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

By Joey Loose | Jul 4, 2020

DETROIT - MARCH 30: Stephen Curry #30 of the Davidson Wildcats goes over the scorer's table as he was attempting to save the ball from going out of bounds against the Kansas Jayhawks during the Midwest Regional Final of the 2008 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament at Ford Field on March 30, 2008 in Detroit, Michigan (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

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CHAPEL HILL, NC – DECEMBER 16: Head coach Ed Conroy (Photo by Peyton Williams/UNC/Getty Images) /

10. Ed Conroy – The Citadel (2006-2010)

Before Conroy took over at his alma mater, he had spent nearly two decades coaching all over the place. He had spent time as an assistant at schools like NC State and Tennessee and had been head coach D2 Francis Marion. In 2006, he got his chance to not only return to The Citadel but to finally become a D1 head coach. The Citadel has never been to the NCAA Tournament, and Conroy had a lot of work ahead.

While Conroy couldn’t break through and lead the Bulldogs to the NCAA Tournament, his tenure was definitely still a success. After starting slow, things really heated up in his third season, as The Citadel won 20 games for just the second time in program history. Conroy also led them to the CIT and followed it up with another solid season in 2010. His 49-76 record doesn’t look fantastic, but it was pretty heroic based on this program’s history.

He departed for Tulane in 2010, lasting six years before being fired and ending up as an assistant at Minnesota. Today, he’s doing fantastic work under coach Richard Pitino. With the Bulldogs, he put the pieces in place for a fantastic turnaround. It’s possible The Citadel could’ve finally made their first Tournament had Conroy stuck around, though the team hasn’t won more than 12 games in the decade since his departure.