City of Basketball Love

Teddy Bailey (@TheTeddyBailey)
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In College Basketball, replacing a fired head coach is a difficult task on its own. The ensuing hire can either spur a program’s rebuild or completely set it back for years, with the process repeating itself several years down the road.

The majority of coaches who are relieved of their duties are told at the immediate conclusion of their season. The swift decision allows for an athletic director to choose from the best pool of coaching talent possible; most head coaching positions are filled throughout March and early April, in time for the crucial live recruiting weekends that latter month.

Except at Delaware, where the athletic administration has had to work through a delayed process that could set the men’s hoops team back for years.

Former head coach Monté Ross was fired after 10 seasons on March 18 -- Saturday will mark 50 days since Ross was let go. The University announced, back in mid-March, that Ross’s position would not be filled until an athletic director had been hired.

That search for an AD is still ongoing, and while Delaware may indeed fill the spot within the coming days or weeks, it may be already too late to salvage the 2016-17 season--and possibly the few beyond that.

Ross’s removal after a 7-23 season this past year was expected, not necessarily because of his track record but due to the lack of support from a questionable administration.

Following Delaware’s 2013-14 CAA Championship and NCAA Tournament appearance, Ross’s contract had just one season remaining. But where most coaches receive almost automatic extensions after making the Big Dance, UDel Athletic Director Eric Ziady and Ross were unable to come to an agreement as Ziady lowballed Ross on a contract and then withdrew the extension before Ross could consent.

It’s no secret that Ziady handled Ross’s contract situation chaotically, at best. During UD’s season-ending loss in late February 2015, fans handing out signs in support of Ross were told by Delaware officials to stop. In the end, former UD president Patrick Harker, vice president Scott Douglass and other trustees intervened and extended Ross for three seasons in late March of 2015.

Two of those three seasons never came to fruition, though it was a different administration entirely that ended Ross’ tenure for good.

Harker left in June 2015 to become the President and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank in Philadelphia, a job he took just a few weeks before extending Ross’ contract. Douglass departed in November 2015, becoming the vice chancellor for finance and administration at North Carolina State University.

Ziady resigned effective December 31, 2015, a little more than three years after he took the job. His replacement still has not been named; sports management professor Matt Robinson is currently the acting AD at Delaware.

When Ross’ firing came, it was with Robinson and interim president Nancy Targett in charge--though President-to-be Dennis Assanis, according to the Wilmington (Del.) News-Journal, “[had] been visiting campus and taking part in decisions.”

All of this turmoil in the administration had a direct effect on the team’s roster.

After the university’s fifth NCAA tournament appearance in 2014, four starters departed. Devon Saddler, the school’s all-time leading scorer, graduated along with Davon Usher and Carl Baptiste. Usher transferred from Mississippi Valley State for his senior season and scored the most points in one season in Blue Hens history.

The fourth was Jarvis Threatt, who was kicked off the team before his senior season due to repeated violations of team rules. Threatt, who averaged 18 points per game as a junior, would have helped the following season’s transition with incoming freshman guards Kory Holden and Chivarsky Corbett.

Holden and Corbett ended up anchoring a 2014-15 team that started 1-13 with lone scholarship  senior Kyle Anderson at the helm. The Hens’ eventual 10-20 (9-9 CAA) season was the least of their worries, though. Ross’ contract situation caused prized New Jersey recruit Eli Cain to decommit from Delaware. Jon Davis, a 3-star guard from Maryland, also spurned Delaware for Charlotte with Ross’ future in the air.

Because of this, Delaware did not have a recruiting class for 2015. Kyle Anderson graduated after a surprising run to the CAA Tournament quarterfinals. Marvin King-Davis only returned for his final year of eligibility because Ross was salvaged as Delaware’s head coach.

Delaware will also not have a recruiting class for 2016. And believe it or not, it gets worse.

Kory Holden, a first team All-CAA selection, announced that he would transfer three days before Ross’ firing. Last week, he picked South Carolina as his destination. Holden seemed to be a budding star in Newark, although the sophomore point guard was clearly frustrated by the on-court troubles.

Since then, four other Blue Hens have been granted their releases to transfer from the program, and one other one has already found a new home. Sophomore wing Chivarsky Corbett, who missed this season with an early ACL tear, committed to Texas-San Antonio on Thursday.

Guard Cazmon Hayes (one year of eligibility remaining) plus forwards Skye Johnson (two years) and Eric Carter (three years) also have the ability to transfer. They’d been waiting on the new coach announcement, but as that process drags out it’s unclear for how much longer they’ll wait.

Currently, the Blue Hens have five scholarship players on its roster without transfer releases: seniors Barnett Harris, Devonne Pinkard and Mo Jeffers, as well as junior Anthony Mosley and Darian Bryant, who transferred in from George Washington and has three years of eligibility remaining.

I think it’s safe to say that the long-term future of Delaware basketball will be decided by these next two hires. The pressure now lies on the upper administration of the university, which, like the athletic department, is lacking permanent leadership.

The University of Delaware is awaiting July 1, when Assanis will take office as the President of the school. The Vice Presidency is currently vacant, as the top two administrative positions are currently being filled on an interim basis.

Regardless, the clock is ticking. Summer is right around the corner, meaning teams will soon begin full-time practice schedules. Without any leadership for the basketball program, Delaware has no sense of direction.

There have already been countless consequences for waiting this long. Student-athletes are stuck in the middle and the coaching pool has essentially dried up. A poor hire will surely cause some, if not all, of the three waiting players to transfer.

It’s probably not the best idea to fire your basketball coach when you cannot hire one.

Now Delaware is forced to wait.