Daily Dirt – 4/8/19

A few things I’ve heard as the sea of sweatsuits heads out of Minneapolis…


  • How about all of the Rick Barnes and Lon Kruger to UCLA stuff? Crazy how long this search has taken with no clear direction. I’m tired of following this one, but feel like I should. It’s like driving by an accident on the highway – you know you shouldn’t look, but you do anyway. No idea where this is headed…
  • Early names at Wofford include current Terriers associate head coach Jay McAuley and Minnesota head coach Ed Conroy (former head coach at Tulane and The Citadel). More on this one shortly…
  • Mentioned this one on Twitter on Friday…heard Louisiana Lafayette assistant Kevin Johnson is headed to Tulane. He knows the NOLA area, and has also served an an assistant in state at Nicholls State, Louisiana Tech, and Centenary.
  • I have heard that Derrick Phelps will be heading to Washington State with Kyle Smith. Phelps has been the associate head coach at San Francisco since 2016. He played at North Carolina and had a long professional career after graduation.
  • It sounds like new Appalachian State head coach Dustin Kerns will retain current Mountaineers associate head coach Jason Allison. The former VMI assistant has been on the App State bench for the past five seasons.
  • I have heard that the search at DII Midwestern State is moving. Ranger JC head coach Billy Gillispie was involved early here, but it sounds like he is no longer in the mix. Two names that keep coming up are former Midwestern State assistant and current Eastern New Mexico head coach Tres Segler, and Wayland Baptist head coach Ty Harrelson (from Wichita Falls, where MSU is located).
  • Interviews at DIII Clark University are complete. Depends on who you talk to, but they have either made their choice, or will do so today. An Ivy League assistant, a MM assistant, and two NEWMAC assistants are the final group. More here soon.
  • Word on the street is that former Keiser University head coach Bob Starkman will join JJ Thatcher’s staff at Florida National University. Before serving as the head coach at KU last season, Starkman spent 21 seasons at Broward CC.