2025 Coaching Carousel

[PJDunn]

Wardle to Maryland? He can keep those red shoes in the rotation.

[Shaka Shart]

Wardle to Maryland? He can keep those red shoes in the rotation.

Would make sense. Then he can pull a Willard and leave during the tournament for the big east

[wadesworld]

I could see tha

Yeah I don't know about that... Was handed a good situation and was way over his head at Louisville.

I could see that if he had 3 good years and made the jump. He was at Xavier for 9 years. He wasn't just living off of Sean Miller 9 years later.

I'm not sure he was "over his head" at Louisville either. He made the Tourney year 1 and was a 4 seed in Bracket Matrix year 2 before the season got cancelled. Year 3 was bad but also it was a short covid season and year 4 he stepped down.

[HutchwasClutch]

I could see tha
I could see that if he had 3 good years and made the jump. He was at Xavier for 9 years. He wasn't just living off of Sean Miller 9 years later.

I'm not sure he was "over his head" at Louisville either. He made the Tourney year 1 and was a 4 seed in Bracket Matrix year 2 before the season got cancelled. Year 3 was bad but also it was a short covid season and year 4 he stepped down.

Sultan is exactly right that he was over his head.  Try selling a Mack hire on the Villanova fan base after it went off the rails only 4 years in at Louisville.  It was so bad at the end a player declined comment if they were still listening to Mack.  He was done no surprise right after. 

[HutchwasClutch]

Sultan is exactly right that he was over his head.  Try selling a Mack hire on the Villanova fan base after it went off the rails only 4 years in at Louisville.  It was so bad at the end a player declined comment if they were still listening to Mack.  He was done no surprise right after. 

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/3096709/2022/01/27/how-chris-mack-fell-so-hard-so-fast-at-louisville-he-just-didnt-handle-all-of-this-very-well/

[WhiteTrash]

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/3096709/2022/01/27/how-chris-mack-fell-so-hard-so-fast-at-louisville-he-just-didnt-handle-all-of-this-very-well/

Sultan nailed it. "He was over his head".

[BM1090]

Hurley, Devries, McCollum didn't have 15 years of Power 5 coaching to try to get to more than 1 Sweet Sixteen. Or a single Elite 8.

Give me Chris Mack over Kevin Willard every single day of the week.

I think it's entirely feasible being at seton hall held him back significantly, seeing what that program has been since he's been gone.

[HutchwasClutch]

I think it's entirely feasible being at seton hall held him back significantly, seeing what that program has been since he's been gone.

They were lousy before except Carlesimo years

[muwarrior69]

I don't know if this has been posted elsewhere but I found this quite interesting.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/other/historic-college-basketball-team-loses-its-entire-roster-to-the-ncaa-transfer-portal/ar-AA1BWMxD?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=U531&cvid=5a34c1de2ff44b48ba403faa47e72f7d&ei=18

[tower912]

The information was posted in the transfer portal thread.

[wadesworld]

Put it this way. I'll be very surprised if Willard has the success at Nova, an inarguably better program than Xavier, that Mack had in 9 years at Xavier.

[Billy Hoyle]

They were lousy before except Carlesimo years

At one point around 2010 the BE leadership told them to step up their financial commitment or risk being left behind when the inevitable split happened.

[The Sultan]

The only reason Seton Hall got into the Big East was because they wanted a New Jersey team and Rutgers turned them down.

[MU82]

The Athletic on who will get the Maryland gig:

Beard, Byington or Williams, if — and that's a big "if" — Maryland can convince any of them to give up their SEC gigs. All three led their teams to the NCAA Tournament this season and would seemingly ensure there's no drop-off in College Park. (Byington is probably the most gettable of the three, and his regional ties are a bonus, even if he's not a "big" name.) But there's no guarantee any of the three would be willing to leave the SEC — in which case, the Terps could do a lot worse than bringing back former assistant Tony Skinn (now running George Mason's program). Skinn's star feels like it's on the rise, and while Maryland might be hiring him a cycle too early, that's better than the alternative: waiting too long and missing out.

[GoldenEagles03]

The Athletic on who will get the Maryland gig:

Beard, Byington or Williams, if — and that's a big "if" — Maryland can convince any of them to give up their SEC gigs. All three led their teams to the NCAA Tournament this season and would seemingly ensure there's no drop-off in College Park. (Byington is probably the most gettable of the three, and his regional ties are a bonus, even if he's not a "big" name.) But there's no guarantee any of the three would be willing to leave the SEC — in which case, the Terps could do a lot worse than bringing back former assistant Tony Skinn (now running George Mason's program). Skinn's star feels like it's on the rise, and while Maryland might be hiring him a cycle too early, that's better than the alternative: waiting too long and missing out.

Beard is CLEARLY the best coach of the bunch, but also CLEARLY the most controversial. Tough decision for Maryland. The fact that Buzz has interest is hilarious to me. He'd move onto Oklahoma State or some other school like that in 5 or 6 years anyways.

[Galway Eagle]

Beard is CLEARLY the best coach of the bunch, but also CLEARLY the most controversial. Tough decision for Maryland. The fact that Buzz has interest is hilarious to me. He'd move onto Oklahoma State or some other school like that in 5 or 6 years anyways.

Have to think eventually Buzz will run out of storylines/excuses. Eventually he's just a solid not great coach who gets antsy. There's no "love for the B12" no "my hearts in Texas" just a weird guy who hits his ceiling quick and wants out before people start asking for more

[Pakuni]

Have to think eventually Buzz will run out of storylines/excuses. Eventually he's just a solid not great coach who gets antsy. There's no "love for the B12" no "my hearts in Texas" just a weird guy who hits his ceiling quick and wants out before people start asking for more

Barring some major, major pulls in the portal, its seems certain A&M is going to take a step back next year. That, combined with never getting out of the second weekend in the tournament, would probably start warming Buzz's seat down there. He may be looking for an out before that happens.

[The Sultan]

Have to think eventually Buzz will run out of storylines/excuses. Eventually he's just a solid not great coach who gets antsy. There's no "love for the B12" no "my hearts in Texas" just a weird guy who hits his ceiling quick and wants out before people start asking for more

And he's only 52!

I agree with you that he's solid but not great. Hasn't come close to repeating his success at Marquette, and really has left no legacy wherever he has gone. I know MU's athletic department wants little to do with him, unlike other former coaches - even those who left like O'Neill and Crean.

[Galway Eagle]

Barring some major, major pulls in the portal, its seems certain A&M is going to take a step back next year. That, combined with never getting out of the second weekend in the tournament, would probably start warming Buzz's seat down there. He may be looking for an out before that happens.

That's exactly it, but the thing is Buzz's personal PR always tries to push it as some type of emotional storyline. This time he'd be leaving his dream job so what's he going to say "they left the B12 and it just doesn't feel like home anymore, unlike Maryland"

[RJax55]

And he's only 52!

I agree with you that he's solid but not great. Hasn't come close to repeating his success at Marquette, and really has left no legacy wherever he has gone. I know MU's athletic department wants little to do with him, unlike other former coaches - even those who left like O'Neill and Crean.

Lennys thought he was the next Al, lol.

Yeah, solid coach but extremely odd guy who's paranoid always has him on the move.

[Westy]

The Athletic on who will get the Maryland gig:

Beard, Byington or Williams, if — and that's a big "if" — Maryland can convince any of them to give up their SEC gigs. All three led their teams to the NCAA Tournament this season and would seemingly ensure there's no drop-off in College Park. (Byington is probably the most gettable of the three, and his regional ties are a bonus, even if he's not a "big" name.) But there's no guarantee any of the three would be willing to leave the SEC — in which case, the Terps could do a lot worse than bringing back former assistant Tony Skinn (now running George Mason's program). Skinn's star feels like it's on the rise, and while Maryland might be hiring him a cycle too early, that's better than the alternative: waiting too long and missing out.

I think that's wishful thinking for Byington. Vanderbilt has shown it will pay big money for a HC and its staff. (Previous HC made just under $4 million.) They paid a lot of NIL money to field Byington's first team, an NCAA Team. The SEC had the best league this past season and they will secure roughly $70 million for the league in the NCAA Tourney. Basketball is a priority sport there. Here is their new 90k square feet, 3 story practice facility which just opened a few months ago:

https://vanderbilthustler.com/2025/01/24/administration-vanderbilt-dedicates-brand-new-basketball-facility-huber-center/

https://x.com/vucommodores/status/1882982957889282118?s=46

[Galway Eagle]

Last thought on buzz. Has anyone wondered where his career would be if he hadn't inherited the 3 amigos and lazar? I mean the guys clearly talented but he got absurdly lucky falling into an upper tier big east job, after a single sub .500 year as a low major coach, inheriting 4 upper classmen that are in top echelon of MU's all time players.

[Uncle Rico]

Last thought on buzz. Has anyone wondered where his career would be if he hadn't inherited the 3 amigos and lazar? I mean the guys clearly talented but he got absurdly lucky falling into an upper tier big east job, after a single sub .500 year as a low major coach, inheriting 4 upper classmen that are in top echelon of MU's all time players.

Buzz was always the traveling salesman.  He'd have gotten where he is today, somehow, someway. 

[JWags85]

Last thought on buzz. Has anyone wondered where his career would be if he hadn't inherited the 3 amigos and lazar? I mean the guys clearly talented but he got absurdly lucky falling into an upper tier big east job, after a single sub .500 year as a low major coach, inheriting 4 upper classmen that are in top echelon of MU's all time players.

I mean his greatest success happened 3-4 years after they graduated.  So I don't think thats fair.  If James doesn't get hurt and they make a run to the FF or more, then its maybe a valid discussion.  But I don't think his career was made off a team that finished 5th in the BE and a second round exit, and I don't think thats what allowed him to build the rosters he did.

[WhiteTrash]

I'm not a Buzz fan, and really not interested in him since he left MU, but an honest assessment is he is a great DI coach and a very good P5 coach.