Cougars searching for experienced coach for men's basketball team

The end of the open application process for the Columbus State men’s basketball coaching position is near, and CSU athletic director Jay Sparks said he is hoping to hire someone with a track record in the position and ties to the region.

“I’d like to have someone with head coaching experience, and I’d like to have someone with Southeast ties just because they have to have that recruiting base,” Sparks said. “I do think it’s important to have Georgia ties of some kind, but in a broader sense I’d like someone with ties to at least the Southeast.”

The position, which opened last month when Doug Branson resigned after four seasons as head coach, had garnered roughly 75 applicants by late last week, and the field includes a variety of candidates from around the country, Sparks said.

The job was posted online March 6 and will expire Friday. Sparks said he would like to have a coach hired by 
April 14, which is national signing day for basketball.

“We’d like to have someone in here by then at the latest,” Sparks said. “If we can get it done faster, that would just be icing on the cake.”

An applicant without head coaching experience would not be automatically disqualified, but Sparks said he would rather not go through promoting an assistant to his or her first head coaching position.

“We tried that in the past, and it didn’t really work for us,” Sparks said. “… Now, there might be some people who have Division I assistant coaching experience, and they will be considered and might be very qualified. But someone in that position probably has some head coaching experience somewhere and moved up just because they wanted to be at a Division I team.”

The job posting on CSU’s Web site lists a master’s degree with four to six years head coaching experience or a bachelor’s degree and eight to 10 years head coaching experience among the minimum requirements. It notes the salary will be commensurate with experience.

Sparks declined to say what the pay range is but said it likely would be in the middle of the pack when compared to other Peach Belt Conference men’s basketball coaches.

“I don’t think it will be the top (salary) in the Peach Belt, but it won’t be dead last in the Peach Belt, either,” Sparks said. “I can’t really say what the salary will be, but in terms of other Peach Belt coaches, it should sit right in the middle.”

Ten of 13 Peach Belt Conference coaches’ salaries were found listed online, and the numbers show the current average annual salary for a men’s head basketball coach in the conference is roughly $68,300. Among those 10 coaches, Georgia College’s Terry Sellers makes the most ($78,427.50) and Flagler’s Bo Clark is paid the least ($60,900).

Columbus State assistant coach Jim Hyneman has been put in charge of day-to-day basketball operations until a new head coach is hired. Hyneman and graduate assistant Jon Griffin were promised they would be able to stay with the program through next season.

“By that time, the new coach will be able to see if they have made a case to stay or if he needs to help them leave,” Sparks said. “It should be enough time for everyone to figure that out.”