Since last week’s edition, several coaches have moved off–even if only for a week–while others have moved onto the hot seat. Tom Crean at Indiana notched a crucial home win over ranked Ohio State, bringing a bit of alleviation to a program that has been surrounded by negativity in the past year. After losing two straight, Memphis got back on track with a big win over Houston; more importantly, things are beginning to look like Josh Pastner will definitely be given at least one more year at the helm. With all of that said, let’s see who makes this week’s list.
Brian Gregory, Georgia Tech: After a glimmer of hope, thanks to a double overtime loss at Notre Dame, the Yellow Jackets scored just 45 points against Syracuse and got their tails handed to them by Wake Forest. Starting 0-3 in conference play was not what Coach Gregory needed for his job security. It would seem that at this point, the only question that remains here is whether or not Gregory will make it until the end of the season, which I would expect to see, though crazier things have happened.
It’s not fun for anyone to discuss the possibility of coaches losing their jobs. That is their livelihood, and their families must suffer through the decisions of school administrations. None of these coaches are “bad”, as their successes at previous stops are the reasons they even have these current positions; they’ve shown an ability to win in the world of college basketball, and that’s not an easy thing to do. Still, everything comes down to winning, and winning now, something that Gregory has yet to really do at Georgia Tech. Temperature: Seared, signed and delivered[divider]Steve Lavin, St. John’s: What a difference one week makes, huh? In our first edition, we felt good about Steve Lavin returning next year thanks to a team that had a chance to really compete in the Big East. Now, his Red Storm are 0-3 in conference play. Come on, Steve. Things are heating up for Lavin in Queens, as he may not be able to afford another hot start followed by a big ol’ flop to end the season.
If they are going to turn things around, it will start tonight at Providence and then at DePaul. Lose either of those, and this team may be looking at a losing record in conference play. That would, shall we say, not be beneficial to Lavin’s cause here when he meets with his AD following the season. Temperature: Hot[divider]Dave Rice, UNLV: Starting 1-3 in Mountain West play, with road trips to New Mexico, San Diego State and Colorado State still on the schedule ahead? No bueno, señor. Yes, these Rebels look like much more a team than Rice has fielded in some time, with a mix of personalities that seem to actually be able to stand each other for more than a few possessions at a time. The problem? They’re not well coached. In fact, they’re not well coached at all.
Even scarier for Rice is that his two best players, freshman Rashad Vaughn and sophomore Christian Wood, are both candidates to declare for the NBA Draft at season’s end. Obviously, them staying would be a shot in the arm for Rice’s job security, but one has to wonder how many more defections he can survive in Las Vegas. Temperature: Warmer.[divider]Herb Sendek, Arizona State: Much was made of the extension that Sendek received last year, but upon closer viewing, it’s not all it was cracked up to be. Right now, ASU’s Board of Regents have only approved Sendek’s contract to be extended through 2017, as any additional years (like, 2019) would require 20 wins and a birth into the NCAA Tournament. What evidence do we have, with the current make up of this roster and the recruits coming in next year, to make us believe that’s going to happen?
Sendek did land a coveted commit out of his home state, but Markus Howard is a 2017 prospect, meaning that he would never see the floor during Sendek’s guaranteed time in Tempe. The Sun Devils are just 8-8, 0-3 on the season, and with teams like Utah, Oregon State and USC beginning to land California and west coast talent once again, people are wondering where ASU really stacks up in the Pac-12 moving forward. Temperature: Warm[divider]Rick Barnes, Texas: This has been a long time coming, hasn’t it? This was supposed to be Texas’, and Rick Barnes’, year. Myles Turner picked the Longhorns, a consensus top five prospect coming out of high school. Texas had length, skill and size to compete with the nation’s elite squads. Yet…here we are, with Texas clinging to a spot in the AP Top 25 and a 12-4, 1-2 record. This just feels so familiar with Barnes ever since the departure of T.J. Ford, and D.J. Augustine. Heck, a team with Kevin Durant lost 10 games and couldn’t make the Sweet 16. Okay…no need to pile on.
But seriously, Texas has to turn this thing around. They still have road trips to Iowa State, Kansas, Baylor, Oklahoma and West Virginia, including four more meetings with those teams at home. It’s reasonable to think that they could lose five (or more) of those nine games, meaning Texas–and this is barring any other upset losses–could finish Big 12 play with a 11-7…at best. That’s not what Texas fans, boosters or administrators were looking for this year. Temperature: Very warm
