UMass fires head coach Derek Kellogg

UMass fired head coach Derek Kellogg on Thursday, shortly after the team concluded its second consecutive losing season.

The Minutemen won just four Atlantic 10 regular season games in 2016-17, and defeated Saint Joseph’s on Wednesday before bowing out to St. Bonaventure in the second round.

"Decisions like this are always difficult but after a thorough review of our men's basketball program, I believe that a leadership change is needed to realize a higher level of competitive success expected at the University of Massachusetts,” Director of Athletics Ryan Bamford said in a release announcing the change.

The university also announced that it has hired Fogler Consulting to lead the search for a new head coach.

Kellogg won 155 games at UMass since taking the helm at his alma mater in 2008. The team reached the NCAA Tournament in 2013-14 for the only time in his tenure, after playing in the NIT the previous two years.

The UMass program has struggled to stay relevant since current Kentucky coach John Calipari led the Minutemen to the Final Four in 1996. Since then, they’ve cycled through four head coaches and played in the NCAA Tournament just twice. Kellogg held the job for nine seasons, the longest of any of Calipari’s predecessors, and ranks third on the program’s all-time wins list.

Barring transfers, UMass is expected to return most of its team for 2017-18.