Diego State. Menzies has kept the players Theus signed in Las Cruces, aided by his late hire (since players wouldn’t have many other options by then), and he’ll inherit a team that should be the favorites in the WAC.
New Orleans
Previous coach: Buzz Williams
New coach: Joe Pasternack
Analysis: Williams abruptly left at the beginning of the July recruiting period to become an assistant at Marquette. The move seemed to come out of nowhere, and the school moved quickly to hire hometown kid Pasternack, who is instantly one of the youngest head coaches in Division I at age 30. He spent the past eight years at California and was a student manager at Indiana, so he’s worked for a solid coach and a legend. Add that to his excitement to be home, and this looks like a promising hire.
Norfolk State
Previous coach: Dwight Freeman
New coach: Anthony Evans (interim)
Analysis: Freeman was reassigned within the athletic department after last season ended. Evans was an assistant to Freeman the past four seasons, so he’s already familiar with the program and the current players. He has head coaching experience in college, as the Brooklyn native was the head coach at Delhi Tech in Dehli, N.Y., from 2001-03, and before that was the head coach at Ulster County Community College in Kingston, N.Y.
North Dakota State
Previous coach: Tim Miles
New coach: Saul Phillips
Analysis: Miles was sure to get his share of job offers elsewhere after another solid season at the school, and Colorado State is where he wound up. Phillips was promoted to take his place as the school enters the Mid-Continent Conference next season, and he’ll take over in good shape. He’s well-schooled, having played for Bo Ryan before coaching under Miles, so there’s every reason to believe this hire will work well for them. The program is also in excellent shape as it joins the Summit League, and they should be a contender before long.
Northern Illinois
Previous coach: Rob Judson
New coach: Ricardo Patton
Analysis: Patton can now start fresh after bolting from Colorado, which he announced before the season as his contract was up at the end of the year. He’s a good coach who had some success early on with Chauncey Billups leading them into the NCAA Tournament, so Northern Illinois may have a coup in getting him.
Quinnipiac
Previous coach: Joe DeSantis
New coach: Tom Moore
Analysis: Moore has been one of the top assistant coaches in the country and was bound to get a head coaching job eventually. He’s an excellent hire for the program having served as Jim Calhoun’s top lieutenant for several years and with his familiarity with the area. Moore has wasted little time bringing more life to the program, and that should continue once the games start being played at their new arena and as he and his staff recruit their future stars.
Princeton
Previous coach: Joe Scott
New coach: Sydney Johnson
Analysis: Scott left to return to Colorado, as he took the head coaching job at Denver just three years after he was the head coach at Air Force. In his place is Johnson, an alum who played during some of the school’s recent glory days and is a former Ivy League Player of the Year. He was a big reason for the recent success at Georgetown as one of John Thompson III’s assistants, and now he faces the big challenge of keeping up the school’s tradition of success in a time where admissions policies at Ivy schools don’t make life easy for coaches.
Radford
Previous coach: Byron Samuels
New coach: Brad Greenberg
Analysis: Samuels moved on as the program had struggled for several years of late, after being a contender earlier in the decade. In his place is Greenberg, who now has his first head coaching job after 25 years of being a college assistant or working in the NBA. He was most recently his younger brother’s top lieutenant at Virginia Tech.
Robert Morris
Previous coach: Mark Schmidt
New coach: Mike Rice
Analysis: Schmidt left to take the head coaching job at St. Bonaventure, opening the door for Rice to continue his quick rise through the coaching ranks. In two years, the hard-working Rice has gone from being an assistant at Saint Joseph’s to Pittsburgh to his first head coaching job across town at Robert Morris. Rice is a solid hire for the program given his recruiting ties, and he’s one of several who once worked at the Hoop Group and then went into the world of college coaching.
St. Bonaventure
Previous coach: Anthony Solomon
New coach: Mark Schmidt
Analysis: Solomon took over the program after a major scandal and thus had a very difficult job, one that he had his struggles with. The Bonnies have not gotten up off the ground since that time. Schmidt was hired to take his place and has instantly given the program a little energy, as he is clearly happy to be there. It’s a very tough place to win at even without the scandal that happened before Solomon took over, and Schmidt comes after some success at Robert Morris in the Northeast Conference.
Saint Louis
Previous coach: Brad Soderberg
New coach: Rick Majerus
Analysis: This whole situation makes little sense at all. Soderberg won 20 games last year and led a team that had success in its first two years in the Atlantic 10, a conference where it just doesn’t fit geographically as the westernmost team. But a key alum decided that Soderberg wasn’t the guy – in mid-April, right in the middle of the live spring period for recruiting – and then the school hired a search firm. As if that’s not enough, they then hired Majerus, who reneged on the offer at USC a couple of years ago due to health reasons and isn’t going to get any better in that department. Majerus has a terrific track record as a coach, but this doesn’t look good in terms of how it was handled and with his health. Perhaps the best thing to come out of this is that his name will no longer get mentioned for every high-major vacancy that comes up.
San Diego
Previous coach: Brad Holland
New coach: Bill Grier
Analysis: Holland was ousted after 13 years at the helm that included a trip to the NCAA Tournament four years ago. His replacement knows the West Coast Conference very well, as Grier was Mark Few’s top assistant and had a clause in his contract that would make him Few’s successor if he were to leave the school. Grier is well-respected and is one of the reasons the Bulldogs have stayed atop the conference, so the Toreros look to have made a solid hire.
Santa Clara
Previous coach: Dick Davey
New coach: Kerry Keating
Analysis: There have been conflicting stories about Davey’s departure, as some suggest he was forced into retirement while others say he retired of his own volition. Either way, a successful coach has moved on and made way for Keating to move up the state. The youngest head coach in the West Coast Conference, Keating was most recently an assistant at UCLA, where he helped Ben Howland rebuild the Bruins quickly into a Final Four team. With his ability as a recruiter and the wealth of talent in California, this should prove to be a good hire and the Broncos should remain a solid program.
South Alabama
Previous coach: John Pelphrey
New coach: Ronnie Arrow
Analysis: Pelphrey left for the assistant coaching vacancy at Arkansas, opening the door for Arrow’s second tenure at the school as he was their head coach from 1987-1994. He spent the past eight seasons at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, where he navigated a successful transition to Division I that included a Southland Conference title and an NCAA Tournament appearance in the school’s first year in the conference. It was the third straight 20-win season for the team, and he left the program having signed a fine group of freshmen that will carry them forward has he takes this job.
South Carolina State
Previous coach: Jamal Brown
New coach: Tim Carter
Analysis: Brown was fired after just one season at the helm in one of the mysteries of this off-season. The school said he was fired for violations of Title IX, the first that this writer can recall. In his place is Carter, who has two prior NCAA Tournament trips as head coach at Texas-San Antonio before spending last season as an assistant at Florida State.
South Florida
Previous coach: Robert McCollum
New coach: Stan Heath
Analysis: Heath’s firing at Arkansas was rather suspect, as he appeared to have the program moving in the right direction. South Florida fans certainly hope he can do the same thing in Tampa, which won’t be easy as this is arguably the toughest job in the Big East. Considering fired coaches don’t often get another shot at the same level immediately, it’s possible the school made a coup in getting Heath to take over the program.
Southern Utah
Previous coach: Bill Evans
New coach: Roger Reid
Analysis: Not many have won as much in the state of Utah as Reid has, as he had success as the head coach at Brigham Young. There, he won three WAC titles in seven seasons, then spent time in the NBA as an assistant before becoming the head coach at Snow College, where he was most recently for two seasons.
Texas A&M
Previous coach: Billy Gillispie
New coach: Mark Turgeon
Analysis: Gillispie moved on to Kentucky after bringing Texas A&M to life. The Aggies were doormats in the Big 12 before his arrival, and now Turgeon will try to keep that going. Turgeon did something similar to Gillispie at Wichita State, reviving a program that had struggled for a long stretch and turning the Shockers into annual contenders in the improving Missouri Valley Conference. Turgeon has proven himself to be among the rising stars in the coaching ranks, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Aggies don’t miss a beat during his tenure.
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
Previous coach: Ronnie Arrow
New coach: Perry Clark
Analysis: After navigating a successful transition into Division I and the Southland Conference, Arrow left for his second tenure at South Alabama. In his place is Clark, who inherits a program now firmly established in Division I and with good young talent as Arrow and his staff put together a good recruiting class before his departure. Clark did a lot of winning at Tulane early, then later at Miami before struggling there later on.
Texas Southern
Previous coach: Ronnie Courtney
New coach: Robert Moreland (interim)
Analysis: Courtney was fired in July after six seasons and a 77-98 record. Ironically, his replacement is the man he was hired to replace: in 2001, Moreland was fired after 26 seasons and 399 wins at the school, and now he returns to coach the team on an interim basis. Courtney brought the team to the NCAA Tournament in his second season, but followed it with four straight losing seasons. What makes this move very questionable is having done it in July, right in the middle of the busy recruiting period, instead of shortly after the season.
UC-Riverside
Previous coach: David Spencer
New coach: Jim Wooldridge
Analysis: Spencer couldn’t be with the team for much of last season due to health problems, and he stepped down to take care of himself. In his place is Wooldridge, who was most recently the head coach at Kansas State through the 2005-06 season. He didn’t quite get the Wildcats into the NCAA Tournament, but he did move the program forward before Bob Huggins took over.
Utah
Previous coach: Ray Giacoletti
New coach: Jim Boylen
Analysis: Boylen is the latest Tom Izzo assistant to get a head coaching job. He has certainly paid his dues, having also spent time in the NBA before coming back to the college ranks in East Lansing. He’ll inherit a team with plenty of talent that struggled in part because of youth last season. They also struggled at the defensive end, something Boylen figures to rectify given his work for Izzo.
Wake Forest
Previous coach: Skip Prosser
New coach: Dino Gaudio
Analysis: Prosser’s sudden passing in July shocked and saddened the college basketball world. He was an excellent coach and by all accounts an even better man. In his place is Gaudio, who has head coaching experience and had the longest tenure alongside Prosser of anyone. He was most recently the associate head coach along with Jeff Battle, who remains as the top assistant.
West Virginia
Previous coach: John Beilein
New coach: Bob Huggins
Analysis: It was long thought that Beilein was quite firmly entrenched in Morgantown, between loving the job and the area and having a large buyout that was still at $2.5 million after the season. But he opted to take the job at Michigan once the school ponied up enough for him to eventually pay the buyout, which he re-negotiated down by $1 million. In his place is Huggins, an alum of the school and native of the area who for years was rumored to be going there while he was at Cincinnati. Huggins’ record speaks for itself, with last season’s success at Kansas State serving as just the latest example. With him in Morgantown, expect the Mountaineers to remain a consistent postseason team and a contender in the Big East.
Wichita State
Previous coach: Mark Turgeon
New coach: Gregg Marshall
Analysis: Marshall was long rumored to be heading to various high-major jobs, but instead he lands at one of the best hidden gems in succeeding Turgeon. He’ll be challenged right away, as there have been several player defections and a recruit tragically passed away right after he got the job. But that will only prove to be a small obstacle, as he did nothing but win at Winthrop and should continue to do that out in the Midwest.
Winthrop
Previous coach: Gregg Marshall
New coach: Randy Peele
Analysis: Many figured Marshall wouldn’t be around forever, even after he got a new contract that paid him and his assistants more that led to the team essentially funding it with guarantee games. This past off-season was finally the one where he left, taking the head coaching vacancy at Wichita State. Peele has been a head coach before, as he led UNC Greensboro from 1995 to 1999. Included was a Southern Conference championship in 1996, his first season, so he’s proven he can win before as a head coach. That, along with his prior work at Winthrop and his knowledge of the current players, is a sign that points to this being a good hire.
Wyoming
Previous coach: Steve McClain
New coach: Heath Schroyer
Analysis: Schroyer returns to Laramie, where he was once an assistant to McClain before he became the head coach at Portland State for three seasons. There, he was hired by current Wyoming athletic director Tom Burman, so there is plenty of familiarity. That said, McClain’s firing was questionable, and it will be tough to do what he did. Schroyer ultimately turned Portland State around as they won the Big Sky regular season title his final year there, but they never earned a postseason bid.
