NCAA Basketball: Ranking all 358 D-I head coaches for 2021-22 season

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

• Overall record: 117-131

Whitford took over at Ball State back in 2013 and has actually done solid work with the Cardinals. He picked up plenty of experience as an assistant, with much of that experience coming under Sean Miller at Xavier and Arizona. Unlike Miller, Whitford is still going strong, having led the Cardinals to three top finishes in the MAC West in recent years. Last year was just a 10-13 finish but better days lie ahead.

239. Danny Sprinkle (Montana State) (Last year: 284)

• Overall record: 29-25

Since returning to his alma mater as head coach, Sprinkle has gotten Montana State heading in a good direction again. A former assistant also at Cal State Fullerton and Cal State Northridge, Sprinkle’s first head coaching job came with these Bobcats in 2019. So far, he’s had a couple of decent seasons, both above .500, which is certainly a solid enough start for a team looking to compete for Big Sky titles again very soon.

238. Shaheen Holloway (Saint Peter’s) (Last year: 265)

• Overall record: 42-42

Holloway starred at Seton Hall just before the turn of the century, then embarking on a professional playing career. His coaching career began as an assistant to Kevin Willard at Iona, following him soon after back to Seton Hall. After eight years there, Holloway began his head coaching career at Saint Peter’s in 2018. The Peacocks have finished in the top 3 in the MAAC in each of the last two seasons and are certainly trending upwards under Holloway’s leadership.

237. Jeremy Ballard (Florida International) (Last year: 183)

• Overall record: 48-44

After bouncing around quite a bit as a collegiate assistant, Ballard enters his fourth year as head coach at FIU. A former aide at Tulsa, VCU, Illinois State, and Pittsburgh, Ballard picked up valuable experience along the way, and that translated to quick success for the Panthers. Unfortunately, FIU finished just 9-17 last season, at the bottom of the C-USA standings, necessitating a reload of talent for the Panthers.

236. Jim Ferry (UMBC) (Last year: N/A)

• Overall record: 221-260

After spending last season as the interim head coach of Penn State, Ferry begins this season as the new head coach at UMBC. It’s his fifth full-time head coaching position, having done major damage with D2 Adelphi before leading Long Island to a pair of NCAA Tournaments in the early 2010’s. Ferry flamed out as head coach at Duquesne but looks to make the Retrievers into postseason darlings once more.

235. Joe Scott (Air Force) (Last year: 231)

• Overall record: 240-260

Having led the program to the NCAA Tournament in 2004, this is round two for Scott leading Air Force, returning to the school that gave him his first shot as head coach. He’s a former player, assistant, and head coach for Princeton who also spent nearly a decade leading Denver. Still, he’s only led these Falcons to the NCAA Tournament, and last year’s 5-20 team is certainly worlds away from replicating that success.

234. Nick McDevitt (Middle Tennessee) (Last year: 175)

• Overall record: 122-128

It was surprising to see McDevitt depart UNC Asheville when he took the Middle Tennessee head coaching job in 2018. Over the course of two decades, he was with the Bulldogs as a player, assistant, and spent five years as head coach, taking Asheville to an NCAA Tournament and NIT bid along the way. Middle Tennessee has had major struggles since McDevitt took over, struggling to a 24-62 record in his first three seasons.

233. Geno Ford (Stony Brook) (Last year: 232)

• Overall record: 143-150

It’s head coaching job number five for Ford, who finds himself a bit revitalized entering year three with Stony Brook. The previous stops, including leading Kent State to several postseason bids, were successful until his stint with Bradley went south. Unfortunately, the former Ohio guard saw his Seawolves struggle to a 9-14 finish last season, a major step backward from what he inherited.

232. Mike Magpayo (UC Riverside) (Last year: 353)

• Overall record: 14-8

Last season Magpayo became the first head coach of Asian heritage in D1 basketball history, but he also earned the full-time job with a fantastic start to his coaching career. The former aide to Kyle Smith and predecessor David Patrick led UC Riverside to a 14-8 record and a 3rd place finish in the Big West. Magpayo is only just getting started with the Highlanders, but it’s hard to ask for a better start to a head coaching career.

231. Willie Jones (North Carolina A&T) (Last year: 286)

• Overall record: 25-15

Jones ascended to his first collegiate head coaching post less than two years ago and it’s hard to argue with the initial success. After getting experience at half a dozen different colleges, Jones went to work with the Aggies, leading them to a 14-5 as the interim coach in 2020. This past season, technically his second, North Carolina A&T finished atop the MEAC standings. Jones has this program in fantastic shape moving forward and could sniff an NCAA Tournament one day soon.

230. Scott Davenport (Bellarmine) (Last year: 336)

• Overall record: 14-8

Born and raised in Louisville, Davenport has barely left the city in his coaching career but has done some marvelous things. He’s a former high school coach in the city and spent a decade coaching for the Cardinals under Hall of Famers Denny Crum and Rick Pitino. He took over at Bellarmine in 2005, leading the Knights to the D1 level last season. A 2nd place A-Sun finish and a deep CBI run are certainly nothing to snuff at in his debut at this level.

229. Reggie Witherspoon (Canisius) (Last year: 234)

• Overall record: 271-299

Witherspoon was born in Buffalo and has spent much of his coaching career in and around his hometown. He’s a former high school and college coach in the Buffalo area before spending 14 years as head coach for Buffalo, leading that MAC school to some success. He’s been head coach at Canisius since 2016 and has led the Golden Griffins to a couple of postseason bids, with this past season being a step forward after recent struggles.

228. Zach Spiker (Drexel) (Last year: 262)

• Overall record: 163-201

Despite finishing below .500 in the CAA, Spiker made his first NCAA Tournament this season in leading the Dragons to the CAA Tournament title. He’s a former admin assistant under John Beilein who spent seven decent years as head coach at Army. This past year was the breakthrough with Drexel, though he’s never finished above 6th place in the CAA in his first five years.

227. Kevin McGeehan (Campbell) (Last year: 239)

• Overall record: 123-133

McGeehan gained much of his early experience as an assistant under Chris Mooney, spending a decade on his staffs, mostly at Air Force and Richmond. Formerly head coach at Beaver College, he was hired by Campbell in 2013, giving him his first D1 head coaching position. He’s put together a few fantastic teams with the Camels but doesn’t yet have an NCAA Tournament to show for the progress, merely an NIT and few other postseason bids.

226. Tony Barbee (Central Michigan) (Last year: N/A)

• Overall record: 131-127

Barbee returns to sidelines as collegiate head coach this season at Central Michigan, taking his third head coaching job. He’s a longtime former player and assistant under John Calipari, working under him at all three of Calipari’s schools. Barbee then led UTEP to the NCAA Tournament, before flaming out across four years as head coach at Auburn. He’ll look to replicate the success with a Central Michigan program that hasn’t really been impressive in recent years.

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

• Overall record: 321-354

McConathy has been firmly entrenched coaching basketball in the state of Louisiana, serving as Northwestern State’s head coach since 1999. He previously led Bossier Parish CC for nearly two decades and played at Louisiana Tech. He’s led the Demons to three NCAA Tournaments, including 2006’s upset of 3-seed Iowa in the opening round. It’s been a few years since the Demons were at the top of the conference, but top 5 finishes the last two seasons seem like a step back in the right direction.

224. Lamont Paris (Chattanooga) (Last year: 254)

• Overall record: 60-64

For Paris, these last few seasons with Chattanooga have been a step in the right direction. Before his first head coaching job, he picked up experience on several staffs, working under Bo Ryan and Greg Gard at Wisconsin before the Mocs brought him aboard in 2017. The first two seasons were rough, but the Mocs are 38-21 these last two years and have moved their way up the standings in a tough SoCon.

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

• Overall record: 147-162

Masiello was once seen as a rising star in the coaching world, but his star has dulled slightly in recent years. He played at Kentucky and spent several years coaching under Rick Pitino at Louisville. Hired by Manhattan in 2011, he’s led the Jaspers to a pair of NCAA Tournaments, though he’s had six straight seasons under .500 since that second bid in 2015.

222. Martin Ingelsby (Delaware) (Last year: 236)

• Overall record: 73-74

A firm branch of the Mike Brey coaching tree, Ingelsby played briefly under Brey and then spent thirteen years on his coaching staff before beginning his head coaching career at Delaware in 2016. There’s been certain progress across his first four seasons with the Hens, and they’ve finished in the top 5 in the CAA each of the last three seasons. Delaware played a limited schedule last season, so it’s hard to know what to expect moving forward from Ingelsby and this program.

221. Terrence Johnson (Texas State) (Last year: 357)

• Overall record: 18-7

Last year, Johnson was suddenly made interim head coach at Texas State when Danny Kaspar stepped aside. After much of his coaching experience had come on that staff, Johnson wasted no time getting to work, leading the Bobcats to a Southland regular-season title, winning Southland Coach of the Year, and securing himself the permanent coaching job. What could be next in year two?