Chicago State head coach Gerald Gillion has reportedly resigned to become the associate head coach under Rod Strickland at LIU. The CSU program is headed to the NEC this summer, which is the same conference the Sharks are in. Gillion was the Cougars’ head coach for three seasons, leading the team to the CBI and their first-ever D-I postseason victory this past year. The Cougars also upset #25 Northwestern in December 2023, a monumental win for the program.
LIU has struggled recently, going just 10-48 in two seasons under Strickland, but the school and its donors have been making significant investments into the program. Gillion will reportedly earn more than double his CSU salary by taking this staff position.
Gillion did a great job in a tough situation at Chicago State, having to piece together an independent schedule the last two years after leaving the WAC. Despite having no conference, the Cougars showed year over year improvement and earned the CBI invite – just the second D-I postseason appearance in program history – after a 12-18 regular season. One of the challenges of being the nation’s only D-I Independent was finding teams that were willing and/or able to play them during their conference schedule, much less traveling to Chicago to do it, which left the Cougars with just eleven regular season games after January 1st. Only three of those were at home, all against non-D-I opponents.
Before he was hired in 2021, Gillion spent time as an assistant at Samford, Tennessee Tech, South Florida and FIU. The 38-year-old is originally from Miami and got his start working at the camp, AAU and high school levels, most notably with the Breakdown Inc. AAU squad based out of Tallahassee (2005-12).
UPDATE 4/13: Chicago State AD Dr. Monique Carroll has released a statement on Gillion’s resignation:
“We appreciate coach Gillion’s contributions to Chicago State’s men’s basketball program. He elevated our program and we will conduct an immediate national search and find candidates who will continue that upward momentum.”
credit to Chicago Tribune for the image
