UT Martin Fires Coach After 5 Losing Seasons

MARTIN, Tenn. (AP) — UT Martin has fired coach Jason James after a fifth consecutive losing season.

James went 37-117 in five years as UT Martin's head coach after spending seven seasons as an assistant.

UT Martin athletic director Julio Freire says Monday that "this was a tough decision to make" in a university release announcing the decision. Freire says James "conducted the program with the highest degree of integrity" but that he felt it was time to move in a new direction after taking a "hard look" at how the team had developed over the last five years.

UT Martin closed an 8-23 season Saturday with an 88-85 loss to Austin Peay. UT Martin failed to qualify for the Ohio Valley Conference tournament that begins Wednesday in Nashville, Tenn.