My sources have told me that UNC-Wilmington AD Kelly Mehrtens has met with three candidates, and is trying to schedule an interview with a fourth. So far, shes had conversations with: Dave Odom – former head coach at Wake Forest at South Carolina. In the Cliff Ellis / Bobby Cremins mold – take a job
News
Seton Hall Rumors
Here’s what I’ve heard over the past few days about the opening at Seton Hall: It appears that Robert Morris Head Coach Mike Rice will get the first interview. I’ve heard that he is scheduled to meet with officials from Seton Hall on Wednesday. Others that have been mentioned: Kevin Willard – Iona Fran McCaffery
Jackson out at Howard
Sources are telling us that Gil Jackson has been released at Howard. There has not been an official statement released by Howard, but Jackson’s bio page has been removed, and he is no longer listed in the staff directory. http://www.howard-bison.com/athletics/staff/bios/jackson_gil… http://www.howard-bison.com/athletics/staff/index… Jackson was 37-116 in his 5 seasons as the Head Coach of the Bison.
Auburn Rumors
Auburn AD Jay Jacobs has begun the interview process at auburn. I can confirm that he has contacted at least two current head coaches: Johnny Jones (North Texas) – will reportedly interview this week. Led his team to the NCAA tournament this year (lost to Kansas State). Knows the SEC – former player at LSU
BREAKING: East Carolina to hire Lebo
According to our sources, Jeff Lebo will be named head basketball coach at East Carolina. The East Carolina University Board of Trustees will meet today at 4:00 to approve the hiring and the announcement will most likely be officially made tomorrow. Lebo was 96-93 in 6 seasons at Auburn – he had previous stints at
College of Idaho rumor…..
I’ve heard that former Boise State head coach Rod Jensen is the front rummer for the College of Idaho job. Jensen is currently the Associate Head Coach at UNC-Greensboro, but is no stranger to Idaho. He spent 19 seasons at Boise State – serving as an assistant coach from 1983-95 before assuming the head coaching
HoopDirt is on fire……
As we all know, this is a crazy time of the year for coaching news, changes, and rumors. Over the past two weeks, our number of hits has been through the roof! We have had back-to-back record weeks and a few monster days. Because of this, and the amount of info that we have coming
Penders to Resign
Multiple sources are reporting that Houston Head Coach Tom Penders will resign tomorrow morning. Penders led Houston to its first tournament appearance since 1992. In six seasons at Houston he has guided his teams to a 121-77 record. The 64 year old Penders still has two years remaining on his contract. We will keep you
BREAKING: Hawaii to hire Arnold
HoopDirt has learned that former USC assistant Gib Arnold will be named as the head coach at Hawaii. The official announcement is expected to be made today. Arnold’s father Frank was the head coach at Hawaii for two seasons in the 80’s and Gib attended a local high school for his junior and senior years.
Roberts officially out at St. John’s
In a move that we told you would happen weeks ago, St. John’s has finally made it official – they have fired Norm Roberts. In 6 seasons at St. John’s, Roberts was 81-101 (32-70 Big East). This season he led the Red Storm to a 17-16 record and a NIT appearance. Look for Robert Morris
The DirtKing’s daily buzz…..
Here are a couple things that I picked up while out with some other coaches watching the tourney games…. A bunch of names have surfaced with the UL-Lafayette job. Carr Sports Associates is handling the search – the names being bounced around are: Bob Marlin – Sam Houston State Head Coach Danny Kaspar – Stephen
Interviews at Hawaii
Hawaii AD Jim Donovan has interviewed 7 candidates, most during his recent trip to LA. Here’s the list of who he met with: Lew Hill – UNLV Assistant Coach Steve Barnes – Southern Mississippi Associate Head Coach Ray Giacoletti – Gonzaga Assistant Coach Kyle Smith – St. Mary’s Associate Head Coach Steve McClain – Colorado