Tod Kowalczyk reportedly front-runner for Utah State job
There is reportedly a front-runner to land the open Utah State men’s basketball head coaching job.
Per Jeff Goodman, national college basketball analyst, current Toledo head coach Tod Kowalczyk is the name to watch in the Aggies’ ongoing search.
Goodman reported Thursday that though a deal is not done between Kowalczyk and Utah State, the longtime Rockets’ head coach is “the front-runner as the process heads towards the finish line.”
Kowalczyk is unlike recent Aggie head coaches in that he is a longstanding head coach of a Division I program, having just finished his 14th season at Toledo.
By way of comparison, Danny Sprinkle coached at Montana State for only four years before moving to Utah State. Ryan Odom was the head coach at UMBC for five seasons before taking the Utah State job. And Craig Smith was the head coach at South Dakota for four years before taking over the Aggies.
During his time leading the Rockets, Kowalczyk’s teams have won 20 or more games eight times, including this season. Moreover, the Rockets have won four straight regular-season conference championships (Mid-American Conference) under Kowalczyk.
Additionally, Toledo has had only one losing season under Kowalczyk, his first season with the program. From Year 1 to Year 2 of his tenure, the Rockets improved by 15 wins, becoming one of the most consistent and winningest teams in the MAC in the following years.
The lone blemish on Kowalczyk’s Toledo resume is a lack of NCAA Tournament appearances. The Rockets have never made the Big Dance under Kowalczyk, extending a program-tourney drought that goes back to 1980.
Named MAC coach of the year in two of the last three seasons, Kowalczyk has proven to be a consistent winner, though, and boasts a 240-124 record at Toledo, with a winning percentage of .659.
By way of comparison, over the last 14 years, Utah State has had eight 20-plus win seasons, and won 301 games, with five different head coaches.
