One day after UMBC’s season came to an end with a loss at Stony Brook in the quarterfinals of the America East tournament, athletic director Tim Hall announced that there would be a head coaching change.
Head coach Aki Thomas spent four seasons at UMBC, putting together a record of 28-95 and not winning more than nine games in any of those campaigns. This year the Retrievers finished the season with a 7-25 record, finishing last in America East with a 3-13 record.
Thomas spent five seasons as an assistant on Milan Brown’s staff at UMBC before being promoted to head coach in October 2012. In Thomas’ first season as an assistant, UMBC made its only Division I NCAA tournament appearance.
UMBC completed this season with just three upperclassmen on the roster, with forward Cody Joyce being the lone senior. They’re top four scorers, led by sophomore guards Jairus Lyles and Rodney Elliott, all have eligibility remaining beyond the 2015-16 season.