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.
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
(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
1. Chris Mack, Xavier – He’s the perceived leader in the clubhouse for Louisville. There’s likely nothing else projected to open that would end up intriguing him. He’s turned down droves of opportunities over the years. Would Louisville be too much to turn down?
2. Dan Hurley, Rhode Island
3. Tom Crean, analyst
4. Eric Musselman, Nevada
5. John Becker, Vermont
6. Leon Rice, Boise State
7. Mark Schmidt, St. Bonaventure
8. Earl Grant, Charleston
9. Porter Moser, Loyola-Chicago
10. Kermit Davis, Middle Tennessee
11. Steve Forbes, East Tennessee State
12. Nick McDevitt, UNC Asheville
13. Nate Oats, Buffalo
14. Mike Young, Wofford
15. Jamion Christian, Mount St.
16. Nathan Davis, Bucknell
17. John Brannen, Northern Kentucky
18. LeVelle Moton, N.C. Central
19. Pat Kelsey, Winthrop – He’s been branded the Runaway Bride after jilting UMass at the altar last year. His coaching credentials are strong, but so is the skepticism after last year. Would Xavier bite if Mack left? He played and coached there.
20. Craig Smith, South Dakota
1 - Louisville - ACC - Rick Pitino - Total pay: $7,769,200
2 - Kentucky - SEC - John Calipari - Total pay: $7,435,376
3 - Duke - ACC - Mike Krzyzewski - Total pay: $5,550,475
4 - Kansas - Big 12 - Bill Self - Total pay: $4,932,626
5 - Michigan State - Big Ten - Tom Izzo - Total pay: $4,251,751
6 - West Virginia - Big 12 - Bob Huggins - Total pay: $3,590,000
7 - Michigan - Big Ten - John Beilein - Total pay: $3,370,000
8 - Wichita State - Mo. Valley - Gregg Marshall - Total pay: $3,035,500
9 - Baylor - Big 12 - Scott Drew - Total pay: $2,818,811
10 - Virginia Tech - ACC - Buzz Williams - Total pay: $2,655,000
11 - Oregon - Pac-12 - Dana Altman - Total pay: $2,651,000
12 - UCLA - Pac-12 - Steve Alford - Total pay: $2,644,000
13 - Arizona - Pac-12 - Sean Miller - Total pay: $2,610,000
14 - Maryland - Big Ten - Mark Turgeon Total pay: $2,577,054
15 – Villanova - Big East -Jay Wright - Total pay: $2,540,958
25 – Providence - Big East - Ed Cooley - Total pay: $2,036,454
31 - Seton Hall - Big East - Kevin Willard - Total pay: $1,560,379
33 – Xavier - Big East - Chris Mack - Total pay: $1,420,479
38 - Marquette - Big East - Steve Wojciechowski - Total pay: $1,224,030
40 - Creighton - Big East - Greg McDermott - Total pay: $1,153,488
?? – Butler - Big East - Chris Holtmann - Total pay: ??
The new Indiana coach is set to make $3.35 million per season in a seven-year deal, the team announced Monday. The deal would make Miller the third-highest paid men’s basketball coach in the Big Ten. Only Michigan State’s Tom Izzo ($4,006,955) and Ohio State’s Thad Matta ($3,372,000) make more per season, according to numbers obtained by Sporting News.
"Listen, I could give a crap about who's got an opening anywhere," Hurley said. "I haven't thought about it for a second. I could care less what any other school in the country that's looking for a coach or talks about me on social media -- I could give two craps about that."
Hearst Media’s Jeff Jacobs and David Borges broke the news, saying “There are strong indications that the University of Connecticut is closing in on an agreement with Dan Hurley to make him the next coach of the men’s basketball team.” Adam Zagoria of ZAGSBLOG reported that Hurley met with UConn officials on Monday.
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