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

By Joey Loose

SPOKANE, WA - MARCH 20: Lawrence Alexander #12 of the North Dakota State Bison plays against the Oklahoma Sooners during the second round of the 2014 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena on March 20, 2014 in Spokane, Washington. North Dakota State won the game 80-75. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images)
SPOKANE, WA - MARCH 20: Lawrence Alexander #12 of the North Dakota State Bison plays against the Oklahoma Sooners during the second round of the 2014 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena on March 20, 2014 in Spokane, Washington. North Dakota State won the game 80-75. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images) /
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MANHATTAN, KS – NOVEMBER 05: Head coach David Richman of the North Dakota State Bison (Photo by Peter G. Aiken/Getty Images)
MANHATTAN, KS – NOVEMBER 05: Head coach David Richman of the North Dakota State Bison (Photo by Peter G. Aiken/Getty Images) /

6. David Richman – North Dakota State (2014-2020)

North Dakota has been Richman’s home for his entire career, and he’s made a pretty solid career out of it. In recent years, the Dakota schools have dominated the Summit League and Richman is a big reason for North Dakota State’s run.  He joined the school as a graduate assistant in 2003 and was promoted to head coach more than a decade later. He helped build this program as it transitioned to D1 and became one of the conference’s premier programs.

In the six years since taking over, he’s won three Summit League Tournaments, with two NCAA Tournament appearances, with a third trip canceled due to coronavirus. He’s won at least 19 games in all but one of his seasons in Fargo and has won just under 62% of conference games. North Dakota State remains atop the standings on a regular basis and Richman is a big reason why.

Like his predecessors, there will likely be a day when an attractive job offer snatches Richman from North Dakota State. For now, he’s done remarkable work keeping the Bison atop the Summit League, showcased by back-to-back conference titles. They should continue to compete with South Dakota State for league titles for years to come, especially with Richman around.