NCAA Basketball rewind: Most impactful coaching hires after 2014 season

10. David Richman (North Dakota State)

North Dakota State had only been at the D1 level for about a decade, though the Bison had gotten things going soon after joining the Summit League. The success of the team in recent years, including an upset win the 2014 NCAA Tournament, had led coach Saul Phillips to take the job at Ohio. They were looking for a new leader who could maintain that success, continuing the momentum further into the decade.

Unsurprisingly, longtime assistant David Richman was the man the Bison turned towards. All of his playing and coaching experience had come not only in North Dakota, but at just two colleges. After playing and coaching at NDSCS, he joined the coaching staff at North Dakota State in 2003. Richman spent eleven years on staff, with the first four years under Tim Miles, and was certainly ready for the promotion.

Expected to maintain that momentum, Richman has done exactly that, leading the Bison to more success in his first seven years at helm. He’s led North Dakota State to two more NCAA Tournaments and would’ve had a third after winning the 2020 Summit League Tournament. This program remains consistent and a yearly contender in the Summit; there’s not more they could’ve asked of Richman and he has certainly gotten the job done.