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

330. Kenny Blakeney (Howard) (Last year: 339)

• Overall record: 4-29

After bouncing around as an assistant for more than two decades, the former Duke star just took over Howard and now has the program trending in a great direction. While Blakeney won just four games in his first season, bringing Makur Maker to the Bison sets this team up well for the future; and perhaps the exciting recruiting will continue.

329. John Smith (Cal Poly) (Last year: 343)

• Overall record: 7-23

Cal Poly has struggled as a program in recent years, though Smith got things off to a decent enough start, making strides with his 7-win debut. He had nine solid years as a junior college head coach before a long stint on the staff of nearby Cal State Fullerton. He’s certainly familiar with California basketball, but how will that translate onto the court for a Mustangs program that’s mightily struggling.

328. Jean Prioleau (San Jose State) (Last year: 334)

• Overall record: 15-77

Prioleau faces a difficult task with the Spartans, though any coach who wins just 16% of their games in their first three seasons is struggling. He got the shot following nearly two decades as a D1 assistant, punctuated by seven years on the Colorado staff. The New York native is struggling on the other side of the country, but last year’s team actually improved their record with seven wins, while also escaping last place in the Mountain West.

327. Byron Rimm (IUPUI) (Lasts year: 330)

• Overall record: 122-217

Rimm was made interim head coach last season following Jason Gardner’s fall from grace and has retained the position heading into year two. The Jaguars won just seven games last season, flailing to a last-place finish in the Horizon League. It’s hard to make considerable progress as an interim, but Rimm did spend a decade as head coach at Prairie View A&M and has shown he has the ability to run and stabilize a program.

326. Dan Earl (VMI) (Last year: 326)

• Overall record: 44-111

Nothing about Earl’s five seasons with the Keydets has particularly stood out in either a good or bad way. They’ve won no more than four games in SoCon play, topping out at 11 total wins in 2019. Before his head coaching career, he was a former assistant at Penn State and Navy under Ed DeChellis, certainly possessing a familiarity with coaching at military institutions. It’s hard to win in the SoCon these days; don’t be surprised by similar results going forward for VMI.

325. Takayo Siddle (UNC Wilmington) (Last year: N/A)

• Overall record: 0-0

Siddle’s still a relatively young coach and begins his first head coaching job this season, trying to resurrect a Seahawks program that fell apart these last few seasons. Siddle spent time assisting Chris Holtmann and Kevin Keatts, including a three-year stint in Wilmington during their most recent success. Siddle could certainly be the guy that gets this program back on track, though this of course remains to be seen.

324. Mark Madsen (Utah Valley) (Last year: 308)

• Overall record: 11-19

After spending six years on the bench of the Los Angeles Lakers, the former NBA player took over the Utah Valley program and led them to an 8th place finish in the WAC. The roster was reloading, but we’ll have to see how Madsen fares going forward with the program under his control. After all, Madsen had big shoes to fill when Mark Pope departed for BYU.

323. Murray Garvin (South Carolina State) (Last year: 322)

• Overall record: 81-151

Garvin has been with the Bulldogs, taking over as interim head coach in 2013 and continuing to hold the top post. His last four seasons have been pretty mediocre since a CIT appearance in 2016, meaning there’s work ahead. Winning 11 games without a conference tournament does represent a step forward, but the former junior college coach has yet to really compete for a MEAC title.

322. Brian Burg (Georgia Southern) (Last year: N/A)

• Overall record: 0-0

Burg quickly rose through the coaching ranks as a result of his recent association with Chris Beard, serving on his staffs the last five seasons. Georgia Southern hands him his first head coaching position, hoping he can build on what James Byington left behind. Burg has extended experience around that part of the country, but we’ll soon see how he handles running a program on his own.

321. Rodney Billups (Denver) (Last year: 280)

• Overall record: 46-75

After a short professional playing career and four years on staff at Colorado, Billups returned to his alma mater as head coach in 2016. Unfortunately, it’s been a mighty struggle since his arrival, as the Pioneers have seen a decreased number of wins in each of his seasons in charge. This past year ended with just seven wins, meaning Billups is going to need to take quite a step forward soon to keep his job.

320. Terry Porter (Portland) (Last year: 316)

• Overall record: 37-92

A former longtime NBA player, assistant, and later head coach, Porter made his first move into D1 basketball when he took over the Portland program four years ago. While he once led the Milwaukee Bucks to the playoffs, he hasn’t gotten the job done with the Pilots, finishing in last place in the WCC in three of his first four seasons, winning no more than 11 games in any season. The WCC is certainly rough, but Porter needs some results very soon.

319. Stan Johnson (Loyola Marymount) (Last year: N/A)

• Overall record: 0-0

Johnson has taken his first head coaching job, trying to rebuild success at a Loyola Marymount program that’s struggled in recent memory. A former assistant at Utah, Arizona State, and Marquette, the Lions couldn’t get things going under predecessor Mike Dunlap, a former NBA head coach, but Johnson brings a new approach. In a deep WCC, it’ll be quite the challenge, but one that Johnson, who brought Markus Howard to Marquette, should be up to.

318. Luke Yaklich (UIC) (Last year: N/A)

• Overall record: 0-0

Yaklich’s stock has risen quickly in college basketball, establishing himself as a brilliant defensive coach during his time on the staffs at Michigan and Texas. A former Illinois high school basketball coach, the UIC job is a homecoming of sorts, giving him a prime opportunity to lead a program and dive into that rich talent in Chicago. UIC has been up and down in recent years but maybe Yaklich is the coach that finally pushes them over the top.

317. Anthony Boone (Central Arkansas) (Last year: N/A)

• Overall record: 9-12

Boone took over the Bears in the middle of last season, succeeding Russ Pennell who resigned in January. Boone played at Ole Miss before spending his coaching career on the staffs of Tevester Anderson and then Pennell, following the latter even to the WNBA ranks a few years ago. Central Arkansas has had their fair share of struggles, but perhaps the former Rebel can make an impact.

316. Mike Balado (Arkansas State) (Last year: 332)

• Overall record: 40-56

Three years into his tenure, things are starting to trend in a positive direction for Balado. A longtime assistant, mainly in Florida, he also spent four seasons on Pitino’s staff at Louisville before becoming a head coach for the first time. Arkansas State won 16 games last season and has finished higher in the Sun Belt in each of his three seasons. The Red Wolves are hopeful that this trend can continue.

315. Dan Engelstad (Mount St. Mary’s) (Last year: 309)

• Overall record: 20-43

After fantastic work as head coach at D3 Southern Vermont, Engelstad took over the Mountaineers in 2018 and is off to a slow start. Mount St. Mary’s won 11 games last season, but Engelstad has much higher hopes for this program in the near future. He showed he can win at the lower levels, but can he get this team back to the level that predecessor Jamion Christian had the program?

314. Jay Young (Fairfield) (Last year: 319)

• Overall record: 12-20

Young took the Fairfield job last season with extensive experience, both as a college assistant and junior college head coach. He did good work at Newbury and New Haven before spending 14 years on Steve Pikiell’s staffs, including three years laying the groundwork for Rutgers’s turnaround. Young did win 12 games in his first season with the Stags, a step in the right direction.

313. Ron Cottrell (Houston Baptist) (Last year: 300)

• Overall record: 103-203

Cottrell has spent three decades at Houston Baptist, resurrecting the basketball program in 1990 before leading them to plenty of success at the NAIA level. Since joining D1, the success has been far more limited, and the Huskies won just four games last season, a disappointing step back. They’ve struggled in recent years in the Southland and perhaps the former Arkansas assistant is nearing the end of his long tenure.

312. Mike Schrage (Elon) (Last year: 338)

• Overall record: 13-21

Thirteen wins marked a solid first step for Schrage’s coaching career. He took over after a long stretch as an assistant at Stanford before short trips to Butler and Ohio State under Chris Holtmann. He’s now running his own program for the first time though initial returns are good. His Phoenix has been pretty unsuccessful at the D1 level, especially since joining the CAA, but Schrage has his eye on changing that reality.

311. David McLaughlin (Dartmouth) (Last year: 327)

• Overall record: 37-76

A formerly successful D2 head coach at Stonehill, McLaughlin took over Dartmouth in 2016 and has things looking up for the Big Green. They’re still far away from their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1959, but last year’s 12-win campaign was the second most since the turn of the century. McLaughlin is building something, but can he get to the same level as the top-tier Ivy League teams?