Big East Basketball: Top 5 Active Head Coaches for 2018-19
By Nick Bello
With a lot of talent on the court in the conference to work with, who are the best active head coaches in Big East Basketball?
With the amount of talent that is on the court in the Big East, it’s easy to forget about the masterminds behind the teams. The Big East is fortunate enough to have some of the best coaches in college basketball which is why it is one of the best conferences in the NCAA. So without further ado, here are the top five coaches in the Big East.
5. LaVall Jordan – Butler
From being one of the newest faces in the Big East to leading the Bulldogs to the NCAA Tournament, LaVall Jordan certainly turned some heads in his first season as head coach. Jordan, who previously coached at Milwaukee, replaced Chris Holtmann who left to take over at Ohio State. Jordan showed his worth in the Big East last season leading Butler to a 21-14 record which included an upset against Villanova at Hinkle Fieldhouse in December. Although Jordan did not recruit the talent he had last season, he did an amazing job with the cards he was dealt.
4. Steve Wojciechowski – Marquette
Steve Wojciechowski , or Wojo, without a doubt, is one of the brightest minds in college basketball today. The former Duke assistant coach took the helm of the Marquette Golden Eagles in 2014 and after a few seasons, he was able to bring Marquette to the NCAA Tournament.
Although last season wasn’t the best, Marquette did earn an NIT bid. this season the Golden Eagles are ready to fly high as Wojo has put together what some claim may be his best team he has had at Marquette. With the return of Markus Howard, Sam Hauser and Sacar Anim combined with the addition of incoming freshman, Joey Hauser, and transfers Ed Morrow and Joseph Chartouny, it is hard to argue that Marquette is not a top-five team in the Big East this upcoming season.
3. Kevin Willard – Seton Hall
In eight seasons in Newark, Kevin Willard has had a lot of success at Seton Hall. In 2016, Willard and his team captured the Big East Tournament title over Villanova and also lead his team to the NCAA Tournament. Willard has coached many talented players at Seton Hall like Isaiah Whitehead, Angel Delgado and Khadeen Carrington just to name a few. Although Willard was caught in the middle of some allegations this past winter over the possible payment of Isaiah Whitehead by an agent while he was at Seton Hall, Willard has still done a tremendous job with building the basketball program at Seton Hall to what it is today.
Willard’s teams boast a cumulative 3.0 GPA and he has also produced 36 Big East All-Academic team selections. This year, Willard hopes to bring the Pirates to their fourth straight NCAA Tournament.
2. Ed Cooley – Providence
With seven seasons under his belt in Providence, Ed Cooley has certainly proved why he is one of the best coaches in college basketball. The Providence native returned to his hometown after five seasons at Fairfield University. Cooley shined bright in his first few seasons in Providence leading the Friars to the NIT Tournament in his second season. Since then he has taken the Friars to an impressive five straight NCAA Tournament’s including one Big East Tournament title as well. Cooley has done an incredible job recruiting as well.
He has brought in names like Bryce Cotton, Kris Dunn and Ben Bentil who have all gone on to the NBA. Last season Cooley experienced a lot of success leading the Friars to a 21-14 record which included an upset against Villanova in Providence. This season Cooley has a strong incoming recruiting class that features local talent like David Duke Jr and AJ Reeves. He also has returning junior Alpha Diallo who was key last season for the Friars averaging 13 points and six rebounds per game.
1. Jay Wright – Villanova
With more than 20 years of coaching experience, Jay Wright has built a basketball empire at Villanova. Wright has coached the Wildcats since 2000 and in that time has accumulated five regular-season titles along with two national championships. His extensive knowledge of the game combined with his ability to recruit great players has been the key to his success in Philly.
He has produced five consensus All-Americans, with the most recent being Jalen Brunson who had an impressive junior year as a Wildcat last season. Among the many awards and accolades Wright has won, his greatness as a coach is best seen within his players. Last season both Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges both received their degrees in their junior season while also capturing a national championship, an accomplishment that goes underlooked in today’s age of college basketball.
Next: Top 25 Active Head Coaches of NCAA Basketball
In the coming years, Villanova looks to be a juggernaut of college basketball as Wright continues to ride the wave of success in his hall of fame career.