Fansided

25 worst coaching hires in the history of college basketball

By Joey Loose

LEXINGTON, KY - JANUARY 21: Head coach Billy Gillispie of the Kentucky Wildcats reacts to the action during the SEC game against the Auburn Tigers at Rupp Arena on January 21, 2009 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
LEXINGTON, KY - JANUARY 21: Head coach Billy Gillispie of the Kentucky Wildcats reacts to the action during the SEC game against the Auburn Tigers at Rupp Arena on January 21, 2009 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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Worst college basketball coach hires
COLLEGE PARK, MD – DECEMBER 14: Head coach Isiah Thomas of the Florida International Golden Panthers talks to his team during a timeout in the game against the Maryland Terrapins at the Comcast Center on December 14, 2011 in College Park, Maryland. (Photo by G Fiume/Maryland Terrapins/Getty Images) /

12. Isiah Thomas – Florida International (2019-2012)

  • 26-65 record (3 seasons)

Nearly a decade removed from their last season above .500, Florida International was a program looking to make a splash. An afterthought in the Sun Belt, the Panthers had made a single NCAA Tournament way back in 1995 but hadn’t done much as a basketball program in recent memory. Former coach Sergio Rouco hadn’t done much to turn the tide in the last five seasons, leading to the big splash that was Isiah Thomas.

Thomas had a Hall of Fame playing career for the Detroit Pistons and had broken into coaching at the NBA level as well. He led the Indiana Pacers to three playoffs appearances in three seasons and had failed to make headway as head coach and director of basketball operations for the New York Knicks. Even though Thomas had no direct experience at the collegiate level since playing under Bob Knight at Indiana, the Panthers brought him aboard, hoping he could elevate this Panthers team to the next level.

The hiring turned out to be a disaster all around. While employed by FIU, Thomas accepted a position as a consultant with the Knicks, though this was quickly reversed as he couldn’t hold an NBA position with an NCAA job simultaneously. In all, he went just 26-65 in three seasons before being fired, never winning more than 11 games in a single season and making no progress at all for the program. Considering successor Richard Pitino’s 18-win debut the following year, it makes Thomas’s struggles as a head coach look even more horrific.