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

By Joey Loose

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - FEBRUARY 09: Head coach Tony Bennett of the Virginia Cavaliers greets head coach Mike Krzyzewski of the Duke Blue Devils before the start of a game at John Paul Jones Arena on February 9, 2019 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - FEBRUARY 09: Head coach Tony Bennett of the Virginia Cavaliers greets head coach Mike Krzyzewski of the Duke Blue Devils before the start of a game at John Paul Jones Arena on February 9, 2019 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images) /
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COLLEGE PARK, MD – NOVEMBER 16: Head coach Greg Kampe of the Oakland Golden Grizzlies (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
COLLEGE PARK, MD – NOVEMBER 16: Head coach Greg Kampe of the Oakland Golden Grizzlies (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /

140. Greg Kampe (Oakland) (Last year: 126)

  • Overall record: 368-312

Kampe took over the Oakland program in 1984 and has remained ever since, leading the program into D1 and now the Horizon League along the way. He took the Golden Grizzlies to a trio of NCAA Tournaments while in the Summit League but has yet to do the same since joining the Horizon seven years ago. The program has seen a decrease in wins in each of the last three seasons, but can Kampe turn things around once more?

139. Earl Grant (Charleston) (Last year: 135)

  • Overall record: 118-79

A former assistant at Wichita State and Clemson, Grant took over the College of Charleston in 2014. He led the Cougars to the NCAA Tournament in 2018 and has built a solid CAA contender in the process. The Cougars have finished in the top 4 of the league in each of the last four seasons, winning at least 24 games in three of those campaigns. Expect Charleston to compete for the CAA regularly under Grant’s leadership.

138. Dan Monson (Long Beach State) (Last year: 113)

  • Overall record: 381-340

Monson rose to fame for his work at Gonzaga, leading the Bulldogs to the Elite Eight in 1999. He left the program in Mark Few’s hands before struggling at Minnesota and has been with Long Beach State since 2007. Early on, Long Beach State did well under his leadership, but the last few seasons have been a major struggle.

137. Mitch Henderson (Princeton) (Last year: 133)

  • Overall record: 162-101

Henderson became head coach at his alma mater in 2011 and has done solid work with the Tigers. While he’s only led them to the NCAA Tournament once to this point, they’ve been a consistent contender in the Ivy League, finishing in the top 3 in all but one season. Henderson has been a winner, but can he take the Tigers to the next level?

136. Kyle Smith (Washington State) (Last year: 141)

  • Overall record: 180-138

Smith enters his second year at Washington State after success leading both Columbia and San Francisco. The former Saint Mary’s head coach is one of the most underrated minds in the coaching world. A 16-16 mark in his first season with the Cougars is actually a step forward for the program but we’ll just have to see if he can be the coach to produce a winning culture at Washington State.

135. Paul Weir (New Mexico) (Last year: 129)

  • Overall record: 80-53

After spending a season as head coach at New Mexico State, Weir jumped to their in-state rivals in 2017. He took the Aggies to the NCAA Tournament in that lone year with the Aggies but has yet to replicate that success with the Lobos, sitting at 52-47 in three seasons. Weir has faced certain challenges in building and maintaining his roster and still has an uphill climb in a tough Mountain West.

134. Jim Christian (Boston College) (Last year: 119)

  • Overall record: 317-273

Christian took over at Boston College following head coaching stints at Kent State, TCU, and Ohio. He led the Golden Flashes to a pair of NCAA Tournaments and won many games with Ohio, but other than that it’s been a struggle. He didn’t win at TCU and has struggled greatly in the ACC in recent years. Boston College is 25-85 in conference play under Christian, who likely enters this season firmly on the hot seat.

133. Dan D’Antoni (Marshall) (Last year: 131)

  • Overall record: 113-92

After a long high school coaching career and several stints under his brother on various NBA staffs, D’Antoni returned to the college game as Marshall’s head coach in 2014. He led the Thundering Herd to an NCAA Tournament upset win over Wichita State in 2018 and won the CIT the following season as well. However you look at it, Marshall has been a much better and competitive program under D’Antoni’s leadership.

132. Chris Mooney (Richmond) (Last year: 153)

  • Overall record: 292-234

Even though there have been recent struggles, things are looking up for Mooney, who’s been at Richmond since 2005. He took the Spiders to the Sweet Sixteen in 2011, but that remains his only NCAA Tournament bid. Fortunately, a major turnaround had Richmond finish 2nd in the A-10 last season, with even higher expectations for this upcoming season.

131. Dave Richman (North Dakota State) (Last year: 146)

  • Overall record: 121-75

Richman has been with North Dakota State for nearly two decades, taking over as head coach in 2014. He’s already led the Bison to three Summit League Tournament titles, including the last two, though the pandemic prevented a third trip to the NCAA Tournament. Under his guidance, the Bison have become one of the premier teams in the Summit League and is set up well for the future.

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