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NCAA Basketball: 10 mid-major coaches poised for bigger jobs after 2019-20

By Bryan Mauro

PITTSBURGH, PA - MARCH 15: Head coach Tim Cluess of the Iona Gaels yells to his team during the first half of the game against the Duke Blue Devils in the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at PPG PAINTS Arena on March 15, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA - MARCH 15: Head coach Tim Cluess of the Iona Gaels yells to his team during the first half of the game against the Duke Blue Devils in the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at PPG PAINTS Arena on March 15, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /
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LAS VEGAS, NV – MARCH 10: Head coach Chris Jans of the New Mexico State Aggies looks on during the championship game of the Western Athletic Conference basketball tournament against the Grand Canyon Lopes at the Orleans Arena on March 10, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. New Mexico State won 72-58. (Photo by Sam Wasson/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV – MARCH 10: Head coach Chris Jans of the New Mexico State Aggies looks on during the championship game of the Western Athletic Conference basketball tournament against the Grand Canyon Lopes at the Orleans Arena on March 10, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. New Mexico State won 72-58. (Photo by Sam Wasson/Getty Images) /

10. Chris Jans

New Mexico State is the class of the WAC, and Chris Jans is a big part of that. The Aggie head coach is a winner and wins everywhere he goes. Even though he has only been at New Mexico State for two seasons the Aggies have gotten better each year. The Aggies have proven they can hang with the bigger schools and Jans is on his way to building a mid-major powerhouse.

This season Jans led the Aggies to their best season in their school’s history with a 30-5 overall record. New Mexico State came within one point of beating final four team Auburn in the first round of the NCAA tournament. As a head coach Jans has never lost less than 20 games, and New Mexico State shows no signs of slowing down. New Mexico State fans should not get to attached to Jans, especially if they remain at the top of the WAC.

9. Travis DeCuire

The only head coaching job DeCuire has ever had is the Montana Grizzlies, his alma mater. DeCuire coaching at his alma mater is a big reason why he may never leave and could finish his career as the coach of Montana. This season the Grizzlies were worried their coach may jump ship as his name was in the mix at California and Washington State. The Grizzlies administration locked up their coach for another three years.

If he continues his success many more schools are going to reach out and inquire about the services of the current Montana coach. Under their current coach Montana has had two straight Big Sky regular season and tournament championships. It took former coach Wayne Tinkle eight seasons to get a power job, is DeCuire on a similar path?

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