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

[jbcarol]

Kevin Scarbinsky @KevinScarbinsky  ·  15 hours ago

It's a column and maybe an epitaph. Alabama hoops can't get the bleeding stopped in more ways than one. http://ow.ly/JU1j5

Ole Miss had 7 20-win seasons in history before Andy Kennedy. This is the 7th time in 9 years AK's won at least 20.

Anthony Grant was sick as a dog. He looked like he needed all the strength he could muster just to stand up on the sideline Tuesday night.

Two of his Alabama players suffered nosebleeds, Dakota Slaughter in the first half and Retin Obasohan in the second half.

Obasohan's absence came at a critical juncture when the game got away from the Crimson Tide, and Grant said this about the latest malady to afflict this snake-bit bunch: "Couldn't get the bleeding stopped."

And there it was, an epitaph for the last home game of a lost season. At least...

Alabama dropped to 17-13 overall and 7-10 in the SEC, with little hope for a postseason run. With one game left in the regular season, the short-handed Crimson Tide will finish with a losing conference record for the second straight year, for the third time in Grant's six years as head coach...

At Alabama, seniors Randolph, Cooper and Slaughter have given great effort. They've represented the program in a first-class manner on and off the floor. Randolph has been a model for what a student-athlete should be as a player and as the program's first Academic All-American.

Grant complimented all his seniors but offered special praise for Randolph, who's been the ultimate unselfish team player to the end.

"He's been a joy to coach," Grant said. "Certainly, we wish we could've had a different result for him tonight."

Instead, they couldn't get the bleeding stopped on the last game-night the seniors will walk off this floor, and you have to wonder. Was this Grant's final exit here as well?

[jbcarol]

Kevin Brockway @gatorhoops  ·  3 minutes ago

FWIW, Syracuse's 72-68 win over Gators at Carrier Dome during 2011-12 season vacated due to NCAA sanctions.

[jbcarol]

Rob Dauster @RobDauster  ·  3 hours ago
NC State's Mark Gottfried beat four active Hall of Famers this season: Coach K, Roy Williams, Boeheim and Rick Pitino. That's impressive.

[jbcarol]

ESPN Stats & Info @ESPNStatsInfo  ·  4 hours ago
Kentucky beats Florida to become the first major-conference team to go undefeated in the regular season since Indiana in 1975-76.

[jbcarol]

Kevin Brockway @gatorhoops  ·  11 hours ago
Billy D said Gators "overscheduled" based on team he had but hopes it will prepare them for postseason play.

[jbcarol]

Michael Bonner @MikeBBonner  ·  16 hours ago

Talked with Rick Ray today, he said Mississippi State's administration "believes in me" http://on.thec-l.com/1C2XXPX 

NASHVILLE – The Rick Ray era reaches its three-year anniversary on April 1. Some question whether Mississippi State's basketball coach will be around to celebrate it.

Ray's not one of them.

"I've never had any situation at all from the administration that they are displeased with where we are at this point in time," Ray told the Clarion-Ledger on Tuesday. "I know everybody wants to be more on the fast track. I'm sure the administration wants the same thing, but I think those guys believe in me."

The support from the fans is whittling away after three straight bottom–three finishes in the Southeastern Conference. The attendance in the final regular season game at Humphrey Coliseum last Saturday was 5,897 – nearly 1,500 fewer than MSU's women's basketball season-finale.

Mississippi State finished 2015 with its best SEC record under Ray at 6-12. Ray won seven SEC games in his first two seasons. He can grab another Wednesday against Auburn in the first round of the SEC tournament in Nashville.

Yet, skeptics question if that progress is enough.

"I think that's fair for them to say, but I also think they have to look at it from the microscope," Ray said. "...We didn't have scholarship players our first two years and we didn't have front court depth at all in our first two years. I think if you sit there under a microscope you can say I can see where those guys have actually come from."

Ray pieced lineups together with as little as six scholarship players in his first two years. He had a total of three players 6-foot-8 or taller. None were taller than 6-9.

When injuries or foul trouble struck the team, Ray's only option off the bench most nights was 6-foot-3 walk-on Tyson Cunnigham.

The off-the-court issues hampered the progress on-the-court with player being removed from the team and transfers...

[jbcarol]

AL.com sports @aldotcomSports  ·  3 hours ago

Tide may be turning in favor of Anthony Grant keeping his job at Alabama. http://ow.ly/KfA29

Let's get the standard legal disclaimer out of the way right up front. Things can change in this kind of situation, sometimes dramatically and suddenly, but remember this:

Alabama's Bill Battle is not an athletics director given to sudden and dramatic moves.

So if you're waiting for him to give you a Gladiator-like thumbs-up or thumbs-down on Anthony Grant's future, perhaps as early as today if Alabama's SEC Tournament opener against Florida goes wrong, don't hold your breath.

From a practical standpoint, even if Grant loses to his mentor Billy Donovan for the 10th time in 10 tries as a head coach, Alabama likely will have more games to play. It seems fairly certain that the Crimson Tide will receive an NIT bid Sunday night.

As a former coach himself, Battle wants to let Grant coach his team as free from distraction as possible. As an administrator, Battle doesn't want to set a precedent by talking about any coach's future until that coach's season is complete.

The more you talk to people around the program, the more likely it appears that Grant will return for his seventh season as head coach. That's not written in stone and won't be until Battle says it publicly, no doubt in a low-key press release when the season's over, but there doesn't seem to be much sentiment inside the Mal Moore Athletic Facility to make a change.

Like most people who've tried to get to know the Alabama basketball coach, Battle likes Grant and respects him. Unlike most people who see only the bottom line and note that Alabama has reached higher ground in the past, Battle sees a program in solid shape from the inside-out that needs improvement but doesn't really require dynamite and a wrecking ball.

The feeling is that Battle doesn't want to fire Grant and the result of today's game against Florida won't radically change the equation...

[jbcarol]

Hugh Kellenberger @HKellenbergerCL  ·  16 hours ago

Column: Rick Ray is doing everything right but winning games. So he should get one more year. http://bit.ly/1D8kHzo 

[jbcarol]

AL.com sports @aldotcomSports  ·  2 hours ago

Strong words from Florida's Billy Donovan: Alabama better hope Anthony Grant comes back. http://ow.ly/KgkHH

[jbcarol]

The Flying M @MSUhistory  ·  21 hours ago
On this day in 1998- Rick Stansbury took over as men's head basketball coach, replacing Richard Williams.

[jbcarol]

Scarblog: Will postseason runs by UAB and Auburn influence Alabama's coaching decision?

If you're a basketball fan in the state of Alabama, what are you thinking right this minute?

If you're an Alabama fan, at least the kind who's been blowing up my email and social media accounts for weeks, you're thinking about AD Bill Battle. You're wondering what it'll take to get him to understand that you're not happy with the state of your program and you don't have much confidence that brighter days are ahead.

You're not excited about a potential NIT bid coming Sunday night, and you're even less excited that signs have been pointing toward Anthony Grant returning for a seventh season.

It's the worst kind of status quo, standing pat when you feel you're falling behind.

There's no question that UAB has gotten better and better in three years under Jerod Haase. There's little doubt that Auburn under Pearl will improve by Chris Porter-like leaps and bounds in the coming years.

But what about Alabama? Is Grant the man to do something in the future he hasn't accomplished yet in his first six years? Can he win three games in three days at the conference tournament the way UAB and Auburn did this week? Can he win a conference tournament the way Haase just did at UAB and Alabama used to do in the increasingly distant past?

If you're a UAB, Auburn or Alabama fan, you have to wonder...

[jbcarol]

Jon Solomon @JonSolomonCBS  ·  4 minutes ago
Alabama announces firing of Anthony Grant. Six years was long enough. Had to pull the trigger.

My pilot announced one stewardess is his fiancé and another is his ex-wife. "While this may be awkward, we'll do our best to serve you."

[jbcarol]

Bama (updated)

Anthony Grant, 48 was fired after his sixth regular season at Bama. The former Billy Donovan assistant led Bama to one NCAA Tournament game in 2012 after finishing 5th in the SEC. Grant finished 53-47 in SEC regular season games.

Philip Pearson was an interim coach at Bama who replaced Mark Gottfried in season in '09. Pearson was 5-6 during his regular season run.

Mark Gottfried coached at Bama for 10.5 seasons. His regular season SEC record of 84-83 of course prorates a shade better than 8-8. Gottfried led Bama to five straight NCAA-T appearances from his 4th season to his 8th. His '04 team (20-13, 8-8 SEC) made the NCAA-T Elite 8, Bama's best showing in the Big Dance ever. Bama made the post season 8 times under Gottfried reportedly turning down an invite to the CBI in '08.

Gottfried's '02 team was the SEC regular season champion (12-4). His '03 team was Number 1 in the AP poll for two weeks, the first time ever for Bama.

David Hobbs coached at Bama from '92-93 to '97-98. In his six seasons, Bama made the second round of the NCAA-T twice. Hobbs had a 110-76 overall record during his Bama tenure and a 50-46 record in SEC conference play.

Winfrey Sanderson coached Bama's first year in the expanded SEC and his last of 12 seasons as Bama's head man.  Sanderson was 10-6 in his last SEC regular season taking Bama to the SEC-T finals and the NCAA 2nd round. Sanderson was associated with Bama athletics for 32 years until Nancy Watts' face made contact with his hand.

Sanderson led Bama to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA-T six times. His teams won the SEC Conference Tourney in '82, '87, '89, '90, and '91. Bama also won the SEC regular season title in '87.

[jbcarol]

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

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), MSt(2), UF(5), VU(6), Bama(Eight), SC(10)

2003 [6]: UK(1-overall), 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)

[jbcarol]

Kevin Brockway @gatorhoops  ·  26 minutes ago
So that;s it, Florida fails to make NIT, First time Gators have failed to make NCAA or NIT since 1996-97, Billy D's first season.

[jbcarol]

Cecil Hurt @CecilHurt  ·  5 hours ago
Alabama will owe Anthony Grant just over $4 million in buyout money, offset by his future earnings.

[jbcarol]

AL.com sports @aldotcomSports  ·  2 hours ago

Alabama names assistant as interim basketball coach after Anthony Grant fired. http://ow.ly/Korwn

Assistant John Brannen will lead the Crimson Tide in the 8 p.m. CT Tuesday game with Illinois in Coleman Coliseum...

"Yesterday was a very emotional day and still is for our entire team and for our coaching staff," Brannen said on Monday's SEC coaches teleconference. "Let me say this, our loyalty as a coaching staff is to coach Grant. I'm on the phone with you today because coach had asked us to continue to push forward, that the young men wanted to play in the NIT. So that's what I'm doing."

Brannen has been a member of Grant's staff nine years dating back to their time at VCU. Before that, he was an assistant at St. Bonaventure after three seasons in the same role at Eastern Kentucky. After the 2013 season, Brannen was reportedly a candidate for the head coaching job at Tennessee-Chattanooga...

[jbcarol]

Marc Weiszer @marcweiszer  ·  15 hours ago

Georgia coach Mark Fox receives a $25,000 bonus for reaching the NCAA tournament, per his contract.

[jbcarol]

AL.com sports @aldotcomSports  ·  11 minutes ago

SEC coaches surprised by Anthony Grant firing, one 'didn't believe it' http://ow.ly/KoVJm

Arkansas coach Mike Anderson was surprised by Anthony Grant's firing

"First off, I didn't believe it," said Arkansas' Mike Anderson, a former UAB coach from 2002-06. "And then to see they were going to the NIT ... Anthony is a tremendous coach and a tremendous friend. And I tell you what, I feel bad for him. He has a tremendous team there ― a young, talented team. He had a bunch of injuries there and it's a tough business and I understand the business but I tell you what, Anthony is a tremendous and he'll be coaching somewhere else."

A&M coach Billy Kennedy's reaction was similar to Anderson's.

"Really disappointed and surprised," he said. "He'd battled injuries this year. They've been good, not great like everybody desires to be but I know when you have injuries like you lose a Ricky Tarrant and you lose the (Shannon) Hale kid and you don't have those guys, it hurts your team and it's a fine line how good you can be when you have to overcome injuries."

LSU's Johnny Jones just called it "disappointing."

"I know the time and energy that Anthony's really put into the program and know what he's trying to do in terms of scheduling to try to satisfy the masses and the league and everyone else to put the league and himself in the best position to possibly be in postseason play," Jones said. "He won a lot of games a couple of years ago and unfortunately his teams did not get in the NCAA tournament. Just a fine gentleman, an outstanding basketball coach and anytime you see something like that, it's certainly a sad day for us."

Billy Donovan was not on the call because Florida did not gain a postseason tournament arrangement.

[jbcarol]

Michael Bonner @MikeBBonner  ·  15m 15 minutes ago
Mississippi State fires basketball coach Rick Ray after a 37-60 record the last three seasons.  http://on.thec-l.com/1HfqRfk

[jbcarol]

 Hugh Kellenberger @HKellenbergerCL  ·  5h 5 hours ago

In last year Auburn has added Bruce Pearl and Mississippi State Ben Howland. Has to be pressure in Tuscaloosa to do similar.

[jbcarol]

Bill Martin @MSUBillMartin  ·  2h 2 hours ago
Three current @HailState coaches have won NATIONAL Coach of the Year:
@CoachDanMullen ('14)
@Coach_Cohen ('06)
@Ben_Howland ('02)

[jbcarol]

 Kate Hairopoulos @khairopoulos  ·  11h 11 hours ago

4th yr of Billy Kennedy era ends in heap of losses. A&M falls 84-72 to La Tech in NIT, 5th loss in last 7 games. Top scorer out but ugly end

[jbcarol]

ESPN Stats & Info @ESPNStatsInfo  ·  3h 3 hours ago
.@d0erman wins the final round of trivia!

Xavier's only win over a 1 or 2 seed was 2004 vs Mississippi State. #XUvsAZ


A Rick Stansbury team with Timmy Bowers, Lawrence Roberts, Zimmerman, et al.

[jbcarol]

Gary Parrish @GaryParrishCBS  ·  Mar 25
... on Kentucky chasing perfection and the difficulty of comparing teams from different eras. Column: http://cbsprt.co/1NgaXn1

Any routine Google search will return lists of college basketball's greatest teams. There are rankings of outfits coached by John Wooden at UCLA, Adolph Rupp at Kentucky, Bob Knight at Indiana, Dean Smith at North Carolina, Jerry Tarkanian at UNLV, Mike Krzyzewski at Duke, so on and so forth, and how these Wildcats compare to those teams is probably an unfair conversation for a variety of reasons -- most notably because the majority of those teams were led by elite upperclassmen, and elite upperclassmen are rarer than uncriticized block-charge calls in this era of college basketball. Still, it's a conversation that's taking place, and former CBS analyst Billy Packer might've framed things best.

"We have a different era of college basketball now," Packer explained recently on The Tony Kornheiser Show. "Just to give you perspective in regard to Kentucky itself -- as to whether you want to consider this the greatest Kentucky team, forget about the all-time teams -- back in the late 40's when they had Ralph Beard and Alex Groza, they won two straight national championships. They also, as a starting five, were the starting five of the [United States] Olympic [team] and won the 1948 [gold medal]. When Beard and Groza left college as three-time All-Americans -- they'd won 30 games three years in a row, and Groza was the two-time MOP of the Final Four -- they became a professional franchise with the Indianapolis Olympians. Beard and Groza made All-NBA First Team with George Mikan, Bob Davies, and Easy Ed Macauley. Could any player off this Kentucky team match that?"

Maybe.

But probably not.

So it's likely a waste of time to try to compare this Kentucky team to the great teams of decades past...

It would be Beard and Groza's last season in the NBA after being implicated in a point shaving scandal after a tournament in New York City.  Groza was not able to return to basketball until the ABA started in the 60's.

[jbcarol]

Ben Frederickson @Ben_Fred  ·  3h 3 hours ago
Updated story on Donnie Tyndall's firing. Comments from Hart, Tyndall included: http://shar.es/1gXA4S

Tennessee fired men's basketball coach Donnie Tyndall on Friday after one season, a move that left UT athletic director Dave Hart admitting, knowing what he knows now, that hiring Tyndall from Southern Miss was a mistake.

Hart fired Tyndall for cause during a 7 a.m. meeting Friday because UT believes the NCAA is likely to charge him with significant violations as a result of the NCAA investigation into Tyndall's former Southern Miss program.

UT assistant coach Al Pinkins, the only member of Tyndall's staff who did not follow Tyndall from Southern Miss, has been named interim coach.

Hart said UT will not owe Tyndall any of the $3 million buyout from his six-year deal worth $1.6 million annually. The contract allowed UT to fire Tyndall for cause if he committed Level I or Level II violations at UT or another NCAA institution. Asked if Tyndall is believed to have committed any violations at UT, Hart said he has been told UT is free and clear, though he did not specify who said UT is free and clear.

[jbcarol]

ESPN Stats & Info @ESPNStatsInfo  ·  24m 24 minutes ago

No coach with at least 5 Sweet 16 trips has a better record in that round than Rick Pitino.

[jbcarol]

 SEC Sports @SEC  · 

Six different SEC teams (Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU and Mississippi State) have appeared in the NCAA Final Four.

http://www.secsports.com/article/12580124/sec-men-basketball-ncaa-final-four

[jbcarol]

Jon Rothstein @JonRothstein  ·  44m 44 minutes ago

Shaka Smart, Chris Mullin, and why the SEC is becoming a power conference for coaches. Observations @CBSSports http://cbsprt.co/1G2oDTv 

It may be time for Shaka Smart to leave VCU: Nolan Richardson said toward the end of his tenure at Arkansas that, "You build a beast and the beast turns on you." That's probably something Smart can relate to. People in Richmond need to remember that VCU was just a CAA school three years ago and one that wasn't regularly expected to win games in the NCAA Tournament. The Rams' run to the 2011 Final Four changed the program's perception for the better, but it also increased the annual expectations for VCU...

The SEC is becoming a power conference for coaches: John Calipari and Billy Donovan have been the mainstays of this league, but several other brand names are making their way into the conference. Auburn's hiring of Bruce Pearl 12 months ago completely changed the perception of that program, and Mississippi State's ability to tap Ben Howland last week accomplished the same thing. If Tennessee is able to finalize things with Rick Barnes, as many people expect, the SEC will be able to say that seven of its current 14 active head coaches have at least reached the Elite Eight. Arkansas' Mike Anderson and South Carolina's Frank Martin are the other two coaches in the league that have led teams to that point in the NCAA Tournament.

[jbcarol]

AL.com sports @aldotcomSports  ·  16h 16 hours ago

SEC hoops looks better by the minute, juicing up its coaching star power. http://ow.ly/L08JE

Kentucky's in the Final Four, Ben Howland's on the job in Starkville, Rick Barnes looks like he's heading to Knoxville and Bill Battle is visiting face-to-face with Gregg Marshall.

Could the postseason be going any better for SEC basketball?

Oh, sure, UK was the only one of the league's five NCAA Tournament teams to reach the Sweet 16, and even the unbeaten 'Cats needed a last-second miss to survive Notre Dame in the Elite Eight, but the rest of the conference has put on its big boy basketball shoes.

It started with Mississippi State hiring Howland...

Adding Howland and Barnes to the league increases the number of SEC coaches who've taken a team to the Final Four from 2-4, joining John Calipari and Billy Donovan. It increases the number of SEC coaches who've reached the Elite Eight from 5-7, including Pearl, Mike Anderson and Frank Martin.

That's a serious jump in head coaching star power.

If Battle can close the deal with Marshall, that would bring one more Final Four coach to the conference.

The SEC's still a long way from housing Mike Krzyzewski, Rick Pitino, Roy Williams and Jim Boeheim under the same roof, but these recent developments are guaranteed to make the conference better.

Since 1999, only one coach not named Calipari or Donovan has taken an SEC team to the Final Four. John Brady did it with LSU in 2006...

[jbcarol]

Bama's Basketball Coaches (slide show)

Hank Crisp coached Alabama basketball for 20 years (and spent time as a football assistant coach at alabama as well) and compiled a 264-133 record, including a 20-0 undefeated season in 1930. He won three conference championships in his stint which went from 1924-1942 and a lone year in 1944-45.

C.M. Newton, a Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame coach, went 211-123 for the tide in 12 seasons, from 1968 to 1980. He recruited Alabama's first black player, Wendell Hudson, won three consecutive SEC conference titles in 1974, '75 and '76 and took his teams to two NCAA tournaments and four NIT tournaments.

[jbcarol]

Ben Frederickson @Ben_Fred  ·  17h 17 hours ago

For the Flight Aware junkies, there's a Learjet flying from Knoxville to Austin. Lands in 23 minutes

That plane is owned by a known Tennessee booster, Teddy Phillips, Jr. http://www.knoxnews.com/govolsxtra/basketball/govols247-rick-barnes-expected-to-land-at-tennessee ...

[jbcarol]

 Chris Low @ClowESPN  ·  20h 20 hours ago

Rick Barnes has gone to more NCAA tournaments in his 28 years as a head coach (22) than Tennessee has in the history of the school (20).

[jbcarol]

Patrick Brown @patrickbrownTFP  ·  3h 3 hours ago

Tennessee has released its MOU with Rick Barnes. It's a 6-year deal, through the 2020-21 season, worth $2.25 million per season.

[jbcarol]

Wes Rucker @wesrucker247  ·  1h 1 hour ago

New #Vols' coach Rick Barnes' 604 wins are the eight most of any active NCAA Division I men's coach.

[jbcarol]

 Ben Frederickson @Ben_Fred  ·  Mar 31

Rick Barnes' contract at Tennessee is 6 years. Base salary of $2.25 million per year.

Rick Barnes would owe Tennessee $1 million per contract year left if he leaves. Same for Tennessee if it fires him without cause.

[jbcarol]

 Jimmy Hyams @JimmyHyams  ·  4m 4 minutes ago

Per my research, the SEC has hired 8 coaches who were in the Final Four before joining SEC: Rick Barnes (UT); Ben Howland (Miss State) ... Eddie Sutton, Rick Pitino, John Calipari (UK); Jim Harrick, Hugh Durham (Ga); Norm Sloan (Fla)

The SEC now has 4 coaches who have coached in a Final 4: John Calipari (UK), Rick Barnes (UT), Ben Howland (Miss State) Billy Donovan (Fla).

In 1996, the SEC had league-high 5 Final Four coaches: Rick Pitino, Dale Brown, Lon Kruger, Richard Williams, Nolan Richardson.

The SEC had 4 Final Four coaches in 1983: Hugh Durham, Dale Brown, Joe B. Hall, Norm Sloan, per my research

[jbcarol]

 Kevin Brockway @gatorhoops  ·  6h 6 hours ago

Donovan's contract extended, updated with buyout numbers - via @Gator_sports http://www.gatorsports.com/article/20150401/ARTICLES/150409908 ...

For those wondering [you], buyout on Billy D's contract is $500,000. Window from March 1-April 1 exists for no buyout, but that's just passed.

Lville coach (and BD's mentor) Rick Pitino, on Mike & Mike, "I think Billy Donovan has the urge to coach in the NBA, would like to try it."

FOI: Florida coach Billy Donovan has signed an amended, one-year extension through the 2020 season that will raise his average salary to a shade over $4 million per year.

The Gainesville Sun learned of Donovan's extension through an open records request.

Under terms of the deal, Donovan's base salary was $4.2 million in 2014-15. It will drop to $3.9 million next season and hold steady at $4 million per season from 2016-17 to 2017-20.

Donovan and Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley agreed to terms of the deal last summer, after the 19-year coach led the Gators to their fifth Final Four in school history. Donovan signed the deal in December. The Gators are coming off a 16-17 season, their first losing record since going 14-15 in 1997-98.

[jbcarol]

SEC Coaches NCAA Tournament seeding and accomplishment from most recent:

Andy Kennedy

2013: 12 seed, won opening game
2015: 11 seed, won opening game

[jbcarol]

SEC Coaches NCAA Tournament seeding and accomplishment:

Mark Fox:

2011: 10 seed, 1st game loss
2015: 10 seed, 1st game loss

[jbcarol]

ESPN College BBall @ESPNCBB  ·  20h 20 hours ago
Kentucky coach John Calipari has been named AP Coach of the Year for the first time in his career.

[jbcarol]

 C-J Sports staff @sports_cj  ·  8m 8 minutes ago

Report: UK's Calipari makes Hall of Fame http://cjky.it/1C6g17e  @kyletucker_cj

[jbcarol]

Dan Wolken @DanWolken  ·  20h 20 hours ago
Calipari has left at least three national titles on the table.

[jbcarol]

Michael Casagrande @ByCasagrande  ·  55m 55 minutes ago

Get to know Avery Johnson with 15 facts, milestones and defining moments. http://bit.ly/1yOQoYc 

Johnson graduated from St. Augustine High School in New Orleans...

Johnson graduated from Southern University. The school named its home court after him in 2013...

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich is Johnson's mentor...

After 16 seasons in the NBA, Johnson retired in 2004 averaging 8.4 points and 5.5 assists overall.

[jbcarol]

 Alabama M Basketball @AlabamaMBB  ·  12h 12 hours ago

Let's give a big #ROLLTIDE as we officially welcome new men's basketball head coach, Avery Johnson! @CoachAvery6

[jbcarol]

Michael Casagrande @ByCasagrande  ·  12h 12 hours ago

Avery Johnson Alabama contract detials: http://bit.ly/19ZOTzG

Avery Johnson will be Alabama's next basketball coach and the details are now final, AL.com learned. The deal is for six years and close to $18 million.

"It's a wrap," Johnson told AL.com.

"Coach Johnson has an impressive record from the professional ranks, as both a player and a head coach," Battle said. "His personal history is a testament to what character, enthusiasm, perseverance, talent and intelligence can do. He has shown fortitude and skill in every opportunity.

"I am confident that Avery will provide our student-athletes with the best qualities of leadership: commitment, hard work, enthusiasm, poise, confidence, and pride. I am very excited about having Avery join the Crimson Tide family. Not only do I believe that he will be an excellent head coach, but I am also convinced that he will be a tremendous example to our student-athletes in all areas on and off the court."

Alabama is expected to formally introduce Johnson, 50, in a Wednesday news conference. The news officially closes a coaching search that spanned 22 days after Anthony Grant was fired March 15.

[jbcarol]

 Kevin Scarbinsky @KevinScarbinsky  ·  14h 14 hours ago

Avery Johnson will make a bit less than $3 million a year. Makes him No. 3 in the SEC behind John Calipari and Billy Donovan.

[jbcarol]

Rick Barnes believes he can provide stability for a Tennessee program that has undergone plenty of recent coaching turnover.

Just two days after being fired at Texas, where he had reached the NCAA Tournament in 16 of his 17 seasons, Barnes was hired last week to take over Tennessee's program.

Barnes replaces Donnie Tyndall, who was fired after only one season while the NCAA investigates his two-year tenure at Southern Mississippi. Barnes, who has had a career record of 604-314, will be Tennessee's fourth coach in six seasons.

Although he will be 61 when he makes his Tennessee debut, Barnes insists he's no short-term solution...

Barnes' career shows that he doesn't need much time to start winning. He got to the NCAA Tournament in his debut seasons at Providence and Texas. Barnes reached the NIT his first year at Clemson before getting the Tigers an NCAA bid the following season. He won 20 games his lone season at George Mason.

Now he inherits a Tennessee program that must replace all-Southeastern Conference guard Josh Richardson from a squad that went 16-16 this season. Barnes remains confident he can produce solid results right away.

"I don't think you can ever stand in front of a team and tell a group of guys this is a rebuilding year," Barnes said. "I think kids are perceptive enough to know if you believe in them."

Barnes has made the NCAA Tournament 19 of the past 20 seasons, a stretch that started with his last three years at Clemson and continued during his 17-year tenure at Texas.

Tennessee has made just one NCAA appearance in the four seasons since the exit of Bruce Pearl, who got to the tournament each of his six seasons at Tennessee before getting fired in 2011 amid an NCAA investigation...

[jbcarol]

Northern Kentucky made a move and hired former Alabama assistant John Brannen as its new head coach, according to multiple reports. Brannen was an assistant coach under former Crimson Tide head coach Anthony Grant for six seasons and became the team's interim coach during the Postseason NIT.

Brannen led Alabama to the second round in the event after a home win over Illinois in the first round.

[jbcarol]

 Matt Zenitz @mzenitz  ·  11m 11 minutes ago

New Alabama coach Avery Johnson exchanged texts with Anthony Grant http://www.al.com/alabamabasketball/index.ssf/2015/04/new_alabama_coach_avery_johnso.html ...

Avery Johnson and Anthony Grant met while Johnson's son, Avery Jr., was in high school and being recruited for basketball by colleges, including Alabama.

Grant texted Johnson recently after reports surfaced that Johnson was going to be hired to succeed Grant as the Tide's basketball coach, Johnson said Wednesday...

"We texted back [and forth]," Johnson said. "He wished me well. I wished his family well."

Grant's immediate future is unclear. Grant was a guest analyst during the NCAA tournament for CBS, TNT, TBS and Tru TV.

The Tide were 117-85 under Grant.

"He's going to get a head job," South Carolina coach Frank Martin told reporters in South Carolina recently. "He's too good at what he does. The question is: Will he take a head job if offered? That's a question he's going to have to sit down and figure out. He's too good at what he does. Something's wrong in our society when people like him are viewed as failures."