Story: Adam Nelson (@HD_DirtKing)
A bunch of things to kick off the week…
Staff changes at Oregon State. Associate head coach Kerry Rupp will not have his contract renewed, and assistant Stephen Thompson will shift to a non-coaching role. Rupp, the former head coach at Louisiana Tech was at OSU for the past 8 seasons, and was also with Wayne Tinkle at Montana. Thompson, a former standout at Syracuse has also been on the Beavers staff for eight season. Oregon State finished 3-28 (1-19 Pac-12) last season, just one year removed from an Elite Eight appearance.
I can confirm that Marcus King is no longer an assistant at Siena. Last year was his first on the Saints staff after serving as the associate head coach at Tennessee Tech. Heard there may be one more move at here too. Stay tuned…
I can confirm that Bob Beaudine is running the Louisiana Tech search. I have heard that assistant coach Duffy Conroy is in the mix (may have already interviewed). Other names include Nicholls State head coach Austin Claunch and Texas Tech assistant Talvin Hester (was an assistant at La Tech from 2018-21). Sounds like they met with guys late last week and through the weekend.
Last Tuesday, I mentioned some early named at Chattanooga (DAILY DIRT – 3/22). It now sounds like VMI head coach Dan Earl needs to be added to this list. Chattanooga AD Wharton spent 25 years at Penn State prior to his time with the Mocs. Earl is former All-Big Ten player at Penn State, who spent 2006-11 as an assistant there.
A name picking up steam at Lafayette is Colgate assistant Mike Jordan. The former standout at Penn returned to Colgate last year after spending one season at Drexel. He had previously spent eight years (2012-20) with Matt Langel at Colgate. Jordan was the Ivy League Player of the Year in 2000, and Rookie of the Year in 1996. Lafayette has been focused on coaches with high academic coaching/playing background, so Jordan definitely fits the bill.
It sounds like UT Arlington assistant head coach Riley Davis is in the mix for a spot on Mike Schwartz’s new staff at East Carolina. Davis spent time as an administrative staffer at Tennessee while Schwartz was an assistant there. *UPDATE: Done deal – Davis to ECU*
Speaking of UTA…I’ve heard that a D2 head coach from the Lone Star Conference is in play to become an assistant here (in fact, it may be a done deal). Stay tuned…*UPDATE: Angelo State opens. More HERE*.
No secret here – a lot of guys have already reported on this one, but Memphis assistant Cody Toppert is headed to LSU with Matt McMahon. Toppert was with the Director of Payer Development with the Phoenix Suns before joining Penny Hardaway’s staff in 2019. Good move to bolt Memphis before the NCAA brings the hammer down.
Final Four candidates at George Washington HERE.
The 2022 HoopDirt.com College Basketball Coaching Changes Tracker with moves at all levels can be found HERE.
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