On the coaching carousel there are the coaches who are fired for poor performance and there are the coaches who leave their schools because they get a better offer. There are also coaches who leave because of scandals and coaches who leave because of reasons out of their control. Part I of the coaching carousel has a little bit of all of that.
DePaul
Last Season Finished: 12-20 (6-12)
What happened to the last coach?
Oliver Purnell resigned after going just 54-105 in his 5 seasons as head coach.
Who is the new coach?
Dave Leitao
Head Coaching Experience: Northeastern, DePaul, Virginia, Maine Red Claws (NBA D-League)
Record as a Head Coach: 143-129
In one of the more interesting hires this offseason, the Blue Demons took a trip down memory line and hired Dave Leitao. Again. Leitao was DePaul's head coach from 2002-2005. He has quite a coaching history outside of his time at DePaul, though. He was an assistant coach under Jim Calhoun at Northeastern and was his assistant again on two different occasions at Connecticut. He also has extensive head coaching experience. He has been the head coach at Northeastern and Virginia, as well as the aforementioned time he spent at DePaul. He has spent the last 3 seasons as an assistant coach at Missouri and Tulsa respectively. His last go-round at DePaul was successful for both parties. The Blue Demons went 58-34, made two NITs, and one NCAA Tournament in his 3 seasons. DePaul is certainly hoping he can reclaim those winning ways. The Blue Demons haven't made the NCAA Tournament since he took them there in 2004. They haven't even had a winning season since 2006-07.
St. John's
Last Season Finished: 21-11 (10-8)
What happened to the last coach?
Steve Lavin and St. John's decided to mutually part ways at the end of last season. Lavin was 81-53 in his tenure, but the Red Storm never really found their footing in the NCAA Tournament under Lavin never making it out of the round of 64.
Who is the new coach?
Chris Mullin
Head Coaching Experience: None
Record as a Head Coach: 0-0
It was a headline-making hire but also a controversial one. St. John's, of course, has a long and storied history as a basketball program (a history that Chris Mullin is a big part of, to be sure) so for them to hire a head coach with literally zero coaching experience was met with some understandable criticism. Mullin is not the first person ever hired without any coaching experience, but the Red Storm want to win and win now. Mullin will be given some time, but he better show results quickly too. Losing in an exhibition game, which St. John's did recently, won't help his cause. The Red Storm better improve, and quickly.
East Tennessee State
Last Season Finished: 16-14 (8-10)
What happened to the last coach?
This was an interesting one. Murry Bartow was let go at the end of the 2015 season despite some pretty good success at East Tennessee State. He spent 12 seasons with the Buccaneers going 224-169. He took them to 3 NCAA Tournaments, 1 NIT, and 2 CITs. The team hadn't made the tournament since the 2009-10 season, though, and hadn't finished better than 4th in the conference since the 2010-11 season. That was enough for him to be released according to the brass at ETSU.
Who is the new coach?
Steve Forbes
Head Coaching Experience: None (D-I)
Record as a Head Coach: 0-0
If the firing of Bartow made some Buccaneers' fans feel nervous, the hiring of Forbes should put the at ease. Forbes has spent the last 2 seasons as an assistant under Greg Marshall at Wichita St. In case you didn't know, Wichita St. has been pretty successful over the last 2 years. That success was enough to propel Forbes into a head coaching job, his first at the D-I level.
Florida
Last Season Finished: 16-17 (8-10)
What happened to the last coach?
Maybe you've heard of him? Their last coach was Billy Donovan. Billy D was one of the most successful coaches in college basketball having won 2 national titles with the Gators and taking the program to heights they had not previous seen. Donovan is off to try his hand at the NBA as the head coach of the OKC Thunder.
Who is the new coach?
Michael White
Head Coaching Experience: Louisiana Tech
Record as a Head Coach: 101-40
White had tremendous success as the head coach of the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs. In his first season, the Bulldogs went 18-16. In his last 3 seasons with LaTech, they would win at least 27 games and play postseason basketball. They never made the NCAA Tournament, but they did play in 3 straight NITs and finished at least tied for first in their conference. It's a solid hire for Florida, although not a guarantee. White has never been a head coach at a so-called Power 5 school and only has 4 years of head coaching experience overall.
Louisiana Tech
Last Season Finished: 27-9 (15-3)
What happened to the last coach?
See above. Michael White left for Florida after a successful 4 year run at La Tech.
Who is the new coach?
Eric Konkol
Head Coaching Experience: None
Record as a Head Coach: 0-0
Konkol comes to the Bulldogs from Miami where he served as an assistant coach. It's not a rebuilding job for Konkol: La Tech has won 3 straight regular season conference titles. But he will need to figure out how to take them to the next level. The Bulldogs haven't made the NCAA Tournament since 1991.
The Citadel
Last Season Finished: 11-19 (6-12)
What happened to the last coach?
The Citadel decided not to renew the contract of Chuck Driesell at the end of the season. Dries ell was just 42-113 in his five seasons as head coach.
Who is the new coach?
Duggar Baucom
Head Coaching Experience: VMI
Record as a Head Coach: 151-159
Baucom decided to leave VMI for The Citadel after 10 seasons with the Keydets. It was an interesting move considering The Citadel is in the same conference. It appears to be a lateral move. Still, it was a good hire for The Citadel. VMI went just 11-19 last year, Baucom has grown the program since taking over in 2005 when they won just 7 games. In 2013-14 the Keydets participated in the CIT and won 22 games.
VMI
Last Season Finished: 11-19 (7-11)
What happened to the last coach?
See above. Duggar Baucom moved on to coach for The Citadel.
Who is the new coach?
Dan Earl
Head Coaching Experience: None
Record as a Head Coach: 0-0
Earl was an All-Big Ten player for Penn St. in the late 90s and spent time as an assistant coach with the Nittany Lions as well. Prior to joining VMI, though, he was an associate head coach at the Naval Academy. It's his first stint as a head coach, but the expectations won't be unreasonable at VMI. The Keydets played in the postseason only once during the 10 year tenure of former coach Duggar Baucom.
Bowling Green
Last Season Finished: 21-12 (11-7)
What happened to the last coach?
Chris Jans spent just one season with Bowling Green before being fired. He was recorded by someone at a bar being inappropriate towards women. Bowling Green investigated the incident and determined Jans violated a morals clause in his contract.
Who is the new coach?
Michael Huger
Head Coaching Experience: None
Record as a Head Coach: 0-0
Huger will be a first-time head coach when the season begins. He was most recently an assistant coach at Miami (Fl) under Jim Larranaga. The two have a long history. Huger played for Larranaga at Bowling Green and then coached under him at George Mason and Miami. He also inherits a team that won more than 20 games last year, so it's not a terrible situation in that regard. He will need to do some damage control, though, given the circumstances under which Jans was fired.
Holy Cross
Last Season Finished: 14-16, 8-10
What happened to the last coach?
Milan Brown was fired at the end of the season last year. He went 56-67 in 5 seasons as the head man at Holy Cross. The Crusaders made the postseason once under Brown.
Who is the new coach?
Bill Carmody
Head Coaching Experience: Princeton, Northwestern
Record as a Head Coach: 284-245
Carmody hasn't coached since he was fired from Northwestern in March of 2013, but he has plenty of experience. In addition to his 13 seasons in charge of the Northwestern basketball program, he was also the head coach at Princeton for 4 seasons. He has been to 2 NCAA Tournaments in his career, and that is no doubt what the Crusaders are looking for in hiring him. Holy Cross hasn't made the NCAA Tournament since 2007. If Carmody can take Holy Cross to the tourney on a consistent basis, he'll be just fine.
Charlotte
Last Season Finished: 14-18, 7-11
What happened to the last coach?
Alan Major stepped down at the end of the season last year. He had been forced to take medical leaves of absence on 2 separate occasions during his tenure at Charlotte, so his health was a factor in his decision to leave the program.
Who is the new coach?
Mark Price
Head Coaching Experience: None
Record as a Head Coach: 0-0
Basketball fans will certainly remember Price from his playing days at Georgia Tech and in the NBA. He also has extensive professional coaching experience. He has been an assistant coach for the Nuggets, Hawks, Warriors, Magic, and Bobcats/Hornets. He spent just 1 season as an assistant coach at Georgia Tech, which is his only collegiate coaching experience. Still, he knows the game and has been a coach before. It's a gamble for Charlotte but one that could pay huge dividends if it works out. Charlotte is hoping to make the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2005.
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