NCAA Basketball: Best head coaching hire from each of last 25 seasons

2005: Matt Painter (Purdue)

When you dive through the names hired in 2005, there are a few intriguing ones, but it all really boils down to just Painter and Bruce Pearl. After leading Milwaukee to a surprise Sweet Sixteen, Pearl took over at Tennessee and was fantastic with the Volunteers, but NCAA violations torpedoed his efforts after just six seasons, paving the way for Painter to get the long-term spotlight.

A Purdue guard in early 90’s, Painter had worked at a number of smaller colleges as an assistant coach before a run at Southern Illinois, serving as Bruce Weber’s assistant before succeeded him in 2003. After just one season, he was brought back to his alma mater to serve both as an assistant and as the eventual successor to the great Gene Keady, his own collegiate coach. That plan of succession happened in 2005 and Purdue is still reaping the benefits.

This Boilermakers program has been one of the best in the Big Ten in the 18 years since Painter took over this program. They’ve missed just three NC AA Tournaments and have won a number of Big Ten titles, including this past season. He led the program to the Elite Eight in 2019 and a flurry of Sweet Sixteen runs as well, recruiting talented names like Carsen Edwards and Zach Edey to West Lafayette. Painter is still hunting for that first Final Four appearance but there’s no doubt he’s been utterly successful since taking over his program.