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East Carolina fired basketball coach Joe Dooley on Friday after four seasons in his second stint at the school.

Athletic director Jon Gilbert said he told Dooley, his staff and players that “we are going to move forward with a new leader” for men’s basketball.

The 56-year-old Dooley was 44-67 in his second time around with the Pirates. His best mark of the past four years came this season when the team went 15-15. Dooley previously coached at East Carolina from 1995-99, going 57-52.

Gilbert thanked Dooley in a statement, saying the coach had worked “tirelessly” to improve the program.

Gilbert said the school is committed to building a winning basketball team. “We have the facilities and fan base here to attract a top candidate,” he said.

Dooley’s team finished the season with a 73-64 loss to Cincinnati this week at the American Athletic Conference Tournament.

In between his time with the Pirates, Dooley was head coach at Florida Gulf Coast for five seasons, winning 20 or more games each season and reaching the NCAA Tournament twice.

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