Busting Brackets
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2019 NCAA Tournament: Ranking all 68 head coaches in the Big Dance

By Joey Loose

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - FEBRUARY 27: Head coach Tony Bennett of the Virginia Cavaliers and head coach Roy Williams of the North Carolina Tar Heels shake hands before North Carolina's game against the Virginia Cavaliers at John Paul Jones Arena on February 27, 2017 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Chet Strange/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - FEBRUARY 27: Head coach Tony Bennett of the Virginia Cavaliers and head coach Roy Williams of the North Carolina Tar Heels shake hands before North Carolina's game against the Virginia Cavaliers at John Paul Jones Arena on February 27, 2017 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Chet Strange/Getty Images) /
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CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – DECEMBER 09: Head coach Mike Rhoades of the VCU Rams reacts to a play in the second half during a game against the Virginia Cavaliers at John Paul Jones Arena on December 9, 2018 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – DECEMBER 09: Head coach Mike Rhoades of the VCU Rams reacts to a play in the second half during a game against the Virginia Cavaliers at John Paul Jones Arena on December 9, 2018 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images) /

60. Bill Coen (Northeastern)

1 NCAA Tournament (0-1)

Coen spent 17 years as an assistant under Al Skinner at Rhode Island and Boston College before he got his shot to run a program in 2006. His lone previous NCAA Tournament came as a 14-seed in 2015, though his Huskies nearly knocked off Notre Dame in the opening round. Coen has turned Northeastern into one of the yearly contenders in the CAA, with a 28-8 mark in conference play the last two seasons. Whether they can knock off Kansas is another story, but Coen has certainly built success in Boston.

59. Mike Rhoades (VCU)

0 NCAA Tournaments

Rhoades was an assistant under Shaka Smart when VCU went to the Final Four but now it’s his turn to lead the Rams to the Tournament. He had three okay years at Rice before returning to VCU and he’s 43-22 already at one of the A-10’s most consistent programs. He does have ten years of head coaching experience with D-3 Randolph-Macon, but those postseason bids just aren’t the same as this one. Rhoades could develop into a great coach for the Rams; though he’s also still adjusting to calling the shots.

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58. James Jones (Yale)

1 NCAA Tournament (1-1)

Jones has been in New Haven for twenty seasons and has had this team in the top half of the league for the last 19 of those years. This will be just Yale’s second trip to the NCAA Tourney under Jones, but he did lead them to an upset win over 5-seed Baylor back in 2016. Building consistent success in the Ivy League is difficult, but Jones has had the Bulldogs atop the league for decades. He doesn’t have a lot of postseason experience, but that Baylor win shows that he can get this team ready to play when it matters most.

57. John Brannen (Northern Kentucky)

1 NCAA Tournament (0-1)

The former Anthony Grant assistant will make his second NCAA Tournament in year four with the Norse. Brannen has been excellent in leading this program as they’ve made the quick transition from non-D1 to Horizon League favorite on a yearly basis. These Norse lost by 9 points as a 15-seed to Kentucky back in 2017, and Drew McDonald and this team are in position to surprise someone again. Brannen, who briefly served as interim head coach at Alabama, is another young head coach who could make the jump to a bigger program very soon. Clearly, he’s elevated this program much faster than expected.

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