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

By Joey Loose

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 01: San Diego State Alumni Kawhi Leonard participates in his jersey retirement ceremony with former college coach Steve Fisher during half time of the game against the San Diego State Aztecs and the Utah State Aggies at Viejas Arena on February 01, 2020 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Kent Horner/Getty Images)
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 01: San Diego State Alumni Kawhi Leonard participates in his jersey retirement ceremony with former college coach Steve Fisher during half time of the game against the San Diego State Aztecs and the Utah State Aggies at Viejas Arena on February 01, 2020 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Kent Horner/Getty Images) /
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RENO, NV – NOVEMBER 06: Head coach Dave Rose of the Brigham Young Cougars (Photo by Jonathan Devich/Getty Images)
RENO, NV – NOVEMBER 06: Head coach Dave Rose of the Brigham Young Cougars (Photo by Jonathan Devich/Getty Images) /

3. Dave Rose – BYU (2005-2011)

Rose was no stranger to success, a member of the Phi Slama Jama team at Houston that played for the national title in the 80’s. His coaching career saw him achieve success at Dixie State before joining BYU’s staff. After eight years, he was promoted to head coach, taking over after a rough 2005 season for the Cougars.

Suffice to say, Rose’s time in the Mountain West with BYU was fantastic. He recruited future National Player of the Year Jimmer Fredette to the school and the success was evident. The Cougars were top 2 in the Mountain West in each of those six seasons, making five straight NCAA Tournaments. In Jimmer’s final season, the Cougars made it to the Sweet Sixteen, the program’s first in thirty years.

After those six historic seasons, BYU joined the WCC, where the Cougars remain a power on the mid-major stage. Rose retired in 2019 but left this Cougars program in remarkable shape. His 159-45 record in the Mountain West is a tremendous feat and he truly had one of the best runs in the conference since the turn of the century. Anyone who can recruit and coach up someone like Fredette is clearly one of the league’s best minds.