Ball State basketball: Who will replace James Whitford as the Cardinals next head coach?

MUNCIE, Ind. — For the first time in nearly a decade, Ball State is searching for a new basketball coach.

On Monday, it announced James Whitford, who had led the team since 2013, would not return for a 10th season. His contract, which was extended last summer, was set to expire in 2024. According to his contract, Ball State owes him $519,125 in liquidated damages for termination without cause.

More: James Whitford out as Ball State's men's basketball coach, search for replacement begins

With March Madness under way, Ball State joins the madness of more than two dozen Division I schools that have head coaching vacancies.

Athletic director Beth Goetz, through a member of the Ball State Athletics' communications staff, said she will not have further comment until a new coach is hired.

Let the speculation begin.

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Who could be the next BSU men's basketball coach?

Here's a list of names (in alphabetical order) — from the likely long shots to those with Ball State and Indiana ties — being thrown around to take over Ball State, a team that hasn't appeared in an NCAA Tournament since 2000:

Drew Adams, Bradley assistant

Adams has been an assistant at Bradley for seven years. There, he helped rebuild the Braves' men's basketball program and helped them win consecutive Missouri Valley Conference Championships for the first time in program history.

Prior to Bradley, Adams, a Bloomington South graduate, spent four seasons at New Mexico, where he worked alongside Steve Alford and Craig Neal. Adams played for Alford at Iowa, began his coaching career as a student assistant at Tennessee (2007-08), spent two years on Tom Crean's staff at IU and coached AAU basketball for Indiana Elite.

Ben Botts, Ball State assistant

Botts, if he were hired, would be one of the youngest Division I head coaches in the country. But Botts, who was hired by Ball State in 2018, is the longest active tenured coach on staff. Prior to Ball State, Botts, a Muncie native and former star at Muncie Central, was an assistant at Purdue Fort Wayne and a graduate assistant at Xavier during its Sweet 16 run in 2012.

Tom Crean, former Georgia head coach

Crean was fired from Georgia March 8 after going 47-75 in four seasons with the Bulldogs. Prior to his tenure in Athens, Crean spent nine seasons at Indiana where he helped the Hoosiers to a pair of outright Big Ten titles (2013, 2016) and was named ESPN's National Coach of the Year in 2012.

Crean also coached at Marquette (1999-2008), leading the Golden Eagles to a Final Four and earned his college degree at Central Michigan.

Linc Darner, Ball State assistant

Darner was hired last season after a one-year hiatus from coaching. Before Ball State, he spent five years at Green Bay, amassing a 92-80 record. Darner's rise to fame came during his time at Division II Florida Southern, where he led the Moccasins to eight straight NCAA Tournament appearances, capped off with a 36-1 National Championship season in 2015.

Darner, a Purdue alumnus, also spent time as a head coach at Saint Joseph's (Ind.) following 14 years as an assistant at Ashland, Lincoln Memorial, Murray State and Purdue.

Dane Fife, Indiana assistant

Fife, an Indiana graduate, joined the Hoosiers staff this season after spending 10 years as an assistant at Michigan State. Fife played four years at Indiana and was a starter in 2002 when the Hoosiers finished as the national runner-up.

Fife also was the head coach at Purdue Fort Wayne (2005-11), where he amassed an 82-97 record.

Eric Haut, Northern Kentucky assistant

Haut has spent the previous three seasons at Northern Kentucky as an assistant, helping lead the Norse to a 2020 Horizon League Championship and 2022 runner-up finish. He's worked at the collegiate level as an associate/assistant coach for more than 15 years following his playing days at Kent State, where he was a member of the Golden Flashes team which made a 2002 NCAA Elite Eight appearance.

Haut coached at Kent State as an assistant (2006-08; 2011-16) and associate head coach (2016-19) and at TCU (2008-2011).

Jonathan Holmes, Elon assistant

Holmes, a four-year starter for his father and Indiana high school's all-time winningest coach J.R. Holmes at Bloomington South, has been an assistant at Elon since 2019. He spent 11 seasons on the William & Mary men's basketball staff, the last six of which as an associate head coach, where he helped the team advance to two NIT appearances.

He also spent time as an assistant at Francis Marion and Montreat College. He graduated from North Carolina and was a member of the 2000 team which advanced to the Final Four.

Terry Johnson, Purdue assistant

Johnson is in his first season as an assistant at Purdue after spending four years as an assistant at Ohio State. Previously, Johnson spent a decade as an assistant at Butler, helping the Bulldogs to eight NCAA Tournaments. Johnson played college basketball at Lincoln Trail Community College, Lamar and Purdue Fort Wayne, where he also served as an assistant.

Michael Lewis, UCLA assistant

Lewis is a Jasper, Indiana native who finished his high school career 13th on the state's all-time scoring list. He's currently in his third season as an assistant at UCLA and helped lead the Bruins to a Final Four in 2021. He was a standout guard under Bob Knight at Indiana, spending two years as Knight's assistant at Texas Tech. He coached at Eastern Illinois, Butler and Nebraska.

Cuonzo Martin, former Missouri head coach

Martin has been a name being thrown around after he was fired from Missouri, where he went 78-77 in five seasons. Prior to Missouri, Martin spent three years at California (62-39), Tennessee (63-41) and Missouri State (61-41). A Purdue graduate and East St. Louis, Illinois native, Martin began his collegiate coaching career at Purdue in 2000.

Ray McCallum, Tulane assistant

Who knows more about winning at Ball State as both a player and coach than McCallum? As a player, McCallum, whose No. 10 jersey is one of three retired at Ball State, guided the Cardinals to their first MAC Championships and first NCAA Tournament berth. As a head coach, McCallum went 126-76 in six years at Ball State — the best winning percentage in program history — guiding the Cardinals to two NCAA Tournament appearances and an NIT berth.

He left Ball State in 2000, and spent four years as Houston's head coach before taking over at Detroit (130-132), where he guided the Titans to an NCAA Tournament and NIT. McCallum is currently an assistant at Tulane (2019-present) and served as an assistant at Georgia State (2016-19), Indiana (2006-08), Oklahoma (2004-06), Michigan (1993), Wisconsin (1984-93) and Ball State (1983-84).

Kareem Richardson, Clemson assistant

Richardson, who played college basketball at Evansville, has made a number of moves in his coaching career, several in Indiana. Currently an assistant at Clemson, Richardson was previously the head coach at University of Missouri-Kansas City (2013-19), where he had a 75-118 record.

Prior to accepting a position at Clemson, Richardson was an assistant at Indiana State (2019-21), Louisville (2012-13), Xavier (2011-12), Drake (2008-11), UMKC (2007-08), Evansville (2003-07), Wright State (2002-03), Indiana State (1999-2002) and Indianapolis (1997-99).

Bruce Weber, former Kansas State head coach

Weber resigned from his position at Kansas State following a second straight losing season. Prior to his 10-year tenure in Manhattan, Kansas, Weber coached at Illinois (2003-12), where he guided the Illini to a national runner-up finish and No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and Southern Illinois (1998-2003). Weber, a Wisconsin-Milwaukee graduate, was an assistant at Purdue (1980-98) and graduate assistant at Western Kentucky (1979-80).

Weber, 65, said he still has an interest in coaching and, prior to taking the Kansas State job, was apparently looking into mid-major jobs. Before leaving Kansas State, Weber openly criticized the NCAA's handing of the FBI probe into college basketball corruption and called out Kansas State fans and their negativity towards him and his team on social media.

Bonzi Wells, Lemoyne-Owen head coach

Perhaps Ball State's most well-known alumnus completed his career at the Mid-American Conference's all-time leader in points and steals. An All-American and two-time MAC Player of the Year, Wells played professional basketball for more than a decade before serving as an assistant at Muncie Central High School. Currently, Wells is the head coach at Division II Lemoyne-Owen, where he finished 16-14 in his first season.

Robby General covers Ball State and East Central Indiana high school athletics for The Star Press. Contact him via email at rgeneral@gannett.com, on Twitter @rgeneraljr or phone at 765-283-8864.

This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Potential BSU men's basketball head coach candidates