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And then there was one: Stetson

Stetson

gohatters.com

When Lipscomb completed their search for a head men’s basketball coach this past Friday evening, it was supposed to represent the end of the coaching carousel for 2013. However, the Bisons poached Casey Alexander from fellow Atlantic Sun school Stetson, so now that leaves the Hatters as the final Division 1 school remaining without a head coach in place.

With practices set to begin in just about four months from now, Stetson athletic director Jeff Altier understands the sense of urgency in searching and hiring a new coach, he told The Daytona Beach News-Journal: “Obviously, it’s very late in the year for anybody to be transitioning. Most job searches have been completed. The timing is not the best. But we’re ready to move quickly and aggressively.’'

The question is, where do they go and just how quickly?

Altier admitted that next season will likely be a rebuilding year whether Alexander remained in DeLand, FL or not: “We were excited to watch the team progress over the last two years, but the process of building the program has just begun. This will be no more than a bump in the road for the program moving forward.”

By all accounts, Altier has not yet mentioned any names as potential coaching candidates. Considering Stetson hasn’t finished above .500 since 2000-01, never been to the NCAA Tournament, and he has admitted next year is a rebuilding one for the program, it’s hard to see the Hatters hiring a current Division 1 head coach.

Keep an eye on former Old Dominion assistant coach Rob Wilkes as a potential candidate. In 2011, when Stetson hired Alexander, Wilkes was a candidate for the job as he is a 1993 graduate of Stetson. Rob’s father, Glenn Sr., was a longtime coach for Stetson compiling a 551-436 record over 36 seasons.

With Jeff Jones now the head coach at ODU, he has brought in his own staff leaving Wilkes on the outside looking in.

You can find Kevin on twitter @KLDoyle11