25 worst coaching hires in the history of college basketball

11. Kevin Stallings – Pittsburgh (2016-2018)

• 24-41 record (2 seasons)

A program with a rich tradition in its own right, Pittsburgh was at its best at the beginning of this century. Prior to leaving for UCLA, coach Ben Howland built the framework of a fantastic program that successor Jamie Dixon kept building. The Panthers were one of the best programs in the final years of the old Big East and transitioned somewhat successfully to the ACC. In 2016, Dixon went home to TCU to become head coach at his alma mater, leading the Panthers with their first head coaching search in some time.

All things considered, Kevin Stallings was a successful coach. He had gained experience as an assistant at Purdue under Gene Keady and at Kansas under Roy Williams. He took Illinois State to a pair of NCAA Tournaments in the late ’90s, the most recent appearances for the Redbirds. Stallings then spent 17 years at Vanderbilt, leading the Commodores to a slew of Tournament appearances and making them a solid SEC program. Some would argue that he outstayed his welcome, with Sweet Sixteens in 2004 and 2007 long in the rearview mirror.

Stallings headed to Pittsburgh to start fresh, but his time with the Panthers was anything but fresh. His first campaign was a struggle, a 16-17 mark near the bottom of the ACC standings. Year two was the disaster, with the Panthers going winless in conference play. To make matters worse, Stallings was later given his own show-cause penalty for exceeding the number of allowed coaches and lying to officials about it. Given the current state of the Panthers program even four years later, it’s clear that Stallings did quite the damage to their state of affairs.