CLEVELAND -- The Cleveland State Vikings are in the market for a new head coach.
On Friday, the school announced that it has parted ways with men's head basketball coach Dennis Felton following two seasons with the program.
Given the untimely nature of Felton's firing, CSU's coaching search figures to be an unconventional one. With that in mind, here are three candidates the Vikings might consider as they set out to secure their next head coach.
Chester Frazier
An up-and-comer in the coaching ranks, Chester Frazier was hired as an assistant on new Virginia Tech coach Mike Young's staff earlier this year. But the 33-year-old ties to Kansas State could make him the top pick for new CSU athletic director Scott Garrett, who arrived in Northeast Ohio in April after having spent the previous nine years in Manhattan.
A former Big Ten All-Defensive Team selection, Frazier played for now-Kansas State head coach Bruce Weber at Illinois from 2005-09. After spending a year as a graduate assistant with the Fighting Illini, he proceeded to spend the next eight seasons on Weber's staff with the Wildcats, winning the Big 12 regular season championship in 2013.
Vince Taylor
A name first circulated by the @CoachingChanges Twitter account, Vince Taylor could make for both an intriguing and accomplished hire. As pointed out by the social media account, the Chicago native possesses Midwest ties, including a seven-year stint as an assistant at Minnesota and could be poised to make the leap from assistant to head coach.
What's more is that the 58-year-old Taylor possesses a diverse basketball resume that spans back to his days as a McDonald's All-American High School product. After a four-year college career at Duke playing for legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski that included an All-ACC selection, the 6-foot-5 forward was taken by the New York Knicks with the No. 34 pick in the 1982 NBA Draft.
Following a 15-year playing career that included stints in Italy, France and Germany, Taylor began his coaching career as an assistant at Pittsburgh. Since then, he's coached at Wyoming, Louisville, the Minnesota Timberwolves, Minnesota and Texas Tech, before joining Johnny Dawkins' staff at UCF in 2017.
Chris Lowery
Like Frazier, Chris Lowery possesses ties to Garrett, but also lays claim to previous head coaching experience.
Prior to joining Weber's staff at Kansas State in 2012, the former Southern Illinois point guard served as the head coach of his alma mater from 2004-12. In those eight seasons, he led the Salukis to a 145-115 record, including a pair of regular season championships, three conference tournament titles and three NCAA Tournament appearances, including a run to the 2007 Sweet 16.
In his time in Manhattan, where he's been the Wildcats' associate head coach, the 47-year-old has been instrumental in both recruiting and developing future NBA players. Since 2012, Kansas State has amassed a 150-89 record, including five NCAA Tournament appearances and two regular season conference titles (2013 and 2019).