NCAA Basketball: Top 1st-year head coaching performances so far in 2019-20
By Erik Mauro
7. Casey Alexander – Belmont
There is an old saying in coaching that you never want to be “The Guy after The Guy.” That’s exactly what Alexander is stepping into at Belmont after the retirement of legendary coach Rick Byrd, who not only built Belmont from the ground up, he also finally got his tournament win in his last year to go out on a good note.
Alexander also knows a thing or two about building a program, having spent the last six years at Lipscomb and leading them to their only NCAA Tournament appearance ever. His last year was spent making a run in the NIT, where his team finished as the runner-up.
Alexander played for Byrd at Belmont back when they were an NAIA school, and the hire was pretty much a no-brainer.
The Bruins are sitting at 14-6 while averaging over 80 PPG. The success may be a surprise to some, since all-conference do everything guard Dylan Windler graduated and was drafted by the Cavaliers in the first round of the NBA Draft. Windler averaged a double-double last season, but Adam Kunkel and Nick Muszynski have really stepped up in his absence, averaging over 15 PPG and both shooting over 40 percent from three-point land. Muszynski was on the squad last year but he has only gotten better and it’s almost like they haven’t missed a beat without Windler.
Alexander’s team has beaten Boston College this year, and also beat Alexander’s former team twice. They have been the class of the Ohio Valley for years, and that doesn’t look to be changing any time soon.