Head men’s basketball coach Brian Fish mentioned that there may be some roster movement following the conclusion of the 2015-16 basketball season, but he never indicated that may include the coaching staff.
However, top assistant Kenya Crandell has left to take a position at Texas- Rio Grande Valley. “He’s got a chance to be around his son and his mom and live down in Texas, and I’m happy for him,” head coach Brian Fish told the Bozeman Daily Chronicle. “I knew this has been in the works the past two or three weeks, so it wasn’t a shock or anything like that.”
Crandell came to MSU on Brian Fish’s initial staff after working in basketball operations at the University of Oregon for two seasons, along with Fish, on Dana Altman’s staff. At the time of his hiring, Fish was excited about adding Crandell to his staff, saying, “Kenya has been in the Coach (Dana) Altman family for about 10 years and he worked with us the last two years at Oregon,” Fish said. “I’ve always respected his work ethic, knowledge of the game of basketball, and ability to put the athlete first, and I knew if I got a (head coaching) job he’d be a great addition to a staff.”
Crandell brought a wealth of experience to Bozeman upon joining the Bobcat staff, having spent time at fellow Big Sky members Southern Utah, Sacramento State and Northern Colorado, in addition to time at his alma mater, Nebraska-Kearny where he was a record-setting guard.
With Crandell’s departure, Fish must replace his top assistant whose duties included working with the Bobcats’ guards, as well as running the day-to-day operations of the program while Fish and assistants Chris Haslam and Brandon Lincoln were on the road recruiting during the season.
But Fish is in no hurry to fill the position. “I’m going to give it a lot of thought and I’m not going to move very fast on it,” Fish said. “I’ve never moved real fast on hiring a staff member before. I think you wait it out and figure out what fits best and figure out the pieces.”
Danny Waldo is a local freelance writer covering Montana State and Bozeman Hawk athletics. Connect with Danny at bozemansports@gmail.com.
