Busting Brackets
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ACC Basketball: Top 10 head coaches of the century (2000-20)

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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CHAPEL HILL, NC – JANUARY 4: Head Coach Al Skinner of the Boston College Eagles (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
CHAPEL HILL, NC – JANUARY 4: Head Coach Al Skinner of the Boston College Eagles (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

9. Al Skinner – Boston College (2005-2011)

By the time Boston College joined the ACC in 2005, Skinner had already spent eight years with the Eagles. He had achieved success as head coach at Rhode Island and was carrying that forward in the Big East. The transition to the ACC could have been difficult, but Skinner didn’t hesitate to make an impact.

In 2006, Boston College reached the Sweet Sixteen and finished 3rd in the ACC. The following year, they won another NCAA Tournament game, finishing 4th in the tough conference. Of course, the conference was not in its current alignment, with teams like Louisville and Syracuse in the Big East at this point. However, when you consider the current state of this Boston College program, Skinner’s success and accomplishments look even more impressive.

He led the Eagles to the NCAA Tournament again in 2009 and was fired after the following season. Since that point, Boston College hasn’t had any success at all. They’ve lost double-digit conference games each of the last nine years and haven’t come close to challenging for an NCAA Tournament bid since 2011. There’s no evidence that retaining Skinner in 2010 would have changed the trajectory of this program, but it’s clear he had a major hand in their early, brief success in what is perhaps basketball’s toughest conference.