NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Charleston Southern men's basketball coach Barclay Radebaugh is stepping down in his 19th season after his team got off a 2-5 start.
The school's vice president of intercollegiate athletics Jeff Barber said he and Radebaugh talked after Tuesday night's 81-52 loss to area rival Citadel and “mutually agreed that in the best interest of our basketball program, new leadership is needed and that now is the right time to begin that process.”
Associate head coach and former Charleston Southern player Saah Nimley will serve as interim coach for the rest of the season, the school said.
Radebaugh was hired before the 2005-06 season and became the longest-tenured coach in the Big South Conference. He finishes with a record of 228-325. Radebaugh led the team to two winning seasons, 19-13 in 2012-13 and 19-12 in 2014-15. The Bucs played in the NIT both those postseasons.
The program has struggled in recent years, going 21-69 since the 2020-21 season.
Radebaugh, in a statement, thanked the school, its fans and the university's leadership.
He said his conversations with Barber and university president Keith Faulkner were “honest, professional and considerate."
Radebaugh encouraged the program's backers to continue supporting the team.
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