More coaches on the move
Another domino fell last Friday as Pat Chambers stepped down as Boston University coach to take the same position at Penn State. No one can deny it's a step up for Chambers. Although the Terriers have been a solid America East program, Chambers couldn't pass up a golden opportunity to take over a Penn State program that is on the rise.
Chambers led the Terriers to back-to-back postseason appearances and America East Championships. He was also the first coach in school history to earn at least 20 wins in each of his first two years. Boston University earned an automatic NCAA bid with a 56-54 victory over Stony Brook last March.
This move makes two coaches moving on from the America East. Mike Lonergan left Vermont to coach George Washington. This brings us to a interesting and disturbing question if you are a Long Island college basketball fan.
What happens with Stony Brook coach Steve Pikiell? Pikiell has done an excellent job building the Seawolves into a competitive program. A 2010 NIT appearance and a near miss this past season could make Pikiell an attractive candidate.
With arguably the best team he's ever had returning next season, 2011-2012 could be a special season for the Seawolves. A special season for a mid-major program usually means bad news for an athletic director, who would have to do a lot to hold on to the coach. With a large student body (24,000-plus) and a growing fan base, Stony Brook has the resources to continue its surge.
The following is a list of coaches who have been fired or stepped down with their successors in parentheses.
Alabama A&M – Vann Pettaway (Willie Hayes)
Alcorn State – Larry Smith (Luther Riley)
Arkansas – John Pelphrey (Mike Anderson)
Boston University - Pat Chambers
Bradley – Jim Les (Geno Ford)
Cal State Bakersfield – Keith Brown (Rod Barnes)
Colgate – Emmett Davis - (Matt Langel)
Dayton – Brian Gregory (Archie Miller)
Eastern Michigan – Charles Ramsey (Rob Murphy)
Eastern Washington – Kirk Earlywine (Jim Hayford)
Fairfield – Ed Cooley (Sydney Johnson)
Florida A&M – Eugene Harris (Clemon Johnson)
Florida Golf Coast – Dave Balza (Andy Enfield)
Fresno State – Steve Cleveland (Rodney Terry)
George Mason - Jim Larranaga (Paul Hewitt)
George Washington - Karl Hobbs (Mike Lonergan)
Georgia State – Rod Barnes (Ron Hunter)
Georgia Tech – Paul Hewitt (Brian Gregory)
Kennesaw State – Tony Ingle (Lewis Preston)
Lamar – Steve Roccaforte (Pat Knight)
Louisiana Tech – Kerry Rupp (Michael White)
Loyola (Chicago) – Jim Whitesell (Porter Moser)
Manhattan – Barry Rohrssen (Steve Masiello)
Maryland - Gary Williams (Mark Turgeon)
Miami - Frank Haith (Jim Larranaga)
Monmouth – Dave Calloway (King Rice)
Murray State - Billy Kennedy (Steve Prohm)
Navy - Billy Lange (Ed DeChellis)
North Carolina State – Sidney Lowe (Mark Gottfried)
North Illinois – Ricardo Patton (Mark Montgomery)
Oklahoma – Jeff Capel (Lon Kruger)
Penn State - Ed DeChellis (Pat Chambers)
Pepperdine – Tom Asbury (Marty Wilson)
Providence – Keno Davis (Ed Cooley)
Tennessee – Bruce Pearl (Cuonzo Martin)
Texas A&M - Mark Turgeon (Billy Kennedy)
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi – Perry Clark (Willis Wilson)
Texas Tech – Pat Knight (Billy Gillispie)
Towson – Pat Kennedy (Pat Skerry)
UC Davis – Gary Stewart (Jim Les)
UNLV – Lon Kruger (Dave Rice)
Utah – Jim Boylen (Larry Krystowiak)
Valparaiso - Homer Drew (Bryce Drew)
Vermont - Mike Lonergan (John Becker)
Wyoming – Heath Schroyer (Larry Shyatt)
