MORGANTOWN, West Virginia — Earlier today, it was announced that Marshall University has fired head coach Dan D’Antoni after 10 seasons (177-148 with a 95-81 record in conference play) with the school. Marshall finished the 2023-2024 season with a 13-20 record and D’Antoni is 76 years old so it seemed like an appropriate time to move on from him.
In the announcement that D’Antoni would no longer be with the program, Marshall also announced that current associate head coach Cornelius Jackson would take over as the team’s new head coach.
Marshall’s statement from Christan Spears, the Director of Athletics at the school, read: “This has been an inspiring decade of Marshall Basketball under the leadership of Coach D’Antoni,” said Spears. “His commitment to Marshall is unrivaled and his legacy will be honored for years to come. He built a program that plays for a community who deeply cares about him and our student-athletes. We wish him the very best and look forward to seeing him as he continues to support the program he built.
“We are confident that Coach Jackson will continue using the vast knowledge gained under Coach D’Antoni while maintaining the sincere connection to the student-athletes who played for D’Antoni and Corny over the last decade.”
However, according to social media insider, “Curry Hicks Sage”, the self-proclaimed “foremost unaffiliated expert on college basketball coaching searches”, Marshall actually considered making a really, really big move. The Smoking Musket posted the following message on X this evening: “Shame on Marshall for promoting an assistant instead of doing the funniest thing possible.” This, of course, is referring to hiring none other than Bob Huggins to be their next head coach.
Curry Hicks Sage replied, “Per a source, there was real talk of that actually happening.”
Per a source, there was real talk of that actually happening. https://t.co/hfrnAYd8Qf
— Curry Hicks Sage (@CurryHicksSage) March 25, 2024
Huggins, 70, said recently in an interview with a Pittsburgh television station that he wants to coach basketball again, but that he doesn’t really want to leave West Virginia. “I love the state and I love the people here. I don’t want to leave West Virginia, but it doesn’t look like I have much of a choice.”
With that said, this situation would have been absolutely perfect for Huggins, as he would have been able to get back into coaching and remain in the state of West Virginia. However, it appears that that plan fell through and Marshall instead chose Jackson, a coach with 935 less wins than Huggins, to lead their program.
What do you think? Should Marshall have hired Bob Huggins to lead the Thundering Herd? Leave a comment below!
