Montana State lets basketball coach go a month after the death of his daughter
A month after mourning the death of his daughter while still coaching his team, Montana State head coach Brian Fish lost his job.
The program announced the decision in a release worded to sound like Fish was leaving of his own volition with a “Brian Fish Leaving MSU” headline, but athletic director Leon Costello clarified that he was, in reality, not renewing Fish’s contract:
"After a thorough review of the men's basketball program, today I met with Brian and informed him of my decision not to renew his contract; I also thanked Brian for his years of service to Montana State University," Costello said. "This type of decision is always hard and one I do not take lightly. We are grateful to Brian for his dedication to Montana State University and the men's basketball program. We wish Brian the best in his future endeavors."
To get rid of a coach so soon after a personal tragedy like what Fish experienced would have been a tough move. Fish’s daughter Caryssa, age 29, died of undisclosed causes on Feb. 8, per the Idaho State Journal. Fish continued to coach his team, leading the Bobcats to wins over Idaho and Idaho State in the next two games on the schedule.
Montana State would eventually finish sixth in the 11-team Big Sky conference with an 11-9 conference record and a 15-17 overall record. That finish tied for Fish’s best in five-year tenure in Bozeman. Montana State went 65-92 over his entire career there.
Taking a cynical view of how the move was handled, Montana State probably knew what it was doing with its timing and how it would look. The departure was announced just as the Big Ten Tournament final was nearing its final minutes, and within an hour before the NCAA tournament bracket was revealed. Clearly, Montana State didn’t want what it was doing to make waves.
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