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Incarnate Word is finalizing a deal to hire Central Michigan assistant Shane Heirman as its next men's basketball coach, sources told ESPN on Wednesday. An official announcement could come as early as this week. Heirman has been the associate head coach under Tony Barbee at Central Michigan, his alma mater, for the past two seasons after four seasons as an assistant at DePaul. The Blue Demons showed signs of progress during Heirman's time there, finishing above .500 for the first time in more than a decade and winning 35 games in two seasons. He established himself as a talented recruiter, helping DePaul bring in one of the best classes in the Big East in 2019, including two ESPN 100 prospects. Before entering college coaching, Heirman helped develop La Lumiere School (Indiana) into one of the powerhouses of high school basketball. He guided it to back-to-back championship games at High School Nationals, winning the title in 2017. He coached more than 20 Division I players and three McDonald's All-Americans. In his time at La Lumiere and DePaul, Heirman coached eight future NBA players, including Jaren Jackson Jr., Jordan Poole and Max Strus. Heirman replaces Carson Cunningham, who was at the helm at Incarnate Word for five seasons. The Cardinals became a Division I men's basketball program in 2013 and have yet to appear in the NCAA tournament since making the jump.
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