College of Charleston Picks Collegiate Sports Associates to Recruit Head Basketball Coach

March 22, 2021 – Raleigh, NC-based Collegiate Sports Associates (CSA) has been selected to help College of Charleston in South Carolina to find a new head basketball coach. Earlier this month, the school’s former coach, Earl Grant, accepted the coaching position at Boston College (BC). The search will be national in scope. Matt Roberts, director of athletics for College of Charleston, declined to disclose CSA’s fee, saying it is a “private contract” and not a state contract, said the Post and Courier newspaper in Charleston. Mr. Grant is leaving the Cougars in good shape. In his seven years as head coach at College of Charleston, his teams had an overall record of 127-89 (.588). He was named 2017 Colonial Athletic Association Coach of the Year and NABC All-District Coach of the Year. In 2017-18, he led Charleston to its first NCAA tournament appearance in 19 years and winning the conference regular-season and tournament titles. For the first time in program history, men’s basketball was recognized by the NCAA for the 2018-19 academic year. Under the guidance of Mr. Grant, the program’s four-year rolling APR (academic progress rate) was in the top 10 percent of all men’s basketball programs in the country.

“We thank Earl for restoring the winning tradition back to our storied basketball program during his time at the college, including our memorable run to the NCAA tournament in 2018,” said Matt Roberts, director of athletics. “Not only is he a great coach, but a great person, who impacted not only his student-athletes, but the campus and Charleston community. We could not have asked for a better leader and ambassador for the College of Charleston and men’s basketball program. We wish him and his family success at BC.”

Strong Interest

Jeff Hartsell, who covers sports for the The Post and Courier, wrote in a recent column that Mr. Roberts has been inundated with calls about the head coaching job since news broke of Mr. Grant’s departure. “It’s not so much the coaches who are interested, but the coaches who call you on behalf of the coaches who are interested that makes it intriguing,” the athletics director told Mr. Hartsell. “Some of the names that come across your phone that you never thought you’d speak to a week ago.”

Among the names being floated as successors to Mr. Grant, according to Mr. Hartsell, include: Pitt assistant coach Milan Brown, who was on Mr. Grant’s staff at College of Charleston in 2017 and 2018; College of Charleston associate head coach J.D. Powell, who has expressed interest in the job; former Citadel coach Ed Conroy, an assistant coach at Minnesota; Levelle Moton, head coach of North Carolina Central; Will Jones, head coach of North Carolina A&T; and Anthony Jackson, a former College of Charleston player and NBA veteran, who was a candidate in 2014, when Mr. Grant was hired.

Mr. Grant’s salary at College of Charleston was $651,000 per year, and his contract calls for a $225,000 buyout owed to the school, said Mr. Hartsell in his column.

Serving Universities

Collegiate Sports Associates helps recruit talent for athletics programs at NCAA Division I universities and conferences across the U.S. The firm’s network of associates includes current and former Division I athletics directors and other senior university and conference officials, including commissioners, presidents, faculty athletics representatives, coaches, and associate athletics directors.


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CSA founder and president, Todd Turner, has over 30 years of experience in intercollegiate athletics, 21 of which were as the athletics director at four major Division I FBS/BCS institutions. By coupling Mr. Turner’s experience and thriving personal relationships throughout higher education with top-level professional consulting and search services, Collegiate Sports Associates has a reputation for delivering a unique level of service.

Among its previous placements, Collegiate Sports Associates has helped recruit athletic directors for Boston College, the University of Mississippi, the University of Nevada at Las Vegas, Clemson, and Penn State. The firm has placed head coaches for Miami, Yale, and Boise State, among others. And it has helped to find head basketball coaches for Cal. Kansas State, Fresno State and Oklahoma.

Related: Search Firms Partner to Recruit Head Football Coach for University Northern Colorado

Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media

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