NCAA Basketball: Ranking best head coaching hires from the year 2001

9. Greg McDermott (Northern Iowa)

Today, Northern Iowa remains one of the better programs in the MVC, but this wasn’t always the case. Two decades ago this program was struggling, especially in 2001 when they were looking for another new coach to change the trajectory of the program. They turned towards an alumnus who had gained a little bit of head coaching experience at the D2 level but was waiting for his big shot.

Greg McDermott played at Northern Iowa in the mid-80’s before beginning his coaching career. He was an assistant at North Dakota before leading Wayne State for five successful seasons at the D2 level. He would spend a single season leading North Dakota State before being offered the Northern Iowa job in 2001, giving him his first experience at the D1 level.

After two uninspiring seasons of rebuilding, McDermott’s hard work paid off, leading the Panthers to three straight NCAA Tournaments between 2004 and 2006. Prior to McDermott’s arrival, the program had only made a single trip to the Big Dance, way back in 1990. He departed for Iowa State (not great) and later Creighton (great), and left the program in fabulous shape for the future.