BILLINGS – The MSU Billings athletic department confirmed Sunday what Montana Sports reported earlier this week – Montana State’s second winningest men’s basketball coach is a candidate for the Jackets vacant men’s head coach position.
MSUB’s Athletic Director Krista Montague released this statement:
“Mick Durham is a candidate for the head men’s basketball coaching position and will be on campus at MSUB for a search committee interview on Tuesday, March 27. The search committee is still in the process of reviewing applications, and we will announce any other on-campus interviews as they are scheduled.”
“Signing Day is April 13, so, ideally, we’d like to have a coach in place by then,” Montague said. “But it depends on schedules, so there’s no guarantee.”
Durham, a former MSU Bobcats player, spent 16 years as head coach in Bozeman, posting a 246-213 record before stepping down in March of 2006.
He is currently the head coach at Alaska Fairbanks, where he’s spent the past seven seasons. Two years ago, UA-Fairbanks won the conference tournament championship for the first time in program history. This year’s Nanooks finished 11-15.
Former Montana State player and Great Falls native Bobby Howard just finished his fourth season as Durham’s assistant coach.
Durham’s teams in Bozeman produced three 20-win campaigns and won two Big Sky Conference titles. MSU reached the NCAA Tournament in 1996 before falling to Syracuse in the opening round. Durham’s 2001-02 team played in the NIT.
The Three Forks native earned a trio of Big Sky Coach-of-the-Year awards, including after the 2004-05 season, in which the Bobcats were picked to finish last but tied for second.
MSUB is replacing Jamie Stevens, who stepped down earlier this month after seven seasons with the Yellowjackets.
