Harvard announced Monday morning that athletic director Bob Scalise has decided not to retain Frank Sullivan as the men’s basketball coach next season. The longest-tenured coach in the Ivy League leaves Harvard after 16 seasons and a 178-245 record — the most wins by a head coach in the program’s history. After a rough first four years at the helm of the Crimson, Sullivan put together a 17-9 (10-4 Ivy) season in 1996-97 and finished fourth or better six straight years. However, the program had fallen back since then, finishing in the bottom half of the league five the past six seasons and going just 31-53 in league play over that span. Sullivan had come under fire after last season’s disappointing 5-9 Ivy campaign, but was brought back for this season. In the end, a 12-16 (5-9 Ivy) season wasn’t enough to save his job.

Slant: This isn’t going to be a popular decision around the league, as Frank Sullivan is a very well-liked and respected coach in Ivy circles. On the surface, Harvard’s recent struggles would seem to explain the move, but those who know the program know its lack of support within the university administration is the real problem. A new arena is on the horizon, as part of the university’s Allston reconfiguration initiative, and if the administration is serious about making men’s basketball a financial and admissions priority, then it can justify this decision. However, if Harvard thinks it simply can bring in an energetic, young coach without changing the level of support for the program internally, it may get a one- or two-year “New Coach Bounce,” but the nothing is going to change in the long run — aside from a good man and good coach losing his job.