Michigan State basketball assistant linked to Detroit Mercy head coaching job

Michigan State basketball assistant Mark Montgomery has been linked to the Detroit Mercy head coaching job.

Now that the Michigan State basketball season is officially over, it’s time to worry about all the things fans worry about in the offseason. Recruiting and the transfer portal. However, one thing we usually don’t have to worry about much in East Lansing is turnover amongst the coaching staff.

That may be changing this offseason as Mark Montgomery has been tied to the head coach opening at Detroit Mercy.

I am hearing that Michigan State assistant Mark Montgomery might be emerging as a serious candidate for the Detroit Mercy job. He was briefly an assistant there in 2021; the ex-head coach at Northern Illinois.

— Tony Paul | Detroit News (@TonyPaul1984) March 25, 2024

Mark Montgomery has about as many ties to the MSU basketball program as physically possible. He was a four-year starter as a player under head coach Jus Heathcote. He also has been an assistant coach on Tom Izzo’s staff twice. The first was from 2001-2011 where the Spartans made three trips to the Final Four.

After a 10-year stint as head coach at Northern Illinois and a half year with the University of Detroit, Montgomery found himself back on Izzo’s staff once again. He has now spent the last two season at MSU again as one of his assistant coaches.

You never want to see one of your program’s coaches leave, especially one with as much experience as Montgomery has. He has a unique combination of head coaching experience as well as a bunch of experience already in East Lansing. That combination is deadly both as a coach and a recruiter.

Montgomery has helped develop so many players during his tenures at Michigan State and has also helped recruit many elite recruiting classes. This loss would be tough but potentially could help the program get a fresh start.

If Montgomery does in fact want this job then I hope he gets it. I felt the same way after Dwayne Stephens left to become Western Michigan’s head coach, sad to see him go but excited for his opportunity.

We likely will find out soon if he’s going to get the job or not, so stay tuned as more information will likely come out any day now.