Today’s Daily News & Notes from around the college basketball coaching world…
Louisville head coach Chris Mack has tested positive for COVID-19 and is experiencing mild symptoms. He will follow established protocols and will continue to communicate with team members and staff virtually but will miss Louisville’s next scheduled game at Virginia Tech on Feb. 13. In his absence, assistant coach Dino Gaudio will take the lead coaching role with the team in practice this week and at Saturday’s game. More HERE.
Nebraska head coach Fred Hoiberg announced that assistant Doc Sadler and special assistant to the head coach Bobby Lutz will not be traveling with the team so as to protect against them contracting COVID. “Right now it’s not worth it to me to have extra risk with guys who are in the at-risk categories,” Hoiberg said of Sadler, 60, and Lutz, 62. “Just to be safe, I’m having those guys come in right before practice and, generally, they leave, right when practice is over to mitigate that risk. We’ll be down two very important parts of our staff.” More HERE.
With the struggles that Mike Hopkins has had at Washington over the past two seasons, AD Jennifer Cohen was asked about his future. “I believe in Mike. I’m supportive of Mike,” Cohen told the Seattle Times. “I’m excited to be his partner and figure out how we’re going to reevaluate things after this year. We’re looking to still move forward with the basketball [facility] project. Sometimes these things are cyclical. Sometimes they’re really frustrating. There’s nobody that’s more upset with losing and where this program is right now than Mike Hopkins and me. So I’m confident that we’re going to come up with a plan at the end of the year and we’re going to get headed back in the right direction.” UW has lost 22 of it’s last 30 games. More HERE.
The Mercury News also weigh in today on Hopkins and other coaches in the PAC-12; “The termination calculation isn’t necessarily the same this season, with rosters in constant flux, athletic budgets in disarray and pandemic optics at top of mind for university officials. No less than five coaches in the Pac-12 who might be on fragile ground in a normal year are seemingly safe this spring.” More HERE.
Scouting guru Tom Konchalski, who has been battling cancer, has been moved to hospice care. The New York Post penned a great tribute to the NYC legend HERE. Also, if you have 15 minutes, check out this 2014 segment from Charlie Rose with both Konchalski and 5-Star’s Howard Garfinkle talking basketball HERE.
By the numbers…
- Head Coach Tim Jankovich recorded his 100th win at SMU last week. He reached the milestone in his 153rd game at the helm, the fastest in program history.
- Arkansas Monticello head coach Kyle Tolin picked up win #100 this weekend with a 67-62 win over Arkansas Tech. Tolin is now 100-87 in his seventh season at UAM.
- Great Lakes Christian College head coach Richard Westerlund tallied career win #100 on Friday. 50 of his wins have been at GLCC, while the others were amassed at his other stops – Crossroads College, and Wright State Lake.
From earlier today: D2 Wheeling University has hired former West Virginia standout Da’Sean Butler as an assistant coach. The 42nd Pick in the 2010 NBA draft (Miami), just wrapped up his professional career overseas. More HERE.
