CHICAGO -- The 2024 men's college basketball coaching carousel had the potential to reshape the sport for a generation.
Kentucky opened after John Calipari's departure for Arkansas. So, too, did Louisville, its biggest rival, down in the dumps after the miserable Kenny Payne era. Big football brands Michigan and Ohio State (also rivals) entered the market a few weeks apart, and a handful of other plum jobs popped open.
The prize of 2024, at least before Calipari suddenly became available, was Dusty May, the rising superstar with plenty of cache after taking FAU on a miracle run to the Final Four. The question was not if May would get a high-major job that cycle, but which one he'd take. If you were in the market for a coach, you were in the market for May. He held all the cards, and he knew it.
The four jobs that seemed most likely: Ohio State, Vanderbilt, Louisville and Michigan, a somewhat surprise entry to the carousel after pulling the plug on program legend Juwan Howard after a disastrous 8-24 campaign.
At one point, Ohio State seemed positioned as the leader; it helped it had gotten a head start in its pursuit after firing Chris Holtmann in mid-February. But in doing so,...
- Log in to post comments
Link