BOWLING GREEN, Ohio — Morgantown native and former University of Charleston men’s basketball coach Mark Downey has been named the interim coach at Bowling Green, the school announced Thursday. Downey will assume the duties of Chris Jans, who was fired as head coach after “an investigation into his recent public conduct,” the university said in a statement on Thursday.
Jans led the Falcons to a 21-12 record — a nine-game improvement — in his first year at Bowling Green.
The Falcons went 1-1 in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament after an 11-7 mark in the Mid-American Conference.
In the statement issued by the athletic department, the university said “Jans’ public conduct failed to meet his obligations as a head coach.” The university didn’t specify what the conduct was.
Downey will take over day-to-day operations of the program while a search for a replacement begins. He compiled a 204-103 record in 10 seasons as the head coach at West Alabama, UC, Arkansas Tech and Independence Community College. Downey went 60-29 in three seasons at UC before resigning July 19, 2013 to take the same job at West Alabama.