We’re into February now in the NCAA basketball season, meaning the season is actually getting close to the end. We’ve seen phenomenal or breakout performances from a number of teams and players, but we’ve also seen the opposite happen. There are several programs that just haven’t performed well this year, with some being major disappointments after solid expectations. We’re going to consider some of these disappointments and look directly at their leadership.
Today, we’ll be looking closely at eight schools that should consider a coaching change this offseason. The fates of most of these programs have already been sealed, and it’s hard to say that some sort of miracle run in the final weeks of the season will save their jobs (though a few of these coaches have already done that). Let’s get right into the coaches on the hottest part of the hot seat.
Mike Anderson
Anderson’s coaching career got off to a hot start, winning a national championship as an assistant at Arkansas, taking UAB to the Sweet Sixteen in his first head coaching job, and then getting Missouri to the Elite Eight a few years later. In the last decade, he’s largely underachieved, taking over at St. John’s four years ago after a stagnant run leading the Razorbacks. Unfortunately, his time with the Red Storm has been largely unsuccessful.
While St. John’s does play in a very strong conference in the Big East, they really haven’t factored into the conference race since Anderson has been at the school. He’s won no more than 17 games in any of his first four seasons and has won just under 39% of conference games with the Red Storm. This season, he brought in transfers Andre Curbelo and David Jones and has a talented squad, but a squad that sits an abysmal 4-10 in conference play.
St. John’s isn’t necessarily patient with head coaches, and Anderson could be trending towards his first sub-.500 finish as a head coach. Considering Chris Mullin only last four seasons, it’s fair to expect Anderson’s time will come to an end barring some sort of late season magic. At this point, a St. John’s squad that beat up on bad teams and started 11-1 has really shown its colors and could use new direction. This is not a contender in the Big East.