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

By Joey Loose

PHOENIX - MARCH 27: Head coach Darrin Horn of the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers yells at his team during the second half of the West Regional Sweet 16 game against the UCLA Bruins at the U.S. Airways Center on March 27, 2008 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)
PHOENIX - MARCH 27: Head coach Darrin Horn of the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers yells at his team during the second half of the West Regional Sweet 16 game against the UCLA Bruins at the U.S. Airways Center on March 27, 2008 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images) /
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KNOXVILLE, TN – NOVEMBER 9: Head coach Bob Marlin of the Louisiana Lafayette Ragin Cajuns (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN – NOVEMBER 9: Head coach Bob Marlin of the Louisiana Lafayette Ragin Cajuns (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images) /

9. Bob Marlin – Louisiana (2010-2020)

Before heading to the Sun Belt, Marlin did some solid work in a dozen seasons as head coach at Sam Houston State, leading the Bearkats to a pair of NCAA Tournament bids. The former Alabama assistant inherited a Ragin’ Cajuns squad that had struggled in recent years, without a single season over .500 since a Tourney bid in 2005.

While Louisiana isn’t exactly dominating the conference, Marlin has done good work rebuilding success. He led the Ragin’ Cajuns back to the NCAA Tournament in 2014 and has won nearly 60% of conference games. His 2017 team won 27 games but had to settle for the NIT, and he won 19 games six straight seasons before last year’s reloading effort.

Marlin did a solid job with Sam Houston State and the same can be said with Louisiana as well. He’s not a name that many fans know, but his work with these programs has certainly been respectable. He boasts over 400 career wins and has recruited talent like Elfrid Payton during his long coaching career. We’ll have to see how Louisiana fares in the near future and if they can bounce back into Sun Belt contention.