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

Who are the most accomplished head coaches in NEC Basketball this century?

While your average college basketball fan likely couldn’t name half the programs in NEC Basketball, the conference continues to provide exciting basketball. Featuring mid-major programs from the northeast, the conference isn’t exactly renowned for its prestigious or talented teams, but this shouldn’t take away from the conference as a whole. We’ve seen programs like Monmouth and Robert Morris have some fantastic runs of success in the league since the turn of the century.

The responsibility for that success lies with the head coaches who have passed through the NEC. While every coach is different, and some are certainly more well known for their time before or after the NEC, they each make a certain impact on their programs. Recruiting talent to what many consider a low-major league is a difficult task, let alone building a winning culture. The coaches who stand out in the NEC have put in the work and changed their programs for the better, leaving an indelible mark behind.

We’ll be taking a close look at the ten greatest head coaches of the NEC since 2000. Every coach is of course judged on winning and creating postseason bids, though we’ll also focus on the impact they’ve made on the program as a whole. You won’t find All-Americans or Sweet Sixteens among these coaches’ accomplishments, instead, the steadied rebuilding of these programs and their cultures.

Let’s get right into the rankings, looking at how these coaches fared during their time in the NEC since the turn of the century.