'24 Coaching Carousel Thread

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SMU Basketball Coaching Search: Hot Board 1.0

SMU Basketball has an opening at the head coach position and the Mustangs are on the hunt for a new leader.
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Jay Wright – Former Villanova Head Coach: Currently retired, Wright coached Villanova from 2001 to 2022. Under his watch the Wildcats made four Final Four appearances and won National Championships in 2016 and 2018. As far as home run opportunities go, this would be just that. After two years away, could the itch be there for him? He’s been doing studio work for a while now and appears happily retired, but could a private school like SMU aiming to make a splash land him? That’d be something…

Will Wade – McNeese State Head Coach: An excellent recruiter, Wade would engage with the student body (dressed up as General Wade when LSU students coined that nickname). A dynamic personality, Wade has won a regular season championship at every single head coaching stop. He brings an exciting offensive system that players enjoy. He’s a former SEC coach that won the first SEC Championship for LSU in a decade. If Wade came to SMU, there’d certainly be a legitimate boost of energy with a proven head coach. While the questions around his past NCAA issues will come up, his issues are in the past and NIL is now legal, putting any of that concern on the backburner. The Clemson grad even has ACC experience as he started his career with the Tigers.

Chris Jans – Mississippi State Head Coach: After winning at New Mexico State and now Mississippi State, Jans deserves to be in the conversation for some of college basketball’s best gigs. SMU would have to swing with one heavy stick here, but maybe it’s doable. In only two years, he’s led the Bulldogs to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances. His salary is now $3.2 million, but in the ACC, the best coaches are paid above that. He led State to an SEC Tournament Championship game appearance on Sunday as well. He’s cemented himself as one of the nation’s top coaches. Could upgrading scenery from Starkville to Dallas be something that catches his eye enough to leap into the ACC? Longshot, but he should be on the list.

KT Turner – UT-Arlington Head Coach: A former SMU assistant who delivered some of SMU’s best players — Shake Milton and Kendric Davis. Turner turned around UT-Arlington in his first year as the Mavericks played for a WAC Tournament Championship on Saturday. He’s well-versed in how to balance NIL with strong recruiting efforts. He knows the Texas landscape, but more importantly, knows the blueprint at SMU and for engaging the community. He branched out as a respected assistant at Texas and Kentucky. Turner loves SMU and will engage the fanbase as well as bring back former players. Now, he has head coaching experience with quick success. It wouldn’t be a hard sell to land him, either.

Kellen Sampson – Houston Head Coach in Waiting: One of the top rising coaches in college basketball, Sampsin is head coach in waiting at one of the top programs in America right now. You can argue Houston has achieved was SMU was trending toward last decade. He has built the roster through leading the Cougars’ recruiting efforts. He develops guards at an elite level, knows the Texas landscape and would energize the fan base. Would listen very closely for the right situation at SMU, even if that meant leaving his father, Kelvin Sampson.


Bucky McMillan – Samford Head Coach: McMillan just wrapped up a second straight SoCon regular season championship. He started at Samford in COVID, which was a rough year, but now has won over 20 games in three straight years. He’s going to the NCAA Tournament after winning his league’s tournament. McMillan made the jump to Samford from Mountain Brook High School in Birmingham, Ala., where he led one of the top programs in the nation for over a decade. Knows AAU circuit well. As far as quality coaches, McMillan would bring a high-floor to Dallas.

Jai Lucas – Duke Associate Head Coach: One of the top, young coaches in college basketball. Lucas is the son of basketball legend John Lucas. Coached at Texas and Kentucky before landing at Duke, where he was quickly promoted. Led impressive recruiting efforts at all his stops and is now the ringleader for Duke’s impressive defense. Lucas is tabbed as one of the “next up” college basketball coaches. He’s another option that knows what SMU can be and would jump at the job.

Bobby Hurley – Arizona State Head Coach: Arizona State doesn’t have resources, but Bobby Hurley can flat-out coach. With resources, his career could truly take off. A well-known name in ACC circles, the former Duke guard knows the league and what it takes to be successful. Give him more opportunities to truly be successful and SMU might find something in the Sun Devils’ coach. He’s won over 20 games multiple times and advanced to the NCAA Tournament four times. With SMU’s resources, things could be bright.

Andy Kennedy – UAB Head Coach: A two-time SEC Coach of the Year and the winningest coach in Ole Miss history, Kennedy has won at a high level. He also has UAB trending well despite a lack of resources. When it comes to a well-known name, Kennedy is that in coaching circles.

Ben McCollum – Northwest Missouri State Head Coach: After 14 seasons of high-level success in DII, maybe it’s time for a bigger opportunity. McCollum is an intriguing option recommended by multiple industry sources. He has been named Coach of the Year in DII five times while winning his league’s Coach of the Year honor seven times. Would be up for a move up after years of proving himself at a lower level, but SMU needs a good coach and McCollum is recognized as one.
 
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Men's coaching carousel: Are we done spinning in 2024?

With BYU hiring Kevin Young as its new head coach, the biggest jobs ahead of the 2024-25 season have been filled. Here's how it all played out.
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The past few days have felt like the calm before the storm. Not just for the NCAA tournament, but for the coaching carousel as well. Multiple industry sources have commented in recent days about how quiet things have been when it comes to coaching movement, especially at the high-major level.

This happens every season, though. Last year, things slowed down while we waited for Ed Cooley, Micah Shrewsberry and Rick Pitino to lose. Two years ago, things only started moving once Matt McMahon, Todd Golden, Dennis Gates, Lamont Paris and Jerome Tang were bounced from the tournament.

Who has their grips on the coaching carousel this year? Florida Atlantic's Dusty May is the main one, but Drake's Darian DeVries and Washington State's Kyle Smith are also candidates at a majority of the high-major vacancies.

As we tip off the best four days on the sports calendar, here is the state of play on the coaching tracker.

As it stands, 38 jobs have opened -- 11 of which have been filled. As a point of reference, there were 61 job changes total last year, 60 in 2022 and 57 in 2021.

For as long as the carousel spins, until all the top jobs are filled, we'll keep you updated here with the latest intel, rumors, scuttlebutt and everything in between for men's college basketball's coaching cycle. Keep track of the full list of official changes here.

Last updated: March 21, 2024


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March 21​

4:00 p.m. ET

The first in-tournament firing​

In a bit of a stunner midway through the first day of the NCAA tournament, SMU informed head coach Rob Lanier he was out after just two seasons at the helm. The Mustangs struggled in his first season but improved by 10 wins in his second season, winning 20 games before losing on Wednesday in the NIT.

In the school's official announcement for the coaching change, athletic director Rick Hart cited the school's investment in basketball, its NIL opportunities and its move to the ACC as reasons why it should be competing with the best. Reading between the lines -- and based on a few conversations with industry sources this afternoon -- it sounds like SMU is going to pursue some big-name coaches in an attempt to win immediately in the ACC.

Three names have been buzzing for the job in the short time since it opened: Arkansas' Eric Musselman, McNeese Coboys's Will Wade and Western Kentucky's Steve Lutz.



Musselman just finished his worst season since arriving in Fayetteville, going 16-17 overall and ending a streak of three straight Sweet 16 appearances, while Wade just orchestrated one of the biggest single-season turnarounds in college basketball history, taking McNeese from 11-23 to 30-3 and the NCAA tournament in his first season at the helm.

Lutz isn't as big a name as the other two, but he has high-major experience from his time as an assistant under Matt Painter and Greg McDermott and is in the NCAA tournament for the third straight season after leading Texas A&M-Corpus Christi to the dance in 2022 and 2023. He also has deep ties in the state of Texas and was an assistant under Matt Doherty at SMU from 2006-10.

8:30 a.m. ET

State of the coaching tracker​


Louisville Cardinals​

As mentioned last weekend, luring Scott Drew out of Baylor was always going to be a difficult task. Now that he is confirmed to be staying in Waco, is it time for Louisville to wait and see what Florida Atlantic's Dusty May wants to do? There's a good chance he is the top choice or in the top two for at least three schools this cycle, but word is he wants to wait until his season is over before deciding. Who's after him on Josh Heird's list? Charleston's Pat Kelsey has generated some buzz.


Michigan Wolverines​

This vacancy seems linked to the Louisville vacancy, through Dusty May. If May prefers Ann Arbor, is he their top choice? If he goes to Louisville, who's next for Warde Manuel? Drake's Darian DeVries is confirmed to be on the Wolverines' list, while there was some buzz earlier this week surrounding South Florida's Amir Abdur-Rahim. Expect more names to filter through if May picks Louisville.


West Virginia Mountaineers​

Assuming Dusty May goes to another school, where does athletic director Wren Baker turn? Darian DeVries has been one of the names buzzing pretty consistently, although some others include Washington State's Kyle Smith, James Madison's Mark Byington, Colorado State's Niko Medved and Grand Canyon's Bryce Drew.


Washington Huskies​

In the days leading up to Mike Hopkins' firing, the name at the forefront to replace him was Utah State's Danny Sprinkle. He was still the favorite to get the job entering the week. But does athletic director Troy Dannen leaving for Nebraska change anything about the search? It's unlikely, given how far along the Huskies were in the process. Besides Sprinkle, the one name that keeps popping up is Boise State's Leon Rice.


Oklahoma State Cowboys​

OSU doesn't seem to have dialed in on any particular candidate since moving on from Mike Boynton last week. News is the program is focused on up-and-coming coaches as opposed to power conference coaches who want a fresh start -- but that could change depending on who becomes available. Some names linked to the job include Western Kentucky's Steve Lutz, Niko Medved, Darian DeVries and Northwest Missouri State's Ben McCollum, as well as Kyle Smith and Danny Sprinkle -- the latter two seem more likely to land elsewhere.


Stanford Cardinal​

Even before Jerod Haase was fired last week, the leader in the clubhouse to be his replacement was Kyle Smith, and that's the same situation today. Princeton's Mitch Henderson is another candidate, but it feels like Smith's to lose at this point.


Vanderbilt Commodores​

Most of the names floating around for this job are the same as when it opened: Former Xavier and Louisville coach Chris Mack, Kyle Smith, Darian DeVries, Pat Kelsey and Mitch Henderson. Mack was perceived as the early favorite, but it's unclear whether there's a leader at this point. There's been some buzz over the past 24 hours that Dusty May is interested in the job, but given the other jobs available, it feels unlikely.

Other notes​

  • San Diego State assistant coach Chris Acker has been the name buzzing for Long Beach State since it opened. LBSU athletic director Bobby Smitheran arrived from San Diego State last summer.
  • Missouri State has had Northwest Missouri State's Ben McCollum in its sights for a couple of weeks, but nothing is done yet. McCollum is also involved in a couple of other searches.
  • A number of candidates have been mentioned for the vacancy at Rice, including Longwood's Griff Aldrich and former Georgia Tech and Memphis coach Josh Pastner. Other names linked include Yale's James Jones, Penn State assistant Brent Scott and Florida assistant Carlin Hartman.
  • We reported Sunday that Saint Louis was in talks to make Indiana State's Josh Schertz its next coach.
  • UIC still has a few names on its list, but Eastern Kentucky's AW Hamilton is emerging as a legitimate candidate there.
 
AnotherSoonerInTX said:
They're moving to the ACC and are taking 0 media dollars in the first contract to do it. Their donors are going all in. They don't want to bring Carolina and Duke to town to beat their team by 30 on every trip.

I wouldn't be surprised to see them go after Will Wade.
Click to expand...
Is there any way we can send them porter moser and We can hire Will Wade?
 




The rumor, or thought, was that Robert Jones (Norfolk State) was set to be hired by UIC. Had an offer. Whatever, I guess.
 
Mullins was mentioned as an OU assistant possibility.

 
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