Texas Southern basketball players are publicly pushing the HBCU to retain interim head coach Shyrone Chatman as questions continue to surround the university’s attempt to hire Corey Lowery.
Players were joined by students and alumni in a demonstration on the Texas Southern campus Tuesday, according to reporting and video posted by Defender Network college sports editor Terrance Harris. The demonstration comes one day before the Board of Regents is expected to consider the president’s recommendation for the men’s basketball position.
Harris posted multiple videos showing people marching across campus. He reported that Texas Southern players were among those demonstrating in support of Chatman.
The public show of support represents another dramatic development in the coaching search. One that has become increasingly complicated as days go by.
Chatman has served as interim head coach since Johnny Jones left Texas Southern in April. Jones left to become an assistant coach at LSU. The longtime Tigers assistant has remained in charge of the program. Meanwhile the HBCU conducted a national search for Jones’ replacement.
Texas Southern players make their voices heard
Seton Hall assistant Corey Lowery emerged as the expected choice for the job earlier this month. Multiple reports indicated that Texas Southern intended to hire Lowery, pending approval from the Board of Regents.
Getting that approval has proven anything but routine.
HBCU Gameday previously reported that Lowery failed to receive approval from two Board of Regents committees. Other reporting has confirmed that that reporting.
His name, however, remains headed toward consideration by the full board. The Board of Regents is scheduled to meet Wednesday, Aug. 19, with eight voting regents holding the authority to approve or reject the recommendation.
Now the people Lowery would potentially inherit are making their feelings known.
That adds another dimension to an already unusual situation.
Players supporting Chatman is very noteworthy in the current college basketball landscape. The transfer portal gives athletes more mobility than previous generations had, making roster relationships an immediate concern for any incoming coach.
Texas Southern isn’t simply choosing the next person to occupy the head coach’s office. The university is making that decision while members of its current program are publicly advocating for someone else.
Corey Lowery candidacy already under scrutiny
The demonstration also comes as questions surrounding Lowery’s candidacy continue to mount.
Harris has reported concerns about communication between Lowery and current TSU players before being approved as head coach. He subsequently published what he described as an exchange involving a current player and reported that The Defender obtained a recording of communication involving the parent of a player.
No NCAA violation involving Lowery has been publicly established.
The questions add another layer to a candidacy that already encountered resistance during the university’s own committee process.
Lowery brings substantial coaching experience. He spent four seasons as an assistant at Seton Hall. He previously served as head coach at Lincoln University, an HBCU in the CIAA. He earned CIAA Coach of the Year honors following the 2021-22 season.
Chatman, meanwhile, offers something different: continuity.
He has spent years inside the Texas Southern program and took control after Jones’ departure. Now at least some of the players he has been leading are publicly asking the university to leave him there.
HBCU basketball decision reaches boiling point
The timing couldn’t be much more dramatic.
Texas Southern has spent more than four months without a permanent men’s basketball coach. The university hired DHR Global in June to assist with the search, while Chatman continued operating the program.
Wednesday could finally bring clarity — or it could create another round of questions
If the Board of Regents approves Corey Lowery, he could take over a Texas Southern basketball program where players have already publicly demonstrated in favor of his interim predecessor.
If the board rejects him, the HBCU could be forced to reconsider a search that has stretched deep into the summer.
Either way, Texas Southern’s players have made sure their voices are now part of the conversation.
The decision belongs to the Board of Regents.
The players have made it clear what they want.