In the first in-season firing of a Power 5 coach, Jim Christian’s lengthy and lackluster campaign with Boston College Basketball finally came to an end on Monday afternoon. Now one of the hottest jobs open in the coaching carousel, Scott Spinelli has been tabbed as an interim to close out the season.
Athletic Director Pat Kraft’s decision comes after Christian spent seven seasons on the sidelines with the Eagles, amassing a 78-132 record since being hired to replace Steve Donahue ahead of the 2014-15 season. In those seven years, Christian recorded just one overall winning record – a 19-16 finish in 2017-18 – with zero NCAA Tournament bids, no winning records in ACC play, and no finishes above 10th in the conference.
To say this was unexpected would be a lie, although Kraft’s decision-making leaves much to be desired given the timing and what Christian had to deal with recently – particularly in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
William V. Campbell Director of Athletics Pat Kraft announced today that head men’s basketball coach Jim Christian has been relieved of his duties effective immediately.
— Boston College Eagles (@BCEagles) February 15, 2021
Christian finishes his seven-year tenure with a record of 78-132 (.371), including 26-94 (.217) in the ACC.
For example, after the Eagles were forced to go on pause after a January 16th loss at Notre Dame, BC was slated to return on February 2nd, taking on Florida State. The issue with that is that Boston College only had four scholarship players available, meaning Christian would have been forced to round out the roster with players from the scout team – and neither Kraft nor the ACC cared in regard to Christian’s protests about not playing the game. Luckily, COVID-19 issues with the Seminoles ultimately forced the game to be postponed.
None of this is meant to defend Christian, but it leaves the Eagles in a peculiar situation moving forward. Christian’s hire was a bit of an oddity at the time, as well – he enjoyed great success at the mid-major level, going a combined 186-81 in eight seasons at Kent State and Ohio. Sandwiched in between, however, was a tumultuous four-year stretch at TCU, where he went 56-73 – before moving onto Ohio for just two seasons when the BC job eventually opened up.
This is, undoubtedly, one of the top two or three jobs currently open in college basketball, alongside Wichita State and Penn State. Whoever lands this job, however, will have a challenge ahead of them – the Eagles have not made the NCAA Tournament since Al Skinner led them there in 2008-09, and they have not enjoyed a winning conference record since Donahue’s first season in 2010-11.
Ultimately, this job may be more for an up-and-coming coach – or one that has connections to Boston College – rather than a coach who has circulated around Power 5 schools before. Luckily, for the Eagles, they have a number of viable options available – including the five listed here.