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Vanderbilt has fired basketball coach Bryce Drew after a 9-23 season punctuated by a winless conference record, the school announced Friday.
Drew was halfway into a six-year contract. In three years at the helm of the Commodores, Drew compiled a 40-59 record.
His tenure started with a promising season in 2016-17 that ended in a 19-16 record and an NCAA Tournament berth, but it was followed by a pair or sub-.500 seasons.
This season, the Commodores were 0-19 in Southeastern Conference games, the first time they had one without a win in the league in 65 years.
“Vanderbilt is committed to competing at the highest levels on and off the court,” athletic director Malcolm Turner said in a statement. “After careful consideration, we’ve decided to make a change to the leadership of our men’s basketball program. Bryce has represented Vanderbilt in exceptional fashion in his time here. I appreciate all of the contributions Bryce has made over the past three seasons to Vanderbilt, and we wish him all the best.”
Vanderbilt has hired consulting search firm Korn Ferry to lead the search for a new head coach.
Drew, 44, moved to Vanderbilt after five seasons as coach of his alma mater, Valparaiso. There, he compiled a 124-49 record in five seasons (2011-16), with the Crusaders winning four Horizon League regular-season championships and appearing in the NCAA Tournament twice.
The 2018-19 season started with optimism for Vanderbilt as two five-star recruits – Darius Garland and Simi Shittu – joined the team. Garland’s season ended in November with a meniscus injury, however, and he is expected to declare for the NBA draft.
Drew, who played for his father, Homer, at Valparaiso, is remembered for his game-winning shot to upset Ole Miss in the 1998 NCAA tournament. His brother, Scott, also coached at Valparaiso and has been the head coach at Baylor since 2002.
–Field Level Media