Marshall ended its men's basketball season on Wednesday with a Conference USA Tournament loss to ODU. Less than 48 hours later, it appears Tom Herrion's tenure as head coach is also coming to a end.
At 1:45 p.m. today Marshall athletic director Mike Hamrick will hold a press conference to discuss the future of the basketball program. Multiple reports indicate Herrion's dismissal will be announced at the event.
The Herd just completed a 11-22 campaign, only the fourth 20 loss season in Marshall men's basketball history. Over four seasons Herrion compiled a 67-67 record. During that time he was well under .500 in league play, ending his Marshall career with a 28-36 mark against Conference USA competition.
In his first year on the job, Herrion pushed the Herd to 22 wins and a CollegeInsider.com Tournament bid. He followed that up with a NIT appearance in 2012, Marshall's first in 24 years.
Heading into the 2012-2013 season, Marshall was selected to finish second in C-USA and two players were placed on the preseason all conference team. The lofty expectations turned out to be a burden as the Herd finished 13-19.
This off-season Herrion took the dramatic step of dismissing DeAndre Kane from the team. In three seasons at Marshall Kane became the schools 15th all time leading scorer and 8th in all time assist. Now at Iowa State, Kane was named Big 12 Newcomer of the Year after averaging 17.1 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 5.9 assist per game this year.
Attrition was a constant issue with Herrion's Herd. Over the past four years nine players left Marshall's basketball program without completing their eligibility
Discipline was another problem. In a Sports Illustrated report this February Herrion's own players accused their coach of failing to reprimand Kane despite a laundry list of problems including tardiness, physical altercations with teammates, and verbal abuse of staff members.
The Herald Dispatch is reporting that Herrion's contract includes a $525,000 buyout which has been raised through private sources.
We will have more on this story as it develops throughout the day.
No comments:
Post a Comment