2010 Coaching Carousel

It is never too early to start the Coaching Carousel.

In the LA area, we have nine D-1 schools.

The following coaches are safe from being let go from their schools. I also think all of the schools will not be affected by the turning of the coaching carousel.

USC, UCLA, Cal State Fullerton, Long Beach St., UC Riverside, UC Irvine, Pepperdine.

The following two programs need to make a change.

Cal State Northridge- Staci Schulz

LMU- Julie Wilhoit. This is the tough choice an athletic director has to make. Do you get rid of a coach who has won but hasn't won enough? Most schools seem happy if their women's basketball team wins 15-17 games a year, have their players gradudate, and not get in trouble. That is exactly the attitude that is preventing women's basketball from improving. Yes, having players graduate and stay out of trouble is very important. But coaches need to be held to a higher standard. Winning 17 games isn't enough, if you have the talent to win 20 games and go to the NCAA tournament.

Julie Wilhoit, long ago reached her ceiling at LMU. In 2004 she lead the Lions to the NCAA tournament. Sadly she has been living off that NCAA run six years later. Wilhoit has won, 15, 16, 17, 18, and 19 wins in the five seasons since the 2004 NCAA team. For the 2009-10 season Julie Wilhoit has been struggling. Currently LMU is 12-14, 5-7 in the WCC. But a closer look at her record shows four of the five WCC wins include sweeps of USF and Santa Clara, two teams combined who have won, 2 games in the WCC and 7 games TOTAL!!

Then the fact that Wilhoit hasn't beaten a team with a pulse, that's all an AD needs to let Wilhoit go. In non conference, the team with the highest RPI, that LMU beat is Cal Poly, with a RPI of 161. The rest of their 11 wins have been against teams with RPI's of 200 or lower!! Portland, who LMU beat over the weekend, had a RPI of 159.

It is time for a coaching change at LMU.