Who Might Fit at Southern Illinois?

Candidates Far and Wide

(St. Louis, MO) – Who might fit at Southern Illinois? After firing basketball coach Bryan Mullins the ‘rumor mill’ has been fairly silent in Carbondale, Illinois. By releasing the popular and relatively successful Mullins, SIU administration has put themselves in a spot where the ‘name’ of the next coach must really say something to the SIU faithful.

This must be a coach that excites the fan base, donors and recruits alike.

We often think of regional ties, a link to the school or a past coach. However, they just fired that guy. SIU is not in an easy position.

Names have surfaced on several fronts. We have heard they are looking for someone with head coaching experience, so that narrows the field.

Who Might Fit – Regional Recognition

The weekend Mullins was let go, we started hearing there was strong sentiment for former Saluki player Kyle Smithpeters. The elder of the two former Saluki playing Smithpeters brothers, was wildly successful at the junior college level. His ten-year record (241-70) at John A. Logan included four national tournament appearances and eight conference ‘coach of the year’ awards.

He previously was an assistant at Missouri State and is currently an assistant coach at the University of Missouri.

Does outstanding junior college success warrant a head coaching spot in the Valley?

Indiana State Associate Head Coach Matthew Graves is an interesting option. He could end up with Josh Schertz at whatever school Schertz is rumored to be moving to, or if Schertz leaves Terre Haute, Graves could take over the Sycamore program. If not, then Graves who has been a valuable part of coaching staffs of outstanding programs (Butler and ISU) and was a head coach at South Alabama, could be an option. His regional ties go far and wide.

Does his 65-96 head coaching record encourage or discourage the decision makers.

Who Might Fit – D1 Head Coaches

Two current head coaches make sense to Valley Hoops Insider and we’ve heard some reporting that these two are at least on the list of those being considered.

Wright State’s Scott Nagy has a proven track record of mid-major success. He has won three Horizon League titles and has taken four of his Raider teams to postseason play. Twice they earned NCAA Tournament berths. His eight year record at Wright State is 167-92.

Nagy was the long time coach at South Dakota State where he helped transition the Jackrabbits from Division 2 to D1. During his nine D2 years there, the Jackrabbits qualified for eight NCAA Tournaments, four times they reached the D2 Sweet Sixteen.

After six lean years during the difficult transition to D1, the team enjoyed six very successful seasons. The Summit League members played postseason basketball in each of Nagy’s last five seasons. Three of those postseason trips were to ‘The Big Dance’.

Nagy’s overall record at SDS is 200-181.

Another name we’ve heard is Preston Spradlin’s. The Morehead State coach has been outstanding during his eight Ohio Valley Conference seasons. His Eagles set a program record with 26 wins this past season and have won at least 22 games in four straight campaigns. Two of his last four teams have gone dancing and one team went to the NIT.

His 140-109 record doesn’t blow you away, but after three and a half seasons (he took over mid-season in 2016-17) of building the program’s foundation, his record is an outstanding 94-38. His teams are 58-16 in league play over that same time period.

Spradlin has learned to work the portal better than most mid-major coaches. He’s been able to find players from high-majors, mid-majors, junior colleges and lower divisions to make his teams successful.

The Eagles led the OVC in attendance and win with defense, rebounding and three-pointers.

Long Shots

In a different era there may have been different kinds of coaches on this list.

SIU and Missouri Valley Conference schools have often looked to Purdue for up-and-coming coaches. Purdue veteran assistants Brandon Brantley and Terry Johnson could fill that bill and Illinois assistant coach Tim Anderson, who spent time at DePaul all have strong regional recruiting connections.

Grand Canyon’s Jamall Walker would be a stronger candidate than those Purdue and Illinois assistants. Walker played at Saint Louis and coached at Murray State, Saint Louis, and Illinois. He was an interim head coach at Illinois during an Illini appearance in the NIT.

Others that fit this category are Oklahoma assistant Armon Gates and Kansas State assistant Rodney Perry.

Would former Saluki Kent Williams be a good fit? After several Division 1 coaching assignments, Williams has been cutting his head coaching teeth at the high school level. His De Smet Spartans just won a Missouri State title.

Would Saluki nation welcome back current Northwestern assistant Chris Lowery?

What about former Indiana State coach Greg Lansing? He’s been working at Arizona State, knows the league and could immediately build a very solid coaching staff.

We’re hearing increased rumblings that Nagy is currently the preferred choice. At 57, this could be the final move of his career, where he wants to build a legacy. If it were the younger (37) Spradlin, it could be the place where he earns a national reputation and puts Saluki nation back on the map.

This search has literally gone all over the map. We wish the Salukis well.

Do Good