Louisiana fires longtime coach Bob Marlin

Field Level Media|published: Thu 19th December, 17:53 2024

Ragin Cajuns head coach Bob Marlin yells instructions to his players during the University of Texas at Arlington vs. Louisiana men's basketball game in the first round of the Sun Belt Conference championship tournament at the Pensacola Bay Center in Pensacola on Thursday, March 3, 2022. Syndication News Journal

Louisiana dismissed Bob Marlin six weeks into his 15th season as the program's head coach on Thursday.

Assistant coach Derrick Zimmerman will be the interim coach for the remainder of this season while Louisiana (3-9, 1-0 Sun Belt) searches for a new permanent hire.

"After an ongoing evaluation of our men's basketball program, it was decided a change was necessary," athletic director Bryan Maggard said in a statement. "These decisions are never easy, and this one was not made hastily. I am extremely grateful for the leadership Bob Marlin has provided the past several years. We wish he and his family all the best moving forward."

The Ragin' Cajuns had won two of their past three games, including a 68-62 decision over Appalachian State on Wednesday to open conference play.

Marlin, 65, took charge of the program in 2010 following a 12-year run leading Sam Houston. Marlin went 269-198 at Louisiana and guided the program to the NCAA Tournament in 2014 and 2023. The Ragin' Cajuns also won two regular-season championships on top of their two Sun Belt tournament titles.

In 27 years as a Division I head coach, Marlin has gone 225-131 with four NCAA Tournament berths.

--Field Level Media