Johnny Jones Fired as LSU's Head Basketball Coach

LSU head basketball coach Johnny Jones has been fired from the team, Athletic Director Joe Alleva announced Friday.

Evan Daniels of Scout.com initially reported on March 7 that the move was coming as soon as LSU was eliminated from the SEC tournament.

"In the end, the decision to dismiss Coach Johnny Jones did not come easily but was made in the firm belief that excellence is within reach," Alleva said in the school's announcement.

The Tigers went just 10-20 this season with a 2-16 conference record that tied Missouri for the worst in the SEC. The squad fell to Mississippi State in the first round of the conference tournament in a 79-52 loss.

Jones has spent five years at LSU, accumulating a 90-71 record in that span with just one NCAA tournament appearance. Prior to that, he reached the tournament twice in 11 years with North Texas, earning a 190-146 record.

While the current season's record is likely a big reason for Jones' expected removal, last year's squad was arguably an even bigger disappointment. Despite signing Ben Simmons, who ended up being the No. 1 pick in the 2016 NBA draft, the squad failed to qualify for the NCAA tournament.

Fellow McDonald's All-American Antonio Blakeney couldn't provide much more success in either of his two seasons.

Jeff Goodman of ESPN noted the program will now be aggressive in finding a replacement:

On the other hand, Goodman ruled out Tom Crean and Rick Stansbury as possible options.

The Tigers are just 1-2 in the NCAA tournament since the 2006 run to the Final Four under John Brady.