After a dismal season for the LSU men's basketball team, head coach John Brady was fired Friday morning. Not long ago, it appeared John Brady has silenced his critics for good. The LSU Tigers roared to the Final Four in a magical run that included wins over the likes of Duke and Texas.
Now, a year and a half later, Brady has been fired as head basketball coach. LSU athletic director Skip Bertman pulled the plug Thursday night after being told to do so by President John Lombardi. We've been told that Bertman wanted to wait until the season was over to do so, but Lombardi would wait no longer.
LSU has a 1:00 p.m. news conference scheduled at their athletic building to address the termination and take questions on the future of the program. During the 2004-2005 and 2005-2006 seasons, Brady's Tigers were 26-6 in the SEC, but over the last two seasons, LSU is 6-27 in the conference.
John Brady's tenure at LSU reads: 192 wins, 139 losses, and a 69-93 mark in the SEC. However, LSU was heavily restrained by NCAA probation during the first several years Brady was on the job. There was a great Sweet 16 year with Stromile Swift and that fantastic Final Four run, but there were also embarrassing NCAA blowout losses to Purdue, UAB, and UCLA at the Final Four.
When you think about it, Brady's downfall can probably be summed up by a terrible three - inconsistency, attrition, and attendance. Inconsistent - The Tigers have not built on their Final Four appearances and have never been steady during Brady's reign. Attrition - Nearly 40 players have left for one reason or another during Brady's stay. Attendance - The PMAC has rarely been "Deaf Dome" during Brady's time in charge. Sellouts at the facility have been very rare.
Sources tell 9SPORTS that LSU is eyeing at least four coaches to possibly replace Brady, including Virginia Commonwealth head coach Anthony Grant. Grant is 41 years old and worked as an assistant under Florida head coach Billy Donovan. Grant would also be the first black head basketball coach LSU has ever had.
Reporter: Jacques Doucet, WAFB 9SPORTS
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John Brady
