College basketball coaching carousel: Drake hires Eric Henderson as HC

Fox News

29-03-2025

The college basketball coaching carousel is revving up.
Here's a look at who's in and who's out.
Drake hires South Dakota State's Eric Henderson as its next head coach
Henderson spent the past six seasons at SDSU, which was his first Division I head coaching position. He accumulated a 129-60 record and took the Jackrabbits to two NCAA Tournaments. SDSU won the Summit League regular-season title in four of Henderson's six seasons, highlighted by the 2021-2022 season when they went undefeated (18-0) in league play. Henderson was an SDSU assistant from 2016-2019 before being promoted to head coach.
Drake is coming off its best season in school history. The Bulldogs went a program-best 31-4 and won their first NCAA Tournament game since 1971. In his first season, head coach Ben McCollum restructured a roster that had lost its core when former head coach Darian DeVries left for West Virginia. McCollum brought a slew of players with him from his previous post at Northwest Missouri State, and they brought success to Drake. McCollum parlayed that into earning the head coach position at Iowa, so Drake had to go searching for a head coach yet again and landed on Henderson. After McCollum's departure, five of Drake's players entered the transfer portal and four others are set to graduate.
Colorado State promotes assistant Ali Farokhmanesh to head coach
Fifteen years after entering the national spotlight for his heroics as a player at Northern Iowa in the 2010 NCAA Tournament, Farokhmanesh will re-enter the spotlight in a different capacity. Colorado State has promoted him to be the school's next head coach. The decision came two days after former head coach Niko Medved left for the same job at Minnesota. Farokhmanesh, who turns 37 in April, has worked under Medved over the past eight seasons. He spent a year at Drake as an assistant before joining Medved's staff at Colorado State in 2018, helping the Rams reach the NCAA Tournament in three of the past four seasons. The Rams won the Mountain West title earlier in March.
VCU taps Phil Martelli Jr. as its next head coach
One week after Ryan Odom departed for Virginia, VCU announced the hiring of Martelli as its next head coach. The son of legendary Saint Joseph's head coach Phil Martelli Sr., the younger Martelli spent the past two seasons at the helm of Bryant. The Bulldogs are fresh off winning the America East regular-season and tournament championships, as well as appearing in their second NCAA Tournament since transitioning to Division I. Bryant fell to Michigan State in the Round of 64. Martelli played four years at Saint Joseph's under his father before joining the coaching ranks, with stints at Central Connecticut, Manhattan, Delaware and Niagara. He also worked in the NBA G League and spent a year as the director of program administration at Saint Joseph's.
West Virginia hiring Ross Hodge
The Mountaineers are hiring Hodge, now the former head coach of North Texas, on a five-year deal, according to CBS Sports. Hodge was previously the associate head coach at North Texas from 2017-23 before becoming its head coach for the past two seasons. Under Hodge, North Texas went a combined 46-23, including a 27-8 overall record and 14-4 record in the AAC this season, good for second in the conference. West Virginia is coming off a 19-13 season (10-10 in Big 12 play) and recently lost head coach Darian DeVries, who left for Indiana, after one season.
Xavier hiring Richard Pitino
Xavier is planning to hire New Mexico head coach Richard Pitino as its next head coach, according a report confirmed by FOX Sports' John Fanta. Pitino led Mexico to a 27-7 record in the regular season and a first-round win over Marquette in the NCAA Tournament.
UNLV plans to hire Josh Pastner
Josh Pastner, who previously had stints at Memphis and Georgia Tech, is finalizing a deal with UNLV to become its next head coach, according to ESPN. The Runnin' Rebels parted ways with Kevin Kruger earlier this month.
Pastner has guided his teams to the NCAA Tournament five times in his 14 seasons as a head coach: each year from 2011-14 with Memphis and in 2021 with Georgia Tech. He has been working in TV since George Tech fired him following the 2022-23 season.
The 47-year-old Pastner has a career record of 276-187. UNLV has not made the Big Dance since 2013.
Sacramento State to hire Mike Bibby
Former NBA star Mike Bibby, who played seven seasons for the Sacramento Kings, signed a deal to become Sacramento State University's next men's basketball coach on Monday, per ESPN. After retiring from the NBA in 2012, Bibby turned to a career of coaching, starting his own AAU club called "Team Bibby."
Bibby, 46, also spent six years as an assistant at Shadow Mountain High School in Phoenix, Arizona, where he played as a student. He hasn't coached in high school, though, since 2019 and the Hornets' position will be Bibby's first job ever at a college program.
The Hornets (7-25 overall, 3-15 Big Sky) finished in last place in the Big Sky conference this season, and have had just one winning season since 2015.
That being said, Sacramento State has been aggressive in its push to improve its athletic department recently. They are a candidate to join the new-look Pac-12 conference. The university is slated to open a new basketball facility on campus next fall. And now they've hired Bibby to run their program.
Minnesota to hire Colorado State's Niko Medved
Hours after nearly coaching Colorado State to the Sweet 16, Medved is headed to Minnesota to be the next head coach of the Gophers, FOX Sports' John Fanta reported Monday.
Medved, 51, has helped make Colorado State one of the top non-power conference programs in the country over the last few seasons. The Rams have made the NCAA Tournament in three of the past four years, winning the Mountain West Conference Tournament earlier in March. They also won their first NCAA Tournament game in 12 years, upsetting fifth-seeded Memphis in the Round of 64. Colorado State was just seconds away from advancing to the Sweet 16 on Sunday, but Maryland drained a shot at the buzzer to beat the Rams.
Now, Medved will head back home. The Minneapolis native will be tasked with turning around a Minnesota program that hasn't made the NCAA Tournament since 2019. Ben Johnson struggled in his four-year stint as Minnesota's head coach, posting a losing record in three seasons — including a 15-17 record this past season. This is Medved's fourth head coaching gig. He previously coached at Furman and Drake, holding a 222-172 career record over 12 years.
Iowa to hire Drake's Ben McCollum as head coach
Iowa has reportedly agreed to a deal with Ben McCollum, an Iowa City native, to become its next head coach. McCollum, who just completed his first year at Drake, has been one of the winningest coaches in all of college basketball over the past decade, regardless of division. He coached Northwest Missouri State to four Division II titles, winning four Division II tournaments in a five-tournament span between 2017-22. He boasted a 395-91 overall record during his 15-year tenure as its head coach.
Drake tabbed McCollum to replace Darian DeVries after he left for West Virginia last offseason. McCollum continued the success Drake had under DeVries while taking the program to new heights in his lone season at the helm. He led the Bulldogs to their first regular-season Missouri Valley Conference title in six seasons before helping them win their third straight conference tournament title. He coached 11th-seeded Drake to an upset over sixth-seeded Missouri in the NCAA Tournament, marking the program's first trip to the Round of 32 since the tournament field was expanded to 64 teams in 1985.
Drake's tournament run ended Saturday with a loss to third-seeded Texas Tech. Following the game, McCollum sidestepped questions about his future. Following a 31-4 season, McCollum became one of college basketball's top coaching commodities. He was rumored to be a strong candidate for the Villanova job as well. Iowa has missed the tournament the past two seasons, going 17-16 this year. Longtime coach Fran McCaffrey was dismissed as a result.
Texas to hire Xavier's Sean Miller after firing Rodney Terry
It didn't take long for Texas to find its Rodney Terry replacement. Roughly an hour after it was reported that Terry was done as the Longhorns' head coach, they were able to poach Sean Miller away from Xavier, FOX Sports' John Fanta confirmed. The Austin American-Statesman was the first to confirm the news.
Miller was viewed as an early frontrunner for the job, according to Fanta. In his second stint as Xavier's head coach, Miller helped the Musketeers become competitive again in the Big East. They reached the NCAA Tournament in two of his three seasons during his second stint as head coach, making the Sweet 16 in the 2022-23 season and winning a First Four game this year before losing in the Round of 64.
In his first stint at Xavier, Miller emerged as one of the top head coaches in the country. He led Xavier to four straight NCAA Tournaments over his five-year stint (2004-09), making it to the Elite Eight in one of those seasons. That helped him get the Arizona job in 2009, where he made the Elite Eight three more times. Arizona was consistently among one of the best teams in the Pac-12 during Miller's time there, but he was fired following the 2020-21 season as the program had been involved in a federal investigation looking into corruption in college basketball. The NCAA eventually charged Miller with five Level I violations.
As for Terry, he became Texas' head coach on an interim basis during the 2022-23 season, replacing Chris Beard after he was fired due to a domestic violence arrest. He went 22-8 in the 30 games he coached for Texas that year, helping the Longhorns win the Big 12 Tournament before reaching the Elite Eight.
That run caused Texas to remove the interim tag from Terry's title, but it served as the high point during his tenure in Austin. Texas went 21-13 in the 2023-24 season, finishing tied for seventh in the Big 12 standings before getting knocked out in the Round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament.
In 2024-25, Texas struggled to get acclimated into the SEC in its first year in the conference. It went 6-12 in conference play, finishing tied for 13th in the SEC. At 19-15, Texas was still able to make the NCAA Tournament, but it lost in the First Four to Xavier.
Virginia hires Ryan Odom, who led UMBC to the 16 vs. 1 upset in 2018, as its next coach
VCU's Ryan Odom has agreed to become the next head coach at Virginia, sources told FOX Sports' John Fanta. Odom has spent the past two seasons with the Rams but is perhaps best known for his five-year stint at UMBC. In 2018, the Retrievers pulled off one of the biggest upsets in sports history when they became the first No. 16 seed in men's tournament history to beat a No. 1 seed. That No. 1 seed was, of course, Virginia.
Odom left UMBC for Utah State in 2021 and stayed with the Aggies for two seasons before taking the job with VCU. He went a combined 96-46 over the last four years.
Earlier in the month, the Cavaliers decided to move on from Ron Sanchez, who was the interim head coach this past season after Tony Bennett's retirement. Virginia missed out on the NCAA Tournament this year.
Campbell hires Florida assistant John Andrzejek as next head coach
Andrzejek is taking over as the head coach at Campbell, the school announced. He spent the past two seasons at UF, helping the Gators earn their first SEC championship since 2014 and a No. 1 seed in this year's NCAA tournament.
North Carolina State hiring McNeese's Will Wade as next head coach
NC State has its next head coach, coming to terms on an agreement with Wade, OG Media reported. The agreement between the two sides fell on the eve of McNeese's Round of 64 matchup in the 2025 NCAA Tournament, where the 12th-seeded Cowboys will take on fifth-seeded Clemson. Wade, 42, has gone 49-8 in his two seasons at McNeese, leading the Cowboys to the tournament in 2024. He previously coached at Chattanooga, VCU and LSU, reaching the NCAA Tournament five times in seven seasons with the latter two schools. His time at LSU came to an end in 2022 after the NCAA served a notice of allegations based on its investigation over reported recruiting violations.
Kevin Keatts was fired as NC State's coach earlier on March 9, marking an abrupt end to an eight-year tenure coming less than a year after the Wolfpack's improbable run to the ACC championship and the Final Four. Keatts' squad went 12-19 this season. He went 151-113 all-time, including 69-84 in ACC play and earned three NCAA Tournament bids.
Navy head coach Ed DeChellis retires
DeChellis announced that he's retiring from coaching after 14 seasons as head coach of the Midshipmen and 29 years as a head coach in total. "It has been a great honor to serve at the Naval Academy and I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to coach so many exceptional young men," DeChellis said in a statement. Navy went 15-19 overall and 10-8 in Patriot League play this season, good for fifth in the conference. The Midshipmen went a combined 196-230 under DeChellis over 14 seasons. He was previously the head coach for Penn State and East Tennessee State.
Indiana hires Darian DeVries as next head coach
The Hoosiers hired DeVries as their new head coach, school officials announced. DeVries spent this past season as West Virginia's head coach. He spent the previous six at Drake. DeVries replaces former Indiana star Mike Woodson, who announced last month he would be stepping down at the end of his fourth season in charge of the Hoosiers.
Iona fires head coach Tobin Anderson
The Gaels fired Anderson just two years after he replaced Rick Pitino as the school's coach. They made the announcement two days after losing in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference title game and missing out on an NCAA Tournament bid. That dropped the Gaels to 17-17 this season after going 16-17 in Anderson's first season.
UNLV fires head coach Kevin Kruger
The Runnin' Rebels are moving on from Kruger after four seasons. UNLV went 18-15 overall and 11-9 in Mountain West play this season, good for sixth in the conference. It lost to Utah State in the quarterfinals of the Mountain West Tournament. UNLV went a combined 76-55 under Kruger and never made the NCAA Tournament.
Villanova fires head coach Kyle Neptune
The Wildcats, who lost to UConn in the quarterfinal round of the Big East Tournament, are moving on from Neptune after three seasons. Villanova went 19-14 overall and 11-19 in Big East play this season, good for sixth in the conference. The Wildcats went a combined 54-47 under Neptune, who replaced former head coach and two-time national champion Jay Wright. Neptune was the head coach at Fordham for the 2021-22 season before becoming Villanova's head coach and was an assistant coach under Wright at Villanova from 2013-21.
Iowa fires head coach Fran McCaffery
The Hawkeyes are moving on from McCaffery after 15 seasons. They went 17-16 overall and 7-13 in Big Ten play this season, good for a five-way tie for 12th in the conference. Iowa lost to Illinois in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament on Thursday. The Hawkeyes went a combined 297-207 under McCaffery, highlighted by one Big Ten Tournament title and seven NCAA Tournament appearances.
Minnesota fires head coach Ben Johnson
Following its loss to Northwestern in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament, Minnesota decided to part ways with Johnson. The Golden Gophers went 15-17 overall and 7-13 in Big Ten play this season, finishing in a five-way tie for 12th in the conference. Johnson, who played his final two seasons of collegiate ball with the Golden Gophers (2002-03, 2003-04), had been Minnesota's head coach the past four seasons, with the program going a combined 56-71 and posting one winning season (2023-24).
Virginia moving on from interim coach Ron Sanchez
Following its loss to Georgia Tech in the second round of the ACC Tournament, Virginia announced that it wouldn't retain Sanchez. The Cavaliers went 15-17 overall and 8-12 in ACC play this season, finishing in a tie for ninth place in the conference. Sanchez, who was on Virginia's coaching staff from 2009-18 and 2023-25, was named interim coach shortly before the 2024-25 season following the abrupt retirement of longtime coach Tony Bennett.
Arizona State retains head coach Bobby Hurley
ASU is expected to stick with Hurley for the 2025-26 season, which would be his 11th year in the position. The Sun Devils entered March 11 at 13-18 overall this season and 4-16 in Big 12 play, 15th place in the conference. Arizona State is a combined 168-149 under Hurley, highlighted by three NCAA Tournament appearances.
Utah hired Dallas Mavericks assistant coach Alex Jensen
Jensen, a former Utes player under Rick Majerus, was Utah's top target and replaces Craig Smith, who was fired on February 24 in his fourth season. Jensen has been an NBA assistant coach for 12 seasons. He spent 10 years with the Utah Jazz before joining Dallas in 2023.
Miami (Fla.) hires Jai Lucas as next head coach
Lucas, 36, is in his third season as an assistant at Duke — coming in when Jon Scheyer took over in 2022. He finished out the 2024-25 regular season with the Blue Devils but left for Miami before the postseason began. Lucas, who agreed to a five-year deal, is set to become the ACC's youngest head coach. He inherits a team in the midst of one of its worst seasons in program history, one that saw legendary longtime coach Jim Larranaga step down midseason.
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