2019-2020 Coaching Carousel

[NorthScottsdaleBrave]

Does anyone else get nervous when nearby Power 5 jobs come open? I’m hearing Chris Collins could be In the mix at Wake. That leaves a Big Ten job open close to where Coach W is from. Maybe I’m just paranoid. Do you guys connect these conspiracy dots or is it just me. Love to know your thoughts. Lol!

POB, you're not paranoid and this is not conspiracy thinking in the least. BW has won 20+ games three years in a row at a "highly recognizable" mid major. We would be fooling ourselves if we thought P5 programs have not taken notice. I don't believe Northwestern is a good job and BW wouldn't take it if offered. If Marquette opens up and BW is offered he takes the job without hesitation. Both he and his wife are alums and ex-student athletes. I told friends after we won The MVC Tournament BW would be the next coach at the University of Minnesota. Richard Pitino survived, at least for another year, so the threat passed for now. Minnesota is a good job and as BW keeps winning other "good" P5 jobs will come calling. The difference today; Bradley is a good job that will attract candidates we can expect will continue the program's success. We have an AD who knows college basketball inside and out. I bet he already has a short list of head coaching targets he will contact in the event BW leaves.

I have confidence BW will continue Bradley's winning ways. I have just as much confidence Chris Reynolds will find and hire the right head coach if and when BW is hired away. Times have changed for Bradley Basketball. We no longer have to settle for the Geno Ford's of college basketball.

[Da Coach]

POB, you're not paranoid and this is not conspiracy thinking in the least. BW has won 20+ games three years in a row at a "highly recognizable" mid major. We would be fooling ourselves if we though P5 programs have not taken notice. I don't believe Northwestern is a good job and BW wouldn't take it if offered. If Marquette opens up and BW is offered he takes the job without hesitation. Both he and his wife are alums and ex-student athletes. I told friends after we won The MVC Tournament BW would be the next coach at the University of Minnesota. Richard Pitino survived, at least for another year, so the threat passed for now. Minnesota is a good job and as BW keeps winning other "good" P5 jobs will come calling. The difference today, Bradley is a good job that will attract candidates we can expect will continue the program's success. We have an AD who knows college basketball inside and out. I bet he already has a short list of head coaching targets he will contact in the event BW leaves.

I have confidence BW will continue Bradley's winning ways. I have just as much confidence Chris Reynolds will find and hire the right head coach if and when BW is hired away. Times have changed for Bradley Basketball. We no longer have to settle for the Geno Ford's of college basketball.

Agree completely. I also will add that we have some highly capable candidates on the staff right now. But if Bradley goes after another outside candidate with head coaching experience, there will be as many great candidates who will want this job as there were top coaches who turned us down in 2011.

[Da Coach]

Now that East Tennessee State's Steve Forbes took the Wake Forest job, it is being reported that ETSU is looking to hire New Mexico State's Chris Jans.-
https://twitter.com/ColinDeaverTV/st...33051858186241

Just like Steve Forbes, Jans is a former assistant coach at both Illinois State and at Wichita State under Gregg Marshall. And just like Forbes, Jans also has some "issues" in his past. He was hired by Bowling Green in 2014 and had a terrific first season there. He took over a 12-20 team and went 23-12. But he was fired in April 2015 after "inapprpriate behavior" involving a woman in a bar.
https://bleacherreport.com/articles/...ehavior-at-bar


One other coaching bit of news- the NCAA has handed down multiple Notice of Allegations against Louisville on Monday related to the 2017 "pay for play" scandal involving former Louisville head coach Rick Pitino. Pitino was just hired at Iona College, and there could be a possibility the NCAA might deliver a suspension or a "show cause" penalty which could prevent him for coaching for a period of time.

https://nypost.com/2020/05/04/ionas-rick-pitino-hit-with-ncaa-violation-over-louisville-scandal/

https://www.courier-journal.com/story/sports/college/louisville/2020/05/04/louisville-basketball-rick-pitino-responds-ncaa-noa/3081174001/

[Da Coach]

Wake Forest has moved quickly to hire East Tennessee State's Steve Forbes.
https://www.journalnow.com/sports/co...90004747b.html

East Tennessee State has named Assistant Coach Jason Shay as their Interim Head Coach-
https://www.etsubucs.com/athletics/s...38/jason-shay/

East Tennessee State has decided to name former assistant coach Jason Shay as their new head coach.

https://www.etsubucs.com/athletics/staff/7638/jason-shay/

As egib52 noted, Jason Shay is originally from Galesburg, IL and is a graduate of University of Iowa, and has a Masters Degree from Western Illinois University.

[Da Coach]

2 new coaching jobs just opened, both in the SWAC conference:
Alcorn State's Head Coach Montez Robinson's contract was not renewed. He was 69-86 in 5 seasons-
https://www.vicksburgpost.com/2020/0...binson-pruitt/

Alabama State parts ways with head coach Lewis Jackson. He was 207-262 in 15 seasons. They were 8-24 this past season.
It was announced as a resignation- https://bamastatesports.com/news/202...astatembb.aspx

Today, Alabama State hired former Alabama & NBA star Mo Williams as their new head coach. He has spent the last 2 seasons as an assistant under Mark Gottfried at CSU-Northridge. He replaces Lewis Jackson, who was let go on March 26 after 15 seasons.

https://bamastatesports.com/news/2020/5/12/mens-basketball-mo-williams-named-head-coach-of-bamastatembb.aspx

The other head coach opening was at Alcorn State, but they have hired former Prairie View A&M assistant coach Landon Bussie as their new head coach-

https://alcornsports.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/coaches/landon-bussie/361

[Da Coach]

Another surprise coaching change.... Linc Darner, who took over at Wisconsin-Green Bay after Brian Wardler left to come to Bradley, was just fired.
Surprising because he has been fairly successful at Green Bay in his 5 seasons-
Darner and his staff were "blindsided" by the move and neither they nor anyone else was expecting it.
This is an extremely late point to be firing a head coach, unless something serious arose or some kind of violation was uncovered.
His contract pays him through the 2025-26 season, and he just earned his latest extension by finishing inside the top 4 in the Horizon League this season.
He won 23 games, won the Horizon Tournament, and went to the NCAA Tournament in his first season (something Coach Wardle never did at UWGB), with a number of players left over from Brian Wardle.
He only had 1 losing season in 5 years
His overall record is 92-80, and his 5-year Horizon League record is 51-39.
He finished the 2019-20 season 11-7 and in 3rd place in the Horizon League.
He had a pretty good 7-man recruiting class coming in for 2020, including a Wisconsin HS big man that Bradley offered, Terrance Thompson, who was ranked higher than Darius Hannah for most of the season by several ranking services (the final rankings have Hannah ranked higher), Donovan Moore, a transfer from Toledo who Bradley offered out of high school, and 5 others.
https://www.greenbaypressgazette.com...ol/5209964002/

I would be surprised if one or more of Bradley's assistant coaches don't apply for the job.

[Da Coach]

Additional notes about Linc Darner-
His overall record at Green Bay was 92-80 in 5 seasons there. But he had tremendous success at the Division II level before being hired at Green Bay in 2015.
He was 218-72 (.752 winning percentage) in 9 seasons at Florida Southern College, including a 36-1 season in his final year there in 2014-15 in which FSC won the Division II National Championship, and Darner was named the National Coach of the Year.
Prior to Florida Southern, he spent 4 seasons at Division II St. Joseph's College in Rensselaer, Indiana where he went 74-45.
His overall record at the Division II level (4 years at St. Joseph's and 9 years at FSC) was 292-117 (.714).

[Da Coach]

Another surprise coaching change.... Linc Darner, who took over at Wisconsin-Green Bay after Brian Wardler left to come to Bradley, was just fired...

I would be surprised if one or more of Bradley's assistant coaches don't apply for the job.

This is happening...


Also, other coaches "with shock at Linc Darner’s dismissal - especially at a time when so many schools having to cut budget."

https://twitter.com/GoodmanHoops/status/1262133294289899520

UWGB is on the hook for around $1.4 million if they have to buy out the remaining 6 years of his contract, which runs through 2026.

[Da Coach]

The Chancellor of UW-Green Bay, and the Green Bay Athletic Director both issued statements today about the dismissal of head coach Linc Darner.
Both said they thanked Coach Darner, but that they would have no further comments. They still have given no answer to why their coach was fired, and why the timing was so unusual, nor where the approximate $1.4 million he is owed on his contract would come from to pay him off. Nor has the administration said what the status of any of the assistant coaches are. And Linc Darner has not made any public comment, either.
https://www.greenbaypressgazette.com...ng/5212520002/

There have been reports about how financially strapped the UWGB is, especially now that the coronavirus has shut them down.

https://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/story/news/2020/04/24/university-wisconsin-green-bay-announces-furloughs-187-staff-members-may-2-may-31/3019537001/

Some have even speculated that they might be dropping sports or even dropping down out of D1. So to fire a winning coach with 6 years left on his contract makes even less sense.... unless there was another reason that is not being mentioned.

[Tommy]

Some have even speculated that they might be dropping sports or even dropping down out of D1. So to fire a winning coach with 6 years left on his contract makes even less sense.... unless there was another reason that is not being mentioned.

That would be devastating. If one school does that, you've got to think there will be more to come. I hope that's just a rumor.

[Da Coach]

I would be surprised if one or more of Bradley's assistant coaches don't apply for the job.

This is happening...

I have heard that Bradley assistant coach Jimmie Foster is a candidate for the UW-Green Bay head coach job, and it can now be said publicly. The job opened on May 17 when Green Bay suddenly and surprisingly fired head coach Linc Darner.

As noted above, I hinted that Jimmie would be an applicant, and indeed he now is. I have also heard that the Green Bay AD has posted the job opening publicly, and he says they will accept applications through May 30 before making any decisions.

There are now reports that Bradley coach Brian Wardle is endorsing Jimmie Foster for the job-

https://twitter.com/DTowleJr/status/1263305113000726533

Jimmie would make a terrific head coach. He spent a year as an assistant at North Dakota before joining Brian Wardle as an assistant from 2010-2015 at UW-Green Bay. He has now been at Bradley for 5 years, as well. He is a very good recruiter, and recruited some of UWGB's best players in his time there, and has been key in recruiting some of Bradley's players, as well. He has strong connections in Milwaukee and throughout Wisconsin, and was crucial in bringing Milwaukee kids Danya Kingsby and Darius Hannah to Bradley, as well as several other key recruits. It also helps that he has helped build and sustain winning programs wherever he has been.
Jimmy and his wife are Milwaukee natives, and he was a star prep player in Milwaukee in his high school days. Jimmie is a terrific guy and liked by everyone. I am confident he'd be a successful head coach, and this UWGB job seems ideally suited for him. Bradley and BU fans would miss him a lot if he did leave, but he is such a great guy and very qualified, that we have to cheer for his success.
Let's wish Jimmie the best of luck!

[Tommy]

Good luck, Jimmie! We’d miss ya, but BU forum is rooting for you!

[Da Coach]

UW-Green Bay has reached a settlement with fired head coach Linc Darner-

https://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/story/sports/college/uwgb/2020/05/29/fired-uwgb-basketball-coach-linc-darner-guaranteed-least-720-000-settlement/5285514002/

He will be guaranteed at least $720,000, and it could be much more.
Darner was paid $120,000 on May 21 and will receive $120,000 on the first business day in January.
Darner also will receive monthly payments of $20,000 from May 1, 2021, through April 1, 2023.
That is a total of $240,000 + $480,000= $720,000 guaranteed

But if Darner has not landed a head coaching or assistant job before that time — he agreed to make a reasonable and diligent effort to do so — he will receive an additional $20,000 per month beginning May 1, 2023, and going through April 1, 2024. That is potentially another $480,000 cash payout. So his settlement could be worth at least $1.2 million, plus UWGB has agreed to provide continued health insurance coverage at current levels for Darner and his family until Dec. 21, 2021, or until Darner or his wife, Kristen, become eligible for coverage under a comparable health insurance plan.

This huge payout for a school that does not have a big athletic budget probably means they will be looking to hire a new head coach who won't cost them very much. At least one name that has been mentioned (Virginia assistant coach Brad Soderberg) is already earning more in salary at his current job than UWGB is likely to be able to pay.

[houstonbrave]

Wow-Something sure is strange here. You fire a coach who has been pretty successful, really late in the offseason, it is not for cause at a time when budgets are even more strained due to Covid 19, and you give him a pretty big payout (for a school like Wisc-GB. There has to be more to the story but it seems really strange.

[Da Coach]

One of the top candidates for the UW-Green Bay head coaching job has removed himself from consideration. Gary Grzesk, a former UWGB playuer and current successful D3 head coach at St. Norbert college, was also a candidate for the same job in 2010 and 2015.
The AD will start conducting virtual interviews tomorrow (Tuesday, June 2).

https://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/story/sports/2020/06/01/st-norberts-gary-grzesk-withdraws-uwgb-mens-basketball-job-contention/5310093002/

Bradley assistant Jimmie Foster is still a candidate.