Missouri Western eyes stability, success in men's basketball coaching hunt

ST. JOSEPH, Mo (News-Press NOW) — March Madness, a time when fans and alumni ride the emotional highs of a deep tournament run or feel the sting of a season cut short. It’s the thrill of single-elimination basketball, where every game could be the last. However, in St. Joseph, March Madness has taken on a different meaning.

Instead of chasing a championship, Missouri Western is searching for the right leader to take the Griffons to new heights. The madness this March isn’t on the court, it’s in the search for the next head coach to guide the program forward.

On March 7th, Western’s head coach Will Martin walked off the court in his black and white ‘Griffs’ quarter-zip, the sting of a buzzer-beater loss in the MIAA Tournament still fresh. Just four days later, Martin would resign, leaving the program searching for its next leader, this time on the men’s side.

“It’s (the program) a sleeping giant, I think it’s a gold mine,” director of athletics Andy Carter said. “I think we have the opportunity to not only win at the conference level, but to win at the national level.”

Just last season, the university hired Ashton Feldhaus to lead the women’s basketball program. Now, they’ll lean on Collegiate Consulting once again, the same firm that helped bring Feldhaus to St. Joseph.

Though still early in the process, the search has drawn a high volume of qualified candidates. As the list narrows, the focus shifts to finding the right fit for the program’s future.

“We've gotten that down to a group that we feel like meets the needs of what we have, but also kind of the criteria that we set forth,” Carter said. “We’re working on getting those people to the next level.”

The next phase involves bringing those top candidates to campus. The ideal hire checks several key boxes. Someone with experience as a head coach, familiar with recruiting or competing in the region, and the ability to build strong relationships with student-athletes.

Time is of the essence, with uncertainty surrounding the current roster and staff.

“We have students that are here, some have chosen to go in the portal, some are waiting it out,” Carter said. “We have staff here that are waiting to see where they may fit or not, and we got recruiting to do, right? So it doesn’t benefit anybody to just drag this thing out.”

The process is moving along quicker than expected for Carter, and the volume of interest has taken some stress off his shoulders.

“In some ways, it's one of the easiest searches I've ever done in 28 years because the quality is so good,” Carter said. “Getting it down from like 10 to three or four, that’s where that’s been really, really difficult.”

The Griffons have tasted success recently, as Western season ended this previous season with the most regular season wins since 2002-03 and two straight years of 17+ wins in a season.

The team is lacking the consistency aspect, something Carter hopes can smooth itself out with the right hire.

“That consistently that we're in the top three in the league and that we're in the regional tournament every year,” Carter said. “We're rolling the dice.”

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