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

1. Patriot League Basketball coach rankings – Pat Flannery (Bucknell 2000-2008)

For a program once coached by Jim Valvano, it’s impressive to say that Flannery has made the greatest impact for the Bison in their long history. We’ve already mentioned some of the accomplishments that his successors Paulsen and Davis have accomplished, but it’s really Flannery who turned Bucknell into the yearly Patriot League power.

Flannery took over Bucknell in 1994 but things really got going around the turn of the century. His Bison finished in the top three in the conference in all but three of his 14 seasons in charge, though of course that’s not the highlight. His 2005 and 2006 teams both not only made the NCAA Tournament, but won first round games. The 2005 upset of 3-seeded Kansas is the clear highlight of the group. Bucknell was dominating the Patriot League, securing a 9-seed and knocking out Arkansas in 2006.

Flannery retired in 2008, but certainly left behind an impressive legacy with the Bison. This program became a perennial contender atop the conference, though no team since has matched what he accomplished in those two NCAA Tournament trips. It’s rare to see a team from the Patriot League winning a Tournament game but Flannery accomplished it on back-to-back trips. He truly deserves this spot as the greatest coach in the conference since 2000.

After a deep dive, we’ve found the ten greatest Patriot League head coaches since the turn of the century. These coaches balance athletics with prestigious academics and it’ll be fun to see how the coaches in this conference continue to succeed for years to come.