Tag: Coaching

Michael Malone ties record for most games, wins in a season before being fired

After the shocking Michael Malone firing, HoopsHype presents the coaches with most games coached in a season to get fired.

The NBA world was rocked by another shock in-season firing on Tuesday when it was reported that the Denver Nuggets had fired head coach Michael Malone, along with general manager Calvin Booth.

The firing was a historic one, as Malone is now tied with the legendary Hubie Brown for the distinction of having coached the most games in a season before being fired. Brown had coached the 1980-81 Atlanta Hawks for 79 games when he was fired.

In addition, Malone also tied the record of having the most wins in a season at the time of a firing. That record he shares with another legend in the coaching world, Hall of Famer Larry Brown, who had coached the 1982-83 New Jersey Nets to a 47-29 record at the time of his firing.

According to reports, Malone was fired due to Nuggets players losing confidence in his messaging. Malone and Booth clashing over the direction of the team also didn’t help matters, per the Denver Post.

Even so, Malone’s firing was a complete shocker. We’ll see how interim head coach David Adelman, the son of former NBA head coach Rick Adelman, fares as interim head coach now.

Below, check out the NBA head coaches with the most games coached in a season before getting fired, as well as their win-loss records at the times of their firings. Spoiler alert: Malone and Taylor Jenkins, who the Memphis Gizzlies recently fired despite his 44-29 record this season, both rank high on this list.

Two NFL teams want to interview one of Commanders’ top young assistant coaches

Kliff Kingsbury is staying. Could one of his top young assistants head elsewhere?

Kliff Kingsbury is staying, but that hasn’t stopped other teams from trying to poach from head coach Dan Quinn’s Washington Commanders’ staff.

According to Mike Garofolo of the NFL Network, assistant quarterbacks coach David Blough is drawing interest from multiple teams. The New York Jets are interested in Blough for their QB coach vacancy, while the Chicago Bears wanted to speak to Blough for the passing game coordinator role.

It’s unclear if Blough will speak to those teams. The Jets and Bears have new head coaches, both from Detroit, where Blough spent three seasons as a quarterback (2019-21). New Jets coach Aaron Glenn spent one season as the defensive coordinator with Blough on the Lions’ roster, while new Bears coach Ben Johnson was with Blough for two seasons.

Blough also has a connection with Kingsbury. He played in Arizona during the 2022 season, Kingsbury’s last season as the Cardinals head coach. Kingsbury was impressed with Blough and quickly targeted him for a role on Washington’s staff. The Commanders were Blough’s first coaching job.

Head coach Dan Quinn, quarterback Jayden Daniels, and Kingsbury have all praised Blough at different times throughout the season. Daniels often competes with Blough after practice.

In addition to Kingsbury and Blough, Washington has assistant head coach/offensive pass game coordinator Brian Johnson and quarterbacks coach Tavita Pritchard on staff.

Ben Johnson ‘much more prepared’ to become a head coach this year

Johnson also added that “there’s a fire there” to find out if he’s got what it takes to be a head coach

In the last two offseasons, Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson has been one of the hottest potential head coaching candidates around the NFL. He’s interviewed for positions with multiple teams, but ultimately has returned to Detroit for a variety of reasons.

That might not be the case in 2025.

In his weekly press conference, Johnson indicated that he’s more interested and more prepared to become a head coach after the 2024 season ends.

“Yeah, I’d say I’m much more prepared than I was the last two years,” Johnson acknowledged when asked what he’s learned in the head coach interviewing process.

Johnson thanked the local media for not pressing the issue with him during the team’s 12-2 start. And he’s clearly focused on taking this Detroit team as far as it can go this year. The idea of becoming a head coach elsewhere seems more likely than in the past, based on Johnson’s elaborative comments.

“Now that I’ve been through the wringer a couple times, had some interviews, I certain do feel more prepared, just from a big-picture standpoint,” Johnson said. “But right now, we’ve got three games left in the regular season, going into the postseason, and, honestly, this is why I’m here. This is why I wanted to be here.”

It’s the next quip that will fire up the speculation about Johnson’s future.

“I think there’s a burning desire in every man to find what he’s made out of, push the limits, and see if he’s got what it takes,” Johnson continued. “So, yeah, there’s a fire there. When that time is, I don’t know when that would be, but there’s certainly a fire there.”

Media in Chicago, New Orleans and New York have already openly longed for Johnson to become the next head man for the Bears, Saints and Jets, respectively. Johnson’s candid comments will only add fuel to that fire heading into January.

Bill Belichick already has a small connection to UNC football program

Did you know Bill Belichick has early childhood ties to the UNC football program?

If the North Carolina Tar Heels decide to hire Bill Belichick as their next head football coach, they would immediately turn from a run-of-the-mill program into one with championship aspirations.

Belichick is the greatest football coach of all-time, winning six Super Bowl during his 24 years as head coach of the New England Patriots. He coached Tom Brady into the greatest player of all-time, as Brady was the quarterback for each of Belichick’s Super Bowl victories.

What you may not know about Belichick, though, is he has ties to UNC that dating back to the early 1950s.

Belichick’s father, Steve, was North Carolina’s running backs coach from 1953-1955. Bill was born in 1952, which means he grew up while his dad was coaching the Tar Heels.

UNC’s head coaching during the elder Belichick’s time in Chapel Hill? George C. Barclay, who also coached North Carolina from 1953-1955.

There’s another couple of Belichicks in the coaching ranks, too. Bill’s one son, Stephen, is the Washington Huskies‘ defensive coordinator. Bill’s other son, Brian, coaches safeties for the New England Patriots.

The Tar Heels like to hire coaches who have ties to the program, as we saw when they brought Mack Brown out of retirement. I think that’s a safe route, as you want a guy who knows UNC in and out, but an outside hire may be what UNC needs to take itself to the next level.

We have our own list of Top 5 head coaching candidates for North Carolina – and Belichick is not one of them. If the Tar Heels are able to pull off a Belichick hire, though, just think of how far he could take them.

Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.

UNC football meets with surprise candidate twice about head coaching job

A second meeting could signify UNC already knows its next head football coach.

The North Carolina Tar Heels are hoping to find their next head football coach sooner than later, with some reports they could have their guy by Sunday, Dec. 8.

We have our own list of top five candidates UNC should hire and a dream coaching list. Tight ends coach/run game coordinator Freddie Kitchens will lead North Carolina through its bowl game, giving the program a great look at the potential of hiring the longtime NFL assistant as its next head coach.

There’s one surprise candidate the Tar Heels interviewed the first week of December: legendary longtime NFL head coach Bill Belichick, who won a record six Super Bowls during his 24 years coaching the New England Patriots.

UNC appears pretty serious about bringing Belichick in to replace Mack Brown, as he met with the program a second time on Thursday, Dec. 5 in New York City.

Belichick and New England mutually agreed to part ways in January. Since then, Belichick has appeared on The Pat McAfee Show and Monday Night Football’s ManningCast.

There’s no guarantee that Belichick will choose North Carolina, though he said he’s open to any coaching gig at this point. As much knowledge as Belichick has, he’d rather be coaching that in the broadcasting booth.

“He has literally been open to all of it (coaching),” a source familiar with Belichick said last month.

Belichick is also credited with developing Tom Brady into the greatest football player of all-time. The Patriots made the NFL postseason in all but two seasons (2002, 2008) under the Belichick-Brady combination, but Belichick’s Patriots missed the postseason in three of its four succeeding seasons without Brady.

While I have some concerns with the Tar Heels hiring an older head coach like Belichick, given that Mack Brown was 73 at the time of his firing, the positives far outweigh the negatives.

Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.

Could the Chiefs reunite with legendary ex-offensive coordinator?

Should the #Chiefs look to replace OC Matt Nagy with an old friend who became available from the college ranks this week?

The Kansas City Chiefs’ offense has been a shell of its former self since the team hired former Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy to be its offensive coordinator.

But, on Thursday, an old friend became available and the defending Super Bowl champions could be willing to make a move to bring him back.

Former offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy became a highly sought-after prospect for a head coaching job after the 2022 season when he and head coach Andy Reid helped bring Kansas City its second Super Bowl victory of the Patrick Mahomes era.

In 2023, Bieniemy became the assistant head coach and offensive coordinator for the Washington Commanders before joining the UCLA Bruins in the same position.

However, according to a report by Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger on Thursday, UCLA relieved Bieniemy of his duties following a disappointing season and made him available for other teams.

With so much talk around Nagy’s performance as offensive coordinator, a reunion with Bieniemy could be in the works if the Chiefs plan on hoisting the Lombardi Trophy for a third straight season.

Darren Rizzi owns up to bizarre timeout decisions from Saints vs. Rams

Darren Rizzi owned up to a couple of bizarre timeout decisions from Saints vs. Rams. He says the team had trouble substituting the right players in the right situations:

Credit where it’s due: Darren Rizzi won’t hesitate to take the blame when he’s at fault. The New Orleans Saints’ interim head coach owned up to a couple of strange timeouts his team called in Sunday’s loss to the Los Angeles Rams, explaining that they had trouble substituting the right players into the game for the right situations.

The first timeout occurred just minutes into the game. The issue popped up again later, but this time on defense, not offense. In both instances Rizzi said they had just ten players on the field. That kind of misalignment could lead to disaster.

So what’s to be done? We’ve heard Saints head coaches blame themselves before and accept accountability, but if those words don’t precede actions then nothing changes. That’s what ultimately cost Dennis Allen his job, and if Rizzi is going to be long for New Orleans, he must follow through. Extra time spent in practice and cleaner lines of communication are going to be key through these last five weeks if his team wants to keep competing when the playoffs kick off in January.

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Tyrann Mathieu has his eyes on coaching after playing career

Tyrann Mathieu is still playing good football, but he has had internal conversations on what he wants to do when he hangs it up:

Tyrann Mathieu has been the New Orleans Saints’ best veteran on defense this year. He is the leader in turnovers on the team. Despite playing at a high level, he’s still looking towards life after football.

This future is still some years away, but Mathieu admits he does think about coaching. Those internal conversations have gone as far as whether or not he would coach on the professional or collegiate level.

In the past, Mathieu has expressed the desire to coach at his alma mater, LSU. The safety’s leadership has been one of his most heralded attributes as a player, so a transition to coaching makes sense.

In his playing career, Mathieu feel he has “accomplished everything that I’ve individually set out to accomplish.” Now he’s taking it year by year and enjoying himself.

It feels like the ability to come in and play for the Saints is just the cherry on top of what has been a great career. He returned to his hometown in 2021, and that have been the last box for him to check.

Mathieu has relished in “coming back home, being able to be in the the community, being able to play high level football and be productive on the field.”

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BREAKING: Wisconsin fires offensive coordinator Phil Longo

BREAKING: Wisconsin fires offensive coordinator Phil Longo

Wisconsin football fired offensive coordinator Phil Longo on Sunday, according to a release from the program.

The Badgers make the move after struggling offensively in a 16-13 Week 12 loss to No. 1 Oregon. The offense held the team back from a program-defining victory, continuing a worrying trend that dates to the start of Longo’s tenure with the program.

Related: Major takeaways from Wisconsin’s close call against No. 1 Oregon

“This morning, I informed Phil Longo that he will no longer serve as our offensive coordinator,” Fickell said in the program’s release. “After continuing to evaluate the program, I decided we are not where we need to be and believe this decision is in the best interest of the team. I appreciate Phil’s commitment to helping us build our program over the past two seasons and wish him well moving forward. This team still has a lot in front of us, and I am committed to doing everything we can to close out this season with success.”

Longo’s unit ranked 91st in the nation in total offense (363.1 yards per game) and 98th in the nation in scoring offense (23.9 points per game) through 12 weeks in 2024.

There is context. The unit dealt with a season-ending injury to starting quarterback Tyler Van Dyke. But it still failed to make any significant progress after showing spurts of success during a midseason winning streak.

Wisconsin makes the move 23 games into the Luke Fickell era.

His move to hire Longo was a significant departure from the program’s history and identity. This decision marks a significant moment for Fickell as he works to build his program. It goes without saying his next offensive hire will need to be the right one.

The Badgers close with games against Nebraska and Minnesota. They need one win to gain bowl eligibility for a 23rd consecutive season.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion.

Former Wisconsin assistant, son of Badgers program legend surprisingly announces retirement

Former Wisconsin assistant, championship-winning coach surprisingly announces retirement

Former Wisconsin basketball assistant and longtime Virginia head coach Tony Bennett is announcing his retirement from coaching at a press conference on Friday at 11 a.m. ET.

Tony Bennett, who is the son of former Wisconsin head coach Dick Bennett, coached with the Badgers from 1999-2003. He began on his father’s staff in 1999 — a year that saw Wisconsin’s first Final Four run in over 50 years — before staying on after Bo Ryan took over in 2001.

Related: Big Ten basketball power rankings entering 2024-25 season: A first look at the expanded conference

Bennett surprisingly announces his retirement after 15 years as head coach at Virginia. His resume includes a 433-169 overall record, four ACC Coach of the Year awards, two Naismith Coach of the Year honors, eight ACC titles and a national championship in 2019.

He is the latest college basketball coach to retire far before their career twilight — Villanova’s Jay Wright being the other prominent example.

Bennett was 3-2 against the Badgers in his Virginia career — the latest a 65-41 Wisconsin victory in last year’s Fort Myers Tip-Off.

https://twitter.com/UVAMensHoops/status/1847012207684366683

From a Wisconsin perspective: Bennett was always a popular name brought up by fans when discussing a potential move off of Greg Gard. That move obviously has not happened, and I wouldn’t predict it to in the coming years.

But Bennett’s retirement does take one primary replacement candidate off the board for whenever the Badgers are next searching for a head coach.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes, and opinion.