Duke Could Lose Coach Before March Madness Begins
The college basketball teaching carousel is underway already.
One distinguished head coach opening has been crammed on the expense of one other. Belmont’s Casey Alexander agreed to take the identical place at Kansas State, changing Jerome Tang, who was fired mid-February for trigger.
ESPN named Sophomores Sam Orme, who averaged 12.7 factors per recreation this 12 months, and Drew Scharnowski, who averaged 10.7 factors per recreation, as two Belmont gamers more likely to comply with Alexander to Ok-State.
Alexander has a adorned resume as one of many prime mid-major coaches of the final decade. He led Lipscomb to a 113-84 document with an NCAA Tournament look and NIT runner-up end throughout six seasons earlier than leaping to Belmont in 2019.
With the Bruins, Alexander compiled a 166-60 document, successful 20 video games or extra in each season, with an NCAA Tournament look and NIT look. Belmont completed 26-6 this season, successful the Missouri Valley regular-season championship.
As Belmont now searches for Alexander’s successor, Kevin Sweeney of Sports Illustrated named two candidates to look at — one in all whom might come from the 30-2 duke Blue Devils.
“Two names sources have indicated are likely to be involved in the search to replace Casey Alexander at Belmont: Alabama-Huntsville HC Mick Hedgepeth & Duke assistant Evan Bradds,” Sweeney wrote. “Both played at Belmont for Rick Byrd. Bradds also spent time on staff with the Celtics and Jazz.”
Bradds, who’s in his first season as an assistant at Duke beneath head coach Jon Scheyer, has a protracted historical past with Belmont.
The 31-year-old was a standout ahead for the Bruins. He was a two-time AP All-American honorable point out, a two-time Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year, a two-time All-OVC first-team choice, and an All-OVC second-team choice throughout his profession.
Bradds went undrafted and instantly jumped into the teaching world.
He earned his first assistant teaching job with the Boston Celtics again in 2018, the place he remained earlier than leaving to take the identical place with the Utah Jazz in 2022. After 4 years with the Jazz, Bradds jumped again to the school ranks to work beneath Scheyer.
