Coaching Carousel 2026

[DRK331]

St Bonaventure head coach Mark Schmidt announces retirement:

Tweet: https://x.com/BonniesMBB/status/2030374648248983731

 

[Pablo]

Ball State fires Michael Lewis after 3 straight losing seasons

After missing the MAC tournament and finishing 12-19, Ball State has fired coach Michael Lewis.

www.espn.com

Rashon Burno will not return as Northern Illinois coach

Rashon Burno will not return as coach at Northern Illinois next season after five seasons in charge of the Huskies, the school announced, and the former DePaul guard said in a statement that "I have decided to step away to explore other opportunities."

www.espn.com

 

[JPgmuswim]

St Bonaventure head coach Mark Schmidt announces retirement:

Tweet: https://x.com/BonniesMBB/status/2030374648248983731

Wonder if there is any mutual interest for Curran to get his chance in that spot.

 

[Verdad]

Wonder if there is any mutual interest for Curran to get his chance in that spot.

It would make so much sense for him to be at or near the top of their list.

 

[Pablo]

Western Michigan parts ways with Head Basketball Coach Dwayne Stephens - HoopDirt

Western Michigan University Vice President/Director of Athletics Dan Bartholomae has announced that head men’s basketball coach Dwayne Stephens will not return for the 2026-27 season. Stephens recently completed his fourth season as head coach of the Broncos. “Coach Stephens has elevated our...

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Damon Stoudamire out as Head Basketball Coach at Georgia Tech - HoopDirt

Georgia Tech will make a change in leadership of its men’s basketball program, as head coach Damon Stoudamire will not return next season, vice president and director of athletics Ryan Alpert announced on Sunday. “On behalf of Georgia Tech, I want to thank Damon for his commitment to the...

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Heath no longer Head Basketball Coach at Eastern Michigan - HoopDirt

The Eastern Michigan University Athletic Department and Head Men’s Basketball Coach Stan Heath have mutually agreed to part ways, the two parties announced Sunday, March 8. Eastern Michigan will conduct a national search for the program’s 31st head coach. “We are grateful for Coach Heath’s...

hoopdirt.com

 

[Pablo]

Boston College fires men's basketball coach Earl Grant

Boston College has fired coach Earl Grant, ending his five-year run at the school.

www.espn.com

 

[Old Ram]

Boston College fires men's basketball coach Earl Grant

Boston College has fired coach Earl Grant, ending his five-year run at the school.

www.espn.com

One of the three worst P4 basketball jobs (We see you Rutgers and Penn State)

 

[jessej]

MSN

uh-oh

The head coach at George Mason has the Patriots playing stellar in his tenure as head coach. He was named Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year after a stellar season in 2025. He had already set program bests for overall wins, league wins, overall winning percentage, and league winning percentage through his first two seasons, not including this year. Skinn has led George Mason to 20+ wins in 2025-2026 and is in a position to make the NCAA tournament. The George Mason alum could consider leaving for a bigger opportunity.

 

[Pablo]

2026 Coaching Changes by the Numbers - HoopDirt

Story: Adam Nelson (@HD_DirtKing) We’re only one week into March, and the men’s basketball coaching carousel is already spinning furiously. So far, 18 head coaches have been let go, and that number will certainly climb as conference tournaments and Selection Sunday approach. And yes, I’m...

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"So far, 18 head coaches have been let go, and that number will certainly climb as conference tournaments and Selection Sunday approach. And yes, I’m including Mark Schmidt in that total — you’ll never convince me that was a completely voluntary retirement.

Here are some stats on the moves that have happened so far:

The average 2025-26 record before a coaching change in this was 11–19 (.363)



Wayne Tinkle is obviously the outlier here – the only one over .500 and one of two still playing (with PC’s Kim English). His Oregon State squad beat San Francisco last night, and will face Gonzaga tonight in the WCC semifinals.

Next, we look at longevity. Here’s the length of time each coach spent at their school before being let go:


The average tenure before a change: ~5.8 years, the median: 5 years. Tinkle and St. Bonaventure’s Schmidt are the outliers here. If you take them out, the average tenure falls to 4.6 years.

This is what the 'sweet spot' for coaching changes based on the first 18 dismissals looks like:


Lastly, we can look at coaching tenure vs winning percentage:



Schmidt and Kansas State’s Jerome Tang were the only two coaches with overall records over .500 at the schools that let them go.

Some insights from this data:

• In this sample of recent coaching changes, the average tenure was 5.8 years, but drops to 4.6 years when long-tenured outliers are removed, suggesting most coaches now have about four to five seasons to prove they can win.
• Year 4–5 + ~.350 winning percentage = coaching change territory
• 89% of coaching changes happened with losing records.

One of the most interesting things to track moving forward will be how NIL and the transfer portal impact these timelines. With more resources and immediate roster turnover now possible, the expectation to win quickly has never been greater. The question will be whether coaches are given even less time in the future as schools invest more money and have greater access to players who can make an immediate impact."

 

[Pablo]

ULM Men’s Basketball Parts Ways with Phil Cunningham - University of Louisiana Monroe Athletics

Cunningham spent two seasons with the Warhawks, one as head coach.

ulmwarhawks.com

REPORT: Schilling out as Head Basketball Coach at Pepperdine - HoopDirt

According to a Jon Rothstein report, Pepperdine has parted ways with head basketball coach Ed Schilling. Schilling had spent the past two seasons at Pepperdine, where he went 22-45 (.328) which includes a 9-23 (4-14 WCC) record this year. The veteran coach had also served as the head coach at...

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REPORT: UNCG fires Head Basketball Coach Mike Jones - HoopDirt

According to a Field of 68 report, Mike Jones has been fired as the head basketball coach at UNC Greensboro. Jones’ Spartans went 15-19 (9-9 SoCon) this past season. He had been at the helm for the past five seasons, where he compiled a 93-69 (.574) record. Prior to his time at UNCG, Jones...

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