Greg Young Out as UT Arlington Head Coach

Nine days ago, a tweet was put out that UT Arlington head coach Greg Young was on the hot seat.

After defending Young, thinking there was no way he was on the hot seat, I was completely wrong.

The tweet was by Trilly Donovan was accurate and confirmed on Friday morning.

UT Arlington athletic director made the decision to part ways with Greg Young, citing a fresh perspective.

“Following a holistic evaluation of our program, the determination was made that now is the most advantageous time for us to make this move,” Fagg stated. “Change is rarely easy, and this decision was no different, but we need to inject a new, impactful, results-driven energy into the program. We are in a new, extremely competitive conference, and a fresh perspective will give us the best opportunity to elevate our program to the consistent championship level our supporters and student-athletes deserve.

Young was in his second season as head coach of the Mavericks. However, Young has been at UT Arlington for nearly 14 years as an assistant, associate head coach, and head coach. During his two years as head coach, the Mavericks were 20-34 overall and 11-18 in conference games. UT Arlington was coming off a road win at UTRGV on Thursday night. It was the second win in the last three games for the Mavericks.

Young took over the program on April 1, 2021. Young’s hiring was part of a domino effect when then-head coach Chris Ogden left to join Chris Beard at Texas. Young was part of Scott Cross’ staff at UTA, who was fired fired on March 26, 2018 after the Mavs failed to receive a bid to any postseason tourney.

“I know coach Young cares deeply about the UTA men’s basketball program, and I sincerely thank him for his efforts and dedicated service over the last 14 years as a head, associate and assistant coach,” Fagg continued. “We are thankful for the many student-athletes he has mentored, and on behalf of the entire department I wish him all the best in his future endeavors.”

Royce ‘Snoop’ Johnson will take over as the interim head coach. Johnson has been the associate head coach for the past two seasons.

As it stands right now, UT Arlington is in the running to earn a trip to the WAC Tournament. The Mavs have the weekend off before heading to Sam Houston on Wednesday.