After just three seasons with the Green Wave, head basketball coach Mike Dunleavy has been fired by Tulane. Dunleavy, who was hired in 2016 after six seasons out of coaching, came to New Orleans with a ton of NBA experience but no previous college jobs. He had a 613-716 career record in 17 seasons as a pro head coach.
The college game is considerably different, specifically in the grind of the recruiting trail, academic aspects and the age/maturity level of the players. Dunleavy could have perhaps moved the needle with more time, but the soon-to-be 65-year-old head coach was just 24-69 at Tulane.
A couple names that should pop up in the search for Dunleavy’s replacement include former Ole Miss head coach Andy Kennedy, who is reportedly ready to return to coaching after spending this season in the broadcast booth, and Oklahoma assistant Carlin Hartman, a Tulane-grad with many years of coaching experience (including multiple stops at schools in Louisiana).
Another interesting choice? Recently fired Texas A&M head coach Billy Kennedy. He’s a NOLA-native who was previously the head coach at Southeastern Louisiana and Centenary and spent the 1989-90 assisting Perry Clark at Tulane.
h/t to Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images for the photo
