On Wednesday, the Texas Southern University Board of Regents approved the hiring of Corey Lowery as the new men’s head basketball coach, but student-athletes did not agree with the university president’s recommendation.
According to Chron, president James W. Crawford III recommended Lowery, who comes to TSU from Seton Hall, as the new head coach over interim coach Shyrone Chatman, who served as an assistant at TSU for 10 years.
Earlier this week, student-athletes protested Lowery’s hiring, voicing their support for Chatman. The protestors entered the president’s suite to confront Crawford with their opinions, reportedly waiting in the president’s office for a significant amount of time before finally meeting with him face to face.
When the student-athletes asked for Chatman to have a chance to “prove himself,” the president allegedly responded by asking, “Why waste a year?”
Many members of the men’s basketball team credit Chatman with retaining a strong roster and have voiced concerns about the coaching change so close to the start of the season.
In a statement, Crawford said, “Coach Lowery has won at every level and every stop of his career. Beyond constructing winning rosters and producing on the court, he is a maker of men off the court. I am confident that he will continue Texas Southern basketball's championship tradition into the University's next century."
The search for a permanent men’s head basketball coach stretched months at TSU. Former head coach Johnny Jones left the Tigers in April for a job as an assistant coach at Louisiana State University. Since then, Chatman has served as interim head coach, and as other schools announced new hires, TSU has been the only Division I program to go nearly five months without an official coach.
Amid the protests, Lowery said, “It is an absolute honor and privilege to be named the Head Men's Basketball coach at Texas Southern University. Texas Southern is rooted in a proud tradition of winning championships and I consider this University not only the premier institution in the SWAC but one of the top in the country. I will work tirelessly to serve and uphold the standard of excellence that already exists at Texas Southern University."
