Eastern Kentucky to hire Minnesota assistant as men's basketball coach

Eastern Kentucky will hire Minnesota assistant coach Dan McHale as its head basketball coach, according to an ESPN.com report.

Eastern Kentucky will hire Minnesota assistant coach Dan McHale as its head basketball coach, according to an ESPN.com report. 

McHale was an assistant for two years at Minnesota, and previously coached at Seton Hall under head coach Kevin Willard. At Seton Hall, McHale specialized in defensive planning and the team's film study. 

McHale previously assisted at Iona, and before that was a video coordinator at Louisville under Rick Pitino. Second-year Minnesota head coach Richard Pitino is Rick Pitino's son. 

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McHale is the first of Richard Pitino's assistants to leave for a head coaching position at another school.

The Colonels finished the 2014-15 season 21-12, and the performance helped earn then-coach Jeff Neubauer a job as the head coach of the Fordham Rams. 

Eastern Kentucky has not had a losing season since 2007-08, when it went 14-16. The Colonels made the 2014 NCAA tournament under Neubauer, losing to Kansas 80-69 in the Round of 64. 

- Will Green