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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PHILADELPHIA – MARCH 19: John Shulman head coach of the Chattanooga Mocs (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /

6. John Shulman – Chattanooga (2004-2013)

Before getting his chance as head coach, Shulman had spent much of his coaching career at other Southern Conference programs as an assistant. He had worked at both Wofford and East Tennessee State before following Jeff Lebo from Tennessee Tech to Chattanooga in 2002. After two seasons on his staff, Lebo departed for Auburn, leaving Shulman to take over the program.

In his very first season, he led the Mocs to 20 wins and a return to the NCAA Tournament; their first bid since 1997. He would add a second trip to the Tournament in 2009 and won four regular-season division titles in the conference. He helped Lebo build solidity and it continued for most of his tenure as head coach, with those two postseason bids the clear highlight.

The last few seasons were a struggle, and Shulman was fired after 2013. He’s returned to coaching at D2 Alabama-Huntsville. He’s responsible for a pair of Tournament bids, and that’s certainly not something any SoCon coach can claim. He would have certainly been included higher on this list had his tenure not descended into a struggle, but he’s still responsible for a brief era of success for the Mocs early in this century.