Report: Kevin Nickelberry to join Big East coaching staff

Last week, Kevin Nickelberry was coaching LSU in the NCAA Tournament. Now, he’s getting ready to join a new coaching staff — and he’s heading back to the Big East.

Nickelberry is heading to Georgetown as an assistant under Patrick Ewing, according to John Fanta of FOX Sports. He spent the last three years on LSU’s staff under Will Wade, who was fired after the regular season, and served as the program’s interim head coach during the NCAA Tournament.

Patrick Ewing has made a key staff addition. Georgetown has hired Kevin Nickelberry as an assistant, I am told. Announcement expected today. Nickelberry was most recently the interim HC at LSU to end the season. Assisted with Tigers from 2019-22, HC at Howard 2010-19. DC ties.

— John Fanta (@John_Fanta) March 24, 2022

Nickelberry is familiar with Big East basketball. He coached at DePaul from 2009-10 before becoming Howard’s head coach from 2010-19. After that, he joined forces with Wade and eventually took over as interim head coach after his firing.

During Nickelberry’s lone game in the head chair, LSU fell to Iowa State 59-54 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. After that loss, the Tigers moved to hire former Murray State coach Matt McMahon to replace Wade as head coach.

Nickelberry joins a Georgetown team that struggled mightily this season. The Hoyas went 6-25 in 2021-22, including an 0-19 mark in conference play — just one year after Georgetown won the Big East Tournament to make the NCAA Tournament. That run earned Ewing a contract extension, according to CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein.

Report: Contract details revealed for new LSU basketball coach Matt McMahon

After leading the Murray State men’s basketball program to much success, Matt McMahon has received a head coaching gig in the SEC at LSU – and the new Tigers’ leader is set to be highly compensated at his new school.

As reported by Wilson Alexander of the The Advocate newspaper in Baton Rouge, LSU has signed McMahon to a seven-year contract that will begin paying the head coach $2.6 million per year and later increase to $3.2 million annually.

In addition to McMahon’s salary, he’ll also receive an extra contract year if LSU’s program gets hit with a multi-year postseason ban by the NCAA or loses two scholarships for at least three years as the outcome of the Notice of Allegations that forced the Tigers to fire former head coach Will Wade.

McMahon, 43, compiled a 154-67 overall record during his time at Murray State. In 2021-22, he led the Racers to 31 wins and a trip to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.