Southern Illinois University is parting ways with men's head basketball coach Chris Lowery.SIU Athletics Director Mario Moccia officially announced the decision Friday afternoon during a news conference in Carbondale.
The Salukis' lost 66-51 to Indiana State in the first round of the Missouri Valley Conference tournament in St. Louis on Thursday. SIU finished the season 8-23. Lowery was 145-116 in eight seasons as coach. His teams made three NCAA Tournament appearances, including the Sweet 16 in 2007. But the Salukis haven't been to the tournament since then and ave had a losing record in three of their last four seasons.
The university is reportedly buying out the remaining two years of Lowery's contract. Lowery signed a seven year deal in 2007 worth $750,000 a year. Moccia says they have not started that process yet.
Lowery has been a major figure in Saluki basketball since the early 1990's. As the team's point guard from 1990 to 1993 Lowery scored 1,225 points with nearly 400 assists. Lowery is the only person in Missouri Valley Conference history to win the league's tournament as both a player and head coach.