Coaching Carousel Conference Preview: Big Ten

For the second year in a row, the Big Ten only saw one coaching change. With four coaches on the hot seat heading into 23-24, there’s a high likelihood that streak comes to an end this spring. When you work in one of the premier leagues in the country, the expectations go beyond regular season success. Let’s dive into the B10 coaching carousel preview.

Newcomers

Mike Rhoades (Penn State)

Mike Rhoades continues the tradition of VCU head coaches leaving for football-first P5 schools. He replaces Micah Shrewsberry, who left for Notre Dame. Rhoades is a Pennsylvania native with 19 years of head coaching experience. He spent 10 years at D3 Randolph-Macon before heading to VCU as the associate head coach in 2009. In 2014, he got his first D1 head coaching job at Rice. In his third year there, he led the Owls to their first 20-win season since 2004. When Will Wade left for LSU, Rhoades returned to VCU where he went 129-61 over six seasons. If there’s anyone that can keep the momentum going in State College, it’s Mike Rhoades. He put together a solid transfer class this spring and should be able to capitalize on the newfound relevance of Penn State basketball.

Potential Movers

Juwan Howard (Michigan)

Can anyone look at Juwan Howard and genuinely say that he’s happy in Ann Arbor? The Michigan alum had a tumultuous off-season. After the Wolverines missed the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2015, he dealt with the very public departure of All-American Hunter Dickinson. Then, his battle with Michigan admissions continued. Caleb Love was very publicly denied entry into the school over credit issues, marking the second time in as many years that he couldn’t sign a prized transfer due to academics. In early June, he reportedly had a heated discussion with athletic director Warde Manuel over NIL funding and resource allocation. Add in one son leaving for the NBA, the other almost done with his college career and you’ve got the recipe of a man who is ready to jump ship. Howard is already getting looks from the NBA and reportedly had some interest in the Pistons job when it became available. I don’t think anyone would be surprised if this is Howard’s last year at his alma mater.

Hot Seat

Ben Johnson (Minnesota)

The Ben Johnson experiment has not started off well in Minnesota. After two seasons, Johnson is 22-39 (6-33 B10). The Gophers had the third fewest wins of any power conference school last season and finished last in the Big Ten for the first time in over 50 years. The off-season transfer haul didn’t inspire confidence, but they do return one of the best bigs in the league in Dawson Garcia. If Johnson has another bad year, the only thing that may save him is his buyout. He would be owed 75% of his remaining salary, or somewhere in the neighborhood of $8M. Minnesota alum Niko Medved has his eyes on this one.

Fred Hoiberg (Nebraska)

The Mayor’s return to college hasn’t gone quite as planned. What was thought to be a slam dunk hire in 2019 has been underwhelming at best. Nebraska has gone 40-83 in four seasons under Hoiberg. There is reason for optimism though, as the Huskers finished the year strong and landed right at .500 for the season. Nebraska AD Trev Alberts feels similarly, saying in an off-season interview that the team made progress and showed resiliency during the year. The other thing Hoiberg has going for him is Nebraska’s recent overhaul of their football program. The Huskers are set to pay Matt Rhule $72M over the next eight years. All of these factors made it easy for Alberts to keep Hoiberg for a fifth season, but another underwhelming performance could lead to a change next spring.

Chris Holtmann (Ohio State)

If Ohio State fans had a say in the matter, they would’ve fired Chris Holtmann in February. The Buckeyes went through a stretch where they lost 14 out of 15 games in conference play. Ohio State missed the tournament for the first time in the Holtmann era and failed to win 20 games for only the second time in 20 years. The biggest knock on Holtmann’s resume is the lack of NCAA tournament success. The Buckeyes haven’t made the second weekend during his tenure, which isn’t good enough for a program with 11 Final Fours. Holtmann’s buyout is near $20M, one of the highest in the country, but the school will find the money if there isn’t progress made this season.

Greg Gard (Wisconsin)

Greg Gard became the first Wisconsin coach to miss multiple NCAA tournaments since Dick Bennett in the late 1990s. Gard is also responsible for two of the three worst finishes in KenPom’s rankings since the site’s inception. Wisconsin athletic director Chris McIntosh is no stranger to making big moves when he needs to. He let go of long-time football coach Paul Chryst in the middle of the season last year and made a splashy hire in Luke Fickell to replace him. Gard’s buyout recently increased to $12M, which may seem prohibitive for most schools, but not for a B10 power. It’s very hard being the guy that replaces “the guy”. Gard’s lack of post-season success and recent missed tournament put him squarely on the hot seat heading into 23-24.

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