Vanderbilt fires head coach Jerry Stackhouse
Vanderbilt dismissed head coach Jerry Stackhouse, the school announced on Thursday.
Stackhouse had been in charge of the Commodores since 2019-20, registering a 70-92 combined overall record and a 28-60 mark in the SEC through five seasons. Vanderbilt went 4-14 in conference play this year and its season ended with Wednesday's 90-85 overtime loss to Arkansas in the first round of the SEC Tournament.
He never took the program to the NCAA Tournament. The school hasn't made the tourney since 2017 when Bryce Drew led Vanderbilt to a first-round exit in his first of three seasons in charge.
The 49-year-old Stackhouse's buyout is believed to be worth more than $15 million, sources told CBS Sports' Matt Norlander.
"I want to thank Coach Stackhouse for his competitive spirit and service to this university for the last five years," Vanderbilt athletic director Candice Storey Lee said in a statement. "I appreciate his care for and attention to our student-athletes as they grew on and off the court. Commodore Nation will always remember the 'Memorial Magic' moments we experienced under Coach Stackhouse's leadership."
Following Wednesday's season-ending defeat, Stackhouse said he still had to discuss his future behind the bench with the school but acknowledged the team's disappointing performance.
"We're going to sit down and talk after the season, like we always do," he said Wednesday, courtesy of The Tennessean's Aria Gerson. "I think obviously it's been a long season, not the season that we hoped for. Again, I'm so proud of my guys, so proud of how they competed and how they've grown. But we understand it's a results business. The results haven't been there. Obviously there's some context behind those results.
"At the end of the day, I understand that. We have to take accountability for that. We'll sit down and we'll discuss that, we'll figure out the best way going forward."
Vanderbilt is considering Washington State head coach Kyle Smith, Princeton's Mitch Henderson, former Louisville and Xavier bench boss Chris Mack, and Josh Schertz of Indiana State as candidates to replace Stackhouse, reports Norlander.
Stackhouse starred in two seasons for North Carolina before suiting up for eight franchises over an impressive 18-year NBA career. Prior to taking over the Commodores, he served as an assistant with the Toronto Raptors and Memphis Grizzlies. He was also head coach of Toronto's G League unit for three seasons, leading the Raptors 905 to the championship in 2017 as well as claiming that season's Coach of the Year award.