Coaching changes trackers:
https://hoopdirt.com/2024-college-basketball-coaching-changes-tracker/
Indiana hc Mike Woodson stepping down at the end of the season
Speculation from a week ago as who IU would go after included numerous names, but not Grant.
Speculation from a week ago as who IU would go after included numerous names, but not Grant.
Mick Cronin at UCLA?
Then there is a slew of coaches who have eight-figure buyouts and are, in all likelihood, unattainable: Alabama's Nate Oats, Florida's Todd Golden, Missouri's Dennis Gates, UCLA's Mick Cronin and Arizona's Tommy Lloyd. It's also unclear what Shaka Smart's buyout is, given that Marquette is a private school, but he doesn't appear interested in leaving.
And I see that Utah State, Boise State, Fresno State, SDSU, snd Colorado State are all leaving the Mountain West in 2026 to join the Pac12.
The MW is falling apart. That likely is one of the reasons why Pitino wanted out of NM. NM will be in a severely-depleted MW now.
None of the new teams joining the MW, as replacements for the departing teams, are that good IMO.
The CBS link upthread also said that Mack wanted the Xavier job.
I wonder if Sean tags Archie as his Associate HC at TX?
Huggins didn't land the McNeese State job, McNeese hired Baylor assistant Bill Armstrong.
The MW is losing Utah State, Boise State, Fresno State, SDSU, snd Colorado State, those five are joining Oregon State, Washington State, and Gonzaga in the Pac12, and the MW is gaining Hawaii, UTEP, UC Davis(all sports except football), Grand Canyon(they have no football team), and Northern Illinois(football only).
The MW still has Nevada, Air Force, NM, Wyoming, UNLV, and San Jose State. The new MW may be a one bid league.
The Pac12 will need to add one more football team, to get to 8, to be recognized by the NCAA as a FBS conference.
The new Pac12 starts in 2026.
I heard that Mack did want the Xavier job...there were possibly some problems on both ends that prevented a deal: XU might've had some objections to bringing him back due to his possibly objectionable conduct before he left for Louisville and he might've had some objections with the contract negotiations regarding the length of the contract and the buyout amount/he might've felt like the contract tied him down too much. XU likely wanted to avoid having another hc leave so soon like Sean Miller did. I have no idea if any of this is true.
I find it interesting that both Mack and Miller had some potential shady stuff going on (whether at X or not doesn't matter). Wasn't that Mack's team that had the physical blow-up with UC some years ago? Mack's post game comments didn't sound too contrite either. X seems like they will 'walk the fine line' between decent and shady just to win a few BB games (well maybe more than a few!)
I've never thought Mack's 'apology' to UD was ever sincere, more like those lawyer written statements that is made by a 'perp' trying to save himself from being found guilty.
That was a Mick Cronin team...and he handled it perfectly in the post-game presser...took jerseys away and everyone had to earn them back. he even said he wasn't sure if he still had a job...Cronin was the polar opposite of Huggins and UC never should have let him walk away.
Yes, it was Mack’s X team vs. Cronin’s UC team in the Crosstown Smackdown. How Cronin handled his side of it caused me to lose all animosity toward UC that had built up over my then-50 years on this planet. Conversely, how Mack handled it caused me to lose whatever respect I had left for the program that Pete Gillen and Skip Prosser had built.
Also, Mack let Holloway and Lyons go out for the postgame presser, and that’s where “Zip ‘em up” became a thing that exists to this day. Classless.
Finally, on the subject of _avier as a whole, my mom was on UD’s faculty for over 40 years. In that time, she had more chance than most to see how _avier operated. Her take? “Those Jesuits know how to go after the money.” She didn’t mean that as a compliment.
I remember Holloway and Lyons coming off as total thugs during that press conference. They were SO proud of their part in that melee.
Cronin didn't win at nearly the same level that Huggins did, some UC fans were getting restless.
You have to win some to keep it exciting, it can't just be about running a clean program and being a good guy, if that's the criteria, then let's make me the next hc.
Mack won at a very high level, but there were some problems, but his resume is excellent.
I wasn't overly impressed with Cronin's coaching. I would say he is a good, but not great, coach.
I think I saw that Cronin is the youngest coach to 500 wins. He must know a thing or two…
I think I saw that Cronin is the youngest coach to 500 wins. He must know a thing or two…
Yeah, he was good but not great at UC, I haven't followed him at UCLA. He kept getting knocked out of the ncaat early at UC: 13 years, 9 ncaat appearances, round of 64x4, round of 32x4, sweet 16. That was a significant step down from what Huggins had done.
The XU AD said that he interviewed 7 candidates to replace Miller, he did not name any of the 7 other than Pitino obviously.
Kevin Willard to Villanova
Kevin Willard to Villanova
Interesting, Big Ten to the Big East. He will have to face his old school, Seton Hall.
Doesn't look like he was under any pressure at Maryland: 3 years, round of 32, no ncaat, and then sweet 16 this year.
