Joel Justus no longer a candidate for ETSU job

UPDATE

Jon Rothstein reports that interim coach Jason Shay will be named the next head coach of East Tennessee State. That means Joel Justus is no longer a coaching candidate this offseason and will likely remain in Lexington for at least one more season.

Kentucky assistant coach Joel Justus has had his name come up for head coaching vacancies in the past, and now with another coaching vacancy, Justus is reportedly a candidate for the opening at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, Tennessee.

The website Hoop Dirt listed the odds for the next coach at ETSU and Justus came in at 25/1. The heavy favorite for the job is ETSU assistant coach Jason Shay, who was listed at 4/1 on Hoop Dirt. Shay was named interim coach after former coach Steve Forbes took the job at Wake Forest (and we’ve already seen Forbes make headlines in Kentucky).

Justus has been considered for jobs in the past, including at UNC Wilmington earlier this spring. Ultimately, UNC Wilmington ended up passing on Justus. John Calipari always advises his assistants to be patient as they look for opportunities to become a head coach.

ETSU seems like a good mid-major job where a coach can win and Justus would likely fit in well there. It would however be a loss for Kentucky as it seems that Justus has found his footing on the recruiting trail and is the guy who keys in on younger recruits, building those all-important relationships early on.

According to Hoop Dirt, interviews occurred over the weekend, so expect to see more news trickle out this week.