Top 10 College Basketball Head Coaches On The Hot Seat
10 College Basketball Head Coaches On the Hot Seat
The NCAA landscape has changed over the last few years. Being a head coach bring a lot of pressure. The turnover in college basketball has increased the last few years as more and more schools are in win-now mode, especially as teams are switching conferences. Schools are beginning to realize what it takes to win in a certain conference and may not have the proper coaching staff and players to compete.
Social media, alumni money and restless students are among the causes for the quick turnover at universities now. Alumni that give schools a lot of money want their money to go to a good cause. Losing is obviously not a good cause. The age of Twitter has fans on top of every little detail of individual programs, and we have seen recently that student attendance is down all over the country. Winning helps. Some schools try and hire retread coaches or perhaps promote their own assistants. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.
There were 46 total head coaching changes last offseason. After the 2013-14 season, there may be more. That said, there should be at least 10 coaching changes based on this list, unless these teams turn their seasons around. These 10 teams have struggled this season as well as the past few seasons. Some coaches have simply failed to recruit well, some coaches haven't had success following promotion from a smaller school, and some coaches are simply casualties of longevity.
Michael Schneid is a basketball Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow Mike on Twitter @msschneid, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.
10. Kevin Stallings, Vanderbilt
Kevin Stallings has been at Vanderbilt for 12 years. He has an overall record of 282-179 and an overall coaching record of 406-242, including his time at Illinois State prior to Vandy. Clearly, based on his records, Stallings is not a bad coach. Between 2004 and 2011, the Commodores never finished worse than fourth place in the SEC. They finished 10th last year and are off to a slow start in 2014. Stallings may have enough tenure to survive consecutive missed tourneys, but the seat is warming up at Vanderbilt.
9. Matt Painter, Purdue
Matt Painter has had a lot of success at Purdue, but his recent lack of it might make it time for the Boilermakers to move on. He has been at Purdue since 2005 and has an overall record of 183-97. Last year was the first time since his first season that he did not make the NCAA tournament. Painter has had enough success that perhaps he can survive a couple years without making the postseason, but with the Big Ten being one of the best conferences in the country and Painter's recent recruiting struggles, the clock is ticking. Painter publicly flirted with Missouri in 2011, which probably doesn't help his long-term cause.
8. Kevin Willard, Seton Hall
Kevin Willard has gone 56-52 in four seasons at Seton Hall, and his only postseason appearance is the 2012 NIT. Other than finishing in 10th place in the Big East that year, the Pirates have finished 12th and 13th in his other two years. The school's last NCAA tournament appearance was in 2006. A slow start in 2013-14 puts Willard's job in jeopardy, especially with the Big East not being what it used to be. The conference is much more winnable now than it was when Syracuse, Pittsburgh and Louisville reigned at the top.
7. Steve Donahue, Boston College
Donahue's first year at Boston College was successful as the team went 21-13 and made the NIT. But nine wins in 2012 for an eighth-place ACC finish and sub-.500 record last season has put some heat on Donahue. He is well respected for his work at Cornell, but the Eagles are 5-12 this season and an overall record of 51-64 doesn't do him any good.
6. Oliver Purnell, Depaul
In four years at Depaul, Purnell's record is 40-72. In his first three years, Depaul won one, three and two Big East conference games in each season respectively. His long contract might make him hard to buy out, but it might be in Depaul's best interest to find a cheaper, younger alternative to continue rebuilding the program.
5. Stan Heath, South Florida
Stan Heath was saved by South Florida winning a couple of NCAA tournament wins in 2012, but he does have an overall record of 95-115 and is 73-102 excluding that 2012 season. The American Athletic Conference is not nearly as competitive as the old Big East, so Heath should be able to win more games. Whether he will is the question.
4. Tony Barbee, Auburn
Auburn basketball has always been overshadowed by the success of the football team. Auburn has won one national championship in football and recently lost in another appearance since Tony Barbee has been the coach. Football's success has made basketball an afterthought, but when people start to focus on the team, they will see Barbee is 39-62 in four seasons with no postseason appearances. Barbee was 30 games over .500 (82-52) in four years at UTEP before, but only had one NCAA tournament appearance in his final season.
3. Jeff Bzdelik, Wake Forest
Jeff Bzdelik's tenure at Wake Forest got off to a rocky start right off the bat. Wake Forest felt it was a good idea to hire him despite his struggles at Colorado. Bzdelik replaced Dino Gaudio, who went 61-31 in three seasons, including two NCAA tournament bids in his final two. Bzdelik has a record of 33-59 in his three seasons.
2. Ken Bone, Washington State
Ken Bone has spent his whole career in the northwest. Washington State hired him from Portland State, where he spent four years. He was with Seattle previous to that. Bone is 70-65 in four seasons and has failed to make the NCAA tournament. The Cougars made the NIT in 2011 and the CBI finals in 2012. They last made the Sweet Sixteen in 2008.
1. Craig Robinson, Oregon State
Craig Robinson has been with Oregon State for six years. He is the king of the CBI with three appearances, including the 2009 CBI championship. He also has CBI experience from his final year at Brown in 2008. Unfortunately for Robinson, his ties to the U.S. President cannot mask his lack of success. An 86-95 record with no NCAA tournament or even NIT appearances outweigh being Michelle Obama's brother.
