Black Athletes in the Spotlight: HBCU Sports & Local Highlights
- Sources say Corey Lowery may have committed NCAA violations by contacting Texas Southern players while at Seton Hall.
- Reports raise questions about Corey Lowery’s background, including litigation and paid administrative leave during tenure as an New Jersey high school principal.
- With no permanent coach yet, interim Shyrone Chatman has support; athletic director candidate Ashley Robinson could influence the final hire.
Corey Lowery’s position as Texas Southern’s men’s basketball coach is in trouble after two committees on Board of Regents at the HBCU rejected his candidacy, HBCU Gameday has learned.
Terrence Harris of the Houston Defender reported Friday, citing sources, that the board rejected Lowery while allowing athletic director candidate Ashley Robinson to advance toward a vote next week. A source told HBCU Gameday that the full committee has yet to vote on him for the position.
Lowery, who had been an assistant at Seton Hall, was widely expected to replace Johnny Jones after Texas Southern spent nearly four months searching for a permanent head coach. Chron reported earlier this week that a source had confirmed Lowery was expected to become the Tigers’ next coach, pending university and board approval. (Chronicle?)
That approval now reportedly will not come.
Questions emerged before Texas Southern board decision
The proposed hire had already become more complicated in recent days.
Harris previously reported that Lowery had begun contacting current Texas Southern players and had informed them he planned to be on campus before the Board of Regents had formally approved the hire. The Defender also reported that Lowery had resigned from Seton Hall. (DefenderNetwork.com?)
Friday’s report from Harris raised an even more serious issue.
According to Harris, sources believe Lowery may have committed NCAA violations by contacting Texas Southern players while still associated with Seton Hall. No NCAA violation has been publicly announced, and the NCAA has not issued a public finding against Lowery.
The previous Defender report also raised questions about Lowery’s professional background, including his tenure as a high school principal in New Jersey. Harris reported that Lowery was involved in litigation and was placed on paid administrative leave during that period. That portion of his professional history is not included in his Seton Hall biography. (DefenderNetwork.com?)
The ultimate resolution of those lawsuits was not clear in the report.
Those questions appear to have become part of the discussion surrounding a hire that, only days ago, appeared headed toward approval.
Corey Lowery brought HBCU coaching experience
Lowery’s basketball résumé gave Texas Southern plenty to consider.
He has 27 years of coaching experience, including 16 years as a head coach. Before joining Shaheen Holloway at Seton Hall, Lowery spent two seasons leading Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, an HBCU and CIAA member. (Chronicle?)
Lowery was named CIAA Coach of the Year following the 2021-22 season after leading Lincoln to an 18-10 record and a second-place finish in the league’s Northern Division. The Lions had been picked to finish near the bottom of the conference before exceeding expectations. (Sports Illustrated?)
His résumé also includes time at Saint Peter’s and several junior-college head coaching stops.
That experience made him a logical candidate for a Texas Southern program with a long history of success in SWAC basketball.
The process around his hiring, however, became increasingly unusual.
Texas Southern still looking for permanent coach
Texas Southern has been without a permanent men’s basketball coach since Jones left in April to join Will Wade’s staff at LSU.
Longtime assistant Shyrone Chatman has served as interim head coach since April 20, managing recruiting, offseason workouts and preparation for the upcoming season while the search continued. (Chronicle?)
Support for Chatman has also surfaced during the process.
The Defender reported that letters were sent to university leadership urging Texas Southern to keep Chatman, at least through the upcoming season. The report also said Robinson, Texas Southern’s reported athletic director candidate, favored allowing the new AD to evaluate the program before making a permanent coaching decision.
Lowery’s reported rejection now puts that possibility back into focus.
Texas Southern classes begin in August, and the basketball season opens in November. The Tigers are now left without a permanent coach after appearing earlier this week to have finally ended the search.
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