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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CHAMPAIGN, IL – MARCH 08: Head coach Fran McCaffery (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /

5. Fran McCaffery – UNC Greensboro (2000-2005)

Long before he garnered attention and success as the head coach at Iowa, McCaffery’s career started nearly four decades earlier. He spent three solid seasons as head coach for Lehigh before an 11-year stint as an assistant at Notre Dame. In 1999, he made his return as head coach, taking over in Greensboro for a program with 16 total wins the last two seasons combined.

McCaffery got to work and the turnaround was quick. The Spartans bounced back into conference contention immediately and made the NCAA Tournament in 2001. His Spartans won the regular-season title the following season but had to settle for the NIT. While this followed with three less than incredible seasons, McCaffery’s total package of success is clear.

Siena came calling in 2005 before Iowa pulled him into the Big Ten five years later. McCaffery has succeeded at every stop along the way through his coaching career. Though success seemed to stagnate at UNC Greensboro, he certainly showed his ability to turn things around and build a successful program.