NCAA Basketball: Top 12 candidates for 2022-23 Coach of the Year
By Joey Loose
Matt Painter (Purdue)
It might be his 18th season as a head coach, but this might be the best coaching job that Painter has done in his entire career. He led the Boilermakers to the Sweet Sixteen last season; their sixth trip to the second weekend of the Big Dance. However, Purdue lost a lot from last year’s team, with Jaden Ivey and Trevion Williams off to the NBA and a few other important pieces departing without any major transfers coming in. In fact, the Boilermakers were picked to finish 5th in the Big Ten, seemingly an afterthought behind teams like Indiana and Illinois.
What you have instead is the top-ranked team in the entire nation, as Purdue currently sits at 22-2 and way ahead in the Big Ten standings. They’ve defeated Marquette, Gonzaga, Duke, and have a flurry of great wins since conference play began just over a month ago. Big man Zach Edey might be the favorite for Player of the Year, but it’s not just Edey that has the Boilermakers turning heads.
The play of freshman guards Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer has been unbelievable. Their proficiency has allowed Purdue to play this well, especially filling all those holes lost from last year’s squad. Painter really has thrived both in recruiting these players and in putting them in position to succeed on the court. We’re talking about a 7’4 big man flourishing into a star while surrounded by freshman guards and some talented role players. Painter is probably the favorite right now for the award and has the only Big Ten team that looks truly impressive.