Joe Dooley is out as East Carolina‘s head coach after four seasons, the school announced Friday.
Athletic director Jon Gilbert said he informed Dooley on Friday evening.
“This evening, I informed Joe Dooley, staff and our student-athletes we are going to move forward with a new leader of our men’s basketball program,” Gilbert said. “For the last four seasons, Joe has worked tirelessly to improve our basketball program and I thank him for his dedication and commitment since the day he was hired. We wish him well in his future endeavors.
“We are committed to building a winning program and developing young men who are leaders on and off the court. Thanks to the generosity of our Pirate Club supporters, we have the facilities and fan base here to attract a top candidate.”
East Carolina’s season ended Thursday with a 74-63 loss to Cincinnati in the AAC tournament. The Pirates finished 15-15 overall and 6-11 in conference play.
Dooley failed to finish above .500 in any of his four seasons at the helm, posting his best record this season. He went 44-67 in four seasons at East Carolina.
It was Dooley’s second stint with the Pirates, after eight seasons in the program in the 1990s. He was an assistant coach for four seasons and the head coach for four seasons.
Since leaving East Carolina the first time in 1999, Dooley spent time as an assistant coach at New Mexico, Wyoming and Kansas. He was also the head coach at Florida Gulf Coast for five seasons before taking over at East Carolina in 2018, leading the Eagles to two NCAA tournament appearances.