NCAA Basketball: Ranking all 353 D-I head coaches for 2019-20 season
By Joey Loose
60. Steve Wojciechowski (Marquette) (Last year: 79)
- Overall record: 97-69
Wojciechowski is yet another former Duke aide who’s trying to make his mark, entering his sixth season at Marquette. He’s led the Golden Eagles to the NCAA Tournament twice already and has put together a team that could do some damage next season. Wojciechowski will have work to do when Markus Howard leaves Marquette, especially if he’s trying to prove himself for when Coach K retires from Duke.
59. Bob McKillop (Davidson) (Last year: 58)
- Overall record: 578-350
McKillop defines Davidson basketball, entering his 31st season in charge of the program. During his time, he brought in Steph Curry and made the Elite Eight while leading the Wildcats into the prestigious A-10. He has nine total NCAA Tournament appearances and has done a fantastic job in keeping this program consistently in contention for postseason success. Clearly the Curry team in 2008 is the highlight, but McKillop has been the real deal for Davidson.
58. Bobby Hurley (Arizona State) (Last year: 63)
- Overall record: 115-78
Hurley has only been a head coach for six years but has done great work in turning around both the Buffalo and Arizona State programs. He turned the Bills into an NCAA Tournament team by his second year and has repeated the feat twice with the Sun Devils. The former Duke point guard led the Sun Devils to a pair of upset wins over Kansas and has completely revitalized the program, leading them to a second place finish in the Pac-12 last year.
57. Josh Pastner (Georgia Tech) (Last year: 56)
- Overall record: 215-126
After beginning his head coaching career in replacing John Calipari at Memphis, Pastner enters his fourth season at Georgia Tech. He led the Tigers to four NCAA Tournaments before departing for the Yellow Jackets in 2016. Unfortunately, he’s not off to the hottest start, finishing no greater than 10th in the ACC in his first three seasons. The 21 wins in his first season dilute his record and he certainly will not last much longer at Georgia Tech with another season under .500.
56. Ed Cooley (Providence) (Last year: 53)
- Overall record: 254-179
Cooley enters year nine with the Friars, having built a pretty strong program in the new Big East at Providence. The former longtime assistant at Boston College began things with five solid years at Fairfield. He led the Friars to five straight NCAA Tournaments, though they settled for an NIT bid in a rebuilding year last season. Cooley should have this program competing at the top of the conference against very soon and should continue to see his stock rise.
55. Cuonzo Martin (Missouri) (Last year: 51)
- Overall record: 221-151
Martin enters year three at Missouri, having bounced around quite a bit in his coaching career. The former Purdue guard and assistant has been head coach at Missouri State, Tennessee, and California. He led the Volunteers to the Sweet Sixteen in 2014 before majorly reloading Cal’s roster in his three seasons on the west coast. His first two seasons have been something of a disappointment, finishing 15-17 last season after an NCAA Tourney bid in year one. What’s next for Martin, and can he stay at a school more than three years?
54. Kermit Davis (Mississippi) (Last year: 68)
- Overall record: 423-251
A long, winding coaching career took Davis to Ole Miss last season after a successful run at Middle Tennessee. The former head coach at Idaho and Texas A&M led the Blue Raiders to a pair of NCAA Tournament upset wins, including their 2016 win over 2-seed Michigan State. With low expectations, he led the Rebels to 20 wins and an NCAA Tournament appearance in his first season. So far, the hire of Davis has been a slam-dunk, but we’ll have to see how he progresses as the SEC around him gets even tougher.
53. Mike Hopkins (Washington) (Last year: 65)
- Overall record: 52-27
Not willing to wait for Jim Boeheim to retire, Hopkins left Syracuse after more than two decades as assistant to take over Washington in 2017. He took the Huskies to the NCAA Tournament last season, winning the Pac-12 regular season title. After years of solid recruiting at Syracuse, Hopkins has brought that talent to the west coast, quickly rebuilding this program into one of the best in the conference. It’ll be interesting to see how his career develops and if he returns to Syracuse when Boeheim does indeed retire.
52. Mike Anderson (St. John’s) (Last year: 29)
- Overall record: 369-200
After a surprising coaching search, Anderson landed on his feet at St. John’s this offseason after his time at Arkansas did not work out. The former UAB and Missouri head coach made a Sweet Sixteen with the Blazers and an Elite Eight with the Tigers but couldn’t have that same level of success with the Razorbacks. Anderson seems like a great and experienced hire for the Red Storm, though his lack of his experience in the area leaves some questions to be answered for recruiting.
51. Nate Oats (Alabama) (Last year: 112)
- Overall record: 96-43
Oats will begin at Alabama this upcoming season, fresh off a masterful four-year stint at Buffalo. A former high school head coach just a few years prior, Oats lead the Bulls to three NCAA Tournaments, two Tourney wins, and has this team among the top 25 for a good part of the year. Oats has already put together a pretty solid team in his first offseason at Alabama and looks to already be a home run hire in Tuscaloosa. However, let’s wait and see how he adjusts to in-game coaching at an SEC level.