Larry Eustachy
January 2017
Current position
TitleSenior advisor
TeamBoise State
ConferenceMountain West
Biographical details
Born (1955-12-01) December 1, 1955 (age 68)
Alameda, California, U.S.
Alma materLong Beach State
Playing career
1975–1976Citrus CC
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1979–1981Citrus CC (assistant)
1981–1986Mississippi State (assistant)
1986–1987Idaho (assistant)
1987–1989Utah (assistant)
1989–1990Ball State (assistant)
1990–1993Idaho
1993–1998Utah State
1998–2003Iowa State
2004–2012Southern Miss
2012–2018Colorado State
2023–presentBoise State (Senior advisor)
Head coaching record
Overall523–330
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
2× Big 12 regular season (2000, 2001)
Big 12 tournament (2000)
3× Big West regular season (1995, 1997, 1998)
Big West tournament (1998)
Big Sky regular season (1993)
Awards
AP National Coach of the Year (2000)
Mountain West Coach of the Year (2017)
Conference USA Coach of the Year (2012)
Henry Iba Award (2000)
2× Big 12 Coach of the Year (2000, 2001)
2× Big West Coach of the Year (1995, 1996)

Larry Robert Eustachy (born December 1, 1955 in Alameda, California)[1] is an American college basketball coach, most recently the head coach of the Colorado State Rams (2012–2018).[2] He was previously the head coach at Idaho (1990–1993), Utah State (1993–1998), Iowa State (1998–2003), and Southern Mississippi (2004–2012).

Eustachy was the AP Coach of the Year in 2000 after leading Iowa State to the Elite Eight in the NCAA tournament.

Coaching career

Idaho

At age 34, Eustachy became a head coach at Idaho in April 1990,[3][4] succeeding Kermit Davis, who left the Palouse for Texas A&M after consecutive Big Sky titles and NCAA tournament appearances. He had been an assistant in Moscow for a season (1986–87) under Tim Floyd, and Eustachy's first-year salary as head coach was $52,500.[5] In his third year, he led the Vandals to the regular season championship in 1993,[6] but they lost the tourney title game at home.[7] Idaho was not selected for the NIT,[8] and Eustachy departed a few days later.[9][10]

Utah State

Eustachy took over the reins in Logan in March 1993,[9][11] and had a very successful five-year stretch at Utah State; his teams won the Big West regular season three times and won the conference tournament in 1998. The Aggies were seeded thirteenth in the West region of the NCAA tournament, and fell to Maryland in the first round at Sacramento.[12][13]

Iowa State

Eustachy was named head coach at Iowa State in late July 1998,[14][15][16] after Tim Floyd left for the NBA's Chicago Bulls. Following a lackluster first season, the Cyclones had their best season in school history in 2000. They won a school record 32 games and came within one game of the Final Four, and Eustachy was named AP Coach of the Year. After consecutive Big 12 Conference titles in 2001, he signed a contract extension that, with incentives, made him the highest-paid state employee in Iowa.

Suspension and resignation

On April 28, 2003, The Des Moines Register carried pictures of Eustachy kissing several young women and holding a beer at a party near the University of Missouri's campus just hours after the Tigers defeated his Cyclones on Tuesday, January 21.[17][18] The Register also reported that Eustachy had been seen at a fraternity party at Kansas State hours after his team lost to the Wildcats.[19][17][20][21] On April 30, athletic director Bruce Van De Velde suspended Eustachy with pay and recommended that he be fired for violating a morals clause in his contract.[22] Eustachy held a press conference in which he apologized for his behavior and admitted he had recently begun rehab treatment for alcoholism.[23][24] He initially indicated he would contest the suspension, but announced his resignation on May 5.[25][26]

During the scandal, the Register reported that Iowa State documents showed that the NCAA cited Eustachy for rules violations related to paying players, including Jackson Vroman, for making free throws.[27]

Southern Mississippi

On March 25, 2004, after a year out of coaching, Eustachy was hired as head coach at Southern Miss.[28] In 2008, he took a leave of absence on January 9 to be with his ailing mother.[29] Following the 2008–09 season, he returned his $25,000 bonus from the university, saying that after a disappointing season, he did not feel as though he had earned it.[30]

In 2011, Southern Miss went 21–10 and 9–7 in Conference USA play.[31] The team failed to receive a bid to the NCAA tournament and turned down invites to the CBI and CIT.[32][33]

On February 25, 2012, Eustachy recorded his 400th career victory.[34]

In that same 2012 season, Eustachy led Southern Miss to a 25-9 season, a second-place finish in Conference USA, and the Golden Eagles’ first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 1990, earning an at-large bid as an #9 seed. They would lose in the first round to #8 seed Kansas State. This still remains as the only appearance for Southern Miss in the NCAA Tournament since 1990, and just their 3rd overall appearance (1989, 1990, and 2012).

Colorado State

On April 12, 2012, Eustachy left Southern Miss and was introduced as the 19th head basketball coach in Colorado State history, after Tim Miles left for Nebraska of the Big Ten Conference.[35] Eustachy inherited a senior-laden roster that featured four returning starters and Minnesota-transfer Colton Iverson. The Rams were coming off a 20–12 season in which they made the NCAA tournament and lost to Murray State in the second round. CSU greatly improved in rebounding and defensively, leading to a historic season for the program. CSU cracked the top 25 rankings for the first time since 1954 during the season. At 11–5 the Rams finished second in the Mountain West, their highest finish in program history. For the second straight year, the Rams earned an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, this time as a No. 8 seed against Missouri. The Rams defeated the Tigers 84–72 to give Eustachy his first NCAA Tournament win since the Elite Eight run at Iowa State. It was CSU's first NCAA Tournament win since 1989 and a program record 26th win. CSU lost in the third round to top-seeded Louisville, ending the season 26–9.

In August 2013, Eustachy signed a new contract to become the highest-paid coach in the Mountain West Conference. He has a base salary of $910,000 per year and will increase by two percent each following season, along with bonuses on top of it.[36]

In 2017, Eustachy recorded his 500th career victory on January 7.[37] On March 5, he was named Mountain West Conference Coach of the year, after leading a CSU team with only seven available players to a second place conference finish in the MWC.[38]

In February 2017, The Coloradoan revealed that a 2014 Colorado State internal investigation recommended Eustachy's firing due to creating a culture of fear and intimidation by emotionally and verbally abusing his players and staff. However, Colorado State retained Eustachy and required him to attend anger management sessions, apologize to his team, and follow a zero-tolerance policy for directing profane language towards others or throwing or hitting objects, for which violations would result in termination for cause.[39]

On February 3, 2018, Colorado State placed Eustachy on administrative leave and promoted associate head coach Steve Barnes to interim head coach pending the completion of another inquiry into Eustachy's behavior.[40] Colorado State confirmed the existence of that second investigation three days earlier on January 31;[41] Eustachy resigned on February 26.[2]

Boise State

On July 27, 2023, it was announced that Eustachy will be working with Leon Rice and the Boise State men’s basketball team as a volunteer senior advisor to the head coach for the upcoming season.

Head coaching record

Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Idaho Vandals (Big Sky Conference) (1990–1993)
1990–91 Idaho 19–11 11–5 3rd
1991–92 Idaho 18–14 10–6 T–3rd
1992–93 Idaho 24–8 11–3 1st
Idaho: 61–33 (.649) 32–14 (.696)
Utah State Aggies (Big West Conference) (1993–1998)
1993–94 Utah State 14–13 11–7 T–2nd
1994–95 Utah State 21–8 14–4 1st NIT First Round
1995–96 Utah State 18–15 10–8 4th
1996–97 Utah State 20–9 12–4 1st
1997–98 Utah State 25–8 13–3 1st NCAA Division I Round of 64
Utah State: 98–53 (.649) 60–26 (.698)
Iowa State Cyclones (Big 12 Conference) (1998–2003)
1998–99 Iowa State 15–15 6–10 9th
1999–00 Iowa State 32–5 14–2 1st NCAA Division I Elite Eight
2000–01 Iowa State 25–6 13–3 1st NCAA Division I Round of 64
2001–02 Iowa State 12–19 4–12 T–10th
2002–03 Iowa State 17–14 5–11 T–9th NIT Second Round
Iowa State: 101–59 (.631) 42–38 (.525)
Southern Miss Golden Eagles (Conference USA) (2004–2012)
2004–05 Southern Miss 11–17 2–14 14th
2005–06 Southern Miss 10–21 3–11 11th
2006–07 Southern Miss 20–11 9–7 T–4th
2007–08 Southern Miss 19–14 9–7 T–4th
2008–09 Southern Miss 15–17 4–12 T–10th
2009–10 Southern Miss 20–14 8–8 6th CIT First Round
2010–11 Southern Miss 22–10 9–7 T–5th
2011–12 Southern Miss 25–9 11–5 2nd NCAA Division I Round of 64
Southern Miss: 142–113 (.557) 55–71 (.437)
Colorado State Rams (Mountain West Conference) (2012–2018)
2012–13 Colorado State 26–9 11–5 2nd NCAA Division I Round of 32
2013–14 Colorado State 16–16 7–11 T–8th
2014–15 Colorado State 27–7 13–5 3rd NIT First Round
2015–16 Colorado State 18–16 8–10 T–6th
2016–17 Colorado State 24–12 13–5 2nd NIT Second Round
2017–18 Colorado State 10–14 3–8
Colorado State: 121–74 (.621) 55–44 (.556)
Total: 523–330 (.613)

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

References

  1. ^ "Larry Eustachy - Men's Basketball Coach". Colorado State Athletics. Retrieved 2023-12-25.
  2. ^ a b "Larry Eustachy stepping down at Colorado State after being put on administrative leave". ESPN. February 26, 2018. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
  3. ^ Gildehaus, Shelly (April 5, 1990). "Meet the new boss". Idahonian. (Moscow). (photo). p. 1A.
  4. ^ Lewis, Michael C. (April 5, 1990). "No mistake, Eustachy's coach". Idahonian. (Moscow). p. 1C.
  5. ^ Boling, Dave (April 5, 1990). "It's all in the 'family' at UI". Spokane Chronicle. (Washington). p. C1.
  6. ^ Grummert, Dale (March 7, 1993). "Vandals capture Big Sky title". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). p. 1B.
  7. ^ Grummert, Dale (March 14, 1993). "Bronco busted". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). p. 1B.
  8. ^ Jacobson, Bryan (March 15, 1993). "Vandal dreams dead". Moscow-Pullman Daily News. (Idaho-Washington). p. 1C.
  9. ^ a b Grummert, Dale (March 17, 1993). "Eustachy: Goodbye UI, hello Utah State Aggies". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). p. 1B.
  10. ^ Meehan, Jim (March 17, 1993). "Candidates line up for shot at UI job". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). p. C1.
  11. ^ Jorgensen, Loren (March 16, 1993). "Aggies hire Eustachy as hoops coach". Deseret News. (Salt Lake City, Utah). p. D1.
  12. ^ Wilstein, Steve (March 13, 1998). "Maryland outmuscles Aggies". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. p. 3B.
  13. ^ Hamilton, Linda (March 14, 1998). "Despite first-round NCAA loss, season was a good one for Ags". Deseret News. (Salt Lake City, Utah). p. D3.
  14. ^ "Iowa State chooses Eustachy". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. July 29, 1998. p. C2.
  15. ^ "Eustachy replacing Floyd at Iowa State". Moscow-Pullman Daily News. (Idaho-Washington). July 29, 1998. p. 3B.
  16. ^ "Into the eye of the Cyclones". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). July 29, 1998. p. 1B.
  17. ^ a b Witosky, Tom (April 28, 2003). "Eustachy's party behavior called 'poor judgment'". Des Moines Register. Archived from the original on December 26, 2004. Retrieved January 9, 2014.
  18. ^ Kiszla, Mark (April 12, 2012). "Larry Eustachy tale a sobering story". The Denver Post. Archived from the original on April 14, 2012. Retrieved 2017-01-16.
  19. ^ Kluck, Ted (April 29, 2003). "Larry's big night out". Page 2. ESPN. Archived from the original on May 1, 2003. Retrieved January 9, 2014.
  20. ^ Witosky, Tom (April 29, 2003). "Party Photos: A Timeline". Des Moines Register. Archived from the original on June 4, 2003. Retrieved January 9, 2014.
  21. ^ Higgins, Tim (May 1, 2003). "Controversy's fallout stuns some students at Missouri". Des Moines Register. Archived from the original on December 29, 2004.
  22. ^ "Iowa Coach Suspended Amid Partying Reports". ABC News. May 2, 2003. Archived from the original on May 2, 2003. Retrieved January 22, 2017.
  23. ^ Witosky, Tom (May 1, 2003). "Eustachy to be fired?". Des Moines Register. Archived from the original on June 4, 2003. Retrieved January 9, 2014.
  24. ^ Pennington, Bill; Glier, Ray (May 1, 2003). "Iowa State Coach Faces Dismissal". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 25, 2012. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
  25. ^ Witosky, Tom (May 9, 2003). "Document shows ISU, Eustachy are history". Des Moines Register. Archived from the original on June 22, 2003.
  26. ^ Hack, Damon (May 6, 2003). "Iowa State's Eustachy Quits in Wake of Scandal". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on January 9, 2014. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
  27. ^ Witosky, Tom (May 3, 2003). "ISU says Eustachy gave cash to his players". Des Moines Register. Archived from the original on June 4, 2003.
  28. ^ "Eustachy agrees to deal in principle". ESPN.com. 2004-03-25. Retrieved 2017-01-16.
  29. ^ "Southern Miss' Eustachy takes leave of absence". ESPN.com. 2008-01-09. Retrieved 2017-01-16.
  30. ^ Eustachy Returns Bonus SI.com, March 23, 2009
  31. ^ "2010–11 Southern Miss Golden Eagles Schedule and Results | College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved 2017-01-16.
  32. ^ "Southern Miss to Decline Invitations to College Basketball Invitational and CollegeInsiders.com Tournament". Retrieved 2017-01-16.
  33. ^ "Southern Miss declines CBI, CIT invitations - USATODAY.com". USATODAY.COM. Retrieved 2017-01-16.
  34. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-03-09. Retrieved 2012-02-26.((cite web)): CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  35. ^ Dempsey, Christopher (12 April 2012). "Larry Eustachy the new men's basketball coach at CSU". The Denver Post. Retrieved 28 December 2013.
  36. ^ Stephens, Matt L. (7 August 2013). "Colorado State's Larry Eustachy highest-paid in MWC". USA Today. Retrieved 28 December 2013.
  37. ^ Kosmider, Nick (January 7, 2017). "Colorado State coach Larry Eustachy earns 500th career victory as Rams rout Air Force". The Denver Post. Retrieved June 17, 2017.
  38. ^ Lyell, Kelly (5 March 2017). "CSU's Gian Clavell named Mountain West Player of the Year". The Coloradoan. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
  39. ^ Stephens, Matt L., and Lyell, Kelly (February 15, 2017). "CSU: Larry Eustachy intimidated, emotionally abused players". The Coloradoan. Retrieved February 4, 2018.((cite web)): CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  40. ^ Stephens, Matt L. (February 3, 2018). "Larry Eustachy's career at Colorado State in jeopardy; interim coach called "an enabler" of verbal abuse". Denver Post. Retrieved February 4, 2018.
  41. ^ Lyell, Kelly (January 31, 2018). "CSU basketball coach Larry Eustachy facing new conduct investigation". The Coloradoan. Retrieved February 4, 2018.

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