Big 12 Basketball: Top 10 head coaches of the century (2000-20)

By Joey Loose | Jun 17, 2020

KANSAS CITY, MO - MARCH 24: (L-R) Head coach Bill Self of the Kansas Jayhawks greets head coach Roy Williams of the North Carolina Tar Heels prior to coaching against each other during the third round of the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Sprint Center on March 24, 2013 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images) /

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COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA – MARCH 22: Head coach Lon Kruger of the Oklahoma Sooners (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

5. Big 12 Basketball coach rankings – Lon Kruger (Oklahoma, 2011-2020)

His achievements with Oklahoma have been impressive, but Kruger was already a coaching legend before arriving in 2011. He led Florida to the Final Four, briefly coached the Atlanta Hawks, and made impressive strides at Kansas State, Illinois, and UNLV in a long, successful coaching career. He left the Rebels to take over at Oklahoma in 2011 and the results were quick and certain.

Kruger has already led the Sooners to six NCAA Tournaments, with his finest coaching coming in 2016. That Oklahoma team marched to the Final Four and won 29 games. His teams have finished in the top 3 four times in the Big 12 and he’s won seven total Tournament games with the program. Kruger took a program that had struggled under former coach Jeff Capel and put them back in a position near the top of the conference.

Among the list of accomplishments in Kruger’s career, that Final Four run with Oklahoma is certainly atop the list. He quickly rebuilt Oklahoma back onto the national stage, bringing talent like Buddy Hield and Trae Young to the school in recent years. While his Sooners haven’t exactly been atop the conference these last few seasons, Kruger will have this team competing for national success until his retirement.

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