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Monté Ross dismissed after ten seasons at Delaware

03/18/2016, 12:45pm EDT
By Teddy Bailey

Teddy Bailey (@TheTeddyBailey)
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After a decade of pacing the sidelines of the Bob Carpenter Center, Delaware head coach Monté Ross has been relieved of his duties, the university announced Friday morning.

Kevin Tresolini of The News Journal first reported Ross’ dismissal, which was described as a parting of ways in a press release given by the university.

Ross completed his tenth and final season at Delaware on March 4th, when the Blue Hens closed out a 7-23 (2-16 CAA) season with a 67-63 loss to the College of Charleston in the first round of the CAA Tournament.

"I had a great run at UD (10 years)...," Ross tweeted Friday. "Thanks to UD for the opportunity, really appreciate you guys, you were great to me and my family! #hens"

In the release, the university also announced that they have begun the search for its next athletic director. The position has been filled by the acting Matt Robinson since December, when Eric Ziady departed abruptly. Delaware will not begin the search for Ross’ replacement until the school finds its next athletic director, per the release.

At this time I believe it is best that the University start a new chapter with the men’s basketball program,” acting athletic director Matt Robinson said in the release. “I have notified Coach Ross of the decision and have thanked him for his service to the University. I admire the commitment he had to the young men in his program and the impact he and the program have had on the local community through community outreach."

Delaware’s best player, sophomore guard Kory Holden, announced Tuesday that he would be transferring from the program. Holden, a second-team All-CAA player, led the Hens in scoring this season with 17.7 points per game.

Ross led Delaware to a 132-184 record in ten years at the helm of the program. His tenure was highlighted by UD’s CAA title in 2013-14, leading to the school’s fifth NCAA tournament appearance and first since 1999. Ross, a former assistant at Drexel and St. Joseph’s, was named 2013-14 CAA Coach of the Year.

In 2014-15, however, the Blue Hens went just 10-20 in the rookie campaigns of guards Kory Holden and Chivarsky Corbett. Delaware was one of the youngest teams in the country as Kyle Anderson was the Hens’ lone senior in the regular rotation.

Ross’ firing comes after the coach received a long-awaited three-year extension after the 2014-15 campaign. Ross’ future was at odds with former athletic director Eric Ziady, who left the university this past December. Ziady’s opinion was overruled by university officials and Ross was awarded an extension in late March of 2015.

"I appreciate Coach Ross' contributions to Delaware Athletics over the years,” acting president Nancy Targett said in the release. “However, I believe that now is the time for new leadership of the men's basketball team. I know that Coach Ross' friends on the campus and in the community will join me in wishing him well in his next endeavor."

The late extension may have cost Delaware a pair of highly-touted recruits. St. Benedict’s (N.J) Eli Cain signed to Ross before decommitting from the Blue Hens in wake of the controversy. UD was in the running for Jon Davis before the Maryland guard committed to Charlotte.

Cain was DePaul's third-leading scorer as a freshman, averaging 10.3 points per game en route to being named to the Big East’s All-Freshman team. Davis was also the third-leading scorer at Charlotte, scoring 11.7 points and 4.7 assists in his first year.

The addition of both Cain and Davis would have tremendously benefitted the Hens this past season. Delaware was plagued by injuries, as 2015 CAA All-Rookie guard Chivarsky Corbett and sophomore forward Eric Carter both suffered season-ending knee injuries early in the season. Junior wing Devonne Pinkard missed nine games with a broken foot, while sophomore forward Skye Johnson was absent of 13 games due to a concussion/fractured skull.

For now, Delaware will only depart two players from its roster along with Holden. Third-team All-CAA forward Marvin King-Davis, who chose to use his final year of eligibility after Ross was extended, will graduate with former walk-on Sean Locke. King-Davis scored 14.8 points and nine rebounds per game for the Hens in his final season.

Delaware’s new coach will likely welcome the addition of guard Darian Bryant, a George Washington transfer that will have three years of eligibility remaining. Bryant sat out this season due to NCAA rules. The Blue Hens’ incoming recruiting class currently only features Baltimore guard Randy Miller, who chose Delaware over a Fairfield offer.

Delaware is also expected to return rising senior guard Cazmon Hayes (11.3 ppg), rising junior Anthony Mosley (9.7 ppg), among others.

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