Winthrop Fires Randy Peele

Winthrop has fired their head basketball coach, Randy Peele, after a sixth place Big South finish and a 12–19 record. Peele replaced Gregg Marshall in 2007, who left for Wichita State. At Winthrop Peele comprised a 77–81 (.484) overall record and a 48–38 (.558) Big South record.

This should demonstrate the high standards that the top level Big South programs have for their expectation of winning. Winthrop announced a search for a new head coach will begin immediately. Here is the statement from Winthrop’s Athletic Director, Tom Hickman (via HeraldOnline):

“We are certainly very appreciative of the hard work and dedication shown by Coach Peele on behalf of this university over the past nine years, first as an assistant and then as head coach of our men’s basketball program,We all celebrated the team’s achievements in 2008 and 2010 with the Big South Tournament Championships. However, over the past couple of years our men’s basketball program has underachieved and that is distressing.

Sometimes there is a need to provide a spark for a program and that usually comes in the form of a change in leadership. That is why, at this time, the university has decided to release Coach Peele from his duties as head coach and begin immediately a search for a successor.”

Could Longwood use a similar “spark”?