It’s been a wild ride over the past month for the men’s basketball staff at Chicago State….

As Previously reported, Head Coach Lance Irvin decided to opt out of coaching this season. Irvin has twice been diagnosed with cancer, and had a bone marrow transplant back in 2012. In a report by Stadium, he said, “I’m not comfortable coaching this season because my doctor suggested that it wasn’t the right thing to do for my health. She said it’s not worth the risk based on the current COVID pandemic.”

Shortly after the news of Irvin’s opt out surfaced, assistant coach Justin Bowen resigned. There was no official announcement, but it is confirmed that he is no longer on the staff. Bowen was hired back in September after serving as a high school coach in Chicago. His vacant position was posted late last week by CSU. It can be found HERE.

The already shorthanded staff then saw assistant coach Tommy Strine miss Wednesday’s 88-51 loss at Loyola (Chicago) due to a family issue. That left assistant coach Rodell Davis to coach the Cougars by himself. Making the situation even more challenging, Davis had to deal with a short roster, as only eight players dressed due to injury and contact tracing issues.

Chicago State is currently 0-6 and will travel to Illinois State on Tuesday.