Former NBA All-Star Terry Porter is Portland’s head coach, the school announced on Friday.
Assistant coach Ben Johnson will take over on an interim basis until the end of the season.
Porter has been the Pilots’ main coach since 2016 and has struggled to reverse the program since taking over from Eric Reveno. Portland has won no more than four West Coast Conference games in a season under Porter, and the Drivers have won just one conference game since the end of the 2017-18 season.
“I would like to thank Coach Porter for his services to the University,” Scott Leykam, vice president of athletics for Portland, said in a statement. “The timing of these changes is never ideal, especially with all the disruptions this season that were caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Ultimately, it was decided that it was better to move on now and focus on the future of the program and the search for the next head coach.”
Porter, who spent 17 seasons in the NBA, was twice All-Star with the Portland Trail Blazers. The Blazers retired their No. 30. Porter spent three seasons as the NBA’s head coach, lasting two years with the Milwaukee Bucks and less than one with the Phoenix Suns.
He was also a technical assistant to Sacramento Kings, Detroit Pistons and Minnesota Timberwolves.