Wichita State is open to firing coach Isaac Brown, sources told ESPN. The school management is planning to meet with him today, and they are preparing for his departure.
Wichita State is 17-15 this season after Friday’s AAC Tournament loss to Tulane. Brown was 48-34 in three seasons, reaching the NCAA Tournament in his first season but not returning the last two years.
Wichita State has a new athletic director in June 2022 in Kevin Saal, who came to the school from Murray State basketball. Saal replaces Darron Boatwright, who was criticized for Wichita’s inability to build the proper infrastructure to compete in the race. NIL (name, image, likeness) era.
Brown replaces former coach Gregg Marshall, who resigned in November 2020 amid allegations of verbal and physical abuse. Marshall, who has virtually disappeared from the basketball world since his departure, reset expectations on the Wichita State court before his departure.
Wichita State reached the 2013 Final Four and had an undefeated regular season in 2013-14. Marshall also oversaw the program’s transition from the Missouri Valley to the American Athletic Conference. Brown took over leadership in turbulent times and struggled to achieve that success.
Brown, an assistant on Marshall’s staff before being named head coach, began his tenure with a promising 2021-21 inaugural season. Wichita was seeded 11th before losing to Drake in the first four of the NCAA Tournament, earning a bid to the NCAA Tournament.
But the results have been uneven since then, as Wichita has lost to Alcorn State and San Francisco in non-conference play this season, finishing 9-9 in league play. That came as Wichita finished 6-9 in conference play in 2021-22.
Wichita has a reputation as a school with a particularly strong fan base and financial backing, which could make the job attractive for an established coach.
