Iowa State men’s basketball assistant coach JR Blount is expected to be hired as the next head coach at San Diego, according to a source with direct knowledge of the situation.
ESPN was first to report the news.
Blount has been a part of Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger’s staff since Otzelberger took over the Cyclones in 2021. Iowa State will make its fifth straight NCAA Tournament appearance this month after spending most of the season ranked in the top-10.
Long seen as a likely future head coach, Blount has been one of the architects of Iowa State’s elite defense. The Cyclones have ranked as a top-15 defense in all five seasons under Otzelberger, ranking in the top-10 four times (including this year). Iowa State had the nation’s top-ranked defense in 2024.
Blount, along with assistant Kyle Green, is the Cyclones’ “defensive coordinator.” Otzelberger has given his assistants uncommon responsibilities in crafting both the offense and defense during his tenure.
San Diego fired coach Steve Lavin after two straight sub-.500 seasons, including a 12-21 mark this season.
A former point guard at Loyola (Chicago), Blount also has had stints as an assistant at Drake and Colorado State. He is expected to remain with the Cyclones through the end of their NCAA Tournament run.
Iowa State opens the Big 12 Tournament on Wednesday at 11:30 a.m. in Kansas City.
Iowa State columnist Travis Hines has covered the Cyclones for the Des Moines Register and Ames Tribune since 2012. Contact him at thines@amestrib.com or (515) 284-8000. Follow him on X at @TravisHines21.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa State basketball assistant JR Blount to take over San Diego