It’s been less than 24 hours since Steve Roccaforte was dismissed at Lamar, but three names have begun to emerge as the leaders to replace him. The three strongest contenders so far appear to be: Alvin Brooks – Associate Head Coach Houston. Has been at UH for 13 seasons. Was the head coach from 1993
HOT RUMOR: DIII legend to retire
I’ve got this from a great source – it appears that Colby College head coach Dick Whitmore will announce his retirement today after 40 seasons. He amassed 637 wins in his 40 years at Colby which included 31 winning seasons. His Colby teams have reached the post-season 27 times. He was honored as Coach of
Texas Tech update
Not sure what’s going on at Texas Tech. A lot of people are saying that Billy Gillispie will be named head coach as early as today. I’m not sure I buy that one however. According to multiple sources, Tech president Guy Bailey has said that no offer has been made to any candidate and none
Wyoming update
In my blog on March 4th, I mentioned that I heard St. John’s assistant Mike Dunlap was the favorite at Wyoming (http://hoopdirt.com/blog/9db6efd6/wyoming-update/…). It now appears that he officially interviewed for the job yesterday, and is still believed to be the front-runner. There are rumors that a decision and announcement could be made shortly. Stay tuned….
Small College Rumor
I’ve heard that Paine College (GA) is going to name interim head coach Jimmy Link as their full-time coach. He replaced Ron Spry midway through this season after Spry "resigned". There will most likely be a news conference today to announce this move. Link has been an assistant at Washington College, Flagler, and Newberry.
Hot Rumor: Fresno State to fire Cleveland?
According to a source, Fresno State will part ways with head coach Steve Cleveland. The Fresno State athletic department issued a statement yesterday saying that talks were still on-going between Cleveland and AD Thomas Boeh. An official announcement is expected later today. Cleveland is 92-98 in 6 seasons at Fresno.
Arkansas wish list
According to multiple sources, the top four choices for the Arkansas job are: Missouri Head Coach Mike Anderson. He was an assistant at Arkansas for 17 years with Nolan Richardson and would return the "40 minutes of hell" style that made Arkansas successful in the 1990’s. Minnesota Head Coach Tubby Smith. Keeps saying publically that
BREAKING: Loyola fires Whitesell
Jim Whitesell has just been fired by Loyola University (Chicago) according to Chicago Breaking Sports.com. He had been at LU since 2004 compiling a 109-106 record. Whitesell’s Ramblers went 16-15 (7-11 Horizon). A formal announcement is expected this afternoon.
HOT RUMOR: NC State decision expected tomorrow
NC State head coach Sidney Lowe is expected to meet with AD Debbie Yow tomorrow to learn his fate. From what I’ve heard, Yow has made her decision to make a change. My sources tell me that she has already committed to hire Parker Executive Search. I’ve also hear that one of her top targets
Weekend recap….
Busy weekend on the DI front – three big jobs all opened. Jim Boylen was fired at Utah, Paul Hewitt dismissed at Georgia Tech, and John Pelphrey axed at Arkansas. None of them came as a surprise however – many predicted that they would happen this weekend. I’ll post some more in-depth candidate lists as
Lamar to make a change?
Lamar University has scheduled a 4:30pm press conference today to announce which direction they are heading with their men’s basketball program. Head Coach Steve Roccaforte is 76-78 in 5 seasons at Lamar. His team was 13-17 this past season. My source says that it is a done deal that Coach Roc is out, but we’ll
WKU’s McDonald to return
I just finished watching the Western Kentucky press conference where WKU AD Ross Bjork has announced that head coach Ken McDonald will be retained. There was speculation about his future after a 16-16 season. The entire coaching staff was present at the press conference – it sounds like they will all be retained as well.