Michigan State assistant coach Dane Fife instructs the Spartans during a game against Nebraska last month. Fife is among the possible successors to Matt McCall, who left the UTC men's basketball program Wednesday to fill the vacancy at UMass.Former University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men's basketball coach Matt McCall decided to take the same position at the University of Massachusetts on Wednesday, leaving town after two seasons.
He finished with a 48-18 record that had a first season of highs - 29 wins; victories over Georgia, Illinois and Dayton; Southern Conference championships; and program's first NCAA tournament appearance in seven seasons - and a second season with some lows, as the Mocs finished their 2016-17 finished with losses in eight of the final 12 games and a first-round exit in the SoCon tournament.
The Times Free Press has compiled a list of 10 potential candidates to replace McCall:
- Jamion Christian: He has been the coach at Mount St. Mary's of the Northeast Conference for five seasons, leading the Mountaineers to an 83-81 record with a pair of NCAA tournament appearances. They enjoyed their best showing under Christian this season, with 20 wins and a victory in the NCAA tournament play-in game to reach the round of 64. According to USA Today, he makes $199,447 per season, and if he were looking for a raise in what's considered a better conference, he would be a good choice.
- Dane Fife: The former Indiana standout was the head coach at Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne for six seasons, helping the program in its transition from a Division I independent to the Summit League and increasing the program's victories in each of his seasons. He has been an assistant under Tom Izzo at Michigan State for the past six seasons. He currently makes $266,500 per season and was briefly linked to openings at Duquesne and Indiana, but he could want an opportunity to enhance his résumé with a head coaching gig.
- Joel Justus: The assistant to Kentucky head coach John Calipari is an analytics expert, similar to former UTC coach Will Wade. He's moved up the ranks quickly in Lexington, going from analytics expert to special assistant to assistant in his three seasons. He spent four seasons as an assistant at Elon - so he's familiar with the layout of the SoCon - and had brief high school coaching stints in North Carolina and Virginia. He's very involved in the Wildcats' recruiting efforts and could be looking to make the leap from assistant to head coach.
- Wes Long: He has experience in Chattanooga, serving as the lead assistant to former UTC and VCU and now LSU coach Will Wade. He was in the mix for the job when McCall was hired in 2015, and he would undoubtedly love another opportunity. Long has experience as a head coach, with a 75-66 record in five seasons at NCAA Division II Queens College, a record that included back-to-back Conference Carolinas titles and a Southeast region tournament appearance.
- Mike Morrell: His name has been floated around on a couple of occasions. He is currently an assistant to Shaka Smart at Texas, having served in the same capacity under Smart at VCU. He has experience in the state of Tennessee, having played at NAIA member Milligan College in Johnson City and coached at King University in Bristol for two years. He grew up in Elizabethton and is linked to former Tennessee Vol and current Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten, a possible connection to current UTC athletic director David Blackburn.
- Luke Murray: He will always be linked to his father, Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning actor Bill, but the younger Murray has paid his dues in the coaching ranks. An assistant at Xavier for three seasons, before that he spent time at Rhode Island. He has been called an excellent recruiter, something the new UTC coach will have to demonstrated he already is.
- Tom Ostrom: His biggest disadvantage is that he is currently in the mix for the opening in Dayton. He has spent time as an assistant at Arkansas and most currently with the Flyers, who have become a perennial Top 25-caliber program. He has a strong pedigree, having spent time with Billy Donovan early in the latter's career at Florida (1998-2004).
- Lamont Paris: He interviewed for the UTC opening two seasons ago. Currently Wisconsin's associate head coach, he has 20 years of coaching experience, all as an assistant, but has helped guide the Badgers to Sweet 16 appearances in six of the last seven seasons. He would be one of the best bets on the list to provide a level of stability some supporters want from the next hire.
- Mark Prosser: The associate head coach at Winthrop, he was being tabbed as the possible replacement for Pat Kelsey had the latter not backed out of the UMass opening at the last minute last week to return to the school. The son of former Wake Forest coach Skip, Prosser is familiar with the SoCon landscape, having served as an assistant to Wofford coach Mike Young and helped the Terriers to back-to-back conference championships and NCAA tournaments in 2011.
- Josh Schertz: The Lincoln Memorial coach has had a successful run with the Railsplitters in Division II, leading them to 234 wins in eight seasons. In each of the past two years, they have advanced to at least the national semifinals, with the 2015-16 team falling in the national championship game. That team won 34 games, with this season's winning 30. He would not be the most famous name on the list, but Schertz has shown he can coach at an elite level and understands the landscape in the Southeast.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenleytfp.