NCAAB · 1 year ago

Hot Seat Watch: Top 5 College Basketball Coaches on Thin Ice

TJ Inman

Host · Writer

5. Juwan Howard - Michigan
Juwan Howard continues to make off-court headlines for altercations and health issues. He finds himself in the hot seat due to on-court performance, though. The Big Ten is not very good this season, and Michigan is the anchor in the basement of the league. Recruiting has dropped off and Howard does not appear to have the answers to turn the Michigan program around. There is a good chance he’ll be given one more season to right the ship, but his seat is hot.
1. Kenny Payne - Louisville
With Jerry Stackhouse and Chris Holtmann already fired, Louisville’s Kenny Payne has the hottest seat in college basketball coaching. Payne has been an abject disaster with the Cardinals and will very likely be canned as soon as the 2023-2024 season is complete. There is speculation that Louisville already has their next coach lined up, with rumors swirling around Arkansas’ Eric Musselman. The Cardinals are currently 8-18 and in dead last, again, in the ACC.
2. Mike Boynton - Oklahoma State
The Oklahoma State Cowboys are 11-14 and just 3-9 in the Big 12, tied for last place with the West Virginia Mountaineers and behind newcomers BYU, Cincinnati and UCF. Mike Boynton took the job in 2017 and is barely above .500 as the head coach for the Cowboys. He made the NCAA Tournament one time (2020-2021) and is on track for a third straight losing conference record. Boynton makes $3 million per season, and there is a bit of uncertainty surrounding the athletic department with the transitio to the Big 12. Still, it would be a surprise to see Boynton as Oklahoma State's head coach after this season.
3. Mike Davis - Detroit Mercy
The one-time head coach for the Indiana University Hoosiers is almost certainly entering his final games as a head coach. Mike Davis is in his sixth season as the coach for Detroit Mercy, and the Titans are a miserable 1-26. He now has a winning percentage of below 35 percent with Detroit, and the long-time head coach is 63 years old. There was some fun in Detroit with his son lighting up the scoreboard, but that time is over, and the winning never really started for Davis with the Titans.
4. Jerod Haase - Stanford
Jerod Haase has been on the hot seat for a little while now, and it was a bit of a surprise Stanford kept him for the 2023-2024 season. Haase recruited well and had a roster with some returning talent, so he was provided an opportunity to make it work this season. Despite playing in a weak PAC-12, it has not come together for the Cardinal. Stanford is 12-13 and only 7-8 in the league, and an NIT bid would be an accomplishment at this point. Haase is in his eighth season in Palo Alto. At some point, recruiting wins have to be secondary to the on-court losses.
5. Juwan Howard - Michigan
Juwan Howard continues to make off-court headlines for altercations and health issues. He finds himself in the hot seat due to on-court performance, though. The Big Ten is not very good this season, and Michigan is the anchor in the basement of the league. Recruiting has dropped off and Howard does not appear to have the answers to turn the Michigan program around. There is a good chance he’ll be given one more season to right the ship, but his seat is hot.
1. Kenny Payne - Louisville
With Jerry Stackhouse and Chris Holtmann already fired, Louisville’s Kenny Payne has the hottest seat in college basketball coaching. Payne has been an abject disaster with the Cardinals and will very likely be canned as soon as the 2023-2024 season is complete. There is speculation that Louisville already has their next coach lined up, with rumors swirling around Arkansas’ Eric Musselman. The Cardinals are currently 8-18 and in dead last, again, in the ACC.

Hot Seat Watch: Top 5 College Basketball Coaches on Thin Ice

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