NCAA Basketball: Top head coaches under 40 Years old entering 2020-21
By Joey Loose
10. Eric Olen – UC San Diego
It wouldn’t be a surprise if many people reading this haven’t heard of Olen before. After all, this upcoming season will mark UC San Diego’s debut as a Division 1 program. This season will also mark Olen’s first experience with D1 basketball, but that certainly doesn’t mean he ought not to be mentioned.
While it did come at the D2 level, Olen built a dominant force with the Tritons. He spent nine years as an assistant before taking the top job in 2013, a smart decision on all counts. UC San Diego has progressively improved in each of his first seven seasons, making four straight trips to the D2 Tournament, winning 159 total games in seven years. His 2020 team finished the year 30-1 and was certainly one of the favorites to bring home the D2 title had the Tournament not been cancelled.
Clearly, Olen has built something impressive in San Diego but has his work cut out for him. UC San Diego must transition to D1 basketball and will certainly face tougher competition in the Big West. There’s absolutely no guarantee that the transition will be smooth, but this Tritons team should make an impact at the D1 level similar to Cal Baptist these last few seasons. If Olen has success this upcoming season, he could quickly become a rising star in the profession.