We use this page to update you on all of the latest coaching jobs in Men’s basketball.  We pride ourselves on delivering first hand, timely and accurate information.  Have Scoop?  Email us mail@basketballScoop.com  Have a job opening you want us to post on this page?  Email it in.  No charge for our services.

Since the 1920’s, the Hillyard name has become synonymous with beautiful wood sports floors. When the company’s founder, Newton S. Hillyard, first developed a finish to take the place of early oil dressings, the whole complexion of indoor sports changed for the better. Since that day, Hillyard has expanded its extensive research and development capabilities to maintain its leadership in wood gym floor care. Today, Hillyard continues to establish the standards of excellence for wood floor finishes and maintenance products in the United States and throughout the world.

We’re more than just products. We deliver the expertise you need to keep your sports floor performing in tip-top shape. When you work with Hillyard, our factory-trained Hillyard consultant will do an assessment of your wood sports floor maintenance needs. In addition to recommending coatings, complete recommendations on procedures, cleaning frequencies, and maintenance products will be proposed. Training sessions will be arranged with the custodial personnel to cover procedures, equipment, and proper product usage so your floor will provide excellent footing for fast action, high-performance play! We understand sports floors, and we’re here to help you. Go to Hillyard.com for more information or to request a consultation.

Since 1976, Samson Equipment, Inc. has designed, manufactured, and sold heavy duty industrial-strength weight lifting equipment to top high schools, colleges, professional teams, health clubs, all five branches of the military, and recreation facilities all over North America, Europe, Asia, and the Caribbean.

Our equipment line includes a wide variety of free weight racks and benches as well as selectorized machines and plate loaded equipment.

Samson Equipment’s philosophy is derived from its roots. When Dave Schroeder was beginning his coaching career in the early 1970’s one of his basic foundations of conditioning was weight training. He was coaching at the High School level so funds for purchasing equipment were very limited, yearly budgets were tight. He began planning a weight room and decided to purchase equipment to fill the room so that by year five his room would be complete. He began his purchases with his limited budget but found that by year three the equipment he purchased in year one was already breaking and was in need of repair or replacement. He also had problems getting equipment repaired and sustained long periods of down time waiting for repairs to be completed. This interfered with his team training. He could not fulfill his five year plan to equip his room due to the poor quality of weight training equipment available on the market at the time. He saw a dire need for heavy duty and biomechanically sound weight training equipment designed specifically for the school market.

Samson’s philosophy is to manufacture the best heavy duty, industrial strength, affordable weight training equipment with the best warranty on the market.

We use only the best materials in our construction as shown on our website (see “Samson Difference”). Since we are customer oriented we strive to design our equipment to meet the customers changing needs which includes custom designs. We are a one stop shop company that will fulfill the customers needs from facility design to equipment installation on both large and small scale. Samson’s customer service is outstanding with little or no equipment down time. We always treat our customers with professionalism and fairness. Our customers can always trust and rely on Samson to get the job done right.

For more information call 1-800-472-6766 or visit www.samsonequipment.com

“The Gun” is the best basketball shooting machine to date for dramatically improving your ball players shot. The Gun is now being used by almost half the High Schools in the country and 95% of D-1 colleges.  This basketball shooting machine will act as an automatic rebounder, instantly rebounding a made or missed shot and giving a direct return pass for another shot.  The Gun has a timing device so you can determine the distance and the speed of your return passes, thus creating situations where players can develop their shooting skills off the move and with game like intensity.  The Gun can fire up to 1800 shots per hour and has an optional computerized scoreboard that counts and displays makes, total shots and shooting percentage. 

Not only can the Gun be used in the off season and before or after practice, it can even be used during practice with up to 12 players getting an intense workout in a short amount of time.  The “open gym attraction”, as it is referred to by coaches across the country, collection net can be adjusted from 11 feet to 14 feet to force shooters to shoot with the right amount of arch depending on where they are shooting from.  It can be set up in 25 seconds and taken down in 15 seconds. When taken down, it will roll through any standard doorway.  The Gun comes with a 5 year warranty and has an optional remote control so you can coach from anywhere on the court while your players are using the Gun.

For a free Gun Drills DVD featuring some of the best High School and College coaches in the country call 1-800-294-4654 or visit www.shootaway.com

Maryland:  Head coach Gary Williams received an endorsement from the school’s athletic director, Debbie Yow, yesterday.  Saying she wanted to address the “crazy rumors that are floating around related to the job security of Coach Williams.”
 Yow said, “He has my personal full support, as he does from the department and from the university.”

McMurray:  Head coach Ron Holmes has taken on the additional role of Athletic Director.  Holmes, currently in his 19th year with McMurray, plans to continue coaching.  

Ventura College:  Men’s coach Will Cohen has accepted the Athletic Director position leaving the Men’s program without a head coach.  Women’s coach Ned Mircetic is temporarily filling the spot; however coach Mircetic is said to have no interest in filling the role on a permanent basis.

CyberSports, Inc., a leader for the past 15 years in the collegiate market, is setting new sites on their release of a high school positioned software called CyberPrep.  Designed to make every facet of the high school coaches responsibilities an easy and time friendly procedure, CyberPrep is revolutionizing each job detail for the coach.

The gathering, organizing, and serving up of the data collected on current players is a cumbersome and daunting task for many coaches.  Now with CyberSports, the high school coach has the ability to utilize such devices as web enabled phones to locate important pieces of information, such as a player’s phone number or email.  Since the product is web-based, a coach has the ability to manage all aspects of the program from any computer with internet access.

The product has the ability to provide printable customized reports which are great for printing out rosters, player lists, or biography sheets for potential recruiters.  Make it easy to provide information to recruiting services and collegiate recruiters as well. Read More…

Bison has a history of designing innovative gym equipment including Unbreakable 42″ and 48″ glass backboards with unconditional lifetime warranties, bolt-on DuraSkin backboard padding (now in 16 colors), the only 180° breakaway goal with a true positive lock mechanism, and professional looking, yet affordable, full color graphic scoring tables and wall padding. Consider Bison for any combination of ceiling mount, wall mount or portable basketball goals, wall padding, scorers tables and a full range of gym accessories including divider curtains.  Call 800-247-7668 for the name of a Bison dealer near you!

Opponents will dread your gym’s home court advantage thanks to Bison Sport Pride full color, photographic-quality graphics throughout the gym! Eye-catching (and sometimes jaw-dropping) mascot images and sponsorship logos can be proudly displayed on your school’s scorers tables, team chairs and stools, wall padding, even scoreboards. Sport Pride graphics on gym products make a great booster club or team sponsorship project to boost team spirit and show the school’s appreciation at the same time. Include Sport Pride graphics in your gym to start hearing “WOW!” immediately. Bison’s Art Department can explain just how easy it is to impress your team’s supporters (and rivals)!  Call 800-247-7668 for the name of a Bison dealer near you!

T-Rex design incorporates low maintenance, extension spring technology and heavy-duty structural components to make one-person set up and storage easy and fast. T-Rex systems are zero maintenance, offer smooth up-and-down operation, and superior system rigidity. The entire base is padded on front and sides with 2″ thick urethane foam covered in your choice of 16 colors with optional lettering and logos. Safety is insured with factory installed hidden ballast inside the base to prevent tipping. Recreational portables are also available for practices, P.E. classes, and multipurpose rooms. Call 800-247-7668 for the name of a Bison dealer near you!

Univ. of New Hampshire:  Head coach Bill Herrion has been given a new 5 year contract.

L.A. Sparks:  Lisa Leslie has announced that she will retire at the end of this season.

Alabama:  AD Mal Moore announced today that Dave Hart is now the “Chief Operating Officer” of Alabama athletics.  All head coaches now report to Hart who in turn reports to Moore.  Hart is expected to play a “prominent role” in Alabama’s search for a new head coach.  Moore will focus on fundraising and facilities enhancements.

Colorado St.:  Head coach Kristen Holt has signed a four year extension.  Holt had been hired last Spring and was working under a one year agreement.

Eastern Illinois:  Head coach Mike Miller has been given a one year extension through the 2009-2010 season.

Tennessee:  Congratulations to coach Pat Summitt on reaching 1,000 career wins.

UNLV:  Head coach Lon Kruger said assistant coach Lew Hill was resting in a nearby hospital and is expected to be released today.  Hill experienced chest pain after a recent game and went to the hospital for tests and as a precaution.  Kruger said, “He didn’t pass out…he just felt really bad.”  Kruger added, “He’s doing well…the results (of the tests) were good…He’ll get out at anytime and will get back into a normal routine.”

Colorado St.:  AD Paul Kowalczyk says that head coach Kristen Holt’s contract will pay her $175,000 annually.

York College:  York College is seeking applicants for the position of Head Men’s Basketball Coach. York College competes at the NAIA Division II level and is a member of Midlands Collegiate Athletics Conference (MCAC).  Please submit letter of application, resume, current transcripts, and three (3) letters of reference to:  Mr. Jared Stark, Athletic Director.  Email:  jastark@york.edu  Application deadline March 15th, 2009. The position will remain open until filled.

Milligan College:  Head coach Tony Wallingford will step down at the end of this season due to health reasons.  Wallingford is the winningest coach in Milligan history with over 400 wins in 21 seasons.  The school has begun it’s search for his successor.

Tennessee:  Pat Summitt has been given a contract extension through the 2014 season (which would be her 40th season in Knoxville).  For the 2008-2009 season, Summitt now will be paid $1.4 million and she will receive a $200,000 bonus.  Additionally, she will now receive two “Lifetime Achievement” bonuses; $500,000 to be paid during the ‘09-’10 season and $1 million during the 2013-2014 season.  Her existing contract was set to expire in 2012.

Tennessee State:  Head coach Cy Alexander has been dismissed.  Assistant coach Mark Pittman has been named interim head coach.  AD Teresa Phillips said the Tigers program needed “a new direction”.  Alexander was in his 6th season at Tennessee St.

Memphis Grizzlies:  Henry Bibby and Damon Stoudamire have joined the staff as assistant coaches.

CBA:  The CBA abruptly ended it’s season today amidst continuing financial difficulties.  The league played this season with just 4 teams.

UNLV:  Assistant coach Lew Hill attended practice Sunday.  Hill said he’s, “Still a little tired, but I’m OK. I’m getting my strength back each day.  I’m fine.”

Deserving Credit:  Coming tomorrow the first of our weekly installments covering coaching staffs that truly deserve credit for the outstanding job they have done this season.

Georgia and Alabama:  Let us know what you are hearing.  Email us: mail@basketballscoop.com 

Ole Miss Rebels - Men’s Staff

Entering the season, expectations were high for the Ole Miss Rebel basketball team. Although they were young (no seniors and only two juniors both of whom are transfers), the Rebels had three reliable scorers returning and were expected to make a run at the SEC West championship. Then, disaster struck.

Within the first few weeks of the opener, Ole Miss lost all three of their top threats to season ending injuries. Throw in some off the court issues for the coaching staff and the general assumption was that the Rebels were done and would look to rebuild.

Well the Rebels coaching staff has truly done a great job of focusing and leading this team through a challenging season. Coach Kennedy can frequently be heard telling his team, “No excuses” and the Rebels are playing that way. The Rebels are 13-10 overall and 4-5 in conference play. Freshmen and Sophmores are getting over 75% of the playing time and the Rebels don’t seem intimidated no matter where they play. Head coach Andy Kennedy recently said, “Sometimes youth is an advantage…they don’t realize (the difficulty of playing) one place from another.”

The Rebels are winning by playing smothering defense and out hustling and rebounding their opponents. Coach Kennedy says assistant coaches Michael White, Owen Miller and Torrey Ward deserve a lot of credit for teaching the players what it takes to win and helping them come together as a team. BasketballScoop spoke with an opposing coach a few days after a recent defeat by the Rebels who said, “They really are doing an amazing job as shorthanded as they are. They out hustled us the whole game and the young guys aren’t afraid to shoot it.”

BasketballScoop recently caught up with the staff and discussed the season. The whole staff, including Bill Armstrong (Operations) and Robi Coker (Video Coordinator), is aligned and have a great relationship with, and the respect of, the team. Perhaps adversity truly does make you stronger. The Rebels coaching staff isn’t making any excuses and they truly deserve credit for the job they are doing on the court.

Deserving Credit:  In the first of our weekly pieces on coaching staffs that we believe deserve credit for helping their team over-achieve, we highlight the excellent job done this season by Andy Kennedy and the entire staff at Ole Miss.  Read the story by clicking here or visiting “Deserving Credit” on our left menu bar.

Louisiana Tech:  AD Derek Dooley announced today that head coach Chris Long has been dismissed from the team.  Associate head coach Teresa Weatherspoon will serve as interim head coach for the remained of the season.  The Lady Techsters are currently 12-11 overall and in 5th place in the WAC.  After 25 straight seasons making the NCAA tournament the Lady Techsters failed to reach the tournament the last two seasons.

Bowling Green Falcons - Women’s Staff

Ask any coach in the country which staff deserves credit for consistently getting their team to overachieve and more likely than not Bowling Green’s staff will be mentioned. BasketballScoop staff posed just that question to over 10 coaches last week and nearly every one of them included Bowling Green in the conversation. “Their offense just keeps attacking and they constantly make adjustments on defense…they are just not much fun to try to beat” said one opposing coach. Another veteran of the game told us, “They shoot the three; but what really beats you is that they get to the line nearly 30 times a game.”

BasketballScoop believes head coach Curt Miller and his staff deserve credit for doing a great job. We spoke with coach Miller this week who said, “I’m really fortunate to have such a great staff. They are very loyal, in fact we’ve never lost a coach.” In speaking about associate head coach Jennifer Roos, Miller said, “Jennifer has to be one of the best basketball coaches in the country. On the court, she is like our defensive coordinator…she leads the huddle and makes all the adjustments. She also is the best manager of a program that I have ever seen.” Miller points out that the staff meets 2 or 3 times a day, they all contribute and all are part of every decision made. On assistant coach Brandi Poole, Miller adds, “Brandi is the best multi-tasker I’ve ever been around.” When asked about assistant coach Kevin Eckert Miller responded, “Kevin is a great basketball coach; and an incredible recruiter. He has developed relationships and opened doors that used to be closed to mid-majors. He’s the type of guy you want to have on your staff, dedicated and reliable.” Coach Miller is also quick to point out Monique Rosati, Basketball Operations, as being a very “instrumental” part of the staff. “She does an unbelievable job of taking care of things off the court.”

When BasketballScoop asked another well regarded opposing coach about coach Miller, he responded with, “Curt’s such a good guy that it’s hard not to root for him.” At 20-2 overall and 9-0 in conference we think that coach Miller is well deserving of the credit that he clearly has earned.

Deserving Credit:  Read why we feel Curt Miller and his staff at Bowling Green are deserving credit by clicking here or clicking on the Deserving Credit category on the left menu bar.

Japan:  Former Alabama head coach and Kentucky assistant David Hobbs has moved…to Japan as the head coach of the National team of Japan.

Georgia:  Univ. of Georgia has hired Dan Parker’s executive search firm to assist in the process of identifying and screening candidates to fill their head coaching spot.  AD Damon Evans added that the search was in the preliminary stage, “and when I say preliminary I mean we’re just starting out…it’s (hiring a new coach) something that may not be happening until the season is over.”

Dordt College:  AD Rick Vander Berg announced this morning that Ross Douma has accepted the position of head basketball coach.  Douma was the head coach at Waukee High School in Iowa.

Job Opening

Milligan College, an NAIA institution and Appalachian Athletic Conference member located in NE Tennessee, invites applications for the full-time staff position of Head Men’s Basketball Coach.  Responsible for all aspects involved in the organization and administration of a highly regarded program.  Strong commitment to academic and athletic excellence, adherence to Champions of Character values, collegiate coaching experience and Bachelors degree required.  Masters preferred.  Position open until filled.  Candidates are encouraged to send letter of application, resume and three professional references to:

Ray Smith, AD RESmith@milligan.edu   Athletics Dept., P.O. Box 500, Milligan College, TN 37682

Grand Rapids CC (MI):  Head coach David Selmon announced that he is retiring after 18 years at the helm.  AD Doug Wabeke said, “We’ll miss David as a coach (he plans to stay at the school as Assistant director for Student Life).  We’ll begin a coaching search at the end of the season.”

Breaking News Emails:  Want to be in the know when a great job opens up?  Sign up for our “Breaking News” emails in the lower left corner of this page.

Weekly Poll:  Results from last week’s poll on our home page: What do you think of the current state of the coaching profession?  39% - All of the above; 35% This is all I’ve ever wanted to do - A dream Job; 17% The personal sacrifices (particularly family life) make it very tough; 9% The pay has finally caught up to where it needs to be for all that we do

Chicago Bulls:  The New York Times and the Chicago Sun Times are reporting that Bulls GM John Paxson will resign after Thursday’s trade deadline.

Phoenix Suns:  ESPN’s Ric Bucher is reporting that Suns head coach Terry Porter will be dismissed from the team Monday and will be replaced with assistant Alvin Gentry.

Deserving Credit:  Tomorrow we will post the next in our weekly series on coaching staffs that Deserve Credit for the job they are doing this year.

Southwestern Oklahoma St.:  Head coach Shelly Pond announced her intentions to resign at the end of the season.  Pond, who has 2 children ages 13 and 8, said, “I felt, at this point, it was time to enjoy what being a Mom is all about….I no longer want to miss any of their games or activities.”  AD Todd Thurman says he expects the job to attract a large number of well-qualified applicants.

VCU - Women’s Staff

The VCU Rams are 21-4 overall, leading the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) at 11-2 and have not lost this year at home.  Head coach Beth Cunningham and her staff have the Rams playing at their best level in years and they are looking to make a run in the NCAA tournament.  VCU is outscoring their opponents by more than 14 ppg, outrebounding them by over 7 boards and are making over 6 more free throws than their opponents.  

Cunningham, a former All-American at Notre Dame, is in her sixth season at the helm in Richmond and she tells BasketballScoop that she has a great staff.  “Associate head coach Curt Kassab is a great coach, a real high energy guy.  Curt was a great high school coach in the Richmond area.  He has really helped us improve as a team over the past two years.”  Cunningham tells BasketballScoop that Kassab has done a great job working with the players on the defensive end of the court.  

BasketballScoop asked coach Cunningham about assistants Huddleston and Agugua, “Julia (Huddleston) has been with me since I came to VCU.  Back then she told me that she wanted to help us build and establish a winning basketball program and take VCU to an elite level.  She has been very loyal.  She’s our recruiting coordinator and we owe a lot of credit to Julia’s commitment to finding the best players.  Amaka (Agugua) came here as a Grad. Assistant three years ago after a great playing career at conference foe Hofstra.  The next year we had an opening and I really never considered anyone else for the job.  Amaka works very well with the players and the staff.  She has been an outstanding addition the last two years and has really helped in the success we’ve had recently.”  

Cunningham added that “We can’t forget about Darren Guensch (Basketball Operations).  He’s the type of guy you want on your staff.  He takes care of so much for the team and our coaching staff.  I really don’t know what we’d do without him.  He’s a class act and a professional in every sense of the word.”        

BasketballScoop recently asked an opposing coach about playing against Cunningham and VCU, he responded, “When we watch film on VCU I see a lot of Beth in them.  They are gamers, out-hustling and out-hearting you.”  BasketballScoop believes coach Cunningham and her staff Deserve Credit for getting the best out of their players!  

Deserving Credit:  The VCU Rams are playing extremely well these days.  Our Staff feels that head coach Beth Cunningham and her staff Deserve a lot of Credit.  Read more here, or by clicking on Deserving Credit on our left menu bar.

North Dakota:  UND head coach Gene Roebuck has signed an extension through 2012.

Xavier - Men’s Staff

Xavier’s basketball team is legitimate.  With a current RPI of 8, the nation seems to be taking notice and the BasketballScoop Staff thinks coach Miller and his staff Deserve Credit for building the program into what is quickly becoming a perennial power. 

Ask anyone who knows Sean Miller about his coaching style and they will tell you that he is always trying to make himself a better coach.  “He’s always reading, watching film, studying other coaches.” a former player tells BasketballScoop.  Assistant James Whitford told BasketballScoop, “Coach holds himself to a very high standard…he’s always trying to improve himself as a coach, and it’s evident that every year he improves as a coach.” 

Even though they lost two tremendous seniors from last season’s squad, the Musketeers have had an excellent season thus far (21-4 overall, 9-2 in the A-10) and nobody wants to have to play them in the tournament.  A coach who knows the staff very well told us, “Sean has assembled a great staff.  They work well together, yet don’t stifle each other and there are no egos.” 

Chris Mack has been with Miller since day one and is considered one of the top assistant coaches in the country.  Mack focuses on the offense and James Whitford focuses on the defense.  Miller frequently praises Whitford’s dedication to the staff and the players.  Book Richardson joined the staff two years ago and works extensively with the guards; but perhaps his greatest attribute is his ability to relate to his recruits.  Whitford told BasketballScoop, “Book is a great recruiter because he knows everybody; but more importantly because he has tremendous work ethic and a passion for helping young athletes improve their lives.” 

Word is the Musketeers also have two of the best Ops / Admin guys in the business with Travis Steele and Mario Mercurio. 

BasketballScoop hears that a Xavier practice is a great place to learn the right way to play ball.  The results show up on the court and on the scoreboard. 

Deserving Credit:  Anybody anxious to play Xavier in the Tournament?  Didn’t think so.  Sean Miller and his staff Deserve Credit for the program that they have built at Xavier.  Click here to read more, or go to Deserving Credit on our left menu bar.

North Carolina Central:  Head coach Henry Dickerson will not have his contract renewed at the end of the season and the school is seeking a new coach.  NCCU is in it’s second provisional year as a D1 program and is currently not affiliated with a conference.  

Shepherd University:  Shepherd, located 70 miles west of Washington D.C., a D2 program is currently seeking a new head coach.  They are currently 10-13 overall, 9-7 in the WIAC.  The school states that they are looking to hire ASAP.  This is a full-time, nine-month position with 50 percent coaching responsibilities and 50 percent teaching duties.  A Master’s Degree is required with prior college coaching and teaching experience.  To apply, please submit a cover letter, resume, statement of coaching and teaching philosophy, and names and contact information of five references through Shepherd’s human resources website at https://jobs.shepherd.edu. 

Hawaii:  Sources tell BasketballScoop that this looks like it will be the last season for head coach Jim Bolla who last week was put on paid leave while the school investigates allegations reportedly centered around whether Bolla kicked a player earlier in the year.  Associate coach Pat Garrity has been serving as acting head coach while Bolla is not with the team.  Sources tell BasketballScoop that regardless of the outcome of the investigation, they expect this to be Bolla’s last season.

Salem:  Salem International, located in West Virginia, is seeking applicants for the head women’s basketball coach position.  A D-II program, and member of the WVIAC, you can find out more about Salem here http://athletics.salemu.edu  Applicants are asked to submit their information in hard copy to Human Resources at Salem.

Breaking News Emails:  Sign up for our Breaking News Emails in the lower left hand corner of the page.  When jobs begin to open, you’ll be the first to find out. 

Weekly Poll:  New poll on the home page.  Results from last week’s question:  What do you think of this year’s Final Four destinations?  41% What were the host committees thinking; 32% The games will be an economic shot in the arm for two great American cities; 15% all of the above; 12% If we aren’t playing, I’m not going.

Deserving Credit:  Look for the next releases in this well followed series on Wednesday.  Thanks for all of the recommendations.  Feel free to email more in @ mail@basketballscoop.com

Macalester:  DIII Macalester College, located in St. Paul, MN, is looking for a new head coach now that Curt Kietzer has resigned.  The program uses the Leonard Center (completed in 2008 with a $45 Million price tag) so this could be an interesting job; although the team had a very difficult season in 2009 going winless. 

Clark State:  Clark State College (OH), which competes in JC Region XII and is a member of the Ohio Community College Athletic Conference, is looking for a new head coach.

SUNY - Plattsburgh:  DIII SUNY - Plattsburgh is looking to add a part-time assistant coach for the ‘09-’10 season.

SUNY - Plattsburgh:  DIII SUNY - Plattsburgh is said to be looking to add a part-time assistant for the ‘09-’10 season to their women’s program as well as one on their men’s team.

LSU Tigers - Men’s Basketball

LSU’s hiring of Trent Johnson brought a renewed sense of excitement to Baton Rouge regarding the men’s basketball team.  Johnson stepped into a team that had experience (including three contributors from the ’05-’06 Final Four team that lost to UCLA); yet seemed to lack direction.  Johnson came in and immediately began remolding the team.  Thus far, the Tigers have been nearly unbeatable in conference play (12-1) and at 24-4 overall are currently ranked in the top 20.  Not bad for a program that seemed headed in the wrong direction this time last year.    

Johnson brought assistant Donny Guerinoni with him from Stanford and hired Keith Richard (he knew well from coaching against him for years in the WAC while Richard was at La. Tech) and Brent Scott from Rice.  He also brought DBO Chris Bobel from Stanford who had both worked and played for Johnson while in Palo Alto.  As a staff, they set out to bring this team together, to develop some team chemistry.  BasketballScoop recently asked an SEC coach about the Tigers’ Staff.  He said, “We figured that no matter who got the (LSU) job, we expected the team to be competitive because of the experience that was returning; however what Trent and his guys have done, dominating the conference, is really something.” 

When we asked another SEC coach whose team just lost to LSU about Johnson and his staff, his reply was, “It’s really impressive the way those guys have gotten the team to embrace their philosophy; both on and off the court.  They play as a team and they seem so focused.  We had a lead late; but they never seemed worried and they came back and got us.” 

Johnson has the fans excited as well.  The P-MAC is nearly full these days and there is an air of excitement in Baton Rouge about the direction of this program.  BasketballScoop believes that coach Trent Johnson and his staff deserve credit for turning around the LSU program. 

Xavier Muskateers - Women’s Staff

BasketballScoop frequently hears that Xavier women’s basketball head coach Kevin McGuff is one of the “nicest guys in basketball”.  At BasketballScoop we think he Deserves more Credit than that.  We think McGuff is one of the best coaches in the country. 

Xavier is 24-4 overall, 12-0 in conference and ranked 17^th in the country.  We spoke with an A-10 coach about Xavier who said, “No matter what you think they are going to do to you, they bring a new wrinkle and just shut you down.”  McGuff told BasketballScoop, “(Assistant coach) Mike Neighbors is a big reason for that.  He’s one of the hardest working coaches in the profession.  He watches more film than anyone…he’s a great scouter.”  McGuff credits assistants Amber Whitford and Carla Morrow with “great recruiting and player development skills”.  “Add in Nicole Like, our DBO, and we have a great staff.  Nicole does a great job ensuring the program is always headed in the right direction.” 

The Muscateers have won 15 straight games and are winning convincingly.  Look for Xavier to get a high seed in the tournament; and don’t be surprised if they make a run at the Final Four.  McGuff and his staff have their team playing up at the right time of the year. 

Deserving Credit:  LSU is playing so well, we nearly forget what a mess they were last year.  BasketballScoop believes head coach Trent Johnson and his staff Deserve Credit for the turnaround.  Click here to read more, or go to Deserving Credit on our left menu bar.

Deserving Credit:  Click here to read why BasketballScoop believes Kevin McGuff and his Xavier Muscateer staff Deserve a lot of Credit for the program they have built.

Rutgers:  Sources tell BasketballScoop that Rutgers will announce the hiring of Tim Pernetti in the next few days.  What impact this will have on Fred Hill and his staff isn’t clear yet. 

Job Posting:  Briarfield Academy (HS) located in Lake Providence, LA is seeking a head boys coach.  Those interested should contact Berton Kelly at bkelly@briarnet.org or 318.559.2360

Job Posting:  Briarfield Academy (HS) located in Lake Providence, LA is seeking a head girls coach.  Those interested should contact Berton Kelly at bkelly@briarnet.org or 318.559.2360

St. Joseph’s:  DII St. Joseph’s College (IN) announced today that interim head coach Brandon Turner would have the “interim” title removed.

Southern Miss:  Head coach Larry Eustachy has decided to forgo a contract extension and will donate a part of his compensation back to the University.  In apologizing for the results of this season (currently 14-13), Eustachy said, “Until I can turn around the program, I have told the University that I do not want a contract extension”.  AD Richard Giannini added that he “thinks Larry is the coach that will make that happen”.

Wilmington Univ.:  D-II Wilmington announced the resignation of head coach Kevin Welch effective immediately stating that Welch has decided to pursue other career opportunities.

Cornell:  Cornell is advertising an assistant position.  Applicants must submit through Cornell’s online system which can be found here.