Exit Strategy: Average of Four Coaches Per Year Leave Tourney Teams

March 24th, 2012 - 16:49

An average of four coaches per year leave NCAA playoff teams since seeding started in 1979. The first of six tournament mentors to depart this year was Tim Miles, who abandoned Colorado State for the thankless task of trying to help Nebraska finally post its first NCAA tourney victory.

In every year since 1968, directing a team to the NCAA Tournament has been a springboard to bigger and better things at a "poach-a-coach" school. Following are head coaches since the field expanded to at least 64 entrants in 1985 who had a change of heart and accepted a similar job at a different major college immediately after directing a team to the NCAA playoffs:

1985 (six) - J.D. Barnett (Virginia Commonwealth to Tulsa), Craig Littlepage (Penn to Rutgers), Nolan Richardson (Tulsa to Arkansas), Andy Russo (Louisiana Tech to Washington), Tom Schneider (Lehigh to Penn), Eddie Sutton (Arkansas to Kentucky)

1986 (four) - Jim Calhoun (Northeastern to Connecticut), Paul Evans (Navy to Pittsburgh), Clem Haskins (Western Kentucky to Minnesota), George Raveling (Iowa to Southern California)

1987 (two) - Jim Brandenburg (Wyoming to San Diego State), Benny Dees (New Orleans to Wyoming)

1988 (two) - Dave Bliss (Southern Methodist to New Mexico), Tom Penders (Rhode Island to Texas)

1989 (four) - Tommy Joe Eagles (Louisiana Tech to Auburn), Bill Frieder (Michigan to Arizona State), Rick Majerus (Ball State to Utah), Lynn Nance (Saint Mary's to Washington)

1990 (five) - Kermit Davis Jr. (Idaho to Texas A&M), Mike Jarvis (Boston University to George Washington), Lon Kruger (Kansas State to Florida), Mike Newell (UALR to Lamar), Les Robinson (East Tennessee State to North Carolina State)

1991 (four) - Tony Barone (Creighton to Texas A&M), Jim Molinari (Northern Illinois to Bradley), Stew Morrill (Montana to Colorado State), Steve Newton (Murray State to South Carolina)

1992 (one) - Charlie Spoonhour (Southwest Missouri State to Saint Louis)

1993 (one) - Eddie Fogler (Vanderbilt to South Carolina)

1994 (eight) - Tom Asbury (Pepperdine to Kansas State), Rick Barnes (Providence to Clemson), Jeff Capel Jr. (North Carolina A&T to Old Dominion), Kevin O'Neill (Marquette to Tennessee), Skip Prosser (Loyola, Md. to Xavier), Kelvin Sampson (Washington State to Oklahoma), Ralph Willard (Western Kentucky to Pittsburgh), Jim Wooldridge (Southwest Texas State to Louisiana Tech)

1995 (three) - Dick Bennett (Wisconsin-Green Bay to Wisconsin), Scott Edgar (Murray State to Duquesne), Tubby Smith (Tulsa to Georgia)

1996 (one) - Ben Braun (Eastern Michigan to California)

1997 (five) - Ernie Kent (Saint Mary's to Oregon), Mack McCarthy (UT-Chattanooga to Virginia Commonwealth), Jim O'Brien (Boston College to Ohio State), Steve Robinson (Tulsa to Florida State), Al Skinner (Rhode Island to Boston College), Tubby Smith (Georgia to Kentucky)

1998 (seven) - Rick Barnes (Clemson to Texas), Larry Eustachy (Utah State to Iowa State), Rob Evans (Mississippi to Arizona State), Mark Gottfried (Murray State to Alabama), Mike Jarvis (George Washington to St. John's), Melvin Watkins (UNC Charlotte to Texas A&M), Tim Welsh (Iona to Providence)

1999 (four) - Steve Alford (Southwest Missouri State to Iowa), Dave Bliss (New Mexico to Baylor), Jim Harrick (Rhode Island to Georgia), Dan Monson (Gonzaga to Minnesota)

2000 (four) - Barry Collier (Butler to Nebraska), Ray McCallum (Ball State to Houston), Buzz Peterson (Appalachian State to Tulsa), Bill Self (Tulsa to Illinois)

2001 (five) - Thad Matta (Butler to Xavier), Dave Odom (Wake Forest to South Carolina), Skip Prosser (Xavier to Wake Forest), Gary Waters (Kent State to Rutgers), Jay Wright (Hofstra to Villanova)

2002 (three) - Stan Heath (Kent State to Arkansas), Steve Merfeld (Hampton to Evansville), Jerry Wainwright (UNC Wilmington to Richmond)

2003 (eight) - Cy Alexander (South Carolina State to Tennessee State), Ed DeChellis (East Tennessee State to Penn State), Dennis Felton (Western Kentucky to Georgia), Ben Howland (Pittsburgh to UCLA), Oliver Purnell (Dayton to Clemson), Bill Self (Illinois to Kansas), Dereck Whittenburg (Wagner to Fordham), Roy Williams (Kansas to North Carolina)

2004 (eight) - Jessie Evans (Louisiana-Lafayette to San Francisco), Ray Giacoletti (Eastern Washington to Utah), Billy Gillispie (Texas-El Paso to Texas A&M), Trent Johnson (Nevada to Stanford), Thad Matta (Xavier to Ohio State), Matt Painter (Southern Illinois to Purdue), Joe Scott (Air Force to Princeton), John Thompson III (Princeton to Georgetown)

2005 (two) - Travis Ford (Eastern Kentucky to Massachusetts), Bruce Pearl (Wisconsin-Milwaukee to Tennessee)

2006 (eight) - Mike Anderson (UAB to Missouri), Brad Brownell (UNC Wilmington to Wright State), Mick Cronin (Murray State to Cincinnati), Mike Davis (Indiana to UAB), Fran Dunphy (Penn to Temple), Jim McDermott (Northern Iowa to Iowa State), Kelvin Sampson (Oklahoma to Indiana), Herb Sendek (North Carolina State to Arizona State)

2007 (four) - Ronnie Arrow (Texas A&M-Corpus Christi to South Alabama), Todd Lickliter (Butler to Iowa), Billy Gillispie (Texas A&M to Kentucky), Gregg Marshall (Winthrop to Wichita State)

2008 (five) - Jim Christian (Kent State to Texas Christian), Tom Crean (Marquette to Indiana), Keno Davis (Drake to Providence), Darrin Horn (Western Kentucky to South Carolina), Trent Johnson (Stanford to Louisiana State)

2009 (three) - John Calipari (Memphis to Kentucky), Anthony Grant (Virginia Commonwealth to Alabama), Seth Miller (Xavier to Arizona)

2010 (five) - Tony Barbee (Texas-El Paso to Auburn), Steve Donahue (Cornell to Boston College), Bob Marlin (Sam Houston State to Louisiana-Lafayette), Fran McCaffery (Siena to Iowa), Oliver Purnell (Clemson to DePaul).

2011 (seven) - Mike Anderson (Missouri to Arkansas), Patrick Chambers (Boston University to Penn State), Ed DeChellis (Penn State to Navy), Sydney Johnson (Princeton to Fairfield), Lon Kruger (UNLV to Oklahoma), Jim Larranaga (George Mason to Miami, Fla.), Mark Turgeon (Texas A&M to Maryland)

2012 (six) - Larry Eustachy (Southern Mississippi to Colorado State), Jim Ferry (Long Island to Duquesne), John Groce (Ohio University to Illinois), Frank Martin (Kansas State to South Carolina), Tim Miles (Colorado State to Nebraska), Sean Woods (Mississippi Valley State to Morehead State)

It takes two to tango so schools seeking a new coach aren't exempt from criticism. For instance, Murray State's athletic director was annoyed with Mississippi State and an executive search firm for pursuing up-and-coming coach Steve Prohm while the Racers were still participating in the NCAA playoffs.

Let it go in one ear and out the other when pious coaches and universities start lecturing about loyalty and commitment. Miles is one of more than 60 different active coaches on the following list who had at least four years remaining on their contracts with other Division I schools when they took off for greener pastures:

  • Steve Alford (3 years remaining on contract) - left Southwest Missouri State (after 1998-99 season)/hired by Iowa
  • Steve Alford (4) - Iowa/New Mexico
  • Dana Altman (2) - Marshall/Kansas State
  • Tommy Amaker (3) - Seton Hall/Michigan
  • Mike Anderson (4) - UAB/Missouri
  • Mike Anderson (5) - Missouri/Arkansas
  • Ronnie Arrow (2) - Texas A&M-Corpus Christi/South Alabama
  • Tony Barbee (4) - Texas-El Paso/Auburn
  • Rick Barnes (3) - George Mason/Providence
  • Rick Barnes (6) - Clemson/Texas
  • John Beilien (6) - Richmond/West Virginia
  • John Beilien (5) - West Virginia/Michigan
  • Tony Bennett (6) - Washington State/Virginia
  • Ken Bone (4) - Portland State/Washington State
  • Tad Boyle (2) - Northern Colorado/Colorado
  • Ben Braun (3) - Eastern Michigan/California
  • Mike Brey (7) - Delaware/Notre Dame
  • Milan Brown (3) - Mount St. Mary's/Holy Cross
  • Brad Brownell (1) - UNC Wilmington/Wright State
  • Brad Brownell (4) - Wright State/Clemson
  • Jeff Bzdelik (4) - Air Force/Colorado
  • Jeff Bzdelik (2) - Colorado/Wake Forest
  • John Calipari (10) - Massachusetts/New Jersey Nets
  • John Calipari (4) - Memphis/Kentucky
  • Patrick Chambers (5) - Boston University/Penn State
  • Jim Christian (5) - Kent State/Texas Christian
  • Ed Conroy (5) - The Citadel/Tulane
  • Ed Cooley (5) - Fairfield/Providence
  • Tom Crean (9) - Marquette/Indiana
  • Mick Cronin (1) - Murray State/Cincinnati
  • Ed DeChellis (2) - East Tennessee State/Penn State
  • Ed DeChellis (3) - Penn State/Navy
  • Billy Donovan (2) - Marshall/Florida
  • Larry Eustachy (6) - Utah State/Iowa State
  • Tim Floyd (6) - New Orleans/Iowa State
  • Tim Floyd (8) - Iowa State/Chicago Bulls
  • Geno Ford (4) - Kent State/Bradley
  • Travis Ford (7) - Massachusetts/Oklahoma State
  • Mark Fox (5) - Nevada/Georgia
  • Billy Gillispie (3) - Texas-El Paso/Texas A&M
  • Billy Gillispie (8) - Texas A&M/Kentucky
  • Mark Gottfried (4) - Murray State/Alabama
  • Anthony Grant (5) -F Virginia Commonwealth/Alabama
  • Seth Greenberg (2) - South Florida/Virginia Tech
  • Brian Gregory (7) - Dayton/Georgia Tech
  • Frank Haith (2) - Miami FL/Missouri
  • Leonard Hamilton (7) - Miami (Fla.)/Washington Wizards
  • Stan Heath (4) - Kent State/Arkansas
  • Paul Hewitt (3) - Siena/Georgia Tech
  • Ben Howland (1) - Northern Arizona/Pittsburgh
  • Ben Howland (6) - Pittsburgh/UCLA
  • Bob Huggins (4) - Kansas State/West Virginia
  • Ron Hunter (5) - IUPUI/Georgia State
  • Mike Jarvis (2) - Boston University/George Washington
  • Trent Johnson (5) - Nevada/Stanford
  • Trent Johnson (1) - Stanford/Louisiana State
  • Donnie Jones (4) - Marshall/Central Florida
  • Billy Kennedy (4) - Murray State/Texas A&M
  • Lon Kruger (4) - Kansas State/Florida
  • Lon Kruger (5) - Florida/Illinois
  • Lon Kruger (4) - Illinois/Atlanta Hawks
  • Lon Kruger (2) - UNLV/Oklahoma
  • Jim Larranaga (5) - George Mason/Miami FL
  • Jeff Lebo (2) - Tennessee Tech/Chattanooga
  • Jeff Lebo (8) - Chattanooga/Auburn
  • Mike Longergan (1) - Vermont/George Washington
  • Rick Majerus (2) - Ball State/Utah
  • Gregg Marshall (8) - Winthrop/Wichita State
  • Cuonzo Martin (4) - Missouri State/Tennessee
  • Thad Matta (9) - Xavier/Ohio State
  • Fran McCaffery (7) - Siena/Iowa
  • Ray McCallum (1) - Ball State/Houston
  • Jim McDermott (5) - Northern Iowa/Iowa State
  • Jim McDermott (5) - Iowa State/Creighton
  • Tim Miles (4) - Colorado State/Nebraska
  • Sean Miller (9) - Xavier/Arizona
  • Jim Molinari (2) - Northern Illinois/Bradley
  • Dan Monson (10) - Gonzaga/Minnesota
  • Mike Montgomery (4) - Stanford/Golden State Warriors
  • Stew Morrill (3) - Colorado State/Utah State
  • Porter Moser (5) - UALR/Illinois State
  • Kevin O'Neill (3) - Marquette/Tennessee
  • Kevin O'Neill (4) - Tennessee/Northwestern
  • Kevin O'Neill (2) - Northwestern/New York Knicks (assistant)
  • Louis Orr (4) - Siena/Seton Hall
  • Matt Painter (3) - Southern Illinois/Purdue
  • Eddie Payne (3) - East Carolina/Oregon State
  • Tom Pecora (4) - Hofstra/Fordham
  • Buzz Peterson (9) - Appalachian State/Tulsa
  • Buzz Peterson (4) - Tulsa/Tennessee
  • Buzz Peterson (2) - Coastal Carolina/Charlotte Bobcats (director of player personnel)
  • Buzz Peterson (4) - Appalachian State/UNC Wilmington
  • Rick Pitino (5) - Providence/New York Knicks
  • Rick Pitino (3) - Kentucky/Boston Celtics
  • Oliver Purnell (2) - Dayton/Clemson
  • Oliver Purnell (6) - Clemson/DePaul
  • Mike Rice Jr. (7) - Robert Morris/Rutgers
  • Lorenzo Romar (4) - Saint Louis/Washington
  • Joe Scott (4) - Air Force/Princeton
  • Bill Self (2) - Oral Roberts/Tulsa
  • Bill Self (5) - Tulsa/Illinois
  • Bill Self (5) - Illinois/Kansas
  • Herb Sendek (1) - Miami (Ohio)/North Carolina State
  • Herb Sendek (4) - North Carolina State/Arizona State
  • Larry Shyatt (4) - Wyoming/Clemson
  • Tubby Smith (3) - Tulsa/Georgia
  • Tubby Smith (6) - Georgia/Kentucky
  • Tubby Smith (4) - Kentucky/Minnesota
  • Mark Turgeon (2) - Jacksonville State/Wichita State
  • Mark Turgeon (9) - Wichita State/Texas A&M
  • Mark Turgeon (4) - Texas A&M/Maryland
  • Rex Walters (2) - Florida Atlantic/San Francisco
  • Gary Waters (5) - Kent State/Rutgers
  • Roy Williams (5) - Kansas/North Carolina

NOTE: Altman (Oregon), Amaker (Harvard), Braun (Rice), Eustachy (Southern Mississippi), Jarvis (Florida Atlantic), Majerus (Saint Louis), McCallum (Detroit), Molinari (Western Illinois), Montgomery (California), Moser (Loyola Chicago), Payne (USC Upstate), Scott (Denver), Shyatt (returned to Wyoming) and Waters (Cleveland State) subsequently changed jobs and are now coaching other DI schools.