Men's basketball firing Earl Grant
In a move that was somehow surprising and not surprising at all on Sunday morning, On3 reports that BC is firing Earl Grant.
In Grant’s fifth year at the helm of the program, the Eagles finished 11-20, 4-14 in the ACC and missed the conference tournament for the second straight season. Over his five years, Grant went 72-92 and 31-61 in the ACC.
As I’ve reported for a week or so, this was most likely coming, however the women’s basketball coaching move could have thrown a wrench into things. I was hearing that there were some people within the decision making process that might have only wanted to make one hire and not two at the same time. Ultimately, the right call has been made. BC fans of all sports are ready to finally jump ship – specifically financially – after years of underachievement. Not making a coaching move here may have been the last straw for those that support the men’s basketball program.
It is worth noting that Grant’s teams did play hard for him despite not having many positive nights, aside from the 2024 season where the team at least made the NIT tournament and finished over .500. But, it’s the only season under Grant where the team did finish over .500.
So, who’s next?
For those of you that were following me for the Bill O’Brien hire and breaking that news, I’ll 100% admit that I got very lucky with some contacts on that one. I don’t have many ‘basketball sources,’ but I will say I’d be skeptical of Merrimack head coach Joe Gallo, simply because his resumê pretty much only includes Merrimack and Dartmouth with a little Robert Morris sprinkled in. Kim English is another name that will obviously come up after he was relieved of his duties in Providence…were expectations just too high in Providence? I think he could actually be a fit here.
Now, for my wild, crazy, ‘but you never know’ scenario…Brad Stevens.
Here me out.
Stevens has regularly been at home games since his time in Boston, as have many reps from the Celtics. I did not attend a game in person this year (covered all remotely with the Pats’ deep run and them just not being very good) and do not know if he was at any of the home games, but I’d be stunned if he wasn’t. I also think eventually he’s going to get back into coaching. Admittedly, everyone around here has thought that for a while now. Why not get your feet wet again with a place nearby that you know well after a long time away doing an excellent job as a GM? Expectations will be low and he may enjoy the challenge of trying to make some history.
Don’t tell me it doesn’t make at least a little sense.
I don’t think it’s actually going to happen, especially considering how messed up the NIL landscape is right now and how well the Celtics are positioned for a bright future, but it sure would be fun. I do think a Gallo or an English is more in their ballpark right now, particularly because this will not be an easy job for anyone who takes it.
It’s going to take some convincing and reassurance of future financial investment to get someone to take the job. Although, the facilities that are pretty much brand new are still an attraction for recruits and there’s a lot of prep school basketball talent across New England.
For now, administration deserves some rare credit for doing the right thing. Now, it’s just a question of how serious everyone is when it comes to getting BC back to the tournament for the first time in almost two decades.
