In a surprise move, Louisiana-Lafayette fired longtime head basketball coach Bob Marlin Thursday, less than 24 hours after the Cajuns won their conference opener.

McNeese State will play ULL in their annual game Sunday in the Cajundome.

“I’m surprised,” said McNeese head coach Will Wade. “He is a great coach.”

The timing is surprising, as the Cajuns, while just 3-9, are 1-0 in the Sun Belt League after beating Appalachian State 68-62 Wednesday night. It was ULL’s second win in its last three games.

University of Louisiana Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Dr. Bryan Maggard made the announcement in a press release.

“After an ongoing evaluation of our men’s basketball program, it was decided a change was necessary,” said Maggard. “These decisions are never easy, and this one was not made hastily. I am extremely grateful for the leadership Bob Marlin has provided the past several years. We wish he and his family all the  best moving forward.”

Assistant Derrick Zimmerman will serve as interim head coach when the Cajuns host the Cowboys. ULL officials said Zimmerman would finish the year in that position while the school conducts a national search for a permanent replacement.

“I think they will play really hard for him,” Wade said. “The players like him.”

In his 14th season with the Cajuns, Marlin posted a 269-198 record. He also won three conference championships and appeared in two NCAA Tournaments.

Two years ago, Louisiana-Lafayette made the tourney as a 13 seed, falling to Tennessee 58-55. Marlin’s other Cajun tournament team came in 2014 when it lost as a 13 seed to Creighton in the opening round 76-66. 

Last year, before the game at McNeese, which the Cowboys rallied to win with a big second half, there was a lot of talk about the coaching matchup between Wade and Marlin. The two had a run-in during an NIT game when Wade was at LSU.

Both said they had gotten past the event and moved on. A few fans suggested Wade as a possible replacement for Marlin, but that seems highly unlikely.

Wade is in his second season at McNeese after taking the Cowboys to their first NCAA Tournament in 22 years last spring. 

Ironically, during last year’s game in the Legacy Center, the two teams had a flare-up in front of the ULL bench during the Cowboys’ second-half comeback. No ejections occurred, but it showed the rivalry is alive and well. 

Marlin’s dismissal comes just three days after a run-in with a reporter who asked why fans should still support him.

“We have had a lot of success if you hadn’t looked around,” Marlin answered Monday. “I know you want to be negative sometimes, but we are not negative.”

Heading into this season, Marlin lost his two best players on the transfer portal. Forward Joe Charles transferred to McNeese while Kobe Julian left for Arkansas State. 

Then, before the season, 6-foot-8 forward Hosana Kitenge went down for the year. The Cajuns quickly saw their top three scorers from last season be gone.

Now, their coach has followed suit.