NCAA Basketball: Hot Seat Head Coaches in Mid-December of 2023-24 season

Jerry Stackhouse - Vanderbilt Commodores

A former star at North Carolina in the mid-90’s, Stackhouse had an 18-year NBA playing career before spending several seasons as an NBA assistant and G-League head coach. In 2019, he returned to the college game as head coach at Vanderbilt despite having zero collegiate coaching experience and only limited experience as any kind of coach.

The decision looked rough early on, with the Commodores finishing near the bottom of the SEC standings in each of his first three seasons. Last year was a relative breakthrough, tying for 4th place with a 22-win campaign that included a nice voyage in the NIT. That performance didn’t seem to be an omen for the future, as the Commodores have really struggled this season. Stackhouse’s squad lost their opener to a rough Presbyterian team and has since added four more losses, including a pair at home.

Vanderbilt has not sniffed the NCAA Tournament in the half-decade since Stackhouse has been the head coach. There has certainly been talent in Nashville and this program has shown signs of brilliance, but it might not hurt to move in a new direction. There’s been a change at athletic director since Stackhouse was fired and this year’s dreadful campaign, especially on the defensive end, can’t look too attractive for his future with the school.