357. Terrence Johnson (Texas State) (Last year: N/A)
- Overall record: 0-0
Someone had to be at the bottom, and the newest head coach gets the call. Johnson was only recently named interim head coach after Danny Kaspar’s resignation and has no prior head coaching experience. Texas State is a program in solid shape in recent years but we’ll have to see what Johnson’s capable of doing in an interim position.
356. Bucky McMillan (Samford) (Last year: N/A)
- Overall record: 0-0
There’s no disrespect here meant for McMillan, but he’ll begin his first year at Samford without any previous college coaching experience. He spent more than a decade coaching high school ball in Alabama with great success, but college is a different animal. McMillan faces an uphill battle in a tough SoCon and it’ll be interesting to see how he adjusts to the college game moving forward.
355. Landon Bussie (Alcorn State) (Last year: N/A)
- Overall record: 0-0
After a decade as a collegiate assistant, Bussie is ready for his first head coaching gig. His last six years were spent on the men’s staff at Prairie View A&M and he certainly has valuable SWAC experience. Alcorn State has been a solid team in recent years, but Bussie’s difficult task remains to get the Braves back to the NCAA Tournament.
354. Will Ryan (Green Bay) (Last year: N/A)
- Overall record: 0-0
Green Bay’s head coaching change was a bit of a head-scratcher, even if Ryan is the son of legendary former Wisconsin coach Bo. He spent last season as head coach of Wheeling, his only head coaching experience, but has spent nearly two decades at the D1 level as an assistant. He picked up valuable experience under his father and Saul Phillips, but is he the guy to turn Green Bay around again?
353. Mike Magpayo (UC Riverside) (Last year: N/A)
- Overall record: 0-0
In an unexpected move, Magpayo was elevated to the head coaching job at UC Riverside as predecessor David Patrick took an assistant’s job at Arkansas. Magpayo takes over with limited prior experience, though he spent five seasons on the staff of current Washington State coach Kyle Smith before he took over the Cougars. Still, it’ll be a learning curve for Magpayo, who became the first Asian head coach of a D1 program.
352. Lindsey Hunter (Mississippi Valley State) (Last year: 353)
- Overall record: 3-27
The former longtime NBA player had an up and down start to his collegiate head coaching career, winning just 3 games in his debut with the Delta Devils. His team struggled mightily early in the season, but the former Piston is just getting started, and it’s far too early to judge Hunter’s ability to turn this program around.
351. Mo Williams (Alabama State) (Last year: N/A)
- Overall record: 0-0
Another former longtime NBA player heads to the SWAC, as Williams takes over Alabama State, having played his college ball nearby with the Crimson Tide two decades earlier. He did spend the last few seasons in college basketball, assisting at Cal State Northridge, but Williams is still a very fresh head coach. If he can recruit at a higher level, then that’ll be a solid hire, but it’s hard to stand out in a conference like the SWAC.