Winthrop basketball’s new coaching hire is imminent. Here’s what we know
Winthrop is expected to have a new men’s basketball coach in less than 24 hours.
The university announced a Board of Trustees meeting for Friday at 11 a.m. The board will meet via executive session (not open to the public) for a “discussion of employment matters.” A contact at Winthrop told The Herald the expectation is that a new men’s basketball coaching hire will be approved.
Previous Winthrop basketball coach Pat Kelsey announced his decision to leave for the head coaching job at College of Charleston a week ago.
Here’s what you need to know.
Possible Winthrop coaching candidates
A flurry of names have surfaced in the week since there has been a job opening.
Current Winthrop assistant coach Justin Gray, who played at Wake Forest and in only his two seasons as an assistant coach has won two Big South championships, was once reportedly a finalist for the Eagles job. So was Mark Prosser, the 42-year-old son of the late, legendary head coach Skip Prosser who was an assistant under Pat Kelsey before being hired at Western Carolina in March 2018.
But the field is not limited to just them: Assistant coach at Tennessee Desmond Oliver got some attention on Twitter and might be in the mix. And who knows? The recent availability of Jason Shay, who resigned from the East Tennessee State coaching job a year into his tenure, might have shifted the conversation — although that is unlikely given how swiftly the hiring process has gone.
What team will the next coach be inheriting?
It’s no secret that Winthrop’s roster has changed since Kelsey announced his departure a week ago.
Three players — Adonis Arms, Charles Falden and Josh Corbin — have entered the transfer portal.
Big South Player of the Year Chandler Vaudrin reportedly will forego his final season and enter the NBA Draft.
And most recently, a Winthrop signee who was part of the 2021 class, Reyne Smith, announced that he’ll be following Kelsey to the College of Charleston instead of descending on Rock Hill.
Even with the expected lineup attrition, though, Winthrop’s status as a perennial power in the Big South will be unchanged: The Eagles have won Big South Conference tournament titles two years in a row and have made 11 NCAA tournament appearances since 1999.
This story was originally published April 1, 2021 at 1:04 PM.
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