Coaching Changes

Some quick college hoops thoughts for the afternoon before leaving for lunch..

Yes (The game is corrupt regardless.. and its better than flat out paying kids)

Yes (There's nothing unethical about it)

No (These are supposed to be amateur students)

No (Its simply a bad precedent to set)

Temple has announced a two-year contract extension for head men's basketball coach Fran Dunphy that will keep the Owls’ mentor at the University through the 2013-14 season.  Dunphy, who is in his third season directing the Temple program, guided the Owls to the 2008 Atlantic 10 Championship and a berth in the NCAA Tournament.

 

UCLA head men’s basketball coach Ben Howland and the University have agreed on a new seven-year contract, athletic director Dan Guerrero announced today. The new contract, which runs through the 2014-15 season, includes guaranteed compensation of $1.97 million for the 2008-09 season and escalates to $2.3 million for the 2014-15 season. It also includes the incentive package from his previous contract that has a maximum value of $235,000.

Providence, RI - TJ Sorrentine, a Pawtucket, Rhode Island native and the leader of the Vermont basketball team that upset Syracuse in the opening round of the 2005 NCAA Championship, has been named an assistant basketball coach at Brown in an announcement made by Bears' head coach Jesse Agel.

Sorrentine will be reunited with Agel, who guided him as an associate head coach at Vermont and recruited Sorrentine to the Catamounts' basketball program.

Chicago, Ill. - University of Illinois at Chicago Head Men's Basketball Coach Jimmy Collins will continue to lead the Flames beyond the 2008-09 season as athletic director Jim Schmidt announced on Tuesday a three-year contract extension for the winningest basketball coach in school history pending Board of Trustees approval.

"I have been truly blessed to spend the last 12 years doing what I love here at UIC," Collins said. "It is a great university with great administrators, faculty and students, who have all helped me, and this basketball program, become successful.

Fullerton, Calif. - Head Coach Bob Burton has signed a contract extension that will keep him in charge of the Cal State Fullerton men's basketball program through the 2012-13 season.

Burton has compiled a 92-60 record in five seasons with the Titans including two wins in the 2005 Post-Season NIT and a first-round loss to Wisconsin in the 2008 NCAA Tournament, Fullerton's first berth since 1978. Last year's team won the Big West Conference post-season tournament after sharing in the school's first regular-season conference title since 1976.

LEWISBURG, Pa. – Dave Paulsen, a two-time National Coach of the Year who led Williams College to the 2003 Division III national championship, has been selected as the head men’s basketball coach at Bucknell, director of athletics and recreation John Hardt announced Tuesday. Paulsen, a 1987 Williams graduate and a Phi Beta Kappa scholar, has coached at every level of college basketball over the last 20 years, has won 68 percent of his games as a head coach, and is considered a highly sought-after consultant on the principles of the motion offense.

Well, today marks the beginning of the Spring Signing Period, and many fans are awaiting the decision of guard Tyreke Evans. The explosive prerimeter player is said to be leaning in the direction of Memphis, and that's who I'd expect him to sign with due to the departure of Derrick Rose. But the school with the most going on in recent days has to be Marist, who will any day be gaining a head coach, but they've already lost two players.

- Memphis assistant Jose "Chucky" Martin to be named Marist head coach.

KENT, Ohio – Kent State Athletic Director Laing Kennedy has announced the hiring of Geno Ford as men’s basketball Head Coach. Ford takes over as the 23rd head coach in the 92-year history of Kent State basketball after four previous years as an assistant coach for the Golden Flashes.

“This was an easy decision for us because we did not have to look very far,” said Kennedy, “Geno is an outstanding coach and I am confident in his abilities to carry on the tradition of the program and the success of our student-athletes.”