UL Begins Search for New Men's Head Basketball Coach

Posted: Mar 9, 2010 12:28 PM by Travis Webb
Updated: Mar 9, 2010 12:28 PM

UL Athletic Director David Walker announced today that a search for a new Men's Basketball Head Coach will begin immediately. A decision was made on Saturday following the Ragin Cajuns 76-75 loss to ULM in the First Round of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament to relieve Robert Lee of his head coaching duties. Lee was in the 6th year as Head Coach of UL compiling an 80-100 record and the final year of his current contract.

Walker addressed media today for 20 minutes surrounding the coaching search.

While Lee was able to get academic issues surrounding the basketball team resolved, it was the on the court performance that ultimately decided Lee's fate. "Regardless of how well your programs succeed off the court, athletic programs are also judged my performance on the court," said Walker. Under the direction of Lee, the Ragin Cajuns Academic Performance Rating (APR) has improved to where UL is now beyond the historical penalty phase, but the team has failed to advance past the first round of the Sun Belt Tournament for 4 consecutive years.

A national search will now take place to hiring a new head coach. Carr Sports Associates along with an advisory committee made of Dr. Anita Hazelwood (Faculty Athletic Representative), Dr. DeWayne Bowie (VP of Enrollment Management) and Charlie Moncla (Ragin Cajuns Athletic Foundation board member) will help assist in the hiring of a new head coach.

No timetable has been set but Walker lists the following as essential criteria for a new head coach

-Someone who understands what it takes to succeed on and off the court.

-Someone that has been in programs that have won.

-Ideally, a candidate with head coaching experience

No meetings have been conducted with potential candidates and a lists of prospective coaches should be made in the immediate future. The University would ideally like to have a new head coach in place as soon as possible, but due to postseason play for their current team, a deal may not be reached until after the NCAA Tournament. An increase in possible salary is expected for the new hire, although how much more than Lee's current $175,000/year is not known at this time.