Buffalo fires men's basketball coach Jim Whitesell

Sat, Mar 11, 2023
NCAAB News (AP)

Jim Whitesell is out as the University at Buffalo men's basketball coach after his first losing season in four years on the job, the school announced Saturday.

"We felt it was necessary to make a change in leadership of our men's basketball program." athletic director Mark Alnutt said in a statement, adding he's launching a national coaching search immediately.

Whitesell was under contract through the 2024-25 season and is due to receive a $500,000 buyout under terms of his deal for being fired before April 5.

The move comes two days since the sixth-seeded Bulls (15-17) were routed 101-77 by third-seeded Akron in the quarterfinal round of the Mid-American Conference tournament. It marked the Bulls' third quarterfinal loss in four years under Whitesell.

He finished with a 70-59 record at Buffalo and led the team to one postseason appearance, a 2021 NIT-berth, which ended with a first-round loss to Colorado State.

The lack of postseason success coupled with a drop-off in recruiting were considered disappointments for a school that had established itself as a MAC power. It made a combined four NCAA Tournament appearances - including the program's first - from 2014 to '19 under Bobby Hurley and Nate Oates.

Whitesell came to Buffalo as an assistant on Oates' staff, and was promoted to take over when Oates left to coach at Alabama.

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