DePaul head coach Jerry Wainwright was fired today after five seasons.
So, with Tom Brady and his boos, and Mark McGuire and his juice dominating the sports headlines today, two little stories about former Richmond coaches hit the wire today with little if any notice. And the two coaches are going in opposite directions.
First, Jerry Wainwright was fired from DePaul today after 22 consecutive Big East regular season losses. DePaul ended the last year’s regular season recording all “L”s in conference play. Strangely, the Blue Demons beat Cincinnati in the first round of the Big East Tourney and almost took down Providence in the second round. This season, DePaul was off to a good start, winning their first four games before starting the free fall eventually losing the first three conference games of the year. While at Richmond (2002-2005) Wainwright posted a 50-41 record, going to the NCAA Tournament once (2004) and the NIT once (2003), both times losing in the first round. Ironically, it was Providence who knocked them out of the 2003 NIT.
Michigan Coach John Beilein agrees to a contract extension to coach in Ann Arbor until 2016.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the court, Michigan’s John Beilein, who coached Richmond for five seasons before Wainwright, signed a contract extension that will keep him in Ann Arbor until 2016. Beilein left the Spider program in 2002 to take over the West Virginia program before moving to Michigan in 2007. Last season, Beilein brought the Wolverines back the NCAA Tournament for the in ten seasons and while this season has been up-and-down, he is recruiting solid talent and shows no signs of slowing progress.
Too bad the same can’t be said for former Mountaineer Rich Rodriguez.
