FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) -TCU hired Jim Christian away from Kent State on Saturday, hoping his penchant for 20-win seasons with the Golden Flashes translates to the moribund Horned Frogs.
Christian was introduced during a news conference at TCU on Saturday afternoon.
Christian was 138-58 in six years at Kent State, winning at least 20 games each season. The Golden Flashes were 28-7 this year, losing in the first round of the NCAA tournament to UNLV.
Neil Dougherty was fired by TCU on March 16, three days after a 14-16 season ended. He had a year left on his contract. Dougherty was 75-108 in his six seasons, with a winning record only once.
“Jim Christian is a proven head coach and a perfect fit for TCU,” TCU athletic director Danny Morrison said. “He was targeted early in the process, and we couldn’t be happier to have him as our men’s basketball coach.”
At Kent State, the 41-year-old Christian became the first Mid-American Conference coach to win 20 games in each of his first six seasons. But he didn’t win a postseason game, losing in the first round of the NCAA tournament twice and the NIT three times.
After the Golden Flashes went 25-9 with an NCAA appearance in 2005-06, Christian got a new seven-year contract through the 2012-13 season.
The other known candidates for the TCU job were Oral Roberts coach Scott Sutton, Tennessee-Chattanooga coach John Shulman and Buzz Peterson, the director of player personnel for the NBA’s Charlotte Bobcats.
Kent State will conduct a national search for Christian’s replacement, athletic director Laing Kennedy said.
Top assistant Geno Ford and Oklahoma assistant Oronde Taliaferro, a former assistant with the Golden Flashes, are among the possible replacements for Christian.
—
AP Sports Writer Tom Withers in Cleveland contributed to this report.
Add A Comment