363. Phillip Shumpert (North Carolina A&T) (Last year: N/A)
- Overall record: 0-0
Every list has to start somewhere and Shumpert gets the nod at the bottom of this year’s selection. He was just named North Carolina A&T unceremoniously in mid-August, and has very little previous experience at the D1 level. He is a former AAU and junior college head coach who has spent the last three years as an assistant with these Aggies. Now it’s up to him to lead a program transitioning to the CAA after a mediocre campaign last season.
362. Grant Leonard (Queens) (Last year: N/A)
- Overall record: 0-0
Not only is this Leonard’s first year as a collegiate head coach, but he’s also leading a Queens program that begins play at the D1 level. He spent the previous nine years on staff with the Royals before ascending to the top spot this offseason. Leonard has previous coaching experience, including a brief stint with Texas-Pan American, so he’s at least coached in D1 before. He takes over a Queens program that did fantastic things at the D2 level, but how will he fare in the A-Sun?
361. Kyle Gerdeman (Lindenwood) (Last year: N/A)
- Overall record: 0-0
This will mark year four for Gerdeman leading the Lions, but it’s the first year for Lindenwood playing at the D1 level. A longtime assistant and junior college head coach, Gerdeman actually has a decade of experience at the D1 level, previously serving as an assistant coach at Southeast Missouri State and then Central Michigan under Keno Davis. He’ll help the Lions transition into a seemingly winnable OVC; but how long will it take for Lindenwood to settle into a consistent role?
360. Chris Kraus (Stonehill) (Last year: N/A)
- Overall record: 0-0
Kraus has spent the entirety of his NCAA basketball career with the Skyhawks, playing for Stonehill in the early 2000’s before returning to campus as an assistant coach. He’s been the program’s head coach since 2013 and has led them to some postseason success, but things are different now. Stonehill transitions to D1 this season, and building prominent teams at this level will be a bit trickier for Kraus, who has been part of three D2 Elite Eight’s during his career with the Skyhawks.
359. Jaret von Rosenberg (Texas A&M Commerce) (Last year: N/A)
- Overall record: 0-0
It’s been mostly smooth sailing to this point for von Rosenberg in his head coaching career, but he’s really just getting started. The 35-year-old took over at Commerce five seasons ago and led the Lions to three D2 Tournaments. However, his program is transitioning to the D1 level and will certainly have bigger challenges ahead. This isn’t his first experience at the D1 level, as he previously spent a pair of seasons on staff at Hartford, where he also played his college days.
358. Stan Gouard (Southern Indiana) (Last year: N/A)
- Overall record: 0-0
His time at the D1 level has been brief, but Gouard has certainly had success in his coaching career. With all of his experience in the Hoosier State, he was briefly an assistant at Indiana State before becoming a stellar D2 head coach. Gouard had a 12-year run of success leading Indianapolis and arrived at Southern Indiana, his alma mater, just two seasons ago. Now, he has the added challenge of making this a competitive D1 program in the years to come.
357. Tobin Anderson (Fairleigh Dickinson) (Last year: N/A)
- Overall record: 0-0
This may be Anderson’s first season at Fairleigh Dickinson, but it’s certainly not his first rodeo as a head coach. He served previous stints leading Clarkson, Hamilton, and St. Thomas Aquinas, making Fairleigh Dickinson his fourth school to lead. Anderson also spent a few seasons on staff at Siena, meaning he has somewhat recent experience at the D1 level. Still, he’s got work ahead to turn around a Knights team that has really bottomed out in recent years.
356. Andrew Wilson (VMI) (Last year: N/A)
- Overall record: 0-0
A first-time head coach, Wilson picked up significant assistant coaching experience the last sixteen years, serving under the great Bobby Cremins in Charleston before a long-stint under Mark Byington at Georgia Southern and James Madison. He got the call this offseason and succeeds Dan Earl with the Keydets. He inherits a VMI program in decent shape, fresh off a CBI appearance, but has his work cut out for him to maintain that momentum in a tough Southern Conference.
355. Matt Crenshaw (IUPUI) (Last year: 353)
- Overall record: 3-26
In the long run, Crenshaw might be a dynamic hire at IUPUI, but it’s hard to be excited after a rough first season. Crenshaw played and coached for the Jaguars for much of the last two decades, but finished just 3-26 in his debut season. Clearly, the team should be better in the coming seasons, but a last-place finish in the Horizon League and a dismal record isn’t a great start for any coach. Still, Crenshaw could absolutely rise up this list in the years ahead.
354. Stan Waterman (Delaware State) (Last year: 357)
- Overall record: 2-26
After a really long stretch of success coaching at the high school level, Waterman began his collegiate coaching career at Delaware State last season. The 2-26 mark is obviously a dreadful start, as the Hornets ended the season losing their last 24 games in a row. This program hasn’t done much in recent years and Waterman certainly has his work cut out for him, though the MEAC is certainly a winnable league if he can bring some better bodies onto the court.
353. Chris Markwood (Maine) (Last year: N/A)
- Overall record: 0-0
The former Maine player takes over his alma mater nearly two decades later. Markwood gained a ton of experience in recent years on the coaching staffs of Vermont, Northeastern, and spent last year at Boston College. Bringing in an ACC assistant sounds good, but what’s even better is Markwood’s familiarity with the program and the state. However, this is his first head coaching job and the Bears haven’t even been over .500 since 2010.
352. Otis Hughley Jr. (Alabama A&M) (Last year: N/A)
- Overall record: 0-0
It’s been a wild ride for Hughley but this is his first D1 head coaching experience. He’s been a high school and junior college head coach, an NBA assistant, and recently coached the women’s national teams of Chinese Taipei and Nigeria. This marks a return to collegiate coaching for the first time in two decades and it’ll be intriguing to see how Hughley adjusts back to the college game. Alabama A&M’s only NCAA Tournament appearance came in 2005, though last season wasn’t awful for the Bulldogs.
351. Corey Gipson (Northwestern State) (Last year: N/A)
- Overall record: 0-0
Another brand new head coach, Gipson arrives at Northwestern State, replacing longtime coach Mike McConathy who retired. A longtime former assistant, Gipson most recently spent more than half a decade on staff at Missouri State. The Missouri native has never coached in Louisiana or the Southland Conference and is beginning his first head coaching stint. The Demons have been down in recent years, but perhaps Gipson is the guy to inject new energy into the program?
350. Eric Duft (Weber State) (Last year: N/A)
- Overall record: 0-0
After an extended stint as an assistant under Randy Rahe, Duft takes over the head coaching spot at Weber State. A former junior college assistant and head coach, it’s the big first shot for Duft at the D1 level, hoping to extend a run of success for the Wildcats. He’s a new head coach but he knows this program well and will likely shoot up these rankings if Weber State continues to be a top contender in the Big Sky.
349. Eric Peterson (South Dakota) (Last year: N/A)
- Overall record: 0-0
A long and winding coaching career finds Peterson accepting his first D1 head coaching job, returning to South Dakota. He was previously an assistant for the Coyotes under Craig Smith, following him to two other schools, including last season at Utah. Peterson was previously a junior college head coach in North Dakota, but this is a different ballgame in the Summit League. Still, he’s pretty familiar with the area and the conference and should be a fascinating addition to the head coaching ranks.
348. Mike Jordan (Lafayette) (Last year: N/A)
- Overall record: 0-0
A new era begins at Lafayette, as Jordan arrives on campus, replacing longtime former coach Fran O’Hanlon. Jordan played collegiately at Penn before a long overseas career. He spent the last decade as a D1 assistant, with most of those years coming on the staff of former college teammate Matt Langel at Colgate. Including a brief stint at Drexel, he’s coached in the last three NCAA Tournaments and hopes to turn things around for a Lafayette team that struggled last season.
347. Erik Martin (South Carolina State) (Last year: N/A)
- Overall record: 0-0
The time has come for Martin, taking his first head coaching position at South Carolina State, one of the final openings filled this offseason. Long ago, Martin played a pair of seasons under Bob Huggins at Cincinnati and actually spent the last sixteen years as Huggins’ assistant, mostly at West Virginia. He certainly has plenty of power conference experience, but is Martin the man to turn around a fledgling Bulldogs program, now two decades since their last trip to the Big Dance?
346. David Ragland (Evansville) (Last year: N/A)
- Overall record: 0-0
Ragland seemed like the ideal candidate when the Evansville job was open two years ago, but now he gets his shot. Briefly a junior college head coach, Ragland has bounced around as a D1 assistant, most recently spending time at Valparaiso, Utah State, and Butler. Evansville has really struggled in the MVC in recent years, but at least Ragland has familiarity with the conference and state, serving already at four other Indiana schools.
345. Solomon Bozeman (Arkansas-Pine Bluff) (Last year: 352)
- Overall record: 7-24
Bozeman enters his second season leading the Golden Lions coming off a 7-win start in his head coaching debut. He recently served on staff at Oral Roberts as that program advanced on a Cinderella run to the Sweet Sixteen, while picking up experience at a few other schools beforehand. Arkansas-Pine Bluff has struggled in the SWAC in recent years, though Bozeman did nearly double the team’s wins in his first campaign.
344. Zac Claus (Idaho) (Last year: 347)
- Overall record: 18-67
The third year as head coach at Idaho was certainly the most productive for Claus, but it still didn’t amount to much. He led the Vandals to a 9-22, doubling his career win totals. Before ascending to the top job, he picked up experience at a number of other schools, including a decade at Nevada. However, he did ascend to this job after NCAA violations, meaning Claus hasn’t mean dealt the fairest hand. He’s doing what he can, but this program is still a ways off from competing for Big Sky titles.
343. Matt McKillop (Davidson) (Last year: N/A)
- Overall record: 0-0
A former teammate of Stephen Curry with the Wildcats, McKillop has spent nearly his entire collegiate career at Davidson under his father Bob. Now that his father has retired, it’s up to the younger McKillop to take the reins of the Wildcats. McKillop spent the last fourteen seasons on staff, helping lead Davidson to a slew of postseason appearances, but it’s different now. This is Matt’s ship to run now, and coming off a 27-win season he’s got some pressure to keep Davidson as one of the premiere A-10 programs.
342. Will Ryan (Green Bay) (Last year: 331)
- Overall record: 13-42
His father may be a Hall of Fame coach, but Ryan’s own head coaching career is off to a rocky start. A former player and assistant under father Bo at Wisconsin, he had a decent head coaching debut at D2 Wheeling, but has struggled in his first two years at Green Bay, finishing just 5-25 last season. The Phoenix have been a solid program the last decade but are really scuffling in recent years, meaning Ryan needs a turnaround pretty soon.
341. Talvin Hester (Louisiana Tech) (Last year: N/A)
- Overall record: 0-0
After bouncing around at literally a dozen colleges, it’s a well-deserved head coaching debut for Hester, who recently served as an assistant under Kelvin Sampson at Houston and Mark Adams at Texas Tech. Hester very recently spent three years on the Louisiana Tech staff and returns to begin his head coaching career, hoping to continue a nice run of success for a Bulldogs squad that has won 20 games in four straight seasons.