AP News, March 9th, 2007
Brad Holland's 13-year run as basketball coach at San Diego ended Thursday when the school bought out the final year of his contract.
Holland was 200-176, with one NCAA tournament appearance and no regular-season West Coast Conference championships. The Toreros upset top-seeded Gonzaga to win the WCC tournament in 2003 and advance to the NCAA tournament.
"We need to move our program so that we're competitive in the upper quartile of our conference, so that we're competing for the conference championship," athletic director Ky Snyder said. "We're not where we want to be at this point."
Snyder informed Holland of his decision at an afternoon meeting. Holland then met with his team.
"There wasn't a lot of talk about the reasons, exactly, but this is what the university has decided to do," Holland said.
"I love it here," added Holland, whose twin daughters graduated from USD. "I always felt it was a good fit for me and the university. It's frustrating that it came to an end."
The Toreros were 18-14 this season and finished fifth in the West Coast Conference.
"Everybody is down," guard De'Jon Jackson said. "The vibe in the locker room was real low. Hopefully we'll get a coach as good as coach Holland."
Holland was the last player recruited by John Wooden at UCLA. Although he never got to play for Wooden, he was with the Bruins when they made it to the NCAAs four straight years, including one Final Four.
Holland also coached two seasons at Cal State Fullerton, going 23-31.
