Even after three transfer announcements and two coaching staff departures, the Michigan men’s basketball team’s attrition-filled offseason isn’t over yet.
Just two weeks after Michigan assistant coach LaVall Jordan accepted the head coaching job at Milwaukee and took video analyst Will Vergollo with him, ESPN’s Jeff Goodman reported Wednesday that fellow assistant coach Bacari Alexander is finalizing a deal to become head coach at the University of Detroit.
A Detroit native, Alexander played two seasons at Detroit after transferring from Robert Morris. He led the Titans to back-to-back NCAA Tournament berths in 1998 and 1999, and he later became an assistant coach there for six seasons, from 2001 to 2007.
Like Jordan, Alexander served as a member of the Wolverines’ coaching staff under John Beilein for the past six years. Both assistants have now achieved head coaching positions for the first time in their careers — an opportunity Beilein called “long overdue” for them at his season-ending press conference on April 6.
Most of Alexander’s time at Michigan was spent working with the Wolverines’ post players. In past years, he helped shape big men like Jordan Morgan and Jon Horford, and this season, he received praise for helping junior forward Zak Irvin learn to defend Big Ten power forwards — often while giving up more than three inches and 30 pounds.
Alexander also became a fan favorite off the court for his inspirational “tweet blitzes” and his creative pregame speeches — including literally putting potato chips on his players’ shoulders before a 2013 NCAA Tournament game against Florida.