Coaching Carousel & Hot Seat 2018
Posted: Tue Feb 20, 2018 7:01 am
College basketball coaches on the hot seat: Who has work to do to save their jobs? - Matt Norlander, CBS Sports - February 7, 2018
Note from Fieldhouse Flyer: St. John’s is now on a 4-game winning streak with wins over Duke, Villanova, Marquette, and DePaul – thereby removing Chris Mullen from the 2018 Hot Seat.
Hot Seat Report – Coaches Database.com – updated regularly. Last updated on February 19, 2018
7 college basketball coaches on the hot seat (and 4 others to watch) - Pat Forde, Yahoo Sports - February 20, 2018
RELATED THREADS:
Coaching Carousel & Hot Seat 2017 - HLOH thread – 151 posts dated March 1 to October 22, 2017
What Program Would a BE Coach Leave For? - HLOH thread – 37 posts dated June 11 to June 16, 2017
BIG EAST COACHES ON THE HOT SEAT
DEPAUL - Coach: Dave Leitao
The good news: Leitao has nine wins this season, which matches his win total from each of the previous two years. The bad news: DePaul is still a basement bum in the Big East, and there's little reason to think the Blue Demons can change that under Leitao's watch. This is his second tenure with DePaul (he previously coached there from 2002-05 when the school was in C-USA) and things aren't going much better. The Big East is only getting better, so with a new arena and really good coaches elsewhere in the conference, it's probably time to tap someone else to do what Leitao was tasked with. Adding to the pressure to bring in a new coach: Leitao lost out on previous four-star commit Tyger Campbell, who opted to head to UCLA.
ST. JOHN'S - Coach: Chris Mullin
Well, Mullin just pulled off what I think will go down as the best win of his coaching career. As in: He's at the mountain peak now. The Johnnies, still winless in the Big East, nonetheless managed to shock Duke over the weekend and win 81-77. Good in the now, but the wide view on this program is not optimistic. Mullin is a school legend, yet he's 8-39 in Big East play and has not done much with a good amount of talent. From what I gather, unless Mullin decides he wants to step down, I think he'll have another year afforded to him because of what he means to that program and because St. John's roster should -- again, in theory -- be even better next season. Notice a pattern here? A lot of schools caught in a spot where firing a coach might feel like they're doing it a season too soon, yet waiting one more year -- even if that's the fair thing to do -- will probably only delay the inevitable.
Note from Fieldhouse Flyer: St. John’s is now on a 4-game winning streak with wins over Duke, Villanova, Marquette, and DePaul – thereby removing Chris Mullen from the 2018 Hot Seat.
Hot Seat Report – Coaches Database.com – updated regularly. Last updated on February 19, 2018
YOUR CHAIR IS ON FIRE, SIR
THIS SEAT IS RATHER WARM
Dave Leitao (DePaul) - This was an interesting hire back in 2015: on one hand, DePaul had the opportunity to bring back the last head coach to take them to the NCAA Tournament, but on the other hand, Leitao ditched the school for Virginia a year after that NCAA trip. A search firm was hired and the school decided on a guy that spurned them ten years earlier? Not to mention, he was paid over $2 million to go away when the Cavaliers finished 10-18 in 2008-09. The Blue Demons are finally playing within Chicago limits again, with the brand new Wintrust Arena opening its doors last year. Leitao might get another chance – it would be his fourth year in this stint and seventh overall – but the fact remains that Chicago kids need to buy in at DePaul if the program is ever going to turn the corner. Leitao is not there yet.
I’VE GOT MY EYE ON YOU, COACH
7 college basketball coaches on the hot seat (and 4 others to watch) - Pat Forde, Yahoo Sports - February 20, 2018
(4) DePaul. The school’s retrograde hiring of Dave Leitao has produced predictable results — the Blue Demons are 28-61 during Leitao Part II, a miserable 8-42 in the Big East. The school opened a sparkly new arena this season in hopes of reconnecting with the city’s fan base, and while there has been an attendance bump (up about 900 per game from last season), WinTrust Arena has been about half full on average (5,890 fans in a 10,367-seat building).
How good is the job: The basic premise remains intact — win enough Chicago recruiting battles and you should have a chance to succeed. But 11 straight losing seasons make it clear that the basic premise is flawed. And now the fan base is turning on athletic director Jean Lenti Ponsetto.
SCANDAL WATCH
(9) Arizona
(10) USC
(11) Auburn
(12) Kansas
RELATED THREADS:
Coaching Carousel & Hot Seat 2017 - HLOH thread – 151 posts dated March 1 to October 22, 2017
What Program Would a BE Coach Leave For? - HLOH thread – 37 posts dated June 11 to June 16, 2017