Daily Dirt - 5/18/18

A bunch of things that I’ve heard…

The hot rumor coming from the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago is that the Orlando Magic are kicking the tires on Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson. This past season, Sampson led the Cougars to a 27-8 record and is 83-48 in his four seasons at the school. The former head coach at Indiana and Oklahoma, Sampson also spent time as an assistant with the Milwaukee Bucks and Houston Rockets.
I have heard former UTEP assistant Bobby Braswell is the leader for the vacant assistant spot at Long Beach State. Before joining the UTEP staff back in 2016, Braswell spent seventeen seasons as the head coach at Cal State Northridge. He had previously served as an assistant at Long Beach from 1989-1992.

DII Search Update: Southern New Hampshire University. I have heard that at least four candidates have interviewed on campus at SNHU: Former Maine head coach Bob Walsh, NJIT assistant Jeff Rafferty (a former UNH assistant), and Boston University assistant Jack Perri (former head coach at LIU). I have also heard that at least one current assistant has been interviewed as well.

DII Search Update: Winston-Salem State. I have now heard from multiple sources that the final two candidates at WSSU are Charleston Southern assistant head coach Rick Duckett and former Shaw University head coach Cleo Hill. Duckett, who has also been an assistant at Miami (OH), served as the head coach at Fayetteville State (1993-98), Winston-Salem State (1998-01) and Grambling State (2008-09). Hill, the son of WSSU legend Cleo Hill, Sr. (8th overall pick in 1961 NBA Draft), was the 2012 CIAA Coach of the Year at Shaw, and also spent five seasons at Cheney University (PA). I have also heard that current assistant Andrew Brown, and a DI guy from the MEAC rounded out the final four.

Word on the street is that Northeastern JC (CO) assistant coach Steve Soza will become the next head coach at Western Wyoming CC. Soza has been an assistant at NJC since 2008, and has been an assistant at NOC-Enid, Fort Scott CC, and Pittsburg State. An official announcement here is expected soon.

Staying in Wyoming…I have heard that Casper College (WY) will add Sean Gutting as an assistant coach. Gutting had been an assistant at New Mexico Junior College since 2013.

I have heard that former Marist assistant coach Paul Lee is headed to the prep ranks and will become the head coach at the Kent School (CT). Lee was a longtime assistant at Marist, working under head coaches Chuck Martin, Jeff Bower, and Mike Maker.

NAIA St. Francis (IL) assistant coach Brain Koehne will take a HS job in Illinois. He has spent the past two seasons on Ryan Marks staff at St. Francis, and had worked at the HS level before that.

The complete up-to-date list of coaching changes at all levels can he found here: HoopDirt.com Coaching Changes Tracker.

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Daily Dirt – 5/18/18