NCAA Basketball: Ranking all 68 head coaches in 2021 NCAA Tournament
By Joey Loose
60. Shantay Legans (Eastern Washington)
0 NCAA Tournaments
After winning the conference title last season, it’s fitting that Legans has led Eastern Washington back to the NCAA Tournament this year. All of Legans’ collegiate coaching experience has come with the Eagles, having spent nearly a decade as an assistant before getting the top job in 2017. He’s still making a name for himself in the world but has these Eagles looking like the best program in the Big Sky right now.
59. Robert Jones (Norfolk State)
0 NCAA Tournaments
Over the last eight years, Jones has kept Norfolk State as one of the dominant teams in the MEAC, but this will be the first time he’ll lead these Spartans to the NCAA Tournament. He was an assistant on staff for their first-round upset of 2-seed Missouri nine years ago and the New York native will look to pull off similar magic. After winning 74% of MEAC games in his first eight years, Jones’s time in the spotlight has finally come.
58. Joe Golding (Abilene Christian)
1 NCAA Tournament (0-1)
Golding has done some pretty impressive work at his alma mater, especially when you consider they only joined D1 back in 2013. The Wildcats haven’t been eligible long for postseason play, but Golding has led them to their second straight NCAA Tournament appearance, winning another Southland Tournament title. The success from these past three seasons has been impressive, completely building success in a league where Stephen F. Austin and others so often reign.
57. Matt Langel (Colgate)
1 NCAA Tournament (0-1)
Another year, another Patriot League championship for Langel and Colgate. The former Fran Dunphy player and aide have slowly turned the Raiders into the best program in the Patriot League. Colgate is 63-21 in the last three seasons and was one of the top-rated teams in the metrics this year despite playing a limited schedule. Langel has been with the school for a decade and has set himself up well for the future, let alone the success that he’s brought to a team that was struggling at the time of his arrival.