15 college basketball coaches on the hot seat in 2017

NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 07: Head coach Brad Brownell of the Clemson Tigers reacts during their game against the North Carolina State Wolfpack during the first round of the ACC Basketball Tournament at Barclays Center on March 7, 2017 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images) /

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WASHINGTON, DC – DECEMBER 19: Head coach Mike Brennan of the American University Eagles talks to his players during a time out of a college basketball game against the Maryland-Eastern Shore Hawks at Bender Arena on December 19, 2016 in Washington, DC. The Eagles won 61-58. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /

15. Mike Brennan, American

After turning in a miracle first season at American, Mike Brennan and the Eagles have been moving in the wrong direction over the past three years.

In his debut campaign back in 2013-14, Brennan guided the Eagles to a 20-13 record and Patriot League Tournament championship over Boston University. American qualified for its third NCAA Tournament in school history, a massive accomplishment for a team that was projected to finish ninth in the Patriot League that season.

Brennan’s style included running as few possessions as possible while executing the Princeton offense. The Eagles were ultra-efficient on both sides of the ball during the run to the NCAA Tournament and owned the nation’s seventh-ranked scoring defense at 59.1 points per game.

American checked in at 17-16 the next season, but the offense fell off a cliff in 2015-16, leading to a 12-19 campaign. Last year was a disaster for the Eagles, who went 8-22 and were bounced in the first round of the conference tournament by Army.

Brennan returns his top three scorers including a pair of nice pieces in sophomores Sa’eed Nelson and Mark Gasperini plus a solid incoming class, leading to higher expectations. Another sub-.500 season could be the end of Brennan’s tenure, which started out so promisingly.