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The Only Problem With Desmond Oliver Becoming ETSU’s Next Head Men’s Basketball Coach Is:
While other mid-major programs live in the shadow of nearby major programs, ETSU would be subservient to their larger neighbor
Multiple news sources are reporting Tennessee assistant men’s basketball coach Desmond Oliver is the front runner for the head men’s basketball coach position at East Tennessee State University.
ETSU will want to move quickly on a new hire not only in an attempt to prevent any more transfers from the program following the resignation of previous coach Jason Shay, but in an attempt for the administration to save face and beat other schools to the best crop of candidates.
Oliver checks two boxes mentioned earlier in this column.
He’s 51, and the older a coach is the more likely he’ll stick around if successful and not be plucked by another school.
He’s from a Power 5 school, Tennessee, thus bringing major college philosophies to a mid-major program.
ETSU has recently gone more this path in their recent hires; football coach Randy Sanders, men’s basketball coach Steve Forbes, and…