The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay has parted ways with head coach Linc Darner after five seasons.
Darner took over in 2015 after Brian Wardle left for Bradley, and immediately led Green Bay to the NCAA tournament -- the program's first appearance since 1996 -- in 2016. He won at least 10 conference games in four of his five seasons with the Phoenix, with a 13-20 campaign in 2018 the lone down season.
This past season, Green Bay finished third in the Horizon League before being knocked out in the semifinals of the conference tournament. The Phoenix finished 17-16 overall and 11-7 in the conference. By finishing in the top four of the league, Darner received an automatic one-year contract extension this spring that was expected to keep him at Green Bay until 2026, sources told ESPN.
"I would like to thank former Chancellor Gary Miller and former Athletic Director Mary Ellen Gillespie for giving me the opportunity to coach at Green Bay," Darner said in a statement. "I would like to thank my staff, recruits and all current and former players who helped us make the NCAA Tournament, taking GB the furthest ever in the postseason to the CIT Finals and having the most up-tempo offense in the country. Most importantly, I'm proud to have graduated my players at an extremely high rate including two perfect APR scores which was never done before at GB. I cannot wait to advance my career as a head basketball coach and am looking forward to new opportunities."
Prior to taking over at Green Bay, Darner spent nine seasons as the head coach of Division-II Florida Southern, winning the national championship in 2015.