Coaching Carousel Conference Preview: A10

Last year, the A10 was a one-bid league for the first time since 2005. Six coaches made their league debuts, which could explain why the conference took a step back in the national landscape. This spring only saw two changes, but another wave of movement is on the horizon. Let’s take a look at the A10 coaching carousel preview.

Newcomers

Tony Skinn (George Mason)

17 years after leading George Mason to a Final Four, Tony Skinn returns as the program’s head coach. He replaces Kim English, who left for Providence. Skinn played overseas for six years before coming back to the states to work for Team Takeover. He broke into the college ranks in 2015 as an assistant with Louisiana Tech, spending three years there. He bounced around at Seton Hall, Ohio State and Maryland before landing the job in Fairfax. Skinn’s familiarity with the DMV will go a long way in recruiting battles. The Patriots shouldn’t see any drop-off in results with their new head coach.

Ryan Odom (VCU)

Ryan Odom is famous for leading 16-seed UMBC over 1-seed Virginia in the 2018 NCAA Tournament. What people don’t realize is that Odom is not just a one-hit wonder. In eight years as a head coach, he’s won 60% of his games. At Utah State, he went 44-25 in two seasons, including a 26-9 record with a NCAA Tournament appearance last year. Odom returns to the state of Virginia for the first time since 2010, where he was an assistant with Virginia Tech. He replaces Mike Rhoades, who left to become the head coach at Penn State. VCU has a rich tradition of successful coaches and Odom is primed to continue that trend. He immediately brought in a stellar transfer class and should have the Rams at the top of the league in year one.

Potential Movers

Keith Urgo (Fordham)

Keith Urgo finally got his chance to lead a program and wasted no time showing people why he deserved the opportunity. In his first year at Fordham, he led the Rams to a 25-8 record, the school’s highest win total since 1990. He was named A10 Coach of the Year and immediately turned Rose Hill into one of the toughest places to play in the league. Fordham loses their two best players from last year, so some regression is expected. If Urgo can manufacture another successful season, however, he could find himself in the mix for some high major opportunities next spring.

Frank Martin (UMass)

Frank Martin and UMass is a weird fit, to put it plainly. The Miami, F.L. native spent the previous 10 years at South Carolina and was at Kansas State the six years before that. He had a brief stint as an assistant at Northeastern, but has no other coaching ties to the area. His first year in Amherst was rocky. The Minutemen finished 15-16 overall and 13th in the A10. They had some tough injury luck and following the season, a majority of the rotation transferred out. In addition to the on-court struggles, he called out the fan base, responding to their online criticisms of his program. Martin reportedly had some interest in the South Florida job this spring – he’s very close with the head coach of the women’s program there. If the right opportunity opens next spring, don’t be surprised to see Martin look for a way out.

Hot Seat

Anthony Grant (Dayton)

Anthony Grant heads into his seventh season at Dayton with one NCAA Tournament appearance to show for it. Every head coach at Dayton since Jim O’Brien (1989-1994) has made the tournament at least twice during their tenure. Last year, the Flyers dealt with an injury bug that derailed their season. Malachi Smith and Kobe Elvis only played in 19 of 34 games and were never able to get in sync. There’s reason for optimism though, as Dayton brings back the league’s best player in DaRon Holmes and hopes to have a healthy backcourt. The Flyers are the presumed favorite to win the league again. Should they miss the tournament, it could mean the end of Grant’s tenure at his alma mater.

Travis Ford (Saint Louis)

Despite four 20-win seasons in the last five years, Travis Ford finds himself on the hot seat heading into 23-24. Ford enters his eighth year at Saint Louis with only one NCAA Tournament appearance. The Billikens had one of the oldest teams in the country last year, led by First Team All-A10 point guard Yuri Collins. SLU couldn’t capitalize on a down year for the league, losing three times to eventual champion VCU. Saint Louis athletic director Chris May issued a statement and vote of confidence at the end of the season. If there’s anything we’ve learned based on previous experience, it’s that votes of confidence are a kiss of death more often than not. Saint Louis needs a big year if Ford wants to see another season at Chaifetz Arena.

Billy Lange (St. Joseph’s)

Billy Lange is 38-77 in four years at St. Joe’s. He’s responsible for the only two single-digit-win seasons in the last three decades. So why did he receive a multi-year contract extension after the season? The terms of the contract weren’t disclosed, but extensions like this typically satisfy recruit’s stability concerns and include a buyout reduction. Athletic director Jill Bodensteiner threw her support behind Lange, saying she was pleased with the progress the Hawks have made over the last few years. There is some optimism around the program heading into 23-24, but don’t be surprised to see Lange on this list at the end of the year if things don’t go well.

Retirement Watch

Keith Dambrot (Duquesne)

Keith Dambrot will turn 65 before the start of the 23-24 season. Rumors are circulating that this could be his last year before retirement and he’s making sure he goes out with a bang. The Dukes are primed to take a huge jump thanks to a group featuring seven (7!) players in their last year of eligibility. Dae Dae Grant and Jimmy Clark are back, giving Duquesne one of the best backcourts in the A10. Throw in the additions of Dusan Mahorcic (NC State) and Andrei Savrasov (Georgia Southern) and this group has all the makings of a NCAA tournament team. Dambrot has an opportunity to go out a conference champion.

Fran Dunphy (La Salle)

When La Salle hired Fran Dunphy last year, they knew it wasn’t meant to be a long-term fix. Dunphy turns 75 before the start of the season and will be a staple on the retirement watch list for the rest of his career. He was brought in to stabilize a program that hasn’t seen a winning season since 2015 and led the Explorers to a 15-19 record in year one. There’s very likely a succession plan in place that could materialize as early as next spring.

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