Mark Webb promoted assistant coach Bradley Pierson to head coach after former Sewanee head coach Ryan 'Bubba
Smith took the head job at Lee.University of the South athletic director Mark Webb wasted no time in choosing a successor to men's basketball coach Bubba Smith, who was hired by Lee University.
Webb went from praising Smith for his progress with the program to promoting assistant coach Bradley Pierson to the top spot with the hope of continuing that progress. Pierson is a former Sewanee player and team captain who spent two years as an assistant at Southern Athletic Association rival Berry College and then returned to Sewanee and worked under Smith the past five seasons.
"Bradley has been an integral part of Sewanee basketball as both a player and an assistant coach," Webb said in a release this morning. "For the past five years he has been the chief recruiter and has made invaluable contributions to the program in addition to his abiding commitment to the mission of the university.
"Bradley has a skill set that makes him uniquely qualified to serve as head coach of our men's basketball team. I am confident that the program will continue to thrive under his leadership."
The Tigers have won 79 games the past five years, including 20 this past season.
In the Sewanee release, Pierson called his new job "an unbelievable opportunity" and said, "I look forward to building on the momentum Coach Smith has created over the past eight years.
"I would like to thank Bubba Smith for being an incredible coach, mentor and friend."