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

230. James Whitford (Ball State) (Last year: 227)

• Overall record: 107-118

Whitford’s been at Ball State for seven years and is working hard at his first head coaching gig. A former assistant under Sean Miller, he’s led the Cardinals atop the MAC West standings three times but has nothing more than a pair of CIT bids to show for his efforts. Ball State is clearly a better program under Whitford, as they won just 12 games in his first two seasons, but when will that postseason success come?

229. Jay McAuley (Wofford) (Last year: 289)

• Overall record: 19-16

McAuley spent time on the staffs at Gardner-Webb (under Chris Holtmann), Furman, and Wofford before the Terriers chose him to succeed longtime coach Mike Young. After helping lead the Terriers to an NCAA Tournament first-round win in 2019, McAuley led a rebuilt roster to an unexpected run to the SoCon title game in his first season, setting him up for a bright future.

228. Kevin Broadus (Morgan State) (Last year: 233)

• Overall record: 52-41

Second chances are grand for Broadus, who took over Morgan State last season after success on the staffs of Georgetown and Maryland. He led Binghamton to the NCAA Tournament in 2009 as head coach but was dismissed as a result of violations in the Bearcats program. Morgan State’s 15-16 mark in his first season is very solid and Broadus could have a solid MEAC contender if his great recruiting continues with the Bears.

227. Byron Smith (Prairie View A&M) (Last year: 235)

• Overall record: 76-70

Smith has coached all over Texas and has done above average work these last few years with the Panthers. He took over as interim head coach in 2016 and led the Panthers to the NCAA Tournament in 2019. His Panthers repeated as SWAC regular season champs but the national pandemic prevented a repeat appearance from being possible. Still, it’s clear that Smith has done great work to make this one of the conference’s top programs.

226. Austin Claunch (Nicholls State) (Last year: 295)

• Overall record: 35-27

Claunch is only 30 years old but already begins his third year leading Nicholls State. A former assistant at the school, he’s responsible for great growth already, winning 21 games and finishing 2nd in the Southland this past season. The future is very bright for Claunch, whether that success comes with the Colonels or another program someday.

225. Mike McConathy (Northwestern State) (Last year: 220)

• Overall record: 310-336

McConathy has been a staple at Northwestern State, arriving at the school in 1999 and leading them to three NCAA Tournaments, highlighted by their upset over 3-seed Iowa back in 2006. Recently, there hasn’t been much success for the Demons, though a 4th place finish in the Southland this year may be evidence of brighter days to come.

224. Aaron McKie (Temple) (Last year: 173)

• Overall record: 14-17

McKie took over Temple last season after previously serving on Fran Dunphy’s coaching staff. The former longtime NBA player was just 14-17 in his first season at the helm, but this is only the beginning for McKie. We’ll see how he fares as a head coach once he gets through a recruiting cycle and starts to compete in the AAC.

223. Barret Peery (Portland State) (Last year: 206)

• Overall record: 54-44

Bouncing all around the West Coast, Peery has settled down as Portland State’s head coach, his first D1 head coaching gig. He did great work as a junior college head coach and won 20 games in his first season with the Vikings. Back-to-back 4th place finishes seem like a sign of good things to come for Portland State, as Peery has stabilized the program since his arrival in 2017.

222. Joe Golding (Abilene Christian) (Last year: 226)

• Overall record: 110-109

Things have gone pretty well for Golding, who took over as head coach at his alma mater in 2011 and led them into D1 athletics. The journey culminated last season, as the Wildcats made their first NCAA Tournament appearance. Golding is 47-18 these last two seasons and has made marvelous strides in transitioning this program into the Southland.

221. John Gallagher (Hartford) (Last year: 217)

• Overall record: 142-178

Gallagher’s head coaching career began in 2010 when Hartford brought him aboard, reuniting after a previous stint as an assistant. In his first decade with the Hawks, he’s made a couple of CIT bids and generally keeps Hartford competitive in the America East. Still, an NCAA Tournament appearance is the goal and could be on the horizon if they can figure out how to topple Vermont.

220. Dustin Kerns (Appalachian State) (Last year: 241)

• Overall record: 49-52

Kerns has risen quickly through the coaching ranks, with much of him early years coming with Wofford. He was head coach at Presbyterian for two successful years before taking over Appalachian State in 2019. After a 20-win campaign in his second year with the Blue Hose, he’s led the Mountaineers to a solid 18-15 mark, a good first step as he looks to build a contender in the Sun Belt.

219. Jeff Neubauer (Fordham) (Last year: 205)

• Overall record: 248-231

Neubauer is already entering his sixteenth year as a D1 head coach, having arrived at Fordham in 2015 following a decade leading Eastern Kentucky. A former assistant under John Beilein, he took the Colonels to a pair of NCAA Tournaments but has struggled at Fordham. His Rams have finished at the bottom of the A-10 each of the last three years and his time could be running out if that trend continues.

218. Edward Joyner (Hampton) (Last year: 214)

• Overall record: 185-176

Joyner arrived at Hampton in 2006 and became head coach three years later, leading the Pirates to a host of success in the MEAC. He led the program to three NCAA Tournaments before Hampton left for the Big South in 2018. They’re still adjusting to their new conference, which is more of a challenge, but Joyner should have them competing for conference titles again very soon.

217. Ed DeChellis (Navy) (Last year: 211)

• Overall record: 333-397

A former Big Ten head coach, DeChellis enters his tenth year at Navy and has been a D1 head coach since 1996. He took both East Tennessee State and Penn State to NCAA Tournament trips and is finally turning a corner with the Midshipmen. There have been struggles to compete in the Patriot League, though a 20-win season in 2018 shows that there could be brighter times ahead for Navy.

216. Chris Ogden (UT-Arlington) (Last year: 196)

• Overall record: 31-34

Ogden got his head coaching career started two years ago in Arlington after learning under a few of college basketball’s brightest minds. He spent a decade total assisting Rick Barnes and Chris Beard, helping the latter build the team that would make the national title game after his departure. His first Mavericks team greatly exceeded expectations, while last year’s squad finished at a modest 14-18, leaving plenty of growth ahead.

215. Steve Masiello (Manhattan) (Last year: 184)

• Overall record: 140-149

Masiello played and coached under Rick Pitino, but has spent much of his career with the Jaspers. A former assistant, he’s been at the school since 2011, leading the Jaspers to a pair of NCAA Tournament bids. He’s infamous for accepting the job at South Florida but being rejected for lying on his resume. Unfortunately, Manhattan has struggled to compete in the MAAC these last few seasons.

214. Darrell Walker (Little Rock) (Last year: 301)

• Overall record: 31-31

A former NBA player, assistant, and head coach, Walker has made major strides at his first D1 head coaching job. He inherited a Little Rock program trending in the wrong direction and has turned things around, improving from 10 to 21 wins in his first two seasons. The Trojans won the Sun Belt regular-season title and were certainly favorites to make the NCAA Tournament before their postseason was cancelled.

213. Bill Herrion (New Hampshire) (Last year: 219)

• Overall record: 424-435

Herrion has been a D1 head coach for nearly three decades and has worked at New Hampshire since 2005. He made three NCAA Tournaments leading Drexel but has been less successful in stints at East Carolina and during his time at New Hampshire. However, last year’s team improved by 10 wins and could look to compete in the America East again real soon.

212. Joe Jones (Boston University) (Last year: 225)

• Overall record: 244-241

A former Jay Wright assistant, Jones got his second shot as a head coach at Boston University after an unsuccessful tenure in the Ivy League with Columbia. He’s led the Terriers to some solid campaigns, though few top this past season, where Boston University won the Patriot League Tournament, though the NCAA Tournament was canceled soon after. Still, there’s plenty of momentum going forward for Jones and this program.

211. Niko Medved (Colorado State) (Last year: 223)

• Overall record: 111-120

Medved prepares for year three with the Rams, having previously spent time leading both Furman and Drake. In his first seven years as head coach, he has a few CIT bids to show for his hard work, though last year’s Colorado State squad did improve by eight wins. Still, there’s work ahead for Medved to consistently compete at the top of the Mountain West.