Story: Adam Nelson (@HD_DirtKing)
It’s obviously been crazy over the past few days. Just going through my notes to catch-up on a bunch of things…
A couple of names making the rounds at Manhattan include Kentucky associate to the head coach Bruiser Flint and Rutgers associate head coach Karl Hobbs. Flint has also been the head coach at UMass (1996-01) and Drexel (2001-16). Hobbs was a long-time UConn assistant, who was also the head coach at George Washington (2001-10).
Names that I have heard at Army include current Austin Peay assistant Carl Little and former UCLA/Cal/Vandy, etc assistant David Grace. Little spent 21 years on active duty (11 in the Army, 10 in the Air Force), and also served as the head coach for the All-Army Men’s Basketball team. Grace spent 20 years in the Air Force, and served in Operation Desert Storm.
The name that I’ve heard the most at Wofford is Virginia Tech assistant Kevin Giltner. The Wofford alum had spent six years on the Terriers staff before following Mike Young to VT back in 2019. I’ve also heard Furman assistant Tim Johnson’s name mentioned here. He’s another Wofford alum who also spent time on the staff there as an assistant. I’ve heard that App State’s Dustin Kearns may have kicked the tires here, but does not sound like he’s currently involved.
I don’t love the John Becker to Holy Cross rumors. Yes, he has one major connection there, but there are some other things that may stand in the way. I’m working on a list there now. It’s definitely a special place that needs someone with a New England connection to breathe some life back into the program (hint: I know guys who would kill it there).
I tweeted yesterday about 4 of the 10 Patriot League jobs currently being open, with possibly two (or 3 more coming). People just assumed that means more firings were coming – never said that. While it’s definitely possible, it’s also possible that someone gets a better job. Stay tuned…
I mentioned a few names as Austin Peay last week – now adding Ole Miss interim head coach Win Case to the list. Case has been at Ole Miss since 2018, and was with Kermit Davis at MTSU for ten seasons before that. Other names here are Morehead State assistant Scott Combs (an APSU alum and long-time assistant there), and Northwestern State head coach Corey Gipson (also an APSU alum)
The Will Wade to McNeese State deal seems to be close to done. Sounds like he was waiting for something else to shake out, which isn’t happening. Interesting to see how this one plays out.
I have heard Wake Forest assistant Brooks Savage’s name mentioned at both ETSU and High Point. He had previously served as an assistant to Steve Forbes for 5 seasons at ETSU. Also, High Point is less than 30 minutes from Wake. Would be an easy move.
New Mexico State names include all head coaches / former head coaches. Obviously they know they need an adult in the room. Former Illinois / K-State head coach Bruce Weber (was at SIU with current NMSU football coach Jerry Kill, and after AD Mario Moccia), Sam Houston State’s Jason Hooten, Southern Utah’s Todd Simon, and Corpus Christi’s Steve Lutz all being mentioned here.
Penn State’s Micah Shrewsberry gaining steam at Georgetown – Jeff Goodman Tweeted about it earlier today. The former Celtics assistant led the Nittany Lions to 21 wins so far this season. Former Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey also being mentioned here (weird to type former). A sneaky pick could be former Georgia / Indiana / Marquette head coach Tom Crean.
Texas Tech is using TurnkeyZRG to assist their four person search committee. They announced the committee yesterday and it includes AD Kirby Hocutt, former player Norense Odiase, Board of Regents member Dusty Womble, and football coach Joey McGuire.
The Green Bay Press Gazette is reporting that the five names for Green Bay are: former Cincinnati / Northern Kentucky head coach John Brannen, D2 Hillsdale College head coach John Tharp, Wyoming assistant coach Sundance Wicks, San Jose State assistant coach Ben Johnson (played at Green Bay), and Fox Sports radio host and basketball analyst Doug Gottlieb. More HERE.
Yesterday’s extremely scientific Twitter poll…
HoopDirt.com’s up-to-date list of college basketball coaching changes at the D1, D2, D3, NAIA, and JUCO levels can be found HERE.
