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NCAA Basketball: 10 best coaching hires from the 2018 off-season

By Tristan Freeman

WICHITA, KS - MARCH 15: Head coach Kevin Keatts of the North Carolina State Wolfpack calls out instructions in the first half against the Seton Hall Pirates during the first round of the 2018 NCAA Tournament at INTRUST Arena on March 15, 2018 in Wichita, Kansas. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)
WICHITA, KS - MARCH 15: Head coach Kevin Keatts of the North Carolina State Wolfpack calls out instructions in the first half against the Seton Hall Pirates during the first round of the 2018 NCAA Tournament at INTRUST Arena on March 15, 2018 in Wichita, Kansas. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images) /
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LOUISVILLE, KY – JANUARY 14: Jeff Capel the interim head coach of the Duke Blue Devils gives instructions to his team during the game against the Louisville Cardinals at KFC YUM! Center on January 14, 2017 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
LOUISVILLE, KY – JANUARY 14: Jeff Capel the interim head coach of the Duke Blue Devils gives instructions to his team during the game against the Louisville Cardinals at KFC YUM! Center on January 14, 2017 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

2. Chris Mack to Louisville Cardinals

Previous coach and record: David Padgett via Rick Pitino 22-14 (9-9)

After a drama-filled season, Louisville decided to start completely over in a new era. Considering how great a coaching job this is thanks to the financial backing the Cardinals will always get, there were a number of potential candidates to go after.

They decided on Mack, who took his alma mater Xavier to heights the program has never seen. Now he’ll go from a limited recruiting pool to one that nearly matches rival Kentucky. Most importantly, Mack won’t have to deal with coaching right after a Hall of Famer, or deal with the drama surrounding Louisville either.

1. Jeff Capel to Pittsburgh Panthers

Previous coach and record: Kevin Stallings 8-24 (0-18)

When Pitt got rid of Stallings, there were a few weeks where the program was in complete limbo, with a number of potential candidates turning down a complete rebuild. Then out of nowhere, former Oklahoma and VCU Head Coach Jeff Capel choose to leave Duke as an assistant to become the lead man once again.

There are few men in college basketball with the recruiting ability like Capel, who brought High school McDonald’s All-Americans to the Sooners and has given the Blue Devils a historic 2018 class. His presence will bring highly touted players to Pittsburgh, a feat rarely accomplished.

Next: 10 best coaching performances from the 2017-18 season

This also was a good move for Capel himself, as he’ll have zero expectations in the first couple of years while rebuilding a name for himself. He went to the Elite Eight once with Blake Griffin on the roster at Oklahoma, and with a few good classes, could eventually do the same with the Panthers.

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