NCAA Basketball rewind: Most impactful coaching hires after 2014 season

8. Earl Grant (Charleston)

The College of Charleston had only been a D1 program for a few decades, though much of their success had come very early, mostly in the 1990’s. They had seen some very decent play in recent years, but were trending in the wrong direction by 2014. The Cougars needed a new voice and a new direction and found the right man as they adjusted to the CAA.

That new direction wound up being a young coach named Earl Grant. Never before a head coach, he had gained valuable experience on several coaching staffs over the last decade. He spent six of those years under Gregg Marshall and had spent the last four on Brad Brownell’s Clemson staff. He was certainly familiar with recruiting around the area and was ready to take over his own program.

Under Grant’s leadership, this Cougars program became competitive at the highest level in the CAA. After an initial struggle as Grant rehabilitated the roster, the Cougars found themselves with 25 wins and an NIT bid by 2017. The following season they broke a nearly 20-year NCAA Tournament drought by returning to the Big Dance. After five straight top 4 finishes in conference play, Grant departed this offseason to take over Boston College, but his impact in Charleston is clear.