UMass Amherst basketball coach fired after five years with team

AMHERST, Mass. — The head coach of the UMass Amherst men’s basketball team will soon be without a job.

UMass has announced its parting ways with Matt McCall after five seasons, but he will stay to finish out this season according to Massachusetts Director of Athletics Ryan Bamford.

“I want to thank Matt for his five years of service to UMass and our basketball program,” said Bamford. “Matt poured himself in to this role and has been a great teammate and partner as we worked to build a championship program. Unfortunately, we have not met the results we desire on the court and I believe a change at the end of the season is in the best interest of the program. I am grateful that Matt and I shared a mutual desire to have him finish the 2021-2022 campaign with the men in our program over the coming weeks.”

McCall currently has a record of 58-81 during his five years with the Minutemen. He was named the 22nd head coach UMass on March 29, 2017, after a head coaching stint at The University of Tennessee, Chattanooga.

McCall’s base pay for coaching the UMass basketball team is $250,000. According to state payroll records, he was paid $780,750 in “other pay” in 2021 for a total of $1,030,750. He was paid $600,750 in 2020 and $577,000 in 2019.

McCall will stay through the Atlantic 10 Tournament, according to the university. The team’s next game is Wednesday night against Fordham.

UMass has reached the NCAA Tournament just once since the team’s heyday from 1992-98. The Minutemen went to the tourney seven straight times under John Calipari and Bruiser Flint. The 1996 trip to the Final Four has been vacated for rules violations.

Note: Material from the Associated Press contributed to this report.

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