NCAA Basketball: 10 best head coaching hires of 2023 offseason

10. Paul Mills (Wichita State)

Wichita State was in incredible shape as a program for much of the 2010’s, making the Final Four in 2013 before an undefeated run into the Big Dance the following season. Even after moving to the AAC, the Shockers were still winning games and making waves, but things started to fall apart after Gregg Marshall’s allegation and firing. Isaac Brown was decent at best the last three years but the Shockers were looking to make more of a splash.

Mills might not be the biggest splash in the world, but Wichita State still got a really good head coach for their program. A former high school coach in Texas, Mills spent more than a decade on Scott Drew’s Baylor staff before beginning his head coaching career at Oral Roberts in 2017. His obvious highlight is leading the Golden Eagles to the Sweet Sixteen as a 15-seed two years ago, helming a team led by Max Abmas and Kevin Obanor, among others.

Mills knows how to win and he knows how to recruit, staying in the Midwest and taking over another program that needs a turnaround in the coming years. The Shockers swung for a few more well-known head coaches but made no mistake with bringing Mills to Wichita. Even though he’s only been a head coach in the Summit League, he does have a ton of experience in the Big 12 and should be able to make headway in the AAC in the coming years.