LSC Scoop Exclusive
It's not very often that a coach leads his basketball team to back to back Elite Eight appearances. It's even more rare that such a coach would leave his school for a conference rival which has not qualified for the conference tournament in 3 seasons, and has a win-loss record of 27-52 over that time frame. But that is exactly what occurred when Grant McCasland agreed to accept the head coaching position at Abilene Christian University after two very successful seasons at rival Midwestern State University.
It's only natural that rumors and speculation will circulate in an effort to explain the move. In this case, the rumor is that ACU told McCasland that they intend to move from NCAA Division II to NCAA Division I in the near future.
We asked Abilene Christian athletic director Jared Mosely about that rumor. He issued the following statement.
None of the candidates, including Coach McCasland, were given any promises in regards to our divisional affiliation or any timelines that would indicate a move is imminent. All of the candidates that we have interviewed through this process were aware of our campus conversations and discussions regarding Divisional affiliation and inquired where we were at in the process. We have made it clear to everyone who has asked that we are continuing internal evaluation of our athletics program, but that no decisions have or will be made any time soon regarding our divisional affiliation. The statement released last night is pure speculation on someone's behalf.
Our goal through this process was to find a quality coach who can restore the competiveness of the program and put us in a position to compete with the best programs in all of Division II. Coach McCasland certainly has demonstrated success in each of his stops and we are excited for the vision and passion in which he will use to rebuild our program.
So while it is true that ACU is exploring their options, according to Jared Mosely, nothing has been promised or decided at this time.
- LSC Scoop
6 comments:
B.S.
Thanks for having the intestinal fortitude to ask the question. The news reporter is a squirrel for posing that rumor but not bothering to at least ask....
Nick Gholson is not a squirrel by any means. He is reporting what he is hearing and does a great job, especially covering MSU basketball.
What good does it do for a reporter to ask when all you get back is lies? Or did you actually believe the athletic director's statement?
We are not speculating on this issue. We always try to give the other side an opportunity to go on the record and address comments/rumors in regard to their program. We are attempting to contact additional sources who may have first hand knowledge of the situation.
You should ask for particulars of the coach's deal, such as length of contract.
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