Mark Fox is out as the head coach of the Georgia men’s basketball team.
Following earlier reports, UGA officials finally confirmed the move in an email to beat writers Saturday afternoon.
“Days like today are very difficult, especially when you are talking about someone like Mark Fox,” athletic director Greg McGarity said in a statement. “We have worked alongside each other for eight seasons, and I have the utmost respect for Mark, his staff, our student-athletes and the support staff. They have always represented the University of Georgia in a professional manner. I know I speak for all Bulldogs to say ‘thank you’ to Mark and Cindy for the time and effort they have devoted to the University of Georgia."
Fox thanked the University for the opportunity he received.
“For the past nine years, we have had the good fortune to coach some terrific young men,” Fox said. “This chapter has closed, and I am grateful to the many who have helped us along the way but especially to the young men who wore the red and black. We’ve been able to reach a couple of NCAA Tournaments, a couple more NITs and graduate our players. Hopefully, our time here can be the groundwork for more success.”
In nine years under Fox, the Bulldogs made only two trips to the NCAA Tournament, first in 2011 and again in 2015, but lost in the first round each time to Washington and Michigan State, respectively.
Three other squads advanced to the NIT but those teams went a combined 1-3.
“In the end, I felt like we have not reached our full potential as a basketball program. I really thought we were on the way to turning the corner this year. We just did not achieve the level of success as a program that I believe we should at the University of Georgia," McGarity said. "We will move forward to search for a new head coach. It will be a national search in scope, and we will move as quickly as possible.”
So, who's next?
Names athletic director Greg McGarity could explore include former Indiana coach Tom Crean, former Ohio State coach Thad Matta, Rhode Island coach Danny Hurley, Iowa State coach Steve Prohm and College of Charleston coach Earl Grant.
This year’s Georgia squad was expected to be one of Fox’s better teams.
Despite the loss of J.J. Frazier, the Bulldogs featured what many felt was a deep squad, led by preseason player of the year Yante Maten, along with veterans like Derek Ogbeide and Juwan Parker.
Unfortunately, it was not to be.
After starting 9-2, the Bulldogs proceeded to win just four of their next 13 games, before beating Florida on Feb. 14. A victory over Tennessee would follow, but the Bulldogs dropped three of their final four regular-season contests, sealing Fox's fate.
Known for running a clean program, Fox also gained a reputation for graduating his players, but ultimately the victories simply weren’t adding up as fans grew weary of the team’s style of play.
This year, the Bulldogs rank at the bottom of the SEC standings in scoring, and of late have struggled defensively as well.
Prior to coming to Georgia, Fox - who will be owed a buyout of $1.2 million - spent six years as the head coach at Neveda, where he led the Wolves to five 20-plus win seasons and three trips to the NCAA Tournament.
It just didn’t work out at Georgia.
Four of Fox’s nine squads did win 20 or more games including three straight from 2014-2016.
His best SEC showing was the 2013-2014 season when Georgia finished tied for second in the SEC before losing in the second round of the NIT to Louisiana Tech.
