The ax fell on yet another college basketball coach this morning as Rhode Island parted ways with David Cox after five seasons.
Cox was hired in 2018 after spending four years as a top assistant under Dan Hurley. He had previously been an assistant at Rutgers, Georgetown and Pitt.
In his first two years at the helm, it appeared that Cox might have been a great fit for the Rhode Island Rams. They went 39-24 in between 2018 and 2020, finishing third in the Atlantic 10 in 2020.
But after two underwhelming seasons that followed, the Rams decided to go in another direction. He never led them to the NCAA Tournament due in part to pandemic cancellations.
Cox leaves as a pretty popular person at Rhode Island though. While some insiders are already contemplating his replacement, fans are sad to see him go.
John Becker on line 2 https://t.co/EBa94IYHyZ
— Seth Davis (@SethDavisHoops) March 11, 2022
Coach Cox my guy…I hate to see it. I wish you the best in life Coach most definitely ✊🏾💯 https://t.co/FY0BtOVy0w
— Chris Arrington (@Carrington_48) March 11, 2022
Never happy to hear this but know Coach Cox will be moving to big things https://t.co/3RL01ZGEbj
— scottbrand (@scottbrand) March 11, 2022
David Cox is a good coach. Sometimes the formula doesn’t work. https://t.co/Xo3cEfIuAg
— Eddy (@edrotella) March 11, 2022
I wanted David Cox @coachdc202 to succeed with @RhodyMBB more than you know, for many reasons. I wish him the best as he continues his career. W’s are paramount but he incorporated his chops as an educator, and most importantly, mentored his players to be good citizens as well. https://t.co/JVnzGFgucH
— Abu Bakr (@brownsvillejets) March 11, 2022
There’s a case to be made that the cancellation of the 2020 NCAA Tournament damaged Cox’s chances of coming back. In the 2019-20 season, the Rams went 21-9 in the regular season and were about to play in the A10 Tournament when the NCAA shut it all down.
Had the Rams reached the NCAA Tournament or even the NIT, Cox might have had more leeway. But going 25-29 over the next two years ensured he didn’t get back.
Cox has experience as an assistant at Rutgers and Georgetown, so he clearly knows his stuff. We may not see him take another head coaching job this year, but we probably haven’t seen the last of him on a basketball sideline.
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