NCAA Basketball: Ranking all 353 D-I head coaches for 2019-20 season
By Joey Loose
90. Chris Jans (New Mexico State) (Last year: 108)
- Overall record: 79-23
Jans is certainly a winner, winning big at four different junior colleges before getting his chance at the D1 level. His stint at Bowling Green last just one season, dismissed for lewd behavior, but he’s certainly bounced back with his second chance. He’s 58-11 with two NCAA Tournament bids in his two seasons with the Aggies, having completely dominated the WAC. This trend should continue for as long as he stays at New Mexico State and he truly has built this program to an even more impressive level.
89. T. J. Otzelberger (UNLV) (Last year: 107)
- Overall record: 70-33
Otzelberger will begin his first year at UNLV after a successful start to his head coaching career at South Dakota State. The former Iowa State assistant made a pair of NCAA Tournaments with the Jackrabbits and was pretty close last season. His team dominated the Summit League and he can hopefully provide exactly the spark that the Rebels need. UNLV has been in a rough stretch for several seasons but Otzelberger seems like the coach who can turn things around.
88. Wayne Tinkle (Oregon State) (Last year: 101)
- Overall record: 233-174
The former Montana big man begins his sixth season at Oregon State following time coaching his alma mater and long international playing career. Tinkle led the Beavers to their first NCAA Tournament in nearly three decades, while also leading the Grizzlies there 3 times. His Oregon State team finished in 4th place last season, though he hasn’t yet put together a team to contend for postseason play again. Perhaps this will be that season, the final year he’ll have star player and son Tres on the team.
87. Mike Young (Virginia Tech) (Last year: 148)
- Overall record: 299-244
Young will begin this season at Virginia Tech following 30 years at Wofford, including the last 17 as head coach. He led the Terriers to 5 NCAA Tournament appearances, including a first round win in the program’s most successful season this past year. The Virginia native brings a lot of experience to the Hokies, though he’s never coached at the power conference level. He’s already shown he can recruit at a high level, but we will have to see how his coaching style transitions moving forward.
86. John Brannen (Cincinnati) (Last year: 157)
- Overall record: 82-52
Moving mere miles from Northern Kentucky, Brannen will begin this season at Cincinnati following four successful years leading the Norse. He transformed Northern Kentucky into the Horizon League’s best program and made a pair of NCAA Tournaments. The former Alabama assistant is no stranger to coaching on the big stage, though it’ll be interesting to see how Cincinnati fares under his leadership. This program has made nine straight NCAA Tournaments but hasn’t had a lot of success once they’ve gotten there; can Brannen change that?
85. Mike Davis (Detroit) (Last year: 93)
- Overall record: 363-261
- Final Four in 2002
Davis will likely always be best known for leading Indiana to the national title game in 2002, being the coach to succeed the legendary Bob Knight. He would spend six years each at Indiana, UAB, and Texas Southern, with mixed success at the first two stops. His four NCAA Tournaments with Texas Southern have led him to Detroit, where he is expected to make a big splash in the future. With talented sophomore son Antoine on the roster, expect this Titans squad to be competitive in the Horizon League very soon.
84. Juwan Howard (Michigan) (Last year: N/A)
- Overall record: 0-0
Howard’s head coaching career begins at his alma mater where he’ll replace John Beilein, a man who left quite a legacy behind. The longtime former NBA player has no prior college experience, though the Wolverines are counting on his pro experience as player and assistant in a big way. Howard should be able to bring attractive recruits to Ann Arbor, but we’ll have to see how he develops as an in-game coach.
83. John Becker (Vermont) (Last year: 89)
- Overall record: 193-84
Becker will enter his ninth season at Vermont and has established himself and his program as one of the best in all of New England. He’s led the Catamounts to three NCAA Tournaments and a mind-boggling 107-21 mark in a dismantling of the America East. Vermont makes the postseason every season and should be in a position to win the league again in 2020.
82. Tad Boyle (Colorado) (Last year: 84)
- Overall record: 241-165
Boyle begins year ten with the Buffaloes and has done a solid job of leading Colorado into the Pac-12. Formerly the head coach at Northern Colorado, he’s responsible for four NCAA Tournament appearances with the Buffaloes, though they’ve won just a single Tourney game. Boyle’s teams have always been middle of the pack in the Pac-12. They’ve missed the dance the last three years but have a team this season that could buck that trend.
81. Patrick Ewing (Georgetown) (Last year: 92)
- Overall record: 34-29
The New York Knicks legend returned to his alma mater as head coach in 2017 and is slowly turning this program back around. Ewing gained experience on several NBA coaching staffs after his career ended, though this is his first collegiate experience. His Hoyas tied for third place in the Big East this season, winning 19 games. There’s been quite a recent trend of NBA hires in the college game, but Ewing might be one of the few that will really pay off in the end.