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

250. Todd Simon (Southern Utah) (Last year: 259)

• Overall record: 62-86

After a decent showing as interim head coach at UNLV, his alma mater, Simon took the full-time gig at Southern Utah and has done solid work in his first four seasons. The Thunderbirds won just 6 games in his debut, but notched 17 wins in the last two years, including a CIT bid in 2019. Clearly, there’s still work ahead, as they’ve yet to finish above .500 in the Big Sky, but there is certainly progress as well.

249. Willis Wilson (Texas A&M-Corpus Christi) (Last year: 239)

• Overall record: 356-398

Much of Wilson’s career was spent at his alma mater of Rice, including a 16-year stint as head coach. He’s entering his tenth season with the Islanders with plenty of experience in the state. He led the Islanders to four straight CIT bids but is still looking for his first NCAA Tournament as a head coach. He won just 14 games last season, a far cry from the 21 he was averaging during that postseason run.

248. Sam Scholl (San Diego) (Last year: 212)

• Overall record: 30-38

Scholl is plenty familiar with the Toreros, having played and served as an assistant for over a decade before becoming interim head coach in 2018. He was given the permanent job and led San Diego to 21 wins and an NIT bid in his first full season. This past year was a step back, with a 9-23 mark and a 9th place finish in a tough WCC, meaning there’s plenty of work ahead once more.

247. Dedrique Taylor (Cal State Fullerton) (Last year: 231)

• Overall record: 94-127

After spending time under a number of head coaches, including a seven-year stint with Herb Sendek at Arizona State, Taylor got his own shot to run a D1 program when Fullerton came calling in 2013. He built these Titans back up, capping it off with an NCAA Tournament bid in 2018. While he also added a pair of CIT’s, his Titans were just 11-20 last season in the midst of another rebuild.

246. Sean Woods (Southern) (Last year: 256)

• Overall record: 151-190

Woods enters his third season leading Southern, having formerly served in the same capacity at Mississippi Valley State and Morehead State. He took the Delta Devils to the NCAA Tournament in 2012 but resigned in disgrace at Morehead after allegations of player mistreatment. With the Jaguars, he’s made certain progress, improving from 7 to 17 wins in his first two seasons, but how long will the success last?

245. Greg Herenda (Fairleigh Dickinson) (Last year: 216)

• Overall record: 92-127

Herenda has done great work at Fairleigh Dickinson, which is already his fourth head coaching job but first at the D1 level. He led the Knights to NCAA Tournament bids in both 2016 and 2019, a pretty good start through seven seasons at the helm. Those two years were the only years his Knights finished top 4 in the NEC, but perhaps more consistent days lie in the future.

244. Dusty May (Florida Atlantic) (Last year: 242)

• Overall record: 34-31

May got his shot to run a program with Florida Atlantic in 2018, having spent the last seven years on Mike White’s staffs at Louisiana Tech and Florida. After helping White build something with the Gators, he’s taken the Owls to a pair of 17-win 9th place seasons in Conference USA. There’s plenty more to accomplish for May, but his head coaching career is off to a decent enough start.

243. Mark Montgomery (Northern Illinois) (Last year: 267)

• Overall record: 123-163

After playing and coaching at Michigan State, Montgomery took over Northern Illinois and has the Huskies headed in the right direction. He’s been at the school since 2011, but last year was his first season above .500 in MAC play, tying for the top spot in the West division. Montgomery has certainly steadied this program; we’ll just have to see if all the hard work pays off with postseason success.

242. Bashir Mason (Wagner) (Last year: 210)

• Overall record: 131-117

Just 28 years old when Wagner made him head coach, Mason is now eight years older and still leading the Seahawks. He’s taken Wagner to a pair of NIT’s but has fallen short of the NCAA Tournament on multiple occasions. This past season was the roughest, flailing to just 8 wins and a 10th place finish in the NEC, meaning a quick turnaround is likely pertinent to Mason’s job security.

241. Ron Sanchez (Charlotte) (Last year: 264)

• Overall record: 24-34

Charlotte got a quality coach when Sanchez took the reins in 2018. He had spent the last 15 years working with Tony Bennett at both Washington State and Virginia, leaving one year prior to the Cavaliers’ national title run. He’s led the 49ers to a vast improvement, going from 8 to 16 wins in his first two seasons, paired with a 4th place finish in Conference USA.

240. Ashley Howard (La Salle) (Last year: 234)

• Overall record: 25-36

Howard won a pair of rings on Villanova’s coaching staff before taking over at La Salle two seasons ago. Winning in the A-10 is no easy task, though Howard’s Explorers did see their win total increase by 5 this past season. He’s still a relatively young head coach in his first gig, but he’s seen progress and could have La Salle competitive in the A-10 again real soon.

239. Kevin McGeehan (Campbell) (Last year: 215)

• Overall record: 106-123

A former high school and D3 head coach, McGeehan spent nine years working with Richmond coach Chris Mooney before Campbell came calling in 2013. With stud recruit Chris Clemons, he led the Fighting Camels to 20 wins and the NIT in 2019, though they just struggled a bit in a clear rebuilding year, falling to 10th place in the Big South. The future is still bright for McGeehan and we’ll see what his Camels have in store in the years to come.

238. Derrin Hansen (Omaha) (Last year: 228)

• Overall record: 122-129

Hansen has spent his entire career in his home state of Nebraska and is now entering his sixteenth season leading the Mavericks. He coached Omaha to a pair of D2 Tournament appearances before they transitioned to D1 and joined the Summit League. His Mavericks have finished in the top 4 of the league in four of the last five years but are still looking for their first conference title.

237. Jim Whitesell (Buffalo) (Last year: 237)

• Overall record: 129-119

It’s been a long career for Whitesell, but a recent chance to finish it on a high note. The former head coach of Loyola-Chicago helped Nate Oats build Buffalo and took over as head coach last season. A 20-win debut with the Bulls is a solid start considering what Buffalo lost and he should have them contending for MAC titles for years to come.

236. Martin Ingelsby (Delaware) (Last year: 254)

• Overall record: 66-66

Ingelsby spent nearly two decades playing and coaching under Mike Brey at Notre Dame before getting his shot to run his own team. Delaware brought him aboard in 2016 and the results have been a steady improvement. The Hens have seen their win totals and conference standings improve each year, culminating in a 22-win 4th place finish in the CAA this past season.

235. Rob Krimmel (St. Francis PA) (Last year: 244)

• Overall record: 119-133

Krimmel’s entire career has been spent with the Red Flash, ever since he arrived as a freshman on campus in 1996. After a long tenure as player and assistant coach, he became head coach in 2012 and is responsible for four postseason bids. His 2019 team made the NIT, but he’s come up just short of the NEC Tournament title, despite four straight top 3 finishes in the conference.

234. Reggie Witherspoon (Canisius) (Last year: 213)

• Overall record: 264-293

Having previously spent 14 years as head coach at Buffalo, Witherspoon is back in western New York with the Golden Griffins, taking that top job four seasons ago. A 21-12 mark and tie for the MAAC regular-season crown was great in 2018, but last year’s team won just 12 games in a slide backwards. Witherspoon still hunts for his first NCAA Tournament appearance.

233. Damon Stoudamire (Pacific) (Last year: 288)

• Overall record: 62-68

After a long laying career as a point guard, Stoudamire served on the staffs of Arizona and Memphis before Pacific tabbed him four years ago. The former NBA lottery pick is seeing the return on investment, as his Tigers tied for 3rd place in a tough WCC this season, with their 23 wins the most in over a decade for Pacific.

232. Geno Ford (Stony Brook) (Last year: 229)

• Overall record: 134-136

After helping Jeff Boals continue the success at Stony Brook, he succeeded him as head coach, giving him his fifth head coaching job already. While his first two positions were NAIA and D3, he led Kent State twice to the NIT before falling apart at Bradley. A 20-13 mark in his first year with the Seawolves is certainly a solid enough start, but we’ll have to see how far he can take this squad.

231. Joe Scott (Air Force) (Last year: N/A)

• Overall record: 235-240

Scott returns to Air Force, where his head coaching career began exactly two decades ago. After leading the Falcons to the NCAA Tournament in 2004, he spent time leading Princeton and Denver but is now back as a head coach after time with Tom Crean at Georgia. Air Force has struggled in recent years and the Falcons are hoping that Scott can relive some of his finest coaching moments two decades later.