UPDATED: Saturday, March 7, 2020
YOUR CHAIR IS ON FIRE, SIR
Coaches at the end of the line at their current school. You should be seeing them here soon enough.
YOUR CHAIR IS ON FIRE, SIR
Coaches at the end of the line at their current school. You should be seeing them here soon enough.
- Jim Christian (Boston College)
- Christian’s Eagles sported an ugly 29-67 (6-48 ACC) record through his first three years and after seemingly turning things around in 2018 – 19 wins and a NIT – things regressed last season to three games below .500. At this point, the only thing that should save Christian’s job is a spot in the NCAA Tournament (BC hasn’t danced since 2009) and that doesn’t seem to be in the card. The Eagles lost to 3 mid-majors in the non-conference and are in the lower half of the ACC standings at 7-12. The BC job is pretty enticing if AD Martin Jarmond decides to make a change.
- Mike Dunlap (Loyola Marymount)
- Dunlap has been at LMU since 2014 and after four straight .500 or below seasons, he won 22 games and led the Lions to the CBI smis last year. Now the program is back at the bottom of the WCC at 11-21 (4-12). The contract extension LMU signed Dunlap to back in 2017 has him locked in through next season, but the terms of a potential buyout are not available.
- Dave Leitao (DePaul)
- Leitao led the Blue Demons to their most recent NCAA bid (2004), but things have not been in the same in round two (DePaul brought him back in 2015). The squad turned small corner last year as CBI Runner-up (19-17 overall) and their 9-0 start this year was one of the biggest surprises in the country, but they are now just 3-14 in Big East play. DePaul is still a high-major and fans rightfully want more. The program is also on NCAA probation, with Leitao earning a three-game suspension for failing to “promote an atmosphere of compliance.”
- Donyell Marshall (Central Connecticut)
- CCSU made a splash in 2016 when it hired Marshall, a long-time NBA player and former UConn star, to lead the Blue Devils’ program. Unfortunately, the buzz did not translate to wins and Marshall found himself 30 games below .500 through his first three years. This year’s team is sitting at 4-27 (3-15) and ranked #347 (out of 353) by KenPom. There was also that suspension handed to Marshall back in 2017 when the school was investigating a “personnel issue” between he and an assistant. We respect the splashy hire, but it’s time to move on.
- Jeff Neubauer (Fordham)
- Fordham keeping Neubauer was one of the biggest surprises of the past offseason, as AD David Roach continues to hold out hope that his basketball coach will turn things around. Neubauer started off with 17 wins and a trip to the 2016 CBI, but in the four years since then the Rams have gone right back to the basement (just 2-15 in A-10 play). It is worth noting his predecessor, Tom Pecora, finished in last place four straight years and then third to last in his fifth before he was fired.
- Richard Pitino (Minnesota)
- Pitino took the Gophers to the NCAA Tournament last year but this year, he lands right back on the Hot Seat Report via another underwhelming campaign. Pitino is under contract through 2024, but buyout this year would only $2 million (and it drops to $1.75M next season). His tenure has been mediocre since winning the NIT in his first season, but whenever the heat is on the Gophers have a ‘good enough’ season to save his job. The Gophers do have the toughest schedule in the country (per KenPom), but they are just 2-6 against ranked teams.
