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...

hoopdirt.com

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...

hoopdirt.com

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...

hoopdirt.com

"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...

hoopdirt.com

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...

hoopdirt.com

JR Blount Named USD Men’s Basketball Head Coach - University of San Diego Athletics

University of San Diego Athletics has named JR Blount the 15th head coach in San Diego men's basketball program history, USD Associate Vice President and Executive

usdtoreros.com

 

[Pablo]

REPORT: Arizona State expected to part ways with Bobby Hurley - HoopDirt

No surprise here, but Arizona State is expected to part ways with Bobby Hurley once his contract expires at the conclusion of the season, according to multiple reports, including one from The Field of 68. Hurley has gone 184-166 (.526) in his 11 seasons as the Sun Devils head coach. ASU is...

hoopdirt.com

 

[jruby]

MSN

uh-oh

View attachment 3049

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.

Of course he'll be listed, why wouldn't he be? If he wasn't it would mean he's doing a terrible job. Welcome to college spots in the A10 you are either fired of you get promoted. It's never going to be a place where people live for their careers. It's that odd in between stage. He did turn down FSU, so again not sure he takes just any job...... I think the question should be where would he actually leave for? Not can he leave. We already know he could leave and it's not crazy to even say he will leave but what does he have to do to get that 30 million contract ?

 

[Old Ram]

Of course he'll be listed, why wouldn't he be? If he wasn't it would mean he's doing a terrible job. Welcome to college spots in the A10 you are either fired of you get promoted. It's never going to be a place where people live for their careers. It's that odd in between stage. He did turn down FSU, so again not sure he takes just any job...... I think the question should be where would he actually leave for? Not can he leave. We already know he could leave and it's not crazy to even say he will leave but what does he have to do to get that 30 million contract ?

He was offered the FSU job? I never saw anything written about that.

 

[jruby]

He was offered the FSU job? I never saw anything written about that.

Never mind, checked internet. Will just leave it at he got a raise and extension on pressure from other places. I'm not going to get into the game of confirming or denying what he was or wasn't truly offered.

 

[Pablo]

McLaughlin not renewed as Head Basketball Coach at Dartmouth - HoopDirt

I teased this one in yesterday’s Daily Dirt…it’s now official. Here’s the statement from Dartmouth on the non-renewal of head basketball coach David McLaughlin: ike Harrity, Haldeman Family Director of Athletics and Recreation, announced today that the contract of men’s basketball head coach...

hoopdirt.com

 

[Pablo]

REPORT: Autry out at Syracuse - HoopDirt

According to a Jon Rothstein post, Adrian Autry is out at Syracuse. Tasked with replacing Jim Boeheim three seasons ago, Autry went just 49-48 (.505) during his tenure. The Syracuse grad had been on Boeheim’s staff since 2011. The Orange went 15-17 (6-12 ACC) this season. More on this one after...

hoopdirt.com

 

[TweederGMU]

REPORT: Autry out at Syracuse - HoopDirt

According to a Jon Rothstein post, Adrian Autry is out at Syracuse. Tasked with replacing Jim Boeheim three seasons ago, Autry went just 49-48 (.505) during his tenure. The Syracuse grad had been on Boeheim’s staff since 2011. The Orange went 15-17 (6-12 ACC) this season. More on this one after...

hoopdirt.com

Josh Schertz.... come on down! You are the next contestant on Syracuse's price is right

 

[Pablo]

Joyner Named Head Men’s Basketball Coach - Oregon State University Athletics

CORVALLIS – Justin Joyner has been named the next head coach of the Oregon State men's basketball team, Vice President and Director of Athletics Scott Barnes...

osubeavers.com

 

[Pablo]

Tracking the latest men's college basketball coaching carousel buzz

The Sun Devils are moving on from Bobby Hurley after 11 seasons -- the sixth power-conference job to open.

www.espn.com

"More openings​

Boston College Eagles

There have been several names linked to this opening since Boston College fired Earl Grant last Friday. Merrimack's Joe Gallo, Colgate's Matt Langel, UConn assistant Luke Murray, Yale's James Jones, Furman's Bob Richey and Los Angeles Clippers assistant Jay Larranaga are rumored to be in consideration. One dark-horse name also in the mix: Tulsa's Eric Konkol, who worked with BC athletic director Blake James at Miami.

---

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

With Damon Stoudamire out, Belmont's Casey Alexander and Troy's Scott Cross have the most perceived momentum for the opening at Tech. Alexander just guided the Bruins to the Missouri Valley regular-season title before losing in the conference tournament, while Cross has the Trojans going to back-to-back NCAA tournaments. Tech deputy AD Brent Jones also overlapped with Cross at Troy. Other names that have been mentioned include Furman's Bob Richey, Tennessee assistant Justin Gainey, Appalachian State's Dustin Kerns, former NC State coach Kevin Keatts and George Mason's Tony Skinn. Long Island Nets coach Mfon Udofia, who played at Tech, has been linked as well."

"Providence Friars

Kim English's ousting hasn't been officially announced yet, though the administration has informed him he will not be returning next season. There have been a long list of names linked to this job in recent days, although Santa Clara's Herb Sendek has been buzzing as a legitimate candidate. Clippers assistant Jay Larranaga, Utah State's Jerrod Calhoun, South Florida's Bryan Hodgson and Merrimack's Joe Gallo have also been linked."

 

[Walter]

Apparently Jay is never going to get an NBA HC job.