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What has been the tenure of SEC M BBall Coaches during the Expansion Era?

Started by jbcarol, February 13, 2011, 08:07:50 am

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jbcarol

Ole Miss (updated)

Andy Kennedy, who turns 50 on March 13, 2018, was the dean of SEC men's basketball coaches but was not able to complete his twelveth season at Ole Miss in '17-18.  Kennedy was 102-98 (51%) in SEC regular season games.  He joins a select group of coaches with 100 SEC wins since Arkansas joined the SEC and a select group with a +.500 winning percentage.

In 2005-06, Kennedy was an interim coach at Cincinnati after Bob Huggins was fired by their Chancellor.  UC chose to go with Mick Cronin over Kennedy.

Then Ole Miss AD Pete Boone on how he feels about his decision to hire Andy Kennedy 12 years later

QuotePete Boone couldn't understand how things could possibly improve. After reaching the NCAA Tournament three of his first four years, which included a Sweet 16 appearance, things had gone south for then-Ole Miss coach Rod Barnes.

Rebels followed an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2002 with four consecutive losing seasons. So in 2006, Boone, who was Ole Miss' athletic director from 2002-12, knew he needed to move on. He sought energy, someone with a deep knowledge of Xs and Os who could communicate with younger people.

That search came down to three people.

"I think John Pelphrey, Mick Cronin and Andy. They were all successful in what they're doing," Boone said. "I happened to go to Cincinnati and watch Andy coach. It might have been an NIT game in his interim year there and I just liked the feeling and vibration, his energy on the court, and his team had overachieved throughout the year and that was probably the deciding factor."

After failing to lead Ole Miss to an NCAA Tournament appearance in his first six seasons, Kennedy had a team advance past the first game in two of the next three campaigns. His '12-13 team with Marshall Henderson went 27-9 and advanced to the then titled "NCAA Third Round". His Stefan Moody led '14-15 team won a First Four game in Dayton. After coaching in the Tad Smith Coliseum, a mid-60's era arena with leaking and frequent electrical issues, Andy Kennedy got to coach in The Pavillion, the newest SEC basketball arena.

His '17-18 team clearly quit on Kennedy down the stretch and appear to be problem players. Coach Kennedy originally announced his resignation with intention to finish the season. He gave it up with four games to go (4-10) after a loss to State with assistant Tony Madlock appointed as interim. Ole Miss then defeated Missouri in Columbia but have obtained more player ejections than victories down the stretch.

Kennedy has appeared via school sponsored social media as comedic alter-ego "Randy Kennedy" an old-school ABA-type. His dead pan post game interviews on the SEC Network set him up well for a future in broadcasting.  After one game Pat Bradley asked him about his "guards" and Kennedy replied that he is not familiar with "gods". Bradley retorted that that is who he should pray to.  Jimmy Dykes defended Kennedy while Antoine Walker passionately defended the players after Kennedy's last game. Dari looked extremely uncomfortable.

In Dec. 2008 Kennedy and his staff were involved in an incident with a cab driver in downtown Cincinnati. A number of questionable decisions were made by the Coach in the moments and days following his arrest. Kennedy, stuff-faced, was caught on police cam asserting that his arrest would create an "international incident". He and his attorney (also Pete Rose's counselor) sued an eyewitness, a college student working part time as a valet, for defamation of character. His wife through counsel also sued for loss of consortium. Kennedy and his attorneys did not count on one of the leading attorneys in Cincinnati and a former Mayor stepping up to defend the eyewitness and cab driver pro bono. Kennedy dropped the suit against the eyewitness and chose to pay an undisclosed sum of cash. He kept his job.

Kennedy was preceded by Rod Barnes a former All-SEC player at Ole Miss in the late 80s. Barnes coached eight seasons and was 50-78 (39%) which prorates to a 6.25-9.75 per season average. Barnes took Ole Miss to the NCAA-T in three of his first four seasons and the NIT his second season. Barnes took Ole Miss to the Sweet Sixteen in '01 after finishing 1st in the SEC-W. This is the only Sweet Sixteen appearance for Ole Miss.

Barnes had an over-.500 conference record in his first four seasons. His last four seasons he finished tied for 5th in the SEC-W and 4-12 was the typical record.

Rob Evans was coach at Ole Miss for six seasons. He led the Rebels to NCAA-T appearances in his last two seasons of '97 and '98. It was Ole Miss first NCAA-T appearance since winning the SEC-T in 1981 for their first ever NCAA-T trip. Evans also led Ole Miss to a huge win in Rupp Arena over Tubby Smith's National Championship team on Valentine's Day, 1998. It is to-date one of only two wins by the Rebels over UK in Lexington. The first was in 1927. His point guard was current Florida head coach Mike White. Coach Evans was 86-81 overall at Ole Miss and left to take the Arizona State job. He is one of the few SEC coaches able to achieve a lateral or better move from the SEC apart from the couple able to obtain NBA jobs.

Ed Murphy coached Ole Miss from '86 to '92 and Murph's last season was the first year of SEC Expansion. He was 76-98 overall at Ole Miss.
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jbcarol

Jeff Goodman
‏Verified account @GoodmanESPN
18h18 hours ago

My favorite "job save" was still Dennis Felton winning the SEC tourney 10 years ago. Tornado moved it to Georgia Tech, and Felton's Georgia team had to play two games Saturday. One of the coolest things I have ever seen covering the sport.
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jbcarol

The side of Mark Fox, and coaching changes, the public doesn't see

Mark Fox dressed up as a member of the UGA spike squad for several football games. (Caitlyn Stroh/file photo)


QuoteThis is the business all of them chose. They knew this kind of sudden upheaval was a part of it. And many of them, especially Fox, are well-compensated. That means you should be able to buy some thick skin.

There is another side to all of this, however, which is why many of us have a hard time celebrating when something like this happens. Was Fox a good coach? Debate if you want. Was it time for Georgia to make a change? Most would say yes.

Did Fox represent Georgia with class for nine years? That appears inarguable.

His players graduated. He ran a clean program. His players rarely appeared in the police blotter. He was generally a good ambassador for the program, whether it was schmoozing with boosters, dealing out quotes to media members or doling out advice to former players.

A few years ago, while meaning to direct message, Fox accidentally tweeted the advice he was giving to Jeremy Price, who was dealing with a coach on an overseas team who was giving him trouble. The advice was standard (just put up with it as long as you can and then move on), but it was notable that a former player, whom Fox hadn't recruited, was seeking his advice.

Were there some players Fox wasn't on good terms with? Probably. Did he get along with everyone in Athens? Probably not. Fox also sometimes had a tendency to play up things for drama, whether it was injuries to players, the clock fiasco last year at Texas A&M or the FBI investigation into college basketball corruption this year. Not that he's the first coach to play things up.

Fox also "got" Georgia, as one fan put it on Twitter. He knew the place of basketball here and was never resentful about it. He embraced it. He dressed up as a member of the spike squad for football games. He was in the stands at Wrigley Field last fall when Vince Dooley threw out the first pitch and didn't advertise it. He just showed up.

Fox may well move on to another job now. He may serve as a TV analyst for a year or two, turn up as an assistant somewhere or take over a mid-major program. A few people have even suggested him as a candidate to be Georgia's next athletic director. (Someone good with boosters who could help raise money? Check. A coach who would know intimately what Georgia coaches need to be successful? Check.)

We'll see what future awaits for Fox and his staff. He will surely do just fine. [But it rarely does after getting canned from an SEC job.] It's too bad it didn't work out well for him in the end at Georgia. But there were good times, he leaves the program better than he found it and he leaves with his reputation intact.

Not every basketball coach can say that these days.
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jbcarol

Fox and friends contemplate what's next as UGA basketball tenure ends


QuoteFox remained at his office all day Saturday as he met with his staff and planned to inform the team of his fate at a meeting in their locker room later in the day. McGarity entered the basketball offices at 3:55 p.m. and left about 15 minutes later to attend the gymnastics meet. He did so without much in the way of commentary.

"I can't talk about the stuff," he said when asked whether the Bulldogs would accept the NIT invite that already has been sent their way. The school will have a news conference Sunday.

Out on Tulipwood Lane, in the Crystal Hills subdivision on the southernmost edge of Clarke County, Cindy Fox and their two children, Liv, 15, and Parker, 17, began dealing with the realities of being in the family of a Division I coach. They'd been summoned to a "family meeting" by Fox on Saturday morning and told that nobody was sure what was going to happen next but that this chapter was over.

"We're OK," said Cindy, a longtime college athletics administrator before her husband landed the job here.

Foxes will be fine.
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jbcarol


Jason Butt
‏Verified account @JasonHButt
26m26 minutes ago

Mark Fox said he first became concerned with his job security in March of 2014. From that point forward, it was something he learned to deal with.
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jbcarol

Number of Teams the SEC placed in the Mens NCAA-T from 1992 Tourney to present with seeds in parentheses:

2018 [8]: Tennessee (3), Auburn (4), Kentucky (5), Florida (6), Arkansas (7),
A&M (7), Mizzou (Eight), Bama (9)

2017 [5]: Kentucky (2), Florida (4), South Carolina (7), Arkansas (Eight), Vandy (9)

2016 [3]: A&M (3), Kentucky (4), Vandy (11)

2015 [5]: Kentucky (1-overall), Arkansas (5), LSU (9), Georgia (10), Ole Miss (11)

2014 [3]: Florida (1-overall), Kentucky (Eight), Tennessee (11)

2013 [3]: Florida (3), Mizzou (9), Ole Miss (12)

2012 [4]: UK (1-overall), VU (5), UF (7), Bama (9)

2011 [5]: UF (2), UK (4), VU (5), UT (9), UG (10)

2010 [4]: UK (1), Vandy (4), UT (6), UF (10)

2009 [3]: LSU (Eight), UT (9), MSSt (13)

2008 [6]: UT(2), VU(4), Hogs(Eight), MSt(Eight), UK(11), UGa(14)

2007 [5]: UF(1), UT(5), VU(6), UK (Eight), Hogs (12)

2006 [6]: UT(2), UF(3), LSU(4), Hogs(Eight) ,UK(Eight), Bama(10)

2005 [5]: UK(2), UF(4), Bama (5), LSU (6), MSt (9)

2004 [6]: UK(1-overall), MSt(2), UF(5), VU(6), Bama(Eight), SC(10)

2003 [6]: UK(1), UF(2), MSt(5), LSU(Eight), Bama(10), AU(10)

2002 [6]: Bama(2), UG(3), MSt(3), UK(4), UF(5), OM(9)

2001 [6]: UK(2), OM(3), UF(3), Hogs(7), UG(Eight), UT(Eight)

2000 [6]: LSU(4), UT(4), UF(5), UK(5), AU(7), Hogs(11)

1999 [6]: AU(1), UK(3), Hogs(4), UT(4), UF(6), OM(9)

1998 [5]: UK (2), SC (3), OM (4), Hogs (6), Vols (Eight)

1997 [5]: UK (1), SC (2), UGa (3), OM (Eight), VU (10)

1996 [4]: UK (1), State (5), UGa (Eight), Hogs (12)

1995 [5]: UK (1), Hogs (2), State (5), Bama (5), UF (10)

1994 [4]: Hogs (1), UK (3), UF (3), Bama (9)

1993 [4]: UK (1), Vandy (3), Hogs (4), LSU (11)

1992 [4]: UK (2), Hogs (3), Bama (5), LSU (7)
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jbcarol


Mark Giannotto
‏ @mgiannotto
7h7 hours ago

Tubby Smith said he is no longer the Memphis men's basketball coach.
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jbcarol


Oscar Combs
‏ @wildcatnews
13m13 minutes ago

What a line-up of coaches in SEC where #ItJustMeansMore

Johnson - Bama
White - Florida
Crean - Georgia
Barnes - Tenn
Drew - Vandy
Calipari-UK
Davis - Ole Miss
Howland - MSU
Anderson - Arkansas
Wade - LSU
Kennedy - A&M
Martin - Missouri
Martin - South Carolina
Pearl - Auburn
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jbcarol


Jeff Goodman
‏Verified account @GoodmanESPN
4h4 hours ago

Jeff Goodman Retweeted Kirk Nienaber

Fast Eddie has 4 of the 15 searches thus far. I still expect him to wind up giving Heather Lyke one name for the Pitt opening: Eddie Fogler.
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jbcarol


Dan Kane
‏Verified account @dankanenando
5h5 hours ago

Breaking: N.C. State has released the subpoena in the FBI's investigation into college basketball. Seeks info on Dennis Smith, Mark Gottfried and coaching staff.
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jbcarol

Curated SEC Infotainment and aggregated college sports updates where it just means more on Hogville.net

jbcarol

SEC's NCAA Tournament performance through the years

1992: UK [E8], AR [32], LS [32], BA [32]

1993: UK [F4], AR [16], VU [16], LS [64]

1994: AR [NC], UF [F4], UK [32], BA [32]

1995: AR [RU], UK [E8], MS [16], BA [32], UF [64]

1996: UK [NC], MS [F4], AR [16], UG [16]

1997: UK [RU], UG [64], OM [64], SC [64], VU [64]

1998: UK [NC], AR [32], OM [64], SC [64], UT [64]

1999: UK [E8], AU [16], UF [16], AR [32], OM [32], UT [32]

2000: UF [RU], LS [16], UT [16], UK [32], AU [32], AR [64]

2001: UK [16], OM [16], UF [32], AR [64], UG [64], UT [64]

2002: UK [16], BA [32], MS [32], UF [64], OM [64], #UG[32-vacated]#

2003: UK [E8], AU [16], UF [32], BA [64], LS [64], MS [64]

2004: BA [E8], VU [16], UK [32], MS [32], UF [64], SC [64]

2005: UK [E8], UF [32], MS [32], BA [64], LS [64]

2006: UF [NC], LS [F4], UK [32], BA [32], UT [32], AR [64]

2007: UF [NC], VU [16], UT [16], UK [32], AR [64]

2008: UT [16], AR [32], MS [32], UG [64], UK [64], VU [64]

2009: LS [32], MS [64], UT [64]

2010: UK [E8], UT [E8], UT [64], VU [64]

2011: UK [F4], UF [E8], UT [64], UG [64], VU [64]

2012: UK [NC], UF [E8], VU [32], BA [64]

2013: UF [E8], OM [64 via FF], MU [64]

2014: UK [RU], UF [F4], UT [16 via FF]

2015: UK [F4], AR [32], OM [64 via FF], UG [64], LS [64]

2016: A&M [16], UK [32], VU [68]

2017: SC [F4], UK [E8], UF [E8], AR [32], VU [64]

2018: UK [16], A&M [16], UT [32], AU [32], UF [32], Ba [32], AR [64], MU [64]
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jbcarol

Mark Giannotto
‏ @mgiannotto

Tubby Smith: "People want to be recognized for the job they do and do well. That was important: going someplace where you're not just tolerated but where you're wanted and celebrated."
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jbcarol

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/22956605/ranking-all-national-championship-teams

13. Kentucky Wildcats, 1996 (34-2)

They were called The Untouchables: Tony Delk, Antoine Walker & Co. dropped neutral-site games to John Calipari's UMass squad and to Mississippi State in the SEC tournament title game. Nevertheless Rick Pitino's Wildcats breezed through that year's NCAA bracket, winning six games by an average of 21 points. UK won its rematch against Marcus Camby and the Minutemen in the Final Four, and then defeated John Wallace and Syracuse to win the title.

16. Kentucky Wildcats, 2012 (38-2)

Only a miracle shot by Indiana's Christian Watford and a desultory showing by the Wildcats in the SEC tournament title game against Vanderbilt prevented John Calipari's group from becoming the first team in 36 years to go undefeated. In its six-game march through the bracket, UK won every contest by eight points or more. Anthony Davis, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Terrence Jones and Marquis Teague were all first-round picks in the ensuing NBA draft.

20. Kentucky Wildcats, 1978 (30-2)

Jack Givens recorded possibly the finest title-game performance of any player not named Bill Walton, scoring 41 points on 18-of-27 (pre-3-point shot) shooting to give the Wildcats a 94-88 win over Duke. Joe B. Hall's balanced rotation also featured Rick Robey, Kyle Macy, James Lee and Mike Phillips.

25. Arkansas Razorbacks, 1994 (31-3)

Nolan Richardson called his style "40 minutes of hell," and for opponents the Razorbacks' pressing defense was aptly named. Corliss Williamson shot 63 percent on his 2s and led an Arkansas attack that turned back the likes of Georgetown, Michigan and Arizona all by eight points or more before defeating Grant Hill and Duke 76-72 in the final. Bill Clinton cheered on his home-state team from the stands in Charlotte, North Carolina, marking the first time a sitting president attended a Final Four.

31. Florida Gators, 2007 (35-5)

With all five starters returning from a national championship team, big things were expected of Billy Donovan's Gators. Big things had to wait: Florida lost two of its first nine games, reeled off 17 wins in a row and then, rather remarkably, recorded a 1-3 stretch in late February. Maybe Corey Brewer, Al Horford and Joakim Noah just needed to make things interesting. Florida turned back Greg Oden, Mike Conley and Ohio State in the title game to win what will remain until at least 2019 the sport's last back-to-back titles.

43. Kentucky Wildcats, 1998 (35-4)

It took six years, but the Wildcats extracted payback for the Laettner miracle of 1992. In an Elite Eight game that Duke led comfortably in the second half, Wayne Turner proceeded to slice the Blue Devils' defense to ribbons. Steve Wojciechowski and his teammates couldn't stay in front of Turner, and Tubby Smith's team went on to defeat Rick Majerus and Utah in the title game, 78-69.

45. Kentucky Wildcats, 1951 (32-2)

Other than a 76-74 squeaker against Illinois in the national semifinal, Adolph Rupp's team was never seriously challenged on the road to a third national title for UK. On a Wildcats team that also included sophomore Cliff Hagan, MOP honors went to Bill Spivey.

53. Florida Gators, 2006 (33-6)

Going into the 2006 tournament all eyes were on Duke, Connecticut and a bracket that had been drawn up accordingly. But after the Blue Devils lost to LSU in the Sweet 16 and the Huskies were edged by George Mason in one of the best regional finals ever played, the path was clear for Donovan and his young Gators. Al Horford, Joakim Noah and Corey Brewer ended the Patriots' Cinderella run, and then beat UCLA 73-57 for the first of what would be back-to-back titles for coach Billy Donovan.

62. Kentucky Wildcats, 1949 (32-2)

The Wildcats rode both the scoring and the defense of center Alex Groza, who recorded almost twice as many points as second-leading-scorer Ralph Beard. After watching UK ring up a total of 161 points in wins over Villanova and Illinois, Oklahoma State attempted to slow things down in the title game. The result was a 46-36 victory for Rupp's team.

65. Kentucky Wildcats, 1958 (23-6)

Led by Vernon Hatton and Johnny Cox and dubbed the "Fiddlin' Five" for reasons that apparently satisfied Rupp ("We've got fiddlers, that's all. ... We don't have any violinists."), UK beat Elgin Baylor and Seattle 84-72 to bring a fourth championship back to Lexington.

70. Kentucky Wildcats, 1948 (36-3)

As he would be again in 1949, Groza was UK's leading scorer in the paint. But in winning the first of what would be back-to-back titles he had help on offense from guard Ralph Beard. The Wildcats won by comfortable margins against Columbia, Holy Cross and Baylor to claim the program's first national championship.

[Countdown loses historical credibility having '48 Kentucky ranked after '58 Kentucky.]

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jbcarol

Not Jerry Tipton
‏ @NotJerryTipton

22 years ago today, Rick Pitino won his only national championship.
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Pig in the Pokey

ONLY two remain from the OP's list- Mike A and Cal. The Deans of the SEC.
You must be on one if you think i aint on one! ¥420¥   «roastin da bomb in fayettenam» Purspirit Gang

jbcarol

Curated SEC Infotainment and aggregated college sports updates where it just means more on Hogville.net

jbcarol


Jon Rothstein
‏Verified account @JonRothstein

Sources: Arkansas, Western Kentucky to begin home-and-home series next season at Bud Walton Arena. STORY @FanRagSports:


QuoteWestern Kentucky advanced to the Final Four of the Postseason NIT last season; Arkansas lost to Butler in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Rick Stansbury's team
Curated SEC Infotainment and aggregated college sports updates where it just means more on Hogville.net

jbcarol

Ole Miss (updated)

Kermit Davis, Jr., 58, was hired to be the Ole Miss coach in March 2018.  He had spent 16 seasons as head coach at MTSU in C-USA and had made the NCAA Tournament in three of the last five seasons and post season play the last six consecutive seasons.  Davis was an assistant to John Brady at LSU for five seasons prior to that.  He was head coach at A&M in '90-91 after posting an .800+ record as coach of Idaho. His Aggie team went 8-21 overall (2-14 SWC) and the NCAA began investigating recruiting violations. He was placed on a two year probation and coached at Chipola JC. There is an initial concern about whether Davis, Jr. can put butts in seats at the Pavillion.

Kermit Davis, Jrs' roots run deep in Mississippi as he played at State in the early 80's. Kermit Davis, Sr. was a 35-year-old SEC Coach of the Year in his rookie season at Mississippi State in 1971 beating out Adolph Rupp, Ray Mears and others. Davis, Sr. was overall .500 at State in seven seasons but went 44-82 in the SEC after replacing former player Joe Dan Gold.  Davis, Sr. claims he will still root for State except when they are playing his son.

Andy Kennedy, 50, was the dean of SEC men's basketball coaches but was not able to complete his twelveth season at Ole Miss in '17-18.  Kennedy was 102-98 (51%) in SEC regular season games.  He joins a select group of coaches with 100 SEC wins since Arkansas joined the SEC and a select group with a +.500 winning percentage.

In 2005-06, Kennedy was an interim coach at Cincinnati after Bob Huggins was fired by their Chancellor.  UC chose to go with Mick Cronin over Kennedy.

Then Ole Miss AD Pete Boone hired Andy Kennedy.  Boone couldn't understand how things could possibly improve. After reaching the NCAA Tournament three of his first four years, which included a Sweet 16 appearance, things had gone south for then-Ole Miss coach Rod Barnes.

Rebels followed an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2002 with four consecutive losing seasons. So in 2006, Boone, who was Ole Miss' athletic director from 2002-12, knew he needed to move on. He sought energy, someone with a deep knowledge of Xs and Os who could communicate with younger people.

That search came down to three people.

"I think John Pelphrey, Mick Cronin and Andy. They were all successful in what they're doing," Boone said. "I happened to go to Cincinnati and watch Andy coach. It might have been an NIT game in his interim year there and I just liked the feeling and vibration, his energy on the court, and his team had overachieved throughout the year and that was probably the deciding factor."

After failing to lead Ole Miss to an NCAA Tournament appearance in his first six seasons, Kennedy had a team advance past the first game in two of the next three campaigns. His '12-13 team with Marshall Henderson went 27-9 and advanced to the then titled "NCAA Third Round". His Stefan Moody led '14-15 team won a First Four game in Dayton. After coaching in the Tad Smith Coliseum, a mid-60's era arena with leaking and frequent electrical issues, Andy Kennedy got to coach in The Pavillion, the newest SEC basketball arena.

His '17-18 team clearly quit on Kennedy down the stretch and appear to be problem players. Coach Kennedy originally announced his resignation with intention to finish the season. He gave it up with four games to go (4-10) after a loss to State with assistant Tony Madlock appointed as interim. Ole Miss then defeated Missouri in Columbia but have obtained more player ejections than victories down the stretch.

Kennedy has appeared via school sponsored social media as comedic alter-ego "Randy Kennedy" an old-school ABA-type. His dead pan post game interviews on the SEC Network set him up well for a future in broadcasting.  After one game Pat Bradley asked him about his "guards" and Kennedy replied that he is not familiar with "gods". Bradley retorted that that is who he should pray to.  Jimmy Dykes defended Kennedy while Antoine Walker passionately defended the players after Kennedy's last game. Dari looked extremely uncomfortable.

In Dec. 2008 Kennedy and his staff were involved in an incident with a cab driver in downtown Cincinnati. A number of questionable decisions were made by the Coach in the moments and days following his arrest. Kennedy, stuff-faced, was caught on police cam asserting that his arrest would create an "international incident". He and his attorney (also Pete Rose's counselor) sued an eyewitness, a college student working part time as a valet, for defamation of character. His wife through counsel also sued for loss of consortium. Kennedy and his attorneys did not count on one of the leading attorneys in Cincinnati and a former Mayor stepping up to defend the eyewitness and cab driver pro bono. Kennedy dropped the suit against the eyewitness and chose to pay an undisclosed sum of cash. He kept his job.

Kennedy was preceded by Rod Barnes a former All-SEC player at Ole Miss in the late 80s. Barnes coached eight seasons and was 50-78 (39%) which prorates to a 6.25-9.75 per season average. Barnes took Ole Miss to the NCAA-T in three of his first four seasons and the NIT his second season. Barnes took Ole Miss to the Sweet Sixteen in '01 after finishing 1st in the SEC-W. This is the only Sweet Sixteen appearance for Ole Miss.

Barnes had an over-.500 conference record in his first four seasons. His last four seasons he finished tied for 5th in the SEC-W and 4-12 was the typical record.

Rob Evans was coach at Ole Miss for six seasons. He led the Rebels to NCAA-T appearances in his last two seasons of '97 and '98. It was Ole Miss first NCAA-T appearance since winning the SEC-T in 1981 for their first ever NCAA-T trip. Evans also led Ole Miss to a huge win in Rupp Arena over Tubby Smith's National Championship team on Valentine's Day, 1998. It is to-date one of only two wins by the Rebels over UK in Lexington. The first was in 1927. His point guard was current Florida head coach Mike White. Coach Evans was 86-81 overall at Ole Miss and left to take the Arizona State job. He is one of the few SEC coaches able to achieve a lateral or better move from the SEC apart from the couple able to obtain NBA jobs.

Ed Murphy coached Ole Miss from '86 to '92 and Murph's last season was the first year of SEC Expansion. He was 76-98 overall at Ole Miss.
Curated SEC Infotainment and aggregated college sports updates where it just means more on Hogville.net

jbcarol

Curated SEC Infotainment and aggregated college sports updates where it just means more on Hogville.net

jbcarol

Georgia

Tom Crean, 52 joins the line of SEC coaches hired who had a reputation as Kentucky beaters. Crean's '03 Marquette team with Dwayne Wade defeated UK in the Elite Eight, a team that went undefeated in the SEC and won the SEC-T.   His '11-12 Indiana team won on a last second shot to become the only team to defeat the '12 Kentucky national champions in the regular season. UK won the rematch in the NCAA-T.  Crean was 71-91 in B1G regular season games including 46 losses in his first three seasons after ultimately inheriting no scholarship players from Kelvin Sampson and Dan Dakich. His Hoosier teams made the NCAA-T in 4 of this last 6 seasons making the Sweet 16 three times. Other "Kentucky beaters" hired by SEC schools included another Marquette coach, Kevin O'Neill whose Warriors eliminated UK from the NCAA-T in '94. O'Neill led the Vols to a 14-24 SEC mark in three seasons without making the Big Dance.

Mark Fox, 49 just completed his ninth and last regular season at UGa. Fox is 77-79 in SEC regular season play to-date. His '11 and '15 teams earned a spot in the NCAA-T but did not advance past the Round of 64. Fox was a close friend of Mark Richt, donning war paint and Legion of Doom shoulder pads, sitting in the student section of football games. He lamented the coaches taking short cuts as it became apparent that 2018 if the influx of coaching talent coming into the SEC would be his last.

Pete Herrmann was an interim coach at UGa finishing the '09 season.

Dennis Felton coached the Bulldogs from '03-'09 with an 83-91 overall record.  Felton's team won the 2008 SEC-T giving UGa their first NCAA appearance since '02 which was vacated. Felton also made the NIT twice.

Jim Harrick coached UGa for four seasons and he and Jim Harrick, Jr. left UGa with NCAA sanctions. Harrick's vacated victories leave him well under 50% during his SEC regular season career.

Ron Jirsa coached UGa for two seasons going 35-30 overall and well below .500 in SEC action.

Tubby Smith coached UGa for two seasons making the NCAA-T in both. His '96 team reached the NCAA-T Sweet 16. Coach Smith's SEC regular season record was 19-13 (59.4%) which prorates to 9.5-7.5.

Hugh Durham was the coach at UGa from '78 to '95 and of course was coaching the Bulldogs when the SEC expanded. In his SEC regular season career, Durham was 148-150. He was 31-33 during the SEC's 12 team era making two NIT first round appearances.

Coach Durham took UGa to the NCAA Final Four in '83. UGa made four other trips to the Big Dance during his UGa tenure. Of course Coach Durham took Florida State to the NCAA final game in '72 losing to UCLA.
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jbcarol

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DawgNation
‏Verified account @DawgNation

WATCH: John Calipari says Georgia basketball 'one of the top three jobs in our league' https://sptz.us/2L4tbhp


Quote"I've known Tom for years when he was at Indiana and before then at Marquette," Calipari said. "I'm happy for him that he has an opportunity because Georgia is a great job, not a good job. It's a great job.

"It's got to be one of the top-3 jobs in our league."

Calipari, when pressed as to why he thought so highly of the Georgia job, had no problem rattling of his reasons.

"Where it is, the facilities that it has, the school is unbelievable," Calipari said. "There's a range of student-athletes you can get. You can get the best and the brightest. They have every major, the campus is one of those places where the kids are proud to be there.

"You have Atlanta to recruit to, and they've re-done the facilities except the visitors locker room has a piece of wood with hooks in it, and that's our locker room for the visitors."

Bulldogs have made just one NCAA Tournament appearance in the past seven years, most recently in 2015. The last time Georgia advanced to the Sweet 16 was 1996.

Calipari said Arkansas, Florida or Tennessee would be among the schools he would consider as other top jobs.

Tubby Smith was Georgia's coach when they last played in the Sweet 16.
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Kyle Tucker
‏ @KyleTucker_SEC

"He was a man that didn't see color and was a genuine, caring man that we'll mis dearly and that we loved early." — Tubby Smith, Kentucky's first black men's basketball coach, on the man who hired him: C.M. Newton.



AL.com sports
‏Verified account @aldotcomSports
10h10 hours ago

Former Alabama coach C.M. Newton died


Kyle Tucker
‏ @KyleTucker_SEC

C.M. Newton played for Rupp, pitched for UK's baseball team, won SEC Coach of the Year six times, signed Alabama's first black athlete, had the SEC's first all-black starting five, hired Kentucky's first black men's and women's coaches. A giant.
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Jeff Borzello
‏Verified account @jeffborzello

Top-five prospect Charles Bassey has committed to Western Kentucky and will reclassify into 2018, source confirmed to ESPN. Massive coup for Rick Stansbury.



Jeff Goodman
‏Verified account @GoodmanESPN
13h13 hours ago

As I always say, the smart money is on Rick Stansbury in recruiting.

Curated SEC Infotainment and aggregated college sports updates where it just means more on Hogville.net

jbcarol

Former LSU star player and coach Johnny Jones to Texas Southern.
Curated SEC Infotainment and aggregated college sports updates where it just means more on Hogville.net



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Jon Rothstein
‏Verified account@JonRothstein
59m59 minutes ago

Tennessee's Rick Barnes has received a contract extension through the 2023-24 season, per release.

@GrantRamey
‏Verified account@GrantRamey
39m39 minutes ago

Rick Barnes is now working under a six-year contract worth $21 million, making him the second highest paid coach in the SEC (behind John Calipari) and No. 10 nationally in salary   
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Curated SEC Infotainment and aggregated college sports updates where it just means more on Hogville.net

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Why Joe B. Hall has been missing some UK home games this year

QuoteHall, 90, was in Rupp Arena to see John Calipari's 2018-19 Cats polish off fellow college basketball blue blood Kansas 71-63 two Saturdays ago. But he had been absent from the run of games in Rupp that preceded UK-KU.

Hall says he has had to miss Kentucky home games this season due to persistent pain in his left ankle that, at times, makes it difficult for him to stand and keep his balance.

"It just feels like bone on bone in there," Hall says. "A lot of the time, I just can't put any weight on it at all."

"I've fallen, like, 10 times now," Hall says. "I've sort of learned how to go down (in the safest manner possible). But that's not always going to work."

Hall has both a cane and a walker at his disposal. Before one UK home game this season, the ex-UK head man says police met him out front of Rupp Arena with a wheelchair and wheeled him into the game.

That was not an experience Hall enjoyed.

"I prefer to get around with my cane," he says.

At one point during the Wildcats victory over the Jayhawks, they showed Hall on Rupp's giant video screens. The season-best crowd of 24,387 roared.

Joe B. never realized the cheers were for him.

Hall coached UK to the 1978 National Championship. He was replaced in 1985 by Eddie Sutton.
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SEC Network
‏Verified account@SECNetwork

There have been 87 coaches to face AP No. 1 ranked teams at least 7 times.

The only coach with a winning record: @UKCoachCalipari (5-4)

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On Billy Kennedy, his future at Texas A&M and the context behind his reported exit



QuoteLeading up to this week's SEC men's basketball tournament, Texas A&M coach Billy Kennedy was optimistic about his future at the helm of the program.

The reality turned out to be much bleaker. Kennedy will not return for a ninth year.

"We had a successful season last year and we've recruited well recently," Kennedy said during Monday's SEC teleconference. "I think it's been good. Our program is in good shape, and we've got some things to build on."

There are two different ways to look at Kennedy's coaching tenure at A&M.

Through one lens, the A&M men's basketball is coming off two Sweet 16 appearances in the last three years, a feat accomplished by no other A&M coach, including Billy Gillispie.

Unless A&M wins five games in five days at the SEC tournament, starting with Wednesday's game against Vanderbilt in the opening round, Kennedy will miss the NCAA tournament for the sixth time in eight seasons.

During last year's SEC spring meetings, Texas A&M athletic director Scott Woodward commended the team's 2018 run to the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA tournament. A&M upset North Carolina, the defending national champions, and lost to the eventual runner-up, Michigan.

Woodward was hesitant to make any definitive statements on Kennedy's long-term future.

"You take it as you go, year by year," Woodward told The News.

A&M reached the Sweet 16 in 2016, Woodward extended Kennedy's contract. It was a reward for the second trip to the NCAA's round of 16 since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985.

That did not happen after the run in 2018. Kennedy, who makes $2.4 million in annual base salary, has two full seasons remaining on a deal that expires after the 2020-21 season.

Kennedy's buyout drops to $2 million on May 15, according to the terms of his contract. Should A&M officially fire him before that, it will cost the university an additional $1.5 million.

The decision to remove Kennedy, who was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2011, comes on the heels of one of the worst seasons during his eight-year tenure in College Station.

The Aggies went 6-12 in SEC play and earned the No. 11 seed for this week's tournament. Only Kennedy's first season, a 4-14 run in A&M's final campaign in the Big 12, yielded a worse conference record.

A&M lost three of the five starters from last season's team. That doesn't include senior guard Admon Gilder, who didn't play this season after being diagnosed with a blood clot.

Sophomore guard TJ Starks, among the team's most talented players, was inconsistent throughout the season before he suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in late February. And assistant coach Isaac Chew resigned in January for personal reasons.

Between the injuries and Chew's resignation, Kennedy said this one was one of the toughest seasons of his coaching career.

"We've been trying to put our best team out there on the court every game, under a lot of different challenges," Kennedy said.

To make matters worse, the announced attendance at A&M's Reed Arena plummeted this season.

The Aggies were last in the conference in every key metric -- total attendance, average attendance and capacity full (55.9 percent). The number of fans for A&M's SEC home games dropped by more than 31,500 people from last season.

Kennedy knows results factor into attendance. But he also pointed out the small crowd -- 6,554 people, to be exact -- who watched the fifth-ranked Aggies beat a good Buffalo team last season.

"All we can focus on is putting the best product on the floor," Kennedy told reporters in College Station on Wednesday. "And at times, we have had a good product on the floor."

No matter what happens during this week's SEC tournament, A&M will have several questions to answer about the future of the program. But the one about Kennedy that has permeated the entire season is no longer one of them.
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Parrish Alford@parrishalford

... Davis hire paying off for #OleMiss. https://www.djournal.com/sports/parrish-alford-davis-hire-paying-off-quickly-for-ole-miss/article_eed9dd03-9cd9-5775-ad12-84d1e6348656.html ... @DJournalnow


QuoteIn the "drive through" and get-it-now nature of our society, Ole Miss athletics director Ross Bjork could hardly ask for a better return on his investment.

Introduced just last March as the Rebels' new basketball coach, Kermit Davis engineered a five-game turnaround in regular-season SEC wins, an eight-game turnaround overall and has Ole Miss in strong contention for its first NCAA tournament berth in four years.

Prior to the start of the season, SEC coaches picked Ole Miss to finish last – a fair assessment for a team that finished there last season and lost a couple of key players in Deandre Burnett and Markel Crawford.

Plus this team had a new coach. An older, well-accomplished coach, yes, but a coach that was taking a high major job for the first time in 28 years, and his one season at Texas A&M back in the Southwest Conference days wasn't very successful.

No, Kermit Davis is different the second time around.

For Ole Miss, that difference showed up in a variety of ways.

The path began by earning the trust of guards Terence Davis, Breein Tyree and Devontae Shuler, the nucleus of the team. All three have seen their production increase. Tyree has almost doubled his scoring, while Davis has scored slightly better but has gone way up in assists and steals with a chance to increase in rebounding.

Kermit Davis also got production from his weakest position, the post. Dominik Olejniczak (got pwned in BWA) was a much-improved player the first half of the season, Bruce Stevens the second half. Rare has been the time they've been really good together.

SEC Coach of the Year
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Brent Zwerneman@BrentZwerneman

Texas A&M (14-18) loses to Mississippi State 80-54 in the SEC Tournament, and the Billy Kennedy era comes to an end with the Aggies. 2 Sweet 16s as part of 2 NCAA Tournament appearances in 8 seasons, along with an SEC regular season title in 2016.
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jbcarol

Curated SEC Infotainment and aggregated college sports updates where it just means more on Hogville.net

jbcarol

AL.com sports
‏Verified account@aldotcomSports
2h2 hours ago

In the shadow of the comatose Anthony Grant era that featured one NCAA Tournament bid, Avery Johnson was tasked with making the Crimson Tide a March Madness fixture.

Yet he could only match Grant, taking Alabama to the Big Dance once: https://trib.al/LM42hYk



QuoteSabin: In the end, Avery Johnson couldn't keep the promises he made

The downfall of Avery Johnson's tenure as Alabama's basketball coach was precipitated by the absence of the very same characteristics he promised would define the program he had been hired to lead four years ago.

"Our fans can expect a team...that's well-prepared and plays with passion, with high energy," Johnson said in a statement on April 7, 2015, the eve of his introductory news conference.

Juxtaposed against the stinging indictment Norfolk State's Steven Whitley delivered Wednesday, when he noted the Crimson Tide was "lagging around" in pregame warmups before its shocking one-point loss to the Spartans in the first round of the NIT, Johnson's words now seem sadly ironic.

The coach who arrived at Alabama with so much enthusiasm that he proclaimed he wanted to make the Tide "the leader of the college basketball world" looked defeated as he left the Coleman Coliseum floor for what figures to be the final time.

In the shadow of the comatose Anthony Grant era that featured one NCAA Tournament bid, Johnson was tasked with making the Crimson Tide a March Madness fixture.

Yet he could only match Grant, taking Alabama to the Big Dance once.

Upon being hired, Johnson was also charged with improving the talent level.

But several of his best players left before their abilities could be fully maximized, including current NBA rookie Collin Sexton and Virginia transfer Braxton Key.

And as his time at Alabama was set to begin, Johnson was expected to capitalize on his fame and pro pedigree in a basketball conference that had attenuated in recent seasons.

But the same year he arrived at the Capstone, so too did Ben Howland at Mississippi State, Rick Barnes at Tennessee and Mike White at Florida. All of a sudden, the profile of the SEC was raised, the quality of teams improved, and Johnson was just another notable coach in a league full of them.

It was no surprise then that Alabama, like the former point guard appointed to lead it, remained lost in the crowded landscape of college basketball and beset by the kind of inconsistency that typically defines a team indistinguishable from the next. In the last four seasons, the longest SEC winning streak the Tide pieced together was five victories in a row back in February 2016. That was during Johnson's first year, when Alabama was in the throes of transition.

But as the seasons went by, the Tide couldn't build on whatever momentum it had accrued and struggled to free itself from the bonds of mediocrity. Johnson tinkered with his rotations, trying to find the answer. During the 2017-2018 season, when Sexton was the star attraction, he penciled in 13 different starting lineups.

It was a troubling sign that revealed deeper issues within a program that lacked an identity and was mired in the badlands between the NCAA Tournament and the NIT with its victory total always approaching a range between 18 and 20 wins.

Yet the most disturbing harbinger would come in the last few months as Alabama dropped games it shouldn't have lost and squandered large leads due, in large part, to a lack of effort and discipline.

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Adam Sparks
‏Verified account
@AdamSparks
10h10 hours ago

Vanderbilt firing Bryce Drew is stunning but no cause for celebration, writes @JoeRexrode. https://www.tennessean.com/story/sports/columnist/joe-rexrode/2019/03/22/vanderbilt-firing-bryce-drew-no-cause-celebration-rexrode-malcolm-turner-commodores/3244235002 ... via @tennessean



QuoteVanderbilt athletics director Malcolm Turner became the most popular current Vanderbilt sports figure among Vanderbilt fans on Friday by releasing the least popular.

But let's not confuse this with a good day for Vanderbilt. The firing of Bryce Drew — a stunning move on a coach of three years by an AD who has been on the job for less than two months — is a reminder of how far this program fell in such a short period. It's no guarantee of better days. It sure won't be viewed kindly in the coaching community.

And it's a brutal outcome for a nice guy and his family, and a staff full of people and their families. Pause the parade for a moment to consider them. This is a tough business and it's a lucrative business at this level, and everyone knows the stakes. But I'm guessing there were a lot of hard conversations between spouses around West End on Friday morning.

There should be no celebration that Drew is gone, even though his 40-59 record in three seasons, including the worst two in a row in program history, including the first winless season for an SEC team in 65 years, including an active 20-game losing streak, cast doubt on his ability to coach at this level. Serious doubt, NCAA Tournament bid in his debut season aside.

Let's wait and see who Turner comes up with for a replacement before building him a statue. Maybe he has someone in mind. He certainly has connections in the basketball world after heading up the "G" League. If you're a coach looking at Vanderbilt right now, you are wondering if Drew's failures had something to do with the athletic department not providing enough financial support.

You are wondering if there's been an erosion in that way, perhaps glossed over by the mostly solid performance of Drew predecessor Kevin Stallings — whose departure was cheered by Vanderbilt fans and who doesn't look so bad right now, does he? You are wondering about working with an AD who is brand new to college athletics administration and who just fired someone after so little time on the job, and after just three seasons for that coach to prove himself.

All that said, Turner absolutely deserves credit for making his own decision here. And for bucking the perceived "Vanderbilt way" of accepting mediocrity and perpetuating it with mediocre support. This says to me that he expects more from this proud program and will do more on his end to help it.

I had indications that some folks with a lot of say at Vanderbilt were bought in on the excuse that Darius Garland's knee injury simply destroyed this team's hopes. That, to me, made it less likely that Turner would make this move — if he even wanted to make this move. But the loss of Garland did not excuse what we saw this season, and this season exposed Drew as a guy who was in over his head. Turner digested everything and acted.
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QuoteIt didn't take a loss to Norfolk State to know it was over for Johnson at Alabama. His buyout has made things a little tricky for athletics director Greg Byrne here in the end, though. When Johnson signed his extension last year, a cutoff date for his buyout was inserted into the contract. His buyout drops from $8 million to $6 million after April 15, according to a source with direct knowledge of the contract, and Johnson is now negotiating with the university to receive $6 million up front to walk away.

The contract calls for a buyout of $1.5 million per year for four years after April 15. Waiting until after April 15 isn't an option for Alabama, so Johnson has some leverage.
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Billy Liucci@billyliucci

Billy Kennedy was one of my all-time favorite coaches to cover at Texas A&M. You won't meet a better man. Up-and-down these last few years but two Sweet 16's and an SEC title give him two of the best seasons ever by Aggie hoops.
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Bama and Avery Johnson, Sr. part ways

QuoteAvery Johnson era is officially over in Tuscaloosa.

After four seasons in the middle of the SEC pack, the separation between Alabama and its head basketball coach is complete. The two sides were negotiating a separation Thursday and a deal was announced Sunday.

"After meeting with Coach Johnson, we made the decision to mutually part ways," Alabama athletics director Greg Byrne said. "This was not an easy decision, and we thank him for his contributions over the past four seasons. We wish Coach Johnson and his family the very best."

John Pelphrey will serve as interim head coach until a replacement is named.
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Dave Matter
‏Verified account@Dave_Matter

When next season tips off, Cuonzo Martin will already be 7th in longevity at his school among SEC MBB head coaches, behind only John Calipari, Frank Martin, Bruce Pearl, Rick Barnes, Ben Howland, Mike White.
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There's another basketball coaching opening in the SEC

Quote59-year-old Anderson went 169-102 with the Razorbacks, reaching the NCAA tournament three times. Arkansas went just 18-16 this past season, finishing tied for ninth in the SEC and losing in the second round of the NIT.

Anderson's dismissal makes four basketball openings in the SEC, along with Alabama, Texas A&M and Vanderbilt. LSU could also come open, with coach Will Wade currently suspended indefinitely.

Anderson played for legendary Arkansas coach Nolan Richardson at Tulsa and later coached under him with the Golden Hurricane and Razorbacks. His first head-coaching job came at UAB, where he went 89-41 in four seasons and reached the NCAA tournament Sweet 16 in 2004.

He then spent five seasons at Missouri, reaching a Final Four [sic] in 2009 before taking the Arkansas job two years later. His overall record is 369-200 in 17 seasons.
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The story behind Alabama hiring Nate Oats in 3 days

Did Byrne have his man or did the program get burned?



QuoteThe clock ticked loudly Wednesday morning.

Three days earlier, Alabama announced Avery Johnson's departure from the basketball program and players were starting to jump in that pool called the transfer portal. Other schools could start contacting starters like Kira Lewis and John Petty, so the pressure was mounting on Alabama athletics director Greg Byrne.

Up in Buffalo, the stealthy Alabama athletics director was finishing the deal. By 3:11 p.m. CT Wednesday, the deal was announced. Nate Oats was the guy and he had a lot of work to do.

This was a process Byrne said would be thorough yet efficient. After introducing the new coach Thursday, Byrne explained some of the secretive process that brought the Crimson Tide a new coach.

The first contact with Oats was made sometime Monday --

"Really didn't start contacting coaches at all until we knew Avery and I were heading in a certain direction," Byrne said Thursday... "It wasn't until that time -- and my days are all blurry as you can imagine --

Oats remembers getting a phone call from a number he didn't recognize followed by a voicemail with instructions to call Byrne. He'd just come off a second-round NCAA tournament loss to Texas Tech to end a 32-win season at Buffalo. A few weeks earlier, he agreed to an extension through 2024 with the Bulls.

And Alabama was an intriguing possibility for the young coach with a hot name on the coaching market.

His agent, Rick Smith, wasn't caught off guard by his client's popularity. He'd already done some research on the Crimson Tide before Oats even called.

"He gave me all types of statistics," Oats said, "what they were doing here, how much money had been raised, what the budget is for men's basketball, all that. So, he did a lot of it before I even landed because the job's open."

Oats said he'd already turned down other opportunities before this one got traction.

Meanwhile, Byrne was doing his research. He called Michigan State coach Tom Izzo to pick his brain...

The net Byrne cast for advice involved people who didn't have skin in this game...

Byrne also called a number of former players who played for Oats.

There's a rivalry twist to this plot, too. Oats previously worked for Buffalo AD Allen Greene -- the same Allen Greene who is now Auburn's athletics director. Byrne said he didn't reach out to Greene until after the hire was complete.

There was also the matter of geography.

The northern half of the country had been home for all of Oats' 44 years on this Earth.

The in-person interview process was conducted entirely away from Alabama and the campus so Wednesday's private-plane arrival at the Tuscaloosa airport was his first glimpse at his new home.

"I mean ideally, I would have liked to have seen it," Oats said Thursday,

From first contact Monday to a deal Wednesday, it moved quickly.

Buffalo was good to his family. It's where his wife beat cancer and where he got his first chance to coach a Buffalo program to wins over Syracuse, Arizona and West Virginia.

Before that, he'd spent 11 years at Romulus High School teaching math, some summer school classes and coaching a little cross country along with basketball.

Now he's getting paid millions to coach an SEC basketball program.

Could he have ever envisioned that six years ago?

"No," he said Thursday. "But, shoot, work hard, that's the American dream is it not? You work your tail off and good things happen to people that work hard."
Curated SEC Infotainment and aggregated college sports updates where it just means more on Hogville.net

jbcarol

Curated SEC Infotainment and aggregated college sports updates where it just means more on Hogville.net

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Curated SEC Infotainment and aggregated college sports updates where it just means more on Hogville.net


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Curated SEC Infotainment and aggregated college sports updates where it just means more on Hogville.net