Klein, Cheek on McGuff’s Ohio State women’s staff (The Associated Press)
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — New Ohio State women’s basketball head coach Kevin McGuff has announced the hiring of Patrick Klein and Joy Cheek as assistant coaches. Klein begins his third year as an assistant after working under the fired Jim Foster. He also served as an assistant at Illinois 2007-09. Cheek comes to Ohio State after spending the past two seasons as an assistant coach at her alma mater, Duke. She was one of two recruiting coordinators for the Blue Devils, in addition to also overseeing the perimeter players. The hiring of Klein and Cheek leaves one more assistant position open on McGuff’s staff.
Foster eager to begin work at Chattanooga (The Associated Press)
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) — Chattanooga athletic director David Blackburn was initially surprised to discover he might have a chance to hire Jim Foster as his women’s basketball coach. It isn’t very often a Hall of Fame coach with Final Four experience pursues a job at a mid-major program, even one that has reached nine NCAA tournaments over the last 13 seasons. ”I was (thinking), ‘This can’t be right,’ ” Blackburn said. It turned out Foster’s interest was legitimate. Foster was introduced Friday as the successor to Wes Moore, who left last month to take over North Carolina State’s program. Foster brings a 783-307 record and 35 years of head coaching experience to Chattanooga. The 64-year-old Foster will be inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame on June 8 at Knoxville, Tenn. The former St. Joseph’s, Vanderbilt and Ohio State coach believes he’s found the ideal place to cap his illustrious career. ”Chattanooga has always been a place we’ve been very fond of,”…
Chattanooga hires Foster as its women’s coach (The Associated Press)
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) — Chattanooga has hired a future hall of famer as its next women’s basketball head coach. The university announced Thursday the hiring of Jim Foster, who will be inducted in less than a month into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame. The former St. Joseph’s, Vanderbilt and Ohio State coach has a 783-307 record and ranks 11th in NCAA history in career wins. Foster and Rutgers women’s coach C. Vivian Stringer are the only men’s or women’s college basketball coaches at any level to win at least 200 games at three different schools. Foster, 64, was fired by Ohio State after going 18-13 this season, the only time in his 11-year tenure with the Buckeyes that they won fewer than 20 games and failed to reach the NCAA tournament. Foster is replacing Wes Moore, who took over North Carolina State’s program last month after making nine NCAA tournament appearances in 15 years at Chattanooga. ”Chattanooga has always been one of our favorite…
New coach wants OSU women to compete with elite (The Associated Press)
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Kevin McGuff stepped onto center court of Ohio State’s arena and called it an amazing day. The 43-year-old McGuff made his first official appearance as the new coach of the Buckeyes on Wednesday. After spending nine years as the head coach at Xavier and the past two at Washington, he said it was good to be back home and to take over a job that he had always wanted. Ohio State is paying McGuff $850,000 a year, not counting performance and academic bonuses, along with $500,000 in retention payments if he remains on the job through the 2020-21 season. McGuff, a father of six including a newborn, is on the hook for a $1.75 million buyout at Washington, where he signed a contract extension just three weeks ago.
Ohio State hires Kevin McGuff as women’s coach (The Associated Press)
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Kevin McGuff is the new women’s basketball coach at Ohio State, three weeks after signing a contract extension with the University of Washington. Ohio State announced the hiring Tuesday. The 43-year-old McGuff, who spent nine years as the head coach at Xavier before winning 41 games the last two seasons with the Huskies, follows Jim Foster, who was fired last month after the Buckeyes failed to win 20 games or make the NCAA tournament for the first time in his 11-year tenure. After seasons of 20-14 in 2011-12 and 21-12 last year, McGuff signed a contract extension with the Huskies through the 2019-20 season.
Foster seeks coaching spot after Ohio State firing (The Associated Press)
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A month after he was fired for the first time in his life, former Ohio State coach Jim Foster isn’t done yet. Foster, who won 783 games and will be inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in June, says he’s looking into the possibility of returning as a college head coach for a 36th season. Since being dismissed by Ohio State after an 18-13 season – his first without 20 wins and an NCAA tournament appearance in 11 years with the Buckeyes – the 64-year-old says he has updated his resume and didn’t find anything that would make him cringe. He’s looking forward to turning a new page elsewhere after winning 279 games and a record six straight Big Ten titles with the Buckeyes.
Iowa set to face Baylor for NIT championship (The Associated Press)
NEW YORK (AP) — Pierre Jackson is one win away from capping his stellar Baylor career with the Bears’ first NIT championship. To do that, he’ll have to break down Iowa’s defense in the title game of the 76th National Invitation Tournament on Thursday night. The Hawkeyes have faced plenty of good point guards this season in the Big Ten, though none quite put up Jackson’s type of numbers. The junior-college transfer leads the Big 12 this season in points and assists per game, putting him in line to be the first player in a major conference to do that since Arizona’s Jason Terry led the Pac-10 in 1998-99. On Tuesday night, Jackson put up his third straight double-double with 24 points and 10 assists to get the Bears back into the title game. Baylor lost to Penn State at Madison Square Garden in 2009. The Bears struggled with the Cougars for the first 30 minutes or so of Tuesday’s semifinals, before Jackson took over and Baylor finally put away BYU…
Final Four set after blowouts and another surprise (The Associated Press)
ATLANTA (AP) — After a season of uncertainty, there’s a clear favorite heading to the Final Four. The Louisville Cardinals. While the other No. 1s have fallen by the wayside, the top overall seed romped to the Georgia Dome with four dominant wins in the NCAA tournament. And, if the Cardinals need any extra motivation, they’ve got it. Sophomore guard Kevin Ware , who played his high school ball in the Atlanta suburbs, sustained a gruesome injury in Sunday’s regional final against Duke. Before he headed off to surgery, he courageously urged his teammates to finish the job. Now, they would like nothing more than to win it all for Ware. ”We talked about it every timeout, ‘Get Kevin home,”’ coach Rick Pitino said. Next stop, the A-T-L, where three rather unlikely teams will be looking to knock off the mighty Cardinals. First up, the surprising Shockers from Wichita State in the semifinals Saturday. The No. 9 seed has already pulled off two major upsets, but this would be the biggest stunner yet. …
The Final Four is set after blowouts, surprises (The Associated Press)
ATLANTA (AP) — An inspired Louisville squad vs. the surprising Shockers. A new group of Fab Wolverines vs. the stingiest zone defense in college basketball. After a weekend of blowouts and another upset, the Final Four is set. Top overall seed Louisville will face Wichita State at the Georgia Dome next Saturday, while Michigan takes on Syracuse in the other national semifinal. The winners advance to the April 8 championship. On Sunday, the Cardinals drew inspiration from a gruesome injury to guard Kevin Ware and cruised past Duke 85-63 in the Midwest Regional. Michigan led from the opening tip, routing Florida 79-59 in the South. A day earlier, Syracuse shut down Marquette 55-39 to win the East. Wichita State punched its Final Four ticket with a 70-66 upset of Ohio State out West. In the final year of the Big East before it splits into two new conferences, Louisville and Syracuse provided a fitting send-off to a league that quickly became a basketball powerhouse after it was founded in 1979. Before it goes, this version of the Big East has a …
Marquette-Syracuse means Big East in Final Four (The Associated Press)
WASHINGTON (AP) — When two teams from the same conference meet with a Final Four berth at stake, fans think it’s great from a rivalry and bragging rights perspective. Conference administrators hear cash registers ringing as NCAA shares are earned. But coaches? Not a chance. Saturday’s Marquette-Syracuse game will be the ninth time since the field expanded to 64 teams that two schools from the same conference played in the regional final. The first of those nine times was in 1987. Georgetown, a No. 1 seed just four years from winning a national championship, met Providence, an up-and-coming program under up-and-coming coach Rick Pitino, in the South Regional final. Georgetown coach John Thompson was asked Friday about playing a team from the same conference with such a big prize at stake. Three times, he colorfully said that it was a pain in the posterior. ”They know you and you know them. There’s no surprise. No coach wants to get somebody from within your…
