Coaching Changes
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jerseyshorejohnny
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Vanderbilt meets with Monmouth's King Rice
Vanderbilt has met with Monmouth coach King Rice about its vacant basketball job, a source close to the situation said, and Valparaiso’s Bryce Drew also is reportedly among the leading candidates.
Rice was a former Vanderbilt assistant under Kevin Stallings, who left the Commodores after 17 seasons to take the Pittsburgh job on Sunday. Stallings was on Vanderbilt’s campus Friday to hold a final meeting with the team.
Rice gained national attention this season by reviving the Monmouth program for a 28-8 record and to the brink of an NCAA Tournament bid. The Hawks earned notable wins over Notre Dame, USC, UCLA and Georgetown.
Rice took the Monmouth job in 2011 after serving five seasons (2006-11) at Vanderbilt. He has a 79-85 record in five seasons at Monmouth. After three straight losing seasons, he got the Hawks over the hump with an 18-15 mark in 2014-15 and this season’s Metro Atlantic Conference regular-season title.
Monmouth’s season ended with a second-round loss to George Washington in the NIT. The Hawks were regarded as one of the biggest snubs of the NCAA Tournament, and Vanderbilt instead landed one of the final four selections.
Drew is among the leading candidates, according to a report by WKRN-2.
Drew has a 124-49 record in five seasons at Valparaiso, including two NCAA Tournament trips and two NIT appearances. Valparaiso posted a 30-7 record this season and advanced to the NIT title game, which it lost 76-60 to George Washington.
Valparaiso has dominated the Horizon League for most of Drew’s tenure, posting a 64-19 conference mark with four regular-season titles and two tournament championships in five years. Before that, he was an assistant coach and standout player at Valparaiso.
CBS reported that Vanderbilt also has interest in Jeff Capel, the former Oklahoma head coach and current Duke assistant.
Former Vanderbilt coach Eddie Fogler is a consultant in the Commodores’ first coaching search since hiring Stallings in 1999. There have been 33 SEC basketball coaches since Stallings was hired 17 years ago. He finished as the school’s all-time winningest coach at 332-220.
Reach Adam Sparks at 615-259-8010 and on Twitter @AdamSparks.
jerseyshorejohnny
Well-known member
AL.com has learned the names of two more candidates who have interviewed for the head basketball coaching position at UAB.
UAB officials have spoken with at least two more coaches with head coaching experience - former St. John's and UCLA coach Steve Lavin and current North Florida head coach Matthew Driscoll.
Earlier, AL.com reported that UAB would not be hiring Auburn assistant Chuck Person or NBA veteran Jason Terry to replace Jerod Haase, who took the head coaching position at Stanford on March 25.
UAB interim head coach Robert Ehsan is a popular candidate among fans and is still in the mix.
Lavin, 51, is the most well-known name. He was the head coach at UCLA from 1996-2003 and St. John's from 2010-15, compiling a 226-133 record. However, both schools eventually cut ties with Lavin. Lavin and St. John's mutually parted ways in 2015.
Lavin has also been an analyst for ESPN and Fox Sports.
Driscoll, 51, has been the head coach at North Florida since 2009 with 117-109 record and one NCAA Tournament appearance and one NIT appearance. UNF won 45 games over the past two seasons. He has also been an assistant at Baylor. Valparaiso, Clemson and Wyoming.
UAB athletics director Mark Ingram and the advisory committee were still in Houston, site of the Final Four, on Sunday morning. Interviews with candidates had taken place there.
AL.com's Kevin Scarbinsky contributed to this report.