2019-2020 Coaching Carousel

[Da Coach]

Another surprise coaching change.... Linc Darner, who took over at Wisconsin-Green Bay after Brian Wardler left to come to Bradley, was just fired.
Surprising because he has been fairly successful at Green Bay in his 5 seasons-
Darner and his staff were "blindsided" by the move and neither they nor anyone else was expecting it.
This is an extremely late point to be firing a head coach, unless something serious arose or some kind of violation was uncovered.
His contract pays him through the 2025-26 season, and he just earned his latest extension by finishing inside the top 4 in the Horizon League this season.
He won 23 games, won the Horizon Tournament, and went to the NCAA Tournament in his first season (something Coach Wardle never did at UWGB), with a number of players left over from Brian Wardle.
He only had 1 losing season in 5 years
His overall record is 92-80, and his 5-year Horizon League record is 51-39.
He finished the 2019-20 season 11-7 and in 3rd place in the Horizon League.
He had a pretty good 7-man recruiting class coming in for 2020, including a Wisconsin HS big man that Bradley offered, Terrance Thompson, who was ranked higher than Darius Hannah for most of the season by several ranking services (the final rankings have Hannah ranked higher), Donovan Moore, a transfer from Toledo who Bradley offered out of high school, and 5 others.
https://www.greenbaypressgazette.com...ol/5209964002/

I would be surprised if one or more of Bradley's assistant coaches don't apply for the job.

 

[Da Coach]

Additional notes about Linc Darner-
His overall record at Green Bay was 92-80 in 5 seasons there. But he had tremendous success at the Division II level before being hired at Green Bay in 2015.
He was 218-72 (.752 winning percentage) in 9 seasons at Florida Southern College, including a 36-1 season in his final year there in 2014-15 in which FSC won the Division II National Championship, and Darner was named the National Coach of the Year.
Prior to Florida Southern, he spent 4 seasons at Division II St. Joseph's College in Rensselaer, Indiana where he went 74-45.
His overall record at the Division II level (4 years at St. Joseph's and 9 years at FSC) was 292-117 (.714).

 

[Da Coach]

Another surprise coaching change.... Linc Darner, who took over at Wisconsin-Green Bay after Brian Wardler left to come to Bradley, was just fired...

I would be surprised if one or more of Bradley's assistant coaches don't apply for the job.

This is happening...


Also, other coaches "with shock at Linc Darner’s dismissal - especially at a time when so many schools having to cut budget."
https://twitter.com/GoodmanHoops/status/1262133294289899520

UWGB is on the hook for around $1.4 million if they have to buy out the remaining 6 years of his contract, which runs through 2026.

 

[Da Coach]

The Chancellor of UW-Green Bay, and the Green Bay Athletic Director both issued statements today about the dismissal of head coach Linc Darner.
Both said they thanked Coach Darner, but that they would have no further comments. They still have given no answer to why their coach was fired, and why the timing was so unusual, nor where the approximate $1.4 million he is owed on his contract would come from to pay him off. Nor has the administration said what the status of any of the assistant coaches are. And Linc Darner has not made any public comment, either.
https://www.greenbaypressgazette.com...ng/5212520002/

There have been reports about how financially strapped the UWGB is, especially now that the coronavirus has shut them down.
https://www.greenbaypressgazette.co...hs-187-staff-members-may-2-may-31/3019537001/
Some have even speculated that they might be dropping sports or even dropping down out of D1. So to fire a winning coach with 6 years left on his contract makes even less sense.... unless there was another reason that is not being mentioned.

 

[Tommy]

Some have even speculated that they might be dropping sports or even dropping down out of D1. So to fire a winning coach with 6 years left on his contract makes even less sense.... unless there was another reason that is not being mentioned.

That would be devastating. If one school does that, you've got to think there will be more to come. I hope that's just a rumor.

 

[Da Coach]

I would be surprised if one or more of Bradley's assistant coaches don't apply for the job.

This is happening...

I have heard that Bradley assistant coach Jimmie Foster is a candidate for the UW-Green Bay head coach job, and it can now be said publicly. The job opened on May 17 when Green Bay suddenly and surprisingly fired head coach Linc Darner.

As noted above, I hinted that Jimmie would be an applicant, and indeed he now is. I have also heard that the Green Bay AD has posted the job opening publicly, and he says they will accept applications through May 30 before making any decisions.

There are now reports that Bradley coach Brian Wardle is endorsing Jimmie Foster for the job-
https://twitter.com/DTowleJr/status/1263305113000726533

Jimmie would make a terrific head coach. He spent a year as an assistant at North Dakota before joining Brian Wardle as an assistant from 2010-2015 at UW-Green Bay. He has now been at Bradley for 5 years, as well. He is a very good recruiter, and recruited some of UWGB's best players in his time there, and has been key in recruiting some of Bradley's players, as well. He has strong connections in Milwaukee and throughout Wisconsin, and was crucial in bringing Milwaukee kids Danya Kingsby and Darius Hannah to Bradley, as well as several other key recruits. It also helps that he has helped build and sustain winning programs wherever he has been.
Jimmy and his wife are Milwaukee natives, and he was a star prep player in Milwaukee in his high school days. Jimmie is a terrific guy and liked by everyone. I am confident he'd be a successful head coach, and this UWGB job seems ideally suited for him. Bradley and BU fans would miss him a lot if he did leave, but he is such a great guy and very qualified, that we have to cheer for his success.
Let's wish Jimmie the best of luck!

 

[Tommy]

Good luck, Jimmie! We’d miss ya, but BU forum is rooting for you!

 

[Da Coach]

UW-Green Bay has reached a settlement with fired head coach Linc Darner-
https://www.greenbaypressgazette.co...aranteed-least-720-000-settlement/5285514002/

He will be guaranteed at least $720,000, and it could be much more.
Darner was paid $120,000 on May 21 and will receive $120,000 on the first business day in January.
Darner also will receive monthly payments of $20,000 from May 1, 2021, through April 1, 2023.
That is a total of $240,000 + $480,000= $720,000 guaranteed

But if Darner has not landed a head coaching or assistant job before that time — he agreed to make a reasonable and diligent effort to do so — he will receive an additional $20,000 per month beginning May 1, 2023, and going through April 1, 2024. That is potentially another $480,000 cash payout. So his settlement could be worth at least $1.2 million, plus UWGB has agreed to provide continued health insurance coverage at current levels for Darner and his family until Dec. 21, 2021, or until Darner or his wife, Kristen, become eligible for coverage under a comparable health insurance plan.

This huge payout for a school that does not have a big athletic budget probably means they will be looking to hire a new head coach who won't cost them very much. At least one name that has been mentioned (Virginia assistant coach Brad Soderberg) is already earning more in salary at his current job than UWGB is likely to be able to pay.

 

[houstonbrave]

Wow-Something sure is strange here. You fire a coach who has been pretty successful, really late in the offseason, it is not for cause at a time when budgets are even more strained due to Covid 19, and you give him a pretty big payout (for a school like Wisc-GB. There has to be more to the story but it seems really strange.

 

[Da Coach]

One of the top candidates for the UW-Green Bay head coaching job has removed himself from consideration. Gary Grzesk, a former UWGB playuer and current successful D3 head coach at St. Norbert college, was also a candidate for the same job in 2010 and 2015.
The AD will start conducting virtual interviews tomorrow (Tuesday, June 2).
https://www.greenbaypressgazette.co...gb-mens-basketball-job-contention/5310093002/

Bradley assistant Jimmie Foster is still a candidate.

 

[Da Coach]

New article in the Green Bay Press that reports there are about 10 finalists for the Green Bay job who will be interviewed-
https://www.greenbaypressgazette.com...ts/3126056001/

For those who can't read due to the paywall, the candidates include some new names-

"The list of those who will interview has grown to about 10, including Virginia assistant Brad Soderberg, University of Portland assistant Ben Johnson and Bradley assistant Jimmie Foster."
Three other candidates have emerged:
St. Edward’s University coach Andre Cook- he is 192-132 in 11 seasons at Division II SEU in Austin, TX.
Oregon State assistant Gregg Gottlieb- older brother of TV and radio basketball analyst Doug Gottlieb. Has been a D1 assistant for 26 years, the last 6 at Oregon State.
Mississippi State assistant Ernie Zeigler- assistant coach at Mississippi State since 2015. Was head coach at Central Michigan from 2006-2012, and went 75-111 in 6 seasons and never had a winning season.

Also from the article-
Among the known candidates, Foster has started to gain momentum.
The Wisconsin native was a UWGB assistant for five seasons under Brian Wardle and followed Wardle to Bradley when he was hired in 2015. He has received high marks for his recruiting ability, which included helping land a pair of former Phoenix stars in Carrington Love and Jordan Fouse.
If UWGB hopes to hire a coach who can connect with the community, Wardle said last month that Foster would be a great choice.
“He is out in the community a lot with me,” Wardle said. “He does a lot with our boosters. He is very, very good with our community and the people here in Peoria. I think he has grown in that area from Green Bay to Peoria at a high level, but I just think all around that he’s a really good coach and a really good person.”

While St. Norbert College coach Gary Grzesk withdrew his name from consideration Monday, Soderberg still will interview with the school despite a sizable salary gap in what he is making at Virginia and what he would make in Green Bay.
UWGB remains on pace to hire a coach by next week.

 

[braves16]

https://www.jsonline.com/story/spor...l-famer-bo-ryan-finalist-uwgb-job/3145083001/

 

[Da Coach]

Green Bay will hire Will Ryan as their new head coach-
https://www.greenbaypressgazette.co...yan-its-new-mens-basketball-coach/3158834001/
https://www.wearegreenbay.com/top-stories/breaking-uw-green-bay-hires-will-ryan-as-head-coach/

Will Ryan is the son of legendary University of Wisconsin head coach Bo Ryan. He is currently the head coach at Wheeling Univeristy, a Division II school in Virginia. He was also a former D1 assistant coach under Saul Phillips at Ohio University and North Dakota State University.
Ryan was one of four finalists for the UWGB job. The list included Virginia assistant Brad Soderberg, Bradley assistant Jimmie Foster and Notre Dame assistant Rod Balanis.
Tough luck for Jimmie Foster, a terrific guy, and a terrific coach who would have been successful there with his coaching ability and his recruiting connections throughout the state of Wisconsin and the Midwest.

 

[Da Coach]

UW- Green Bay beat writer for the Green Bay Press Gazette Scott Venci says:

Side note: Bradley assistant and former Rufus King star Jimmie Foster was considered the 'runner-up' for the GB men's job. Still has a quality situation to return to in Illinois.

 

[Tommy]

That's too bad for Jimmie, and at the same time, great news for BU. Bittersweet as we'd love to see our guys get better opportunities, but I'm sure as we continue to improve, more opportunities will come up.

Jimmie - we're super excited to have you back another year and this season is going to be special!

 

[Da Coach]

....
Interim-
IUPUI - Jason Gardner fired - assistant coach Byron Rimm still listed as Interim Head Coach; now rumor that IUPUI is temporarily suspending their search
North Carolina A&T- Jay Joiner still listed as head coach, but remains suspended; Asst. Coach Will Jones is still interim head coach.

The strange saga at North Carolina A&T continues-
North Carolina A&T Head Coach Jay Joiner was suspended back on December 27, not long after the team visited Peoria and played Bradley on Dec. 7.
No reason was ever given, and Associate Head Coach Will Jones was named Interim Head Coach. Their official website never mentioned the changes nor changed either man's title. Jones took over with the team 3-10, and lead them to a 14-5 record over the rest of the season and was named MEAC Coach of the Year. Yet, Joyner has retained the title of Head Coach since his suspension Dec. 27, and Jones still carries the title of Interim HC.
Yesterday, almost 6 months after his suspension for undisclosed personal reasons, NC A&T announced that Joyner had finally "resigned". No details of the reason or the resolution of his contract were given.
But strangely, Will Jones is still their Interim Head Coach, and NC A&T has not yet removed the "Interim" nor given him the official Head Coach title.
Even more strange, their official website has never mentioned the suspension or the "resignation" of Joyner, and their official coaches page still shows Joyner as the Head Coach with Jones as Associate Head Coach. :roll:
https://ncataggies.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster#sidearm-roster-coaches