For the second summer in a row, Indiana appears to have an opening on its men’s basketball coaching staff.
CBS college basketball reporter Jon Rothstein reported on his Twitter page that IU assistant coach Bruiser Flint is headed to Kentucky to become an assistant coach under John Calipari.
“Sources: Indiana assistant Bruiser Flint will join John Calipari’s staff at Kentucky as an assistant coach. Official announcement expected soon,” Rothstein said in his tweet.
Rothstein’s post follows a week of speculation that Flint might join his longtime friend in Lexington. He served as an assistant coach under Calipari during the Minutemen’s memorable run that included five NCAA Tournament teams and a 1996 squad that advanced to the Final Four.
Flint arrived in Bloomington in 2017 as part of head coach Archie Miller’s first staff at IU. It is believed that Calipari was influential in Miller’s decision to hire Flint at the time.
A Philadelphia native, Flint has more than 30 years of coaching experience. He spent 20 years as a Division I head coach and won 331 games while leading Drexel (2001-16) and UMass (1996-01).
Flint left the east coast and agreed to return to the assistant coaching ranks in part because of the allure of the Indiana program.
“You’re talking about one of the best jobs,” Flint told Dustin Dopirak for the Athletic in 2019, “one of the most historical jobs in college basketball.”
Now Flint will move on to another top job in the industry.
In addition to his coaching duties, Flint was one of Indiana’s primary east coast recruiters. He is also the assistant coach leading the recruiting charge for other top prospects including class of 2021 guards Blake Wesley and Aminu Mohammed.
Shawn Harmon, Mohammed’s guardian, doesn’t expect Flint’s decision to have a meaningful impact on Indiana’s recruitment of the 5-star guard.
“Still feel the same about Indiana, being a great school, great platform and great opportunity for Aminu if he chooses to attend IU,” Harmon told The Daily Hoosier. “Our relationship with Coach Miller is good.”
Harmon has recently expressed to The Daily Hoosier that he and Mohammed have been impressed with Miller’s ability to communicate virtually during the pandemic.
Flint was instrumental in bringing current IU players Rob Phinisee and Jordan Geronimo to Bloomington.
Where Miller goes next to complete his staff remains to be seen.
Miller hired former IU player Mike Roberts last summer as an assistant coach to replace Ed Schilling.
Once again in the market for an assistant, it would seem likely that Miller would look to bring in someone with strong recruiting connections and an ability to relate to potential prospects.
The Daily Hoosier attempted to corroborate Rothstein’s report. Indiana was unable to confirm the accuracy of Rothstein’s tweet.
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