The University of San Diego men’s basketball team concluded its season Friday night with a 58-56 loss to Seattle University in the second round of the West Coast Conference Tournament in Las Vegas.
The team flew home the next morning.
Athletic director Kimya Massey did not.
Massey stayed in Las Vegas to conduct interviews for his vacant head coaching position that could be filled as early as Monday or Tuesday. Massey dismissed Steve Lavin on Feb. 18 with the intent on getting a head start on what figures to be an active coaching carousel this year, but he has been known to have been working on a replacement since the fall.
“We are in the midst of finalist interviews,” Massey said in a text message. “Excited about the pool. It was really strong, and it was advantageous to go out early.
“We are very deep in the process and (expect) a decision soon.”
That pool ranges from sitting head coaches in Southern California to assistants from high-major programs to at least one candidate from the NBA, giving Massey and USD president James T. Harris III a variety of options for the program’s fifth coach in 13 seasons.
USD alum Eric Musselman’s name pops up every time there is an opening at Alcala Park given his affinity for the city (and a mother who still lives here), but he is in his second season of a multiyear deal at USC and has denied he is involved. His previous contract at Arkansas included a clause that eliminated the buyout if he was hired by USD.
Multiple sources have identified several candidates at various points in the process, some who have proceeded further than others. In no particular order:
David Fizdale, a USD alum who was an assistant coach there before working for seven different NBA teams, including the Memphis Grizzlies and New York Knicks as head coach. He was an assistant with the Phoenix Suns last season.
Tony Bland, who played and later coached at SDSU before jumping to assistant jobs at USC, Washington and currently Kansas. While at USC in 2017, he was indicted in the federal college basketball probe into bribery and player influence — much of what is permissible now — and received a three-year NCAA “show cause” penalty from coaching in college.
Rick Croy, the head coach at Cal Baptist who guided the Lancers through the transition from Division II to Division I and recently won his 400th career game. The Lancers are 23-8 and the No. 2 seed in the WAC Tournament this week in Las Vegas.
Andy Newman, the head coach at Cal State Northridge who has won wherever he’s been. He took Cal State Bernardino to the Division II Final Four in 2023 and has won 19, 22 and 19 games in three seasons at CSUN. His older brother, Eric, is UC San Diego’s baseball coach.
JR Blount, an assistant at No. 6-ranked Iowa State for the past five seasons under TJ Otzelberger. Before that, he was at Colorado State.
Carlin Hartman, the associate head coach at reigning national champion Florida. He spent a season at UNLV and has been a candidate for other West Coast jobs in the past.
Justin Joyner, in his second season as an assistant at No. 3 Michigan after seven years under Randy Bennett at Saint Mary’s. He grew up in the Bay Area and played at UC Santa Barbara.
Emanuel Dildy, in his third year as a Duke assistant after previous stops at Oklahoma and Northwestern. He has told people he did not reach the final stages.
Lavin was hired by previous athletic director Bill McGillis and given a six-year contract worth close to $1 million per season. In 2023, according to USD’s most recently available federal tax records, Lavin received $989,057 in total compensation.
Massey replaced McGillis two years ago and, sources said, considered making a change atop the basketball program after last season. But Lavin had three years remaining on his contract and Massey gave him another season, which ended Friday with a 12-21 record.
In four seasons, Lavin went 47-84 and finished in the 200s of the Kenpom metric rankings every year.
The Toreros last reached the NCAA Tournament in 2008 and have had a winning record only once in the last seven seasons.
Massey has talked openly about changing that by, among other initiatives, increasing the financial commitment to the program, and sources said they are amassing a war chest of anywhere from $2 million to $4 million to pay players. By comparison, SDSU distributed $2.7 million to men’s basketball players this season. UC San Diego, which will join the WCC in 2027-38, is believed to be considerably below that.
“College athletics is evolving rapidly, and this is a pivotal moment for USD basketball,” Massey said in the university release announcing Lavin’s dismissal. “This is a moment for us to set our expectations even higher and chart a new course of excellence for our program. Competing in the upper tier of the West Coast Conference and being a regular participant in the NCAA Tournament should be the expectation for this program.
“We are committed to providing the leadership, NIL and revenue-sharing investment, and student-athlete support necessary to recruit and sustain a roster that makes both USD and the community proud.”