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

By Joey Loose | Jun 21, 2020

WICHITA, KS - MARCH 15: Head coach Travis DeCuire speaks with Ahmaad Rorie #14, Sayeed Pridgett #4 and Fabijan Krslovic #20 of the Montana Grizzlies during a stopage against the Michigan Wolverines during the second half of the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at INTRUST Arena on March 15, 2018 in Wichita, Kansas. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /

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PORTLAND, OR – MARCH 19: Head coach Jim Hayford of the Eastern Washington Eagles (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images) /

6. Big Sky Basketball coach rankings – Jim Hayford (Eastern Washington, 2011-2017)

After a decade of great success with Whitworth in D3, Hayford began his D1 coaching career when he was hired by Eastern Washington in 2011. While the Eagles had made their first NCAA Tournament back in 2004, the program had been pretty unremarkable in the years since then. While Hayford did great things with Whitworth, these Eagles posed a much larger challenge, especially in the Big Sky.

Hayford spent six seasons with the Eagles and it is easy to say that he recharged the program’s energy. His first three years involved a steady reload, while things took off in 2015. That team won 26 games and both the regular season and conference tournament of the Big Sky. He led Eastern Washington to the CBI in his last two seasons, including a 22-win second-place Big Sky finish in 2017. Winning 106 games and 56% of Big Sky games is certainly a successful tenure.

After the 2017 season, Hayford departed for Seattle and is still working to make this team a contender in the WAC. He has certainly left behind a legacy with the Eagles, and the program continues to be successful in the Big Sky. He took a program struggling for relevance back to the NCAA Tournament and has helped transform these Eagles into a conference contender even to this day.

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