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Post by Tipp City Raider on Mar 15, 2010 20:40:21 GMT -5
Let the games begin....................... As Men’s Team Slides, Fordham Fires Coach By LYNN ZINSER Published: December 3, 2009 Fordham fired Coach Dereck Whittenburg on Thursday, with the team 1-4 amid a string of disappointing seasons and the transfers of several key players. The assistant Jared Grasso was named interim coach. The move came early in Whittenburg’s seventh season at Fordham and followed an announcement on Wednesday by the sophomore point guard Jio Fontan that he was leaving the program. Fontan, the team’s best player and once considered key to Fordham’s rebuilding, followed the lead of two top players after last season. The swingman Mike Moore transferred to Hofstra after his sophomore season and guard Trey Blue left for Illinois State. “This was a difficult decision, but we felt that we needed a new direction for the basketball program at this time,” Athletic Director Frank McLaughlin said in a statement posted on the Fordham Web site. “It’s a priority of the university to have a successful program in the competitive Atlantic 10 Conference.” Whittenburg arrived at Fordham after leading Wagner to the N.C.A.A. tournament in 2003, but was best known for his playing career at North Carolina State, where he was the starting guard for the Wolfpack’s national championship team in 1983. He was 69-112 at Fordham, with only one winning season, an 18-12 campaign in 2006-7. That was Fordham’s only winning season since moving up from the Patriot League 14 seasons ago. From Whittenburg’s high-water mark in 2007, though, the Rams have unraveled. They went 3-25 last season. They had higher hopes for this season with the return of Fontan, who was a star player at St. Anthony High School in Jersey City, and the arrival of the 6-foot-7 forward Chris Gaston, who had also played at St. Anthony. But they slid quickly to a 1-4 start, capped by a 68-44 loss at Manhattan on Saturday. McLaughlin said there was still a chance for the Rams to turn around their fortunes this season. McLaughlin said Fordham would conduct a national search for Whittenburg’s replacement and Grasso would be a candidate. www.nytimes.com/2009/12/04/sports/ncaabasketball/04fordham.html?_r=1
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Post by Tipp City Raider on Mar 15, 2010 20:42:29 GMT -5
Penn fires coach Miller Written by Dan Gelston Tuesday, 15 December 2009 PHILADELPHIA — Glen Miller did more than lose games at Penn. He struck the wrong chord with fans and alumni from the day he was hired because he had no previous connections to the Ivy League school. When losses piled up and attendance dipped at the famed Palestra, Miller was on his way out. Pennsylvania fired Miller on Monday after the Quakers dropped their first seven games, a rare midseason college basketball coaching change for a program that not long ago was a regular in the NCAA tournament. "This is not simply about the performance of the team this year," athletic director Steve Bilsky said. "This really is about a sense of direction and leadership. Where we were at this point indicated it was time to make a change and this was the time to do it." The Quakers replaced Miller on an interim basis with former school great Jerome Allen, who served under Miller as an assistant coach. Miller was 45-52 overall since being hired in 2006 to replace the departed Fran Dunphy. In his first season, Miller led the Quakers to a 22-9 record and an NCAA tournament appearance, but Penn has declined steadily since. "I know he really wanted to come here and make a mark, and I know he's disappointed," Bilsky said. After seven seasons at rival Brown, Miller replaced Dunphy when he left to take over at Temple for retired Hall of Fame coach John Chaney. Miller twice helped the Bears set a school record for wins in a season but was never able to secure a NCAA tournament berth. His ties to Brown, a losing record there, and the unenviable task of replacing the wildly successful and popular Dunphy all worked against Miller from the outset. A roster of Dunphy's recruits put Penn in the tournament for the sixth time this decade in 2007. Miller's record dipped to 13-18 and then 10-18 last season amid grumbling that he wasn't outgoing enough for the tough-to-please alumni. Bilsky, who decided to fire Miller last week, said Penn basketball represented more than just another sport at the school. It was the lynchpin program that served as a community bonding activity and as an ambassador for the brainy university. Miller just couldn't win over enough fans — at least the more vocal, unhappy ones — or win enough games. "I would have liked to have seen a greater welcome for him, but I don't think it's a reason why we were successful or not successful," Bilsky said. Allen, who is Black, was a two-time Ivy League player of the year for the Quakers. A four-year starter, he led them to Ivy League titles in each of his last three seasons (1993-95) — all of them coming with a perfect 14-0 mark in the conference. He was a former team captain and played on three NCAA tournament teams. He was on the 1994 team that beat Nebraska in the first round for the program's only NCAA victory since 1980. Allen also spent two seasons in the NBA and played professionally in Europe. Bilsky made the move now because the Quakers don't play again until Dec. 28 at Davidson before a New Year's Eve game at No. 7 Duke. "If a decision was going to be made during the season, and that's always a difficult task for a lot of reasons, this represents the best time," Bilsky said. Miller, a former assistant to UConn coach Jim Calhoun, led Connecticut College to the Division III tournament in 1998 and 1999. He had a 24-0 regular season there in 1998-99 and led that team to the national tournament semifinals. www.phillytrib.com/tribune/index.php/sportsheadlines/8502-penn-fires-coach-miller
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Post by Tipp City Raider on Mar 15, 2010 20:44:28 GMT -5
Men’s basketball coach steps down midseasonBy Rich Mezzasalma, The Dartmouth Staff Published on Monday, January 11, 2010 PrintWrite the EditorShare .Big Green men’s basketball head coach Terry Dunn submitted his resignation on Friday afternoon, with 15 games remaining in the season. Dunn’s resignation was effective immediately. Assistant coaches Mark Guape, Micheal Brown, and Tim Lane collectively assumed coaching responsibilities for the team’s game against Harvard on Saturday, in which the Big Green lost 76-47. They will continue to coach until an interim head coach is announced. Several hours after Dunn handed in his resignation on Friday, FoxSports.com reported that Dunn was forced to resign after the men’s basketball team threatened to not take the court this weekend’s game against Harvard. According to the report, written by senior college basketball writer Jeff Goodman, “each player signed a document that was taken to the administration on Friday stating they refused to play for Dunn.” “It’s amazing the conclusions that some media will jump to,” interim athletic director Bob Ceplikas said. “I have no idea how they got that report.” Although the FoxSports.com article cited “multiple sources”, no source was explicitly named. Big Green team captain Robby Pride ’10 denied the existence of such a document. “That is totally bogus,” Pride said. “I don’t know where that guy got that information. It was all a very civil process — as far as everything that happened — and that’s definitely not true.” While denying the rumor of a document signed by players, Pride declined to disclose any further details surrounding Dunn’s resignation. “The details are going to stay within the team just because it’s pretty big news,” he said. “There are no hard feelings at all. He was a great coach and did a lot of things for the program.” Ceplikas said in an interview with The Dartmouth that he plans to announce an interim head coach within the next few days. “Certainly the process for determining a new head coach will be a national search,” he said. “With an interim situation, it’s a more abbreviated process. We just evaluate all our options both internally and externally and reach a decision within a short period of time so the program can move along to be as successful as possible.” According to Pride, Ceplikas has spoken to the team about the coaching vacancy, but has yet to come to a decision. “We’ve talked about it as a team and we talked with [Ceplikas], but the final decision is going to be with him,” Pride said. “Most of the guys [on the team] just want to stay with the coaches we have right now and I think Mark Guape, the assistant coach right now, is what we want for the interim head coach.” Ceplikas said in an e-mail to The Dartmouth that Dunn left for “personal reasons,” and added that he respects Dunn’s decision. “I know he cares deeply about the program and the players, so I’m sure it was an agonizing decision,” Ceplikas said in the e-mail. Dunn was in his sixth season as Dartmouth’s head coach, compiling a 47-103 overall record during his tenure. He is credited for coaching the Big Green to the second-best turnaround in Ivy League history, as the team went from a 1-13 mark in the 2003-2004 season to a 7-7 record the following year when Dunn joined the program. A statement by Ceplikas on DartmouthSports.com reflectes an appreciation for Dunn’s service. “[Dunn] has been a loyal and dedicated member of our staff,” Ceplikas said in the statement. “We thank him for his service and leadership to our basketball program and wish him the best in his future pursuits.” The team hopes to move on from this situation and doesn’t expect the loss of Dunn to impact the team significantly, according to Pride. “Right now, we’re just looking go forward,” Pride said. “We’re excited for the assistant coaches we have right now and the potential we have for the future.” The announcement came nearly two weeks after Dunn’s twin brother, Jerry Dunn, took an indefinite leave of absence from his post as associate head coach of the University of Michigan’s men’s basketball program. “Presently, I have family matters that need my immediate attention,” Jerry Dunn said, according to Michigan’s web site. The Big Green currently have a 3-11 record and will play St. Francis College at home on Monday night. thedartmouth.com/2010/01/11/sportsweekly/dunn
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Post by Tipp City Raider on Mar 15, 2010 20:46:05 GMT -5
DePaul fires Wainwright; Webster interim coachJanuary 11, 2010 By Brian Hamilton DePaul dismissed basketball coach Jerry Wainwright on Monday and said assistant Tracy Webster will serve as interim coach for the rest of the 2009-10 season. "Obviously, I didn't win enough," Wainwright said at a news conference announcing the change. "I urge everyone to continue to support our current players. You can't be around better young people. They're not that far away from being successful on the court. They do need a bounce or two and something good to happen for them, and when that happens, the sky's the limit." DePaul is 7-8 and 0-3 in the Big East, where the school has lost 22 straight regular-season games. Wainwright went 59-80 in 4 1/2 seasons with the Blue Demons. DePaul athletic director Jean Lenti Ponsetto said the school would conduct a national search for a new coach after the season, adding that Webster and assistant Billy Garrett would be considered. Neither Webster nor the players were made available to the media, and Wainwright did not take questions. "I think we're going to obviously look for the best fit and someone who can be successful in Big East," Ponsetto said. Ponsetto said she met with Wainwright late last week to notify him that there would be a change. "We got off to a good start," she said. "But it was becoming apparent over the last couple weeks that things weren't going quite in the direction we hoped it would. "My expectation for the rest of the season is that our kids compete," Ponsetto said. "That is not an unrealistic expectation. (Webster's) task ahead of him is that he's got to coach the kids up a bit and that they would be competitive." Ponsetto said Wainwright knew entering the season that if progress wasn't being made, she would look to make a change. Asked about dismissing Wainwright now rather than waiting, Ponsetto said, "I just felt like I didn't want to repeat the same end of the season as last year. If we had the opportunity to salvage it and go in a different direction, that would be the best course for us right now." The 63-year-old Wainwright is under contract through the end of the 2011-12 season at a reported salary of nearly $800,000 per year, but Ponsetto said money would not be a priority in hiring a replacement. "We have the financial resources to pay a top-level coach," she said. The Demons played eight games this season without their best player, forward-center Mac Koshwal, who had a foot injury. But they have some damning losses, such as to American and Florida Gulf Coast. Asked whether being in the Big East made the DePaul job a difficult one, Ponsetto said, "I don't think this is a hard job. I think this is a great job, as a matter of fact." Wainwright, who has been hobbled by a leg injury that he suffered Wednesday during a sideline collision, became coach at DePaul after Dave Leitao left for Virginia in 2005. He had taken UNC Wilmington and Richmond to the NCAA tournament. www.chicagobreakingsports.com/2010/01/depaul-fires-wainwright-webster-interim-coach.html
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Post by Tipp City Raider on Mar 15, 2010 20:47:19 GMT -5
UNC-WILMINGTON PARTS WAYS WITH MOSS Friday, January 29, 2010 UNC-Wilmington's Benny Moss has been let go. Moss has a 41-74 record in three-plus years at the helm. The Seahawks are 7-14 this season, 3-7 in CAA play and are coming off a 39-point loss to Hofstra on Wednesday night. WITN.com reports that assistant Brooks Lee will take over on an interim basis. Moss, 39, was hired in 2006 after Brad Brownell left to go to Wright State. Moss was previously an assistant at Charlotte for Bobby Lutz. Moss is the fifth coach to be replaced since the season began, joining Dartmouth's Terry Dunn, DePaul's Jerry Wainright, Penn's Glen Miller and Fordham's Dereck Whittenburg. Names that immediately come to mind that could be in the mix to replace Moss are Wright State associate head coach and former UNCG assistant Billy Donlon and Pittsburgh associate head coach Tom Herrion, who averaged 20 wins a year down at the College of Charleston. Former Missouri State head coach Barry Hinson could also be a possibility, and Texas assistant Rodney Terry also spurned interest prior to the school hiring Moss. community.foxsports.com/goodmanonfox/blog/2010/01/29/unc-wilmington_parts_ways_with_moss
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Post by Tipp City Raider on Mar 15, 2010 20:48:43 GMT -5
March 1, 2010 Wagner fires DeaneNEW YORK -- Wagner has fired men's basketball coach Mike Deane. Deane was 95-113 over seven seasons with the Seahawks, including 5-26 overall and 3-15 in the Northeast Conference this season. "I decided it was time to make a change and go in a different direction," athletic director Walt Hameline said Monday. Wagner closed the season Saturday with an 81-76 victory over St. Francis (Pa.) to snap a seven-game skid. The Seahawks finished 11th in the conference, ahead of only Bryant (1-29, 1-17). Deane, who led Siena, Marquette and Lamar to the NCAA tournament, has a career record of 437-332 over 26 years as a head coach. sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=4957743
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Post by Tipp City Raider on Mar 15, 2010 20:50:09 GMT -5
Gardner-Webb makes coaching changeMarch, 5, 2010 By Diamond Leung Gardner-Webb announced this afternoon that it will not retain Rick Scruggs as coach after 15 seasons with the school. Scruggs, whose team toppled Kentucky in 2007, had a 199-218 record and was let go after the Runnin' Bulldogs were 8-21 this season. In other coaching news... Eastern Washington coach Kirk Earlywine on Tuesday received a contract extension for one year after a 9-21 season. He is 32-58 in three seasons and hasn't yet coached a team into the six-team Big Sky tournament, but has a bright spot in guard Glen Dean being chosen as the conference's freshman of the year. Wagner fired Mike Deane earlier in the week, and the Staten Island Advance has a look at possible candidates, including former coach Dereck Whittenburg who was fired at Fordham, and a mention of Florida assistant Richard Pitino. Yep, that's the son of Rick Pitino. espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/5348/gardner-webb-makes-coaching-change
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Post by Tipp City Raider on Mar 15, 2010 20:51:42 GMT -5
CENTRAL ARKANSAS FIRES CHAPPELL Sunday, March 7, 2010 Central Arkansas fired head coach Rand Chappell just as the program had finished its transition to the Division I ranks. The Bears were 9-21 overall and 3-13 in Southland play this season, and Chappell's career mark at UCA was 104-104. "Personnel decisions are never easy," said athletic director Brad Teague. "Coach Chappell and his staff are fine individuals whom I respect, but there are times when tough decisions have to be made. I felt I needed to make a change for the good of UCA, and is men's basketball program." Chappell came to Central Arkansas in 2003, and the Bears won 43 games in his first two seasons and made the school's first appearances in the NCAA Division II tournament. The program then opted to go to the D-I route – and naturally struggled. The Bears won't be eligible for the postseason until next season. Chappell had three years remaining of his contract. community.foxsports.com/goodmanonfox/blog/2010/03/07/central_arkansas_fires_chappell
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Post by Tipp City Raider on Mar 15, 2010 20:53:10 GMT -5
Coach Kent fired by Oregon, Eugene TV station reportsStatesman Journal March 6, 2010 University of Oregon men’s basketball coach Ernie Kent reportedly has been fired, according a report by a Eugene television station. The KVAL report indicates that Kent, an Oregon graduate, was officially fired by Oregon athletic director Mike Bellotti on Feb. 22 and was allowed to continue to coach the Ducks for the rest of the season. KVAL said that a press conference will be held Sunday or Monday to announce the termination, although Ducks officials would not confirm this. The Ducks closed their regular season Saturday with a 74-66 victory against Washington State. Oregon is 15-15 overall and 7-11 in the Pac-10 heading into next week’s conference tournament in Los Angeles. After Saturday’s loss to WSU, Kent refused to comment on rumors of his firing, saying that he was looking forward to coaching the Ducks in the Pac-10 tournament. Kent is 234-172 in 13 season with Oregon. The Ducks have made five NCAA tournament appearances and twice advanced to the Elite Eight. www.statesmanjournal.com/article/20100306/UPDATE/100306024/1018/SPORTS
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Post by Tipp City Raider on Mar 15, 2010 20:54:18 GMT -5
March 8, 2010 Hawaii fires hoops coach NashHONOLULU -- Bob Nash was fired as coach of the University of Hawaii's men's basketball team on Monday after posting a 34-56 record over three seasons. "This was a very tough decision," athletic director Jim Donovan said in a statement. "No person has shown more dedication to UH basketball than Bob Nash." Nash was a member of the "Fabulous Five," a group of UH basketball players during the 1970-71 and 1971-72 seasons that led the team to a 47-8 record. They made the postseason twice, including the school's first NCAA tournament appearance. He became head coach in 2007 after 23 seasons as an assistant coach, replacing Riley Wallace, who retired after 20 years at Hawaii and making his mark as the school's winningest coach with 334 victories. As the program's 18th head coach, however, Nash was unable to steer his teams onto a consistently victorious path. His first season ended with an 11-19 mark, including upset wins over New Mexico State and Utah State. The team finished Nash's second season with a 13-17 mark. This season, Nash compiled a 10-20 record overall, 3-13 in the Western Athletic Conference. The team was hampered by injuries or other maladies. Each of its 11 scholarship players missed either practice or game time due to an injury, illness or suspension. Last year, he recruited junior college All-American Roderick Flemings, who recently was selected as an honorable mention on the all-Western Athletic Conference team. "Ultimately this comes to a business decision based on win-loss record, not Bob Nash's character or how well he performed in other aspects of the program," Donovan said. A national search for a new coach will begin immediately, Donovan added. The university will have to pay Nash approximately $240,000 to buy out the one year remaining on his contract. Donovan said he has received $100,000 from anonymous sources to help mitigate that cost, adding that he intends to raise more to cover the remaining amount. Junior point guard Hiram Thompson, the only starting player eligible to return next season, said he would prefer to play for Nash. "We have a good relationship and I know what to expect from him," Thompson told The Honolulu Advertiser. "There's definitely a bright future for next year with the personnel we have coming in." sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=4977176
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Post by Tipp City Raider on Mar 15, 2010 20:56:23 GMT -5
March 13, 2010 UT received accusatory letter before basketball coach Gene Cross quit Woman claimed affair with coachBLADE STAFF WRITERS Former University of Toledo men's basketball coach Gene Cross resigned three days after learning his boss was in receipt of an accusatory, lurid letter detailing Cross' alleged relationships with women. Cross, 38, who submitted his resignation Thursday, said in an exclusive interview with The Blade last night that “the letter had nothing to do” with his departure from the Rockets. By resigning, he walked away from more than $700,000 left on his five-year contract. “This was my decision and nothing else,” Cross said. “It's about my wanting to go out and continue to coach the game of basketball. It's not about the money for me. I chose to resign based on those factors.” When asked directly if the letter impacted his decision to leave behind a lofty salary and his first job as a head coach, Cross said: “None whatsoever.” Cross was notified by UT athletic director Mike O'Brien on Monday of a letter he received from a woman who claimed to have dated Cross for eight months. The letter, obtained by The Blade yesterday from UT through a public records request, is attributed to a woman named Dawn K. Gears, who provided her name, telephone number, and e-mail address but did not sign the letter with her handwriting. Ms. Gears did not return a phone message seeking comment and was not available at her home in Ottawa Hills last night. In the letter, the author provides vivid descriptions of her personal relationship with Cross and alleges that multiple women confided in her the details of their relationships with the coach. Cross would not confirm nor deny his relationship with Ms. Gears and would only say of the letter: “The allegations made about me are categorically untrue.” O'Brien, who spoke with The Blade yesterday via telephone from Cleveland, where he viewed the UT women's victory in a Mid-American Conference basketball tournament semifinal, said he was hand-delivered the letter by a UT staff member on March 5. Upon reading the letter, O'Brien said he was “obviously incredibly disappointed.” He declined to disclose the nature of his discussion with Cross about the letter or any other topic in the days leading up to Cross' resignation. On Thursday, O'Brien told The Blade that “it's fair to say” Cross would still be UT's coach had he not decided to resign. The letter, which was dated Nov. 5, 2009, accused Cross of not “promoting the physical and mental well-being and safety of others.” University officials said they could not explain why the letter was dated in November but not delivered until last week. “If you feel the need to look further into this matter,” the letter states, “perhaps you should question Gene about his ‘shenanigans' with the women of Ottawa Hills as well as in the community at large.” The letter alleges, among other things, that Ms. Gears discovered Cross, who is not married, was dating another woman while he was dating her. “The day I found out I went to his home and when I rang the doorbell, I heard a woman screaming inside but couldn't decipher if she was in trouble or not,” the letter states. The letter continues with claims about Cross' alleged relations with the other women, confrontations between Cross and the mother of his youngest son, Gavin, and other personal items relating to the coach. “Upon obtaining the above information, I felt the need to write a letter to the University,” the letter states. Larry Burns, vice president of external affairs at UT, said the university took the allegations made in the letter “very seriously,” as it would any accusatory letter about any UT employee. Mr. Burns said university protocol would typically call for an investigation to be made into the letter, but: “None of this is being investigated on the university side since Gene made the decision to resign.” Mr. Burns also said that O'Brien did not ask or force Cross to resign — a story Cross corroborated. UT athletic department officials said early yesterday that a news conference with Cross at the university could be scheduled as early as tomorrow, but Mr. Burns said yesterday that the news conference was canceled. Current players and UT interim coach Bob Sundvold are expected to be available to the media either tomorrow or Monday. No players were present at O'Brien's news conference Thursday to announce Cross' resignation because the university is on spring break this week. When contacted yesterday, two UT players said they had been told not to talk to the media. The Rockets finished a program-worst 4-28 this season and were 11-53 in Cross' two seasons as coach. Cross said he felt the time was right to step aside so he and his staff could find employment elsewhere and UT would have enough time to find his replacement. Cross added that he and O'Brien held discussions throughout the season about “the program,” but said he couldn't pinpoint a time when he first thought to resign. “It's something that was just building over time,” he said. toledoblade.com/article/20100313/SPORTS11/3130418/0/rss06
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Post by Tipp City Raider on Mar 15, 2010 20:59:20 GMT -5
UC-Irvine Fires Pat DouglassPat Douglass, whose 197 wins and 13 seasons at the helm are the most in the 45-year history of the program, is finished as UC Irvine men’s basketball coach. UCI Athletic Director Mike Izzi announced Thursday that Douglass, who guided the Anteaters to their only Big West Conference regular-season titles in 2001 and 2002, will not have his contract renewed. “I believe this decision is in the best interest of the university,” Izzi said in a statement. “It allows us to move the men’s basketball program in a new direction with the goal of annually being in the upper tier of the Big West Conference as well as competing in the NCAA Tournament. “A nationwide search will begin immediately to hire the new head coach. We appreciate the contributions that Pat has made and wish him well in his future endeavors,” Izzi said. Douglass, 60, finished 197-191 at UCI when the Anteaters fell to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, 73-69, in the first round of the Big West Tournament on Wednesday to complete the season 14-18. Since posting three straight 20-win seasons from 2000 to 2003, including a 25-5 record in 2000-01 that included the first of back-to-back trips to the NIT, UCI’s record in seven subsequent seasons has been 112-114. Douglass guided the ’Eaters to the Big West Tournament title game in 2008 after a fifth-place regular-season conference finish. The Anteaters tied for second in the Big West regular-season standings in 2005-06, when they won their first eight conference games. Douglass was Big West Conference Coach of the Year in 2001. With previous stops at Cal State Bakersfield, where his 10-season tenure included three NCAA Division II titles, and six seasons at Eastern Montana, Douglass is 573-310 in his 29 seasons at four-year colleges. One publication named him Division II Coach of the Decade and he was Division II Coach of the Year in each of his championship seasons. He is the all-time victories leader at Bakersfield (257-61 for a winning percentage of .808). www.dailypilot.com/articles/2010/03/11/sports/uci/dpt-spdouglass031210.txt
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Post by Tipp City Raider on Mar 15, 2010 21:01:09 GMT -5
March 15, 2010 Lutz fired after 12 seasons at CharlotteCHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Charlotte fired coach Bobby Lutz on Monday after his 12th year at his alma mater was marred by a late-season collapse and a costly blunder in a first-round loss in the Atlantic 10 tournament. Chancellor Philip Dubois said in a statement that the move was in the "long-term interest of 49ers basketball and the university as a whole." Lutz leaves as the school's all-time winningest coach with a 218-158 mark and with four years left on his contract. "This was an extremely difficult decision and not one that was made lightly or in haste," athletic director Judy Rose said. "Bobby has been an important part of the 49ers family and represented our university in a most positive manner. Our expectations for our program are high and our goal is to strive to be in the upper echelon of the Atlantic 10 with an opportunity to compete in the NCAA tournament on a regular basis." Lutz was promoted to coach in 1998 after three years as an assistant and led the 49ers to the NCAA tournament in five of his first seven seasons. But the 49ers haven't been back since 2005. Lutz didn't immediately return a message left on his cell phone, but released a statement through the school. "It has been a privilege and pleasure to coach at UNC Charlotte, my alma mater," Lutz said. "I have been truly blessed and will forever bleed green." The move would have seemed improbable barely a month ago, when the 49ers knocked off Temple and moved into sole possession of first place in the Atlantic 10. With a roster full of newcomers, Lutz had seemingly turned things around after Rose said over the summer that Lutz faced a "critical year" after going 11-20 in 2008-09. But Charlotte soon went into a free-fall, losing seven of its last eight games to miss out on the NCAA tournament for the fifth straight year. The 49ers also failed to get a bid to the NIT on Sunday. And Lutz's last game will be memorable for an embarrassing gaffe. Trailing Massachusetts by three with under a minute left in the first round of the Atlantic 10 tournament at home, the 49ers had the ball and called a timeout. But they came out of the huddle with six players and when play began they were called for a technical foul. UMass, which entered 11-19 and the 11th seed, hit both free throws and went on to post the upset. "You'd think a guy with three undergraduate degrees and two graduate degrees could count to five, but obviously I didn't," Lutz said after the game, which left Charlotte 19-12. Lutz's assistants were also fired on Monday, and the school said a search for a replacement would begin immediately. "Our fans, especially the students who are dear to my heart, have been tremendous and a source of inspiration for me," Lutz said. "They deserve the best and that is my hope for them." sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=4996808
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Post by Tipp City Raider on Mar 15, 2010 21:02:24 GMT -5
IOWA TO CUT TIES WITH LICKLITER Monday, March 15, 2010 Todd Lickliter is done after just three seasons at Iowa. According to multiple sources, an official announcement is expected at 2:30 p.m. CT on Monday afternoon. The Hawkeyes were 38-58 in his tenure, 10-22 overall this season and 4-14 in Big Ten play. Iowa lost to Michigan last week in the first round of the Big Ten tournament. Lickliter was hired from Butler three years ago – where he won at least 20 games four of his six seasons and went to a pair of NCAA tournaments. community.foxsports.com/goodmanonfox/blog/2010/03/15/iowa_to_cut_ties_with_lickliter_at_2:30_today
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Post by Tipp City Raider on Mar 15, 2010 21:03:29 GMT -5
March 15, 2010 Speraw out after 17 seasons at UCFORLANDO, Fla. -- Kirk Speraw is out after 17 years as Central Florida's coach. UCF announced Monday that Speraw would not be retained after a disappointing 15-17 season, ending one of the longest active tenures in the nation. Associate head coach Mike Jaskulski will serve as interim coach. UCF athletics director Keith Tribble said in a statement that it "was not an easy decision, but one we felt will serve in the best interest of our program's direction." Speraw finished as the school's winningest coach with a 279-233 record. His tenure included four NCAA tournament berths, the last coming in 2005. sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=4997476
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