One week after losing Scott Cross to Georgia Tech, Troy is close to hiring its next head basketball coach. The Trojans are reportedly closing in on NC State assistant basketball coach Adam Howard as Cross' successor.
Howard, who worked at Troy under Phil Cunningham from 2016 to 2018, is “finalizing a deal” to become the Trojans' next head coach, according to ESPN's Pete Thamel. Once official, it will be Howard's first head coaching job at the collegiate level.
Troy's next head coach will only be the eighth since the Trojans' basketball team began play in 1950. Cross is the first to leave to accept a job with a power conference program.
After beginning as a Division II program, Troy moved up to Division II ahead of the 1993-1994 season. They have only had three head coaches since then, not including Howard.
Howard just wrapped up his first year at NC State under former head coach Will Wade. He spent the previous three seasons with Nebraska and the three before that as associate head coach at South Alabama. Howard also coached at Morehead State, Southern Mississippi and Tennessee before his brief stint with Troy.
Howard transitioned to coaching two years after graduating from Western Kentucky in 2008. He spent four years as a reserve guard for the Hilltoppers under then-head coach Darrin Horn, who is now at Northern Kentucky.
Now stepping into a new role, Howard will have to maintain the standard that Cross set at Troy. The Trojans have had three postseason appearances in the last five years, including back-to-back Sun Belt Tournament titles and NCAA Tournament berths.
