1
Out: Jared Grasso | In: Phil Martelli Jr.
Martelli won the full-time job near the beginning of the season. Bryant’s big win came in November at FAU. The 19-12 Bulldogs finished third in the America East.2
Out: John Smith | In: Mike DeGeorge
Smith only managed 30 wins in five seasons. This is a bottom-tier Big West job. DeGeorge spent the past six seasons at D-II Colorado Mesa and averaged 23 wins with five appearances in the D-II NCAA tournament.3
Out: Reggie Witherspoon | In: Jim Christian
The Golden Griffins severed from Witherspoon after eight seasons. The program hasn’t danced since 1996 and, before that, 1957. Not an easy spot to lure a good candidate to. Hiring Christian was a pretty good pull.4
Out: Anthony Boone | In: John Shulman
The Bears went 9-23 in Boone’s fourth and final season and did not qualify for the ASUN Tournament. Shulman was hired from the University of Alabama-Huntsville after going 112-39 in five seasons.5
Out: Gerald Gillion
Gillion spent three seasons with the Cougars. The team’s 13-win campaign last season was its best in a decade. But he took a job to join Rod Strickland’s staff at LIU. Chicago State is leaving its independent status and joins the NEC later this year.6
Out: Pat Kelsey | In: Chris Mack
Mack missed out on Vanderbilt — but this is a great second option. Charleston is viewed as a top-tier mid-major job. He was overwhelmingly the most qualified candidate interviewed. Mack’s career record is 278-133, and though it ended awkwardly at Louisville, his dossier is undeniably solid. Nothing is ever guaranteed in this industry, but we might look up in three years and see Mack as one of the best gets of a LOADED 2024 cycle. Adding ace assistant Chris Harriman will only help matters here.7
Out: Barclay Radebaugh | In: Saah Nimley
The Buccaneers stuck by Nimley — who was promoted to full-time after a 10-19 season — and following the retirement of Radebaugh, who spent the past 18 seasons leading the program. The Bucs haven’t danced since 1997.8
Out: Cliff Ellis | In: Justin Gray
When Bob Huggins resigned, Ellis became the winningest active coach in the game … then he opted to retire in December. This line from Coastal Carolina’s press release puts his underrated 49-year career into perspective: “With 831 career NCAA victories, Ellis ranks ninth in Division I men’s basketball history in wins, trailing only Mike Krzyzewski, Jim Boeheim, Bob Huggins, Jim Calhoun, Roy Williams, Bob Knight, Dean Smith and Adolph Rupp.” As for Gray, he comes over via Western Carolina, where he went 51-47 in three seasons at a top-two tough job in the SoCon.9
Out: Brian Earl | In: Jon Jaques
The Big Red job opened after Earl took the William & Mary gig following eight seasons in Ithaca, New York. Cornell went through a slow process but hired the right guy. Jaques’ candidacy made the most sense. No need to try and outsmart the process. He’s the guy. OK, some transparency (and most importantly): Jaques previously wrote for my former independent website, College Hoops Journal, way back when. From a small-time byline to running an Ivy! Cornell is in a good spot moving forward.10
Out: Mike Davis | In: Mark Montgomery
The Titans went 1-31, the worst win percentage in D-I. The lone win? IUPUI, which also fired its coach. Davis lasted six seasons but never won more than 14 games. Montgomery comes over via Michigan State and is yet another Tom Izzo protégé who is getting a shot to run a program.11
Out: Darian DeVries | In: Ben McCollum
The industry fully expected DeVries to move to a bigger job after getting Drake to a third NCAA Tournament. This is historically not a good program. It needs to nail the hire to avoid a plunge in the Missouri Valley — and McCollum comes with an outstanding track record over the past decade-plus at the Division II level. A lot of eyes will be on him next season to see if his system immediately translates, in part because he passed on multiple prior D-I offers.12
Out: Keith Dambrot | In: Dru Joyce III
Dambrot retired after Duquesne’s awesome/unexpected push into the NCAA Tournament, including an upset of 6-seed BYU in the first round, giving the school its first NCAA tourney win in 55 years. Dambrot led the Dukes to their first Atlantic 10 title since 1977 thanks to four wins in four days, culminating in a 57-51 victory over VCU in the A-10 title game. Joyce was the presumed bump up from within the program, and that’s exactly what happened.13
Out: David Riley | In: Dan Monson
Riley separated himself as a top-two candidate at Washington State after he won 62 games in three seasons in the Big Sky. How about Monson getting one more gig after the bittersweet Long Beach State ending? Monson’s got a cabin in nearby Idaho, so it’s really cool for him to return even closer to home after his Gonzaga connection in the 1990s. Mark Few, schedule Monson’s Eagles!14
Out: Jay Young | In: Chris Casey
Young stepped down in October under mysterious circumstances that were never clarified by the university. Chris Casey became interim coach and did a good job under duress. The Stags have the facilities to win in the MAAC. Can Casey finally be the guy to do it?15
Out: Robert McCullum | In: Patrick Crarey II
The Rattlers decided not to renew McCullum’s contract after going 67-133 in seven seasons in the SWAC. The school last made the NCAAs in 2007. Crarey was pulled up from the NAIA ranks, where he was coach at St. Thomas University.16
Out: Dusty May | In: John Jakus
As expected, May moved on (taking Michigan). Jakus was a surprise pick in that the working theory was FAU would either hiring a sitting head coach or promote lead assistant Kyle Church. Instead, the Owls are getting a highly regarded assistant from Baylor who helped the Bears win a national title in 2021. Jakus previously cut his teeth at Gonzaga. Scott Drew has a strong coaching tree, which boosted his candidacy for the gig.17
Out: Justin Hutson | In: Vance Walberg
This one publicly/officially came open shortly after the Bulldogs lost to Utah State in the MW tourney. Hutson’s contract expired and he moves on after six seasons. It’s a tough job in this league. Walberg, who specializes in/popularized the dribble-drive motion offense, was an unorthodox choice at a place that will need to stand out in order to move up in the MW.18
Out: Tim Craft | In: Jeremy Luther
The Bulldogs lost Tim Craft, who was courted away by Western Carolina. Luther was promoted from within and has 11 years of experience with the program.19
Out: Buck Joyner | In: Ivan Thomas
After 15 years, a change comes at Hampton, which made three NCAAs under Joyner, the most recent in 2016. The Pirates won nine games this season, their second in the CAA after moving up from the Big South. Thomas is getting the nod and coming over from Georgetown, as he was a longtime assistant under Ed Cooley.20
Out: Ron Cottrell | In: Craig Doty
A major changing of the guard in the Southland Conference. Houston Christian (formerly Houston Baptist) had been led by Cottrell since 1990, when the program was revived as an NAIA school. It went D-I in 2008. Cottrell spent 33 seasons with the program and won 524 games. Doty comes over via Division II Emporia State.21
Out: Josh Schertz | In: Matthew Graves
An amazing 32-win season for the Sycamores (including that entertaining run to the NIT championship game) in Schertz’s third season, but his departure to Saint Louis was an open secret for a while. The Sycs did the right thing by bumping up Graves, who is qualified for the job and gives ISU a chance at keeping its footing in the Missouri Valley … if he doesn’t lose all his best players to the portal/Saint Louis.22
Out: Matt Crenshaw | In: Paul Corsaro
Crenshaw managed just 14 wins in three seasons, but this is a cellar job in the Horizon League that is years away from being remotely viable in that conference. From IUPUI’s release: “Corsaro, an Indianapolis-native, spent the last four seasons as head coach at nearby University of Indianapolis. The past three years, UIndy has gone 68-25 with back-to-back NCAA Division II Tournament appearances and consecutive Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) regular season titles.”23
Out: Mark Byington | In: Preston Spradlin
Byington was quickly whisked away by Vanderbilt after leading the Dukes to a 32-4 record and an NCAA Tournament appearance this season, including a win over 5-seed Wisconsin. Spradlin’s a young talent who’s on the rise. He made two NCAA Tournaments at Morehead State and won a pair of regular-season OVC titles. Quality hire at a high-ceiling mid-major.24
Out: Dan Monson | In : Chris Acker
Just an all-timer. Monson gets fired, makes a mini-miracle run to the NCAAs by winning the Big West as a No. 5-seed, and then his AD tried to take credit for it all by saying the firing was a motivational tactic. Monson deserved better and we can’t wait to see where he lands next. Acker was on staff at San Diego State the past five seasons and gets his first crack at running a D-I outfit.25
Out: Tavaras Hardy | In: Josh Loeffler
After six seasons and a 66-110 record, Hardy resigned. The Greyhounds hit a nadir this season under, finishing 7-25. Loeffler spent six years as head coach at Johns Hopkins (2017-23) and was an assistant this past season at Cincinnati.26
Out: Dan D’Antoni | In: Cornelius Jackson
Initially it seemed D’Antoni would get one more season after 10 on the job, but he’s been replaced by Cornelius Jackson, who’s been with the program since 2017.27
Out: Greg Gary | In: Ryan Ridder
Gary, a former Purdue assistant, coached the Bears for five seasons but hovered around .500 each year in the SoCon, where it’s yet to have a 20-win season since leaving the ASUN in 2014. Ridder was hired away from UT Martin.28
Out: Dana Ford | In: Cuonzo Martin
This one was no surprise. Ford lasted six seasons but never broke out of the Missouri Valley to make the NCAAs. The school last made the Big Dance in 1999. Martin — who had his first shot at running a program with Mo State in 2008 — makes for an intriguing hire and one that has a very good chance of working again. His career arc is interesting; he’s got a lot of stories to tell.29
Out: Preston Spradlin | In: Jonathan Mattox
The Eagles got eight years with Spradlin and averaged 24 wins the past four seasons. Now that he’s off to James Madison, they’ll need to find another diamond in the rough to stay at the top of the OVC. Mattox spent the past two seasons as an assistant at Murray State but is a Morehead alum who was on staff with the Eagles from 2013-22.30
Out: Dan Engelstad
This is a hard MAAC job and Engelstad’s getting a very good raise by leaving The Mount to be an assistant at Syracuse. Makes a lot of sense, frankly.31
Out: Jeff Jones | In: Mike Jones
Jones retired in late February, though he had not been coaching since December due to multiple health issues. ODU wasted little time and hired the hotly rumored replacement. Mike Jones, an assistant at Maryland, has longstanding D.C. area ties after a 19-year tenure coaching DeMatha High School. He’s also an ODU alum. An easy choice.32
Out: Leonard Perry | In: Dave Smart
Perry replaced Damon Stoudamire and won 29 games in three seasons. This is regarded as the worst job in the WCC, so getting Smart is a pretty incredible pull for Pacific. He won 656 victories at the Canadian college level, at Carleton University, in 18 years. He comes via Texas Tech this past season.33
Out: Lorenzo Romar | In: Ed Schilling
Romar coached in obscurity for six years and went 117-156. Few campuses have better living than this one, so even despite not making an NCAA Tournament in 22 years, this job attracted a lot of attention. But the Waves made a pluck from an unexpected spot. Schilling, Grand Canyon assistant, got the call-up after GCU made the NCAAs three times (Bryce Drew as the head coach) with Schilling on staff.34
Out: Scott Pera | In: Rob Lanier
Rice sacked Pera after seven seasons in Houston, the high point being 2022-23, when the Owls went 19-16. Lanier deserved to keep a head job after unfairly being forced out at SMU after two seasons. Rice lucked into a best-case scenario.35
Out: Travis Ford | In: Josh Schertz
SLU sacked Ford moments after the team’s season ended in the A-10 Tournament. He was there eight seasons and went to one NCAA Tournament. Many in the business believe this program has been an underachiever vs. its potential for decades. Schertz is headed to SLU on a six-year deal that will pay him north of $2 million annually, a source told CBS Sports. Could be a perfect fit for him.36
Out: Carm Maciariello | In: Gerry McNamara
The Saints fired Maciariello, doing so following a 4-28 season that results in the the program finishing 357th out of 362 teams at KenPom. But: He was above .500 in his first four seasons. Tough business, especially considering he may well have taken the Saints to the NCAAs in 2020 had there been a tournament. Since 1994-95, the average Siena coach has lasted 3.4 seasons at that school. The 40-year-old McNamara was an assistant at his alma mater, Syracuse, the past 13 seasons.37
Out: Bryan Mullins | In: Scott Nagy
The SIU alum was pushed out after five seasons and an 86-68 record, but no NCAA Tournament appearances. Nagy comes over from Wright State in the Horizon League, where he spent the past eight seasons. He’s been a head coach dating back to 1995, when he was at South Dakota State. Career record: 577-331. The guy knows ball, folks.38
Out: Luke Yaklich | In: Rob Ehsan
Yaklich, who had a stout rep as a defensive tactician when he was hired, is out after four seasons and a 47-70 record. The Flames made the jump from the Horizon League to the Missouri Valley in Yaklich’s third year but went 8-32 in league play after transitioning. Ehsan gets a parachute after being on staff at Stanford and getting let go. He previously was a head coach at UAB from 2016-20.39
Out: Dave Dickerson | In: Marty Richter
Dickerson left to serve as an assistant at Ohio State, where he previously worked under Thad Matta. Richter was an assistant the past six seasons under Darian DeVries at Drake.40
Out: Ryan Ridder | In: Jeremy Shulman
Ridder was at UT Martin for the past three seasons, but fled the coop for Mercer. The Skyhawks will be on their fifth coach in 10 seasons, and it’s Shulman, who is a junior college coach. Here’s the nut graf from the school: “Spent the last 14 seasons as head coach at Eastern Florida State College in Melbourne, Fla. In that span, he became the program’s all-time wins leader (346 victories) and elevated the Titans to a national powerhouse.”41
Out: Danny Sprinkle | In: Jerrod Calhoun
Sprinkle was hired at Washington after leading the Aggies to an NCAA Tournament appearance this past season. The job is a terrific one, as it’s been to the NCAA Tournament under five of its past six coaches. Calhoun left Youngstown State and will look to continue a proud tradition in Logan.42
Out: Matt Figger | In: Kahil Fennell
Figger’s out at UTRGV after going 29-65 in three seasons. The Vaqueros were 6-25 this season. This was a quick hook, but it comes just as the program has decided to leave the WAC for the Southland after 11 seasons. Fennell got the gig out of BYU; he won the job even before he knew Mark Pope was going to be the guy at Kentucky.43
Out: Steve Henson | In: Austin Claunch
The Roadrunners are now on the market one year into their AAC residency. The program last made the NCAAs in 2011. Claunch, 34, comes over after being a head coach for five years at Nicholls and earning more stripes on staff at Alabama this past season.44
Out: Kyle Smith | In: David Riley
Smith was hired as the next coach at Stanford after leading the Cougars to an NCAA Tournament appearance for the first time in 16 years. He was a great coach at the right time, and now Wazzu hopes Riley can keep the program above a 20-win threshold in its move to the WCC for the next two seasons. Washington State was a brutally tough power-conference job, but in the WCC, it’s a top-six job. He got a six-year deal that starts at nearly $600,000.45
Out: Justin Gray | In: Tim Craft
Job openings create myriad domino effects every year, which is exactly what happened here. Gray left for Coastal Carolina, leading to a change at Western Carolina. Tim Craft comes over after 11 seasons running Gardner-Webb.46
Out: Steve Lutz | In: Hank Plona
It took longer than anticipated, but Lutz is off to Oklahoma State after just one season with WKU, which included making the 2024 NCAAs. Athletic director Todd Stewart wasted little time, opting to bump up Plona, who previously won 87% of his games in eight seasons at the JUCO level (Indian Hills Community College).
47
Out: Dane Fischer | In: Brian Earl
Fischer went 55-90 overall as William & Mary’s coach. He’s replaced by Earl, who went 96-103 in eight seasons at Cornell.48
Out: Scott Nagy | In: Clint Sergent
The Raiders lost Nagy to Southern Illinois, which is a shame, because he was about as sharp of a coach as they could have asked for. Sergeant was promoted in-house, and he’s been there almost a decade.49
Out: Jerrod Calhoun | In: Ethan Faulkner
The Penguins had a good one in Calhoun, who opted to take the Utah State job after Tod Kowalcyzk passed and remained at Toledo. Faulkner is one of many assistants who was afforded a shot after their boss left for a bigger job.
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