NCAA Basketball: Ranking all 357 D-I head coaches for 2020-21 season

190. Jon Coffman (Purdue-Fort Wayne) (Last year: 178)

• Overall record: 110-87

Coffman will soon begin his seventh season leading the Mastodons, though it’ll be their first year in the Horizon League. He led Purdue Fort Wayne to four postseason appearances in his first four seasons, though he just had his worst campaign in 2020. Former stud John Konchar’s absence clearly affected the Mastodons, but Coffman will certainly reload the roster and get them in shape to compete in the Horizon.

189. Eric Henderson (South Dakota State) (Last year: 328)

• Overall record: 22-10

Henderson picked up right where predecessor TJ Otzelberger left off, leading the Jackrabbits to the Summit League regular season title despite losing much of their talent from previous years. A 22-win debut is solid, though their upset in the conference tournament is a bit disappointing. Still, Henderson is set up for success for years to come.

188. Dana Ford (Missouri State) (Last year: 159)

• Overall record: 89-98

Ford is one of college basketball’s under the radar young coaches, arriving at Missouri State in 2018 after four solid years helming Tennessee State. The Bears have yet to break out in the MVC despite higher expectations, but Ford still has plenty of time to prove successful. If he keeps sneaking in high talent to Missouri State, then don’t be surprised to see his Bears with an MVC crown very soon.

187. Michael Huger (Bowling Green) (Last year: 202)

• Overall record: 88-75

Huger returned to his alma mater as head coach in 2015 after a long international playing career and solid coaching start. He was on Jim Larranaga’s staffs at George Mason and Miami and has the Falcons trending upwards. Bowling Green is 43-22 these last two seasons and played for the MAC title in 2019. The program hasn’t made the NCAA Tournament in over fifty years but Huger has them in a position to end that drought.

186. Donnie Jones (Stetson) (Last year: 186)

• Overall record: 171-146

Jones is on his third shot as head coach, taking over Stetson last season. He won a pair of national titles on Billy Donovan’s Florida staff before leading Marshall and later UCF. His Hatters finished 3rd in the A-Sun last season and are already looking like future contenders in the league. He struggled with the Knights, but his future with the Hatters could be quite bright.

185. Matt Lottich (Valparaiso) (Last year: 175)

• Overall record: 73-60

After playing ball at Stanford and then internationally, Lottich joined the Valparaiso staff and succeeded Bryce Drew in 2016. He led the Crusaders to the NIT in this first season but faces a tougher challenge since the program joined the MVC. Valparaiso did win 19 games and made a surprise run to the MVC title game, but can Lottich make this program be a real contender in their new conference?

184. Richie Riley (South Alabama) (Last year: 200)

• Overall record: 72-56

Riley has risen pretty quickly through the coaching ranks in recent years, and his work at South Alabama continues to impress. A former assistant at schools like UAB and Clemson, he took Nicholls State to a Southland regular-season title in 2018 before leaving for the Jaguars. He led South Alabama to 20 wins and a second-place finish in the Sun Belt this past season, a major step forward based on the program he inherited.

183. Jeremy Ballard (Florida International) (Last year: 204)

• Overall record: 39-27

Ballard’s head coaching career began when FIU brought him to Miami two seasons ago. A former assistant at Tulsa, Pittsburgh, and VCU, Ballard has a pair of solid seasons with the Panthers. Last year’s team won 19 games and tied for 6th place in Conference USA. There’s still a lot of work ahead to build a consistently competitive team, but he’s certainly brought stability and potential to the Panthers in these last few seasons.

182. Matt Langel (Colgate) (Last year: 187)

• Overall record: 139-151

Langel has made significant strides with the Raiders in recent years. A former Fran Dunphy player and aide, he took the Colgate job in 2011 and has won the last two Patriot League titles. Colgate went to the NCAA Tournament in 2019 but fell to Boston University in the title game this past season. Regardless, Colgate is clearly a much better program than a decade ago and Langel has really stood out for the team’s recent success: 49-20 these last two seasons.

181. Jeff Boals (Ohio) (Last year: 188)

• Overall record: 72-57

After a long stint on Thad Matta’s staff at Ohio State, Boals began his head coaching career at Stony Brook. He spent three solid years with the Seawolves and returned home to his alma mater Ohio in 2019. Boals is only just getting started, trying to rebuild success for the Bobcats, but a 17-15 season is certainly a start.

180. Rodney Terry (UTEP) (Last year: 191)

• Overall record: 151-144

After leading Fresno State to the NCAA Tournament in 2016, Terry took the chance to return to Texas by taking the UTEP job in 2018. A former Longhorns assistant, Terry has hard work ahead with the Miners but has already manufactured a 9-win improvement across his first two seasons in El Paso. He did fantastic work building Fresno State into a Mountain West contender, but we’ll see what’s in store for him with the Miners.

179. Matt McCall (Massachusetts) (Last year: 164)

• Overall record: 86-76

McCall enters his fourth season with the Minutemen, though things could certainly be going better. The former Florida assistant led Chattanooga to the NCAA Tournament in 2016 but has struggled since heading to UMass. McCall went 14-17 and tied for 8th in the A-10, both of which are improvements over his first two seasons; perhaps a sign of better days to come.

178. Keno Davis (Central Michigan) (Last year: 163)

• Overall record: 209-182

Davis’s career got off to a hot start, succeeding father Tom at Drake and leading the Bulldogs to a fantastic 2008 season. Unfortunately, he struggled leading Providence and has since landed with Central Michigan. While he’s yet to win a MAC title with the Chippewas, he does have three seasons of at least 21 wins and has brought some quality talent to the program.

177. Tic Price (Lamar) (Last year: 172)

• Overall record: 269-217

Price has been a collegiate coach for over four decades, spending head coaching stints at New Orleans, Memphis, and McNeese State in years past. He took over Lamar in 2014 and has led the Cardinals to a pair of CIT bids. He’s won at least 17 games in each of his last four seasons and certainly has these Cardinals trending as a future contender in the Southland.

176. Scott Cross (Troy) (Last year: 169)

• Overall record: 234-183

Cross was shocked by his firing by UT Arlington after playing and coaching there for more than two decades but is set to bounce back nicely at Troy. His first season with the Trojans was a struggle at 9-22, but he’s plenty familiar with the Sun Belt and should have Troy competitive in the league again in a few seasons.

175. Nick McDevitt (Middle Tennessee) (Last year: 139)

• Overall record: 117-110

After a long stretch of success at UNC Asheville, including five years as head coach, McDevitt transitioned to Middle Tennessee in 2018. He took the Bulldogs to the NCAA Tournament in 2016 but is far away from repeating that with the Blue Raiders. He’s just 18-44 to this point at Middle Tennessee, a rough drop off from success under predecessor Kermit Davis.

174. Will Brown (Albany) (Last year: 174)

• Overall record: 308-286

Brown took over the Great Danes program on an interim basis in December 2001 and has done a fantastic job establishing this program. He has led Albany to five NCAA Tournaments, though things have been slower in recent years. After seven straight years with 19+ wins, the Great Danes have struggled since 2018, though Brown could still turn things around again.

173. Tim Craft (Gardner-Webb) (Last year: 171)

• Overall record: 127-106

Craft took over at Gardner-Webb in 2013, having spent time under Jeff Lebo at Auburn and East Carolina. A former assistant with the program, he led the Runnin’ Bulldogs to their first-ever NCAA Tournament in 2019, winning the Big South as the 4-seed. Craft’s work has been consistent and we’ll see if he keeps making waves with Gardner-Webb.

172. Jamion Christian (George Washington) (Last year: 162)

• Overall record: 130-131

After learning chaotic defense from Shaka Smart at VCU, Christian is now making strides at his third program as head coach. He took alma mater Mount St. Mary’s to a pair of NCAA Tournaments before spending just a single year building at Siena. Last year was his debut at George Washington, and despite a slow start still maintains optimism for a bright future. Christian is a young rising star in the coaching ranks.

171. David Cox (Rhode Island) (Last year: 189)

• Overall record: 39-24

After solid work on a number of coaching staffs, including Pittsburgh and Georgetown, Cox took over his own program as he succeeded Dan Hurley at Rhode Island. In year two with the Rams, Cox brought home 21 wins and a 3rd place finish in an ever-challenging A-10, a more than sufficient start to his tenure as head coach. Rhode Island is staying a long-term contender in this conference under his direction.