In the midst of a 2-5 start and coming off an 81-52 loss at The Citadel on Tuesday, Barclay Radebaugh has resigned as head men’s basketball coach at Charleston Southern University. Radebaugh, who was in his 19th season at CSU, will be replaced by Associate Head Coach and former Buc star Saah Nimley, who will serve as interim head coach for the remainder of the season.
“Coach Radebaugh and I met and have mutually agreed that in the best interest of our basketball program, new leadership is needed and that now is the right time to begin that process,” athletics director Jeff Barber stated in a release. “With that being said, I cannot begin to express my appreciation for this man and his wife and family. They have all served the Lord and Charleston Southern faithfully for many years. The number of lives Coach Radebaugh has impacted in a positive way is endless and to him, we all offer great respect and gratitude. His extraordinary efforts and accomplishments will never be forgotten. I know that God will continue to use him and his family in a very special way.”
Radebaugh came to Charleston Southern in the 2005-06 season after a year as the head coach at Queens University. Prior to taking over at Queens, Radebaugh had assistant coaching stops at Wofford, Furman, USC, and Winthrop.
The East Tennessee State grad presided over one of the most successful stretches in Charleston Southern history during his 18+ years as head coach. Radebaugh is the winningest coach in school history with 249 wins and one of only eight coaches to win multiple Big South Coach of the Year awards. He directed CSU to NIT berths in 2013 and 2015 as well as a trip to the CollegeInsider.com Tournament (CIT) in 2019 with a win over Florida Atlantic inside the Buc Dome.
Radebaugh earned Big South Coach of the Year honors twice, while coaching a Big South Player of the Year in Nimley. He also coached three Big South Defensive Players of the Year, two Big South Freshman of the Year award winners, and 21 total Big South All-Conference selections. The Lincolnton, North Carolina native stands ninth in Big South history in conference wins as well as recording nine Big South Tournament victories while at Charleston Southern.
“First, I want to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for the amazing blessing of being the head basketball coach a Charleston Southern University for 18 1/2 years,” Radebaugh said as part of today’s announcement. “I have enjoyed every day. I love CSU. Thank you to my amazing wife Hope. She has been the best coach’s wife in the country. She has passionately served our program and players with amazing class and with a deep love for every player, staff member, parent and fan. Thank you to my family. Coaching Division 1 basketball is a family commitment at every level. Hope, Anna, Don, Reid, Sophia, Ruth and Peter are my heartbeat. I love them so much. I want to thank them for sharing our family and our home with our CSU basketball family for so many years. Thank you to Dr. Jairy Hunter, Dr. Rick Brewer and Hank Small for providing me the incredible opportunity become a Division 1 head coach 18 1/2 years ago.”