The Michigan men’s basketball team’s coaching staff will officially need a new face next season, as assistant coach LaVall Jordan has accepted the head coaching job at Milwaukee, according to ESPN’s Jeff Goodman and CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein.
Jordan, 36, has been an assistant on John Beilein’s staff for the past six seasons, during which the Wolverines have gone 143-70, made the NCAA Tournament five times and won two Big Ten championships. He, Bacari Alexander and Jeff Meyer have each remained with Beilein during that time, but Beilein said Wednesday that a departure was possible.
This isn’t the first time Jordan has been up for another job. He was rumored for the head coaching job at Butler — his alma mater — when it opened two years ago. With the rise of the Michigan men’s basketball program during his tenure, Jordan has become known for his mentorship of breakout guards such as Trey Burke, now with the NBA’s Utah Jazz.
Milwaukee finished 20-13 (10-8 in the Horizon League) this past season and lost in the Horizon League quarterfinals to Green Bay.
Jordan’s departure might not be the only one from Beilein’s staff, as Alexander is among the rumored candidates for the head coaching vacancy at Detroit. He played for the Titans during the 1997-98 and 1998-99 seasons after transferring from Robert Morris.
“I think that this is long overdue,” Beilein said Wednesday about the prospect of assistant-coach attrition. “They are really ready to be (head) coaches. The fact that we’ve been together for six years — that doesn’t happen very often.”