CAA Basketball: Top 10 head coaches of the century (2000-20)

By Joey Loose | May 30, 2020

HOUSTON, TX - APRIL 02: Jamie Skeen #21 and Toby Veal #31 of the Virginia Commonwealth Rams react during a timeout against the Butler Bulldogs during the National Semifinal game of the 2011 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship at Reliant Stadium on April 2, 2011 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /

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DAYTON, OHIO – JANUARY 14: Anthony Grant the head coach of the Dayton Flyers (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

4. Anthony Grant – VCU (2006-2009)

There are many things we can say about Grant’s subsequent coaching career, but we’ll focus our discussion on his time at VCU. He immediately succeeded Capel and took full advantage of a program trending in the right direction. By the time Grant’s time with the Rams had come to an end, this program was in even better shape, and already entering the discussion of top mid-majors in the country.

In his very first season at VCU, Grant upset Duke in the first round of the NCAA Tournament and won 28 games. They made another NCAA Tournament appearance in 2009 and won the regular season title outright in each of his three seasons. In total, the teams went 76-25, with an astounding 45-9 mark in conference play. If there was any doubt that VCU was a program on the rise, Grant surely confirmed that with those three dominant years.

Like with Capel, Grant’s time in VCU was a liftoff to a great coaching career. While his time in Alabama ended poorly, Grant’s work at Dayton is quickly becoming legendary. Thinking back, it’s remarkable to see the run of success that VCU has had this century and the promising young coaches produced by the program. Grant was the latest, paving way for even more success just a few years after his departure.