SAN ANTONIO — When UIW hired basketball coach Carson Cunningham from the NAIA ranks in 2018, it knew it was taking a risk.
Now five years later, the risk hasn’t panned out and the Cardinals parted ways with Cunningham Tuesday afternoon.
“We want to thank Coach Cunningham for his hard work and dedication to the university and the young men in our basketball program and we wish him nothing but the best in his future endeavors,” said UIW Athletic Director Richard Duran.
“We feel that this is the right time for a change in leadership and a new voice to lead the team both on and off the court.”
A former college point guard at Purdue, Cunningham arrived in San Antonio having never previously coached at the Division-I level. He did win over 100 games in five season at Carroll College in Montana, his post prior to UIW.
But Cunningham could never get the Cardinals program off the ground. He reached double-digit wins just once over his five seasons, his most recent 12-19 campaign.
Following this season, the Cardinals lost leading scorer Johnathan Cisse (16.6 ppg) to the transfer portal. Cisse has since committed to Texas Southern.
UIW is slated to return freshman Trey Miller and Davante Dennis, who regularly started games this season. But it remains to be seen if they will stick around for a new coach.
Incarnate Word last had a winning season in 2015-16, when the Cardinals went 17-12 but were ineligible for postseason play as part of their Division-I transition.
UIW has never made the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament.
UIW will immediately begin its search for a new Men’s Basketball Head Coach.