Montana State parting ways with head coach Brian Fish

Montana State AD Leon Costello announced that the program is parting ways with head coach Brian Fish after five seasons. Fish’s contract ends in June 30 but was informed this weekend that the deal will not be renewed.

This type of decision is always hard and one I do not take lightly,” Costello said in a statement. “We are grateful to Brian for his dedication to Montana State University and the men’s basketball program. We wish Brian the best in his future endeavors.”

Fish was 15-17 this season and 65-92 overall, failing to break the .500 mark in any of his five seasons. He arrived in Bozeman in 2014 after spending the previous ten seasons working under Dana Altman at Creighton and Oregon. All-in-all, Fish has been a member of Altman’s staff for 15 seasons, starting with his first coaching role as a grad assistant at alma mater Marshall.

The school noted that a national search begins immediately for Fish’s replacement. Some names that we think make sense for MSU include Pepperdine associate head coach Ken Bone, who was a head coach for many years and spent two seasons at Montana, as well as Western Oregon head coach Jim Shaw, a former Division I assistant with Big Sky experience.

h/t to Amy Lynn Nelson/406 MT Sports for the photo