Vanderbilt, Jerry Stackhouse parting ways after five seasons
Vanderbilt announced on Thursday the parting of ways with head men’s basketball coach Jerry Stackhouse after five seasons. Stackhouse went 70-92 overall and was named SEC Co-COY in 2023, but this year the Commodores finished second-to-last in the SEC at 4-14 (9-22 overall).
“I want to thank Coach Stackhouse for his competitive spirit and service to this University for the last five years,” AD Candice Storey Lee said. “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. Given his pedigree, experience, and love of the game, I look forward to seeing what’s next for him. I wish him, Ramirra and his family nothing but the best in the future.”
Stackhouse had the Commodores moving slowly in the right direction, taking over a 9-win team in 2019 and building the program back to 19 and 22 wins with two NIT appearances in years three and four. But he was not able to get over the hump and instead saw his team slide all the way down to one of the worst power conference teams in KenPom.
“I appreciate the opportunity that Vanderbilt gave me to broaden my experience with the sport that I love, and one that has blessed me in more ways than I can count,” Stackhouse said. “It’s been a privilege to serve as the head men’s basketball coach for the last 5 years. My staff and I depart here extremely thankful for every opportunity we’ve had to help our players grow and develop on and off the floor.”
Because Vanderbilt is a private school, the terms of Stackhouse’s contract are not widely known, but it has been reported that his buyout could have been as high as $15 million. The “parting ways” phrasing seems to imply that the two sides negotiated down from whatever the buyout would have been with a straight-up firing, but that is unlikely to be confirmed any time soon.
credit to Vanderbilt Athletics for the image
