ACC Basketball has had lots of new faces in the last few years when it comes to head coaches, but who are the worst and the best this coming season?
ACC Basketball has had a lot of new faces come in to coach huge programs in the last couple years. Duke, North Carolina, Syracuse, and Louisville have all had some type of coaching change either last offseason or in the last few years alone.
The ACC is one of the best, if not the best conference in college basketball and these coaches are a big reason of that. These coaches determine how good these legendary programs can be and recent tournament success has proven these guys can coach basketball. Miami and North Carolina’s final four runs in the past two years have proven that these teams aren’t rolling over when big time coaches decide to retire.
I am going to look at all of the coaches that will be in the ACC this coming season. I’m going to rank them based on how good of a coach and recruiter they have been since they’ve been coaching and how they stack up against the rest of the league coming into next season.
Here’s a look at a power ranking of all the current and soon to be head coaches in the ACC coming into the 2023-24 college basketball season.
No. 15: Kenny Payne, Louisville Cardinals
Louisville hired it’s hometown guy last offseason and unfortunately for the Cardinals it was disastrous. Payne was an assistant coach for Kentucky, Oregon, and even the New York Knicks, but Louisville was his first head coaching and it shows. Payne had the worst season record in modern Louisville basketball history with a 4-28 record and only winning 2 conference games. Payne seemed to not have a grip on anything last season, especially in games.
Louisville did not have much talent last season, although they had some good players, they didn’t have a good outlook even before the season started. It wasn’t 4-28 talent but Payne was going to have a uphill battle no matter what. Payne did get some talent this offseason but I’m not for sure it will be enough for the Cardinals to ultimately have a successful season.
The only reason Payne is above the last 2 coaches is because he still has time to prove himself and I have no idea how either of those hires will pan out in the long run. Payne has the opportunity to turn things around at Louisville by just winning some games this coming season. Everyone at Louisville wants him to succeed, but if Payne can’t win games or pull in top tier talent, it will be tough seeing him at Louisville in the next year. Especially in a tough conference like the ACC. He will have a lot to prove if he ever wants to move up on this list.
No. 14: Adrian Autry, Syracuse Orange
Adrian Autry is another new coach to the college basketball world when it comes to helming a team. Autry has been the associate head coach under former head coach Jim Boeheim (who coached Syracuse for 47 years) and was promoted to head coach once Boeheim retired. Autry has had some playing experience in his 4 years playing for Syracuse and some overseas basketball. Autry was on Virginia Tech’s staff for 2 years and had been on the Syracuse staff since 2010.
Autry seems like the “hometown” guy most fans want but it is always risky hiring someone who has never been a head coach before. Autry however, has been in the Syracuse system for a while and it is hard to see Syracuse’s season outright failing next season. Autry will most likely carry over a lot of what Boeheim had implemented in his 47 years with the Orange. However, even Autry has stated that will be changing some things like the classic Syracuse 2-3 zone to more man to man defense.
Autry will need to combine what Boeheim did in his tenure while also implementing his own tactics to separate himself from his legacy. Again Autry can prove himself this upcoming season, but just based on his experience and the fact we don’t know how the season will play out, it’s hard to put him any higher than where he is right now.
No. 13: Damon Stoudamire, Georgia Tech Yellow-Jackets
By the end of the season these next three coaches could move way higher into this list and the only reason they are so low is because they have never helmed a power 5 program before. I am weary of putting new coaches so high because of what happened to Louisville last season.
Damon Stoudamire comes in with a nice resume and left the Celtics staff to become Georgia Tech’s new head coach after firing Josh Pastner. Stoudamire did well in the NBA as a player and staff member, but also was a successful coach for Pacific when he was a head coach there.
Tech looks to get back on track with a hire that has player and coaching experience. Stoudamire is a players coach, which was something that Pastner was severely lacking. Tech wants to get back on the winning side and although a hire like this can be a gamble, what Tech has been doing hasn’t been working so why not gamble on someone like Stoudamire. Stoudmire can prove a lot in season 1 and the only reason he is so low is because we simply don’t know how good of a coach he is yet.
Georgia Tech and Damon Stoudamire should be something fans should certainly keep an eye on this season.
No. 12: Earl Grant, Boston College Eagles
Earl Grant will be entering his 3rd season with the Boston College Eagles and he just needs to keep showing improvement. Grant has a 29-37 record with the Eagles and improved by three games from his 1st to 2nd season. Grant led his Eagles to beating No. 6 Virginia at home last season by 15 points, and that is the type of basketball that Boston College has been wanting consistenly for years. Although the Eagles weren’t very good last year they were at least more competitive than years past.
Grant seems to be taking the Eagles in the right direction slowly, and if he can keep heading that direction then the Eagles look like they are in good hands. The standards in Boston are what makes this slow upward trajectory possible. For more storied teams like Duke or UNC this would be unacceptable, but for BC it is acceptable.
Grant if anything seems to have his players always ready to play hard even if they are not the most talented team on the floor, and that is just what a good coach does. Earl Grant isn’t an amazing coach by any means in this league but he is doing a good enough job for BC right now to qualify himself above some of the newer coaches the ACC will have to offer next season.
No. 11: Jeff Capel, Pittsburgh Panthers
Jeff Capel led his Pitt to being a top 3 ACC team last year, having their first winning record since he has been coaching there, and led them to the round of 32 in the tournament last season with a 24-12 (14-6) record. However, that was Pitt’s first winning season since Capel had been there and he still has a losing overall record of 75-81 (.481%).Capel’s recruiting has also been getting steadily better over his seasons at Pitt which is a good sign.
Capel proved he could win with the Panthers last season, but it took 5 seasons to get there, and Capel needs to prove it is sustainable and not a fluke. Capel Had been the associate head coach under Mike Kzrcksiki at Duke since 2014 and in 2018 he accepted the head coaching job at Pitt.
Capel would be higher on this list but he needs to prove that he is a consistently good head coach in the ACC and not a coach that has a good team every 5 years. Capel can move up a lot in this ranking but he will have to prove himself as a standout coach in this league consistently if he does.
No. 10: Mike Young, Virginia Tech
Mike Young will be going into his 5th season coaching the Virginia Tech Hokies. Young has been a proven head coach with his time at Virginia Tech and also his 17 years of being the head coach of Wofford. Young had the Hokies playing good basketball in 2021 and 2022 and making the NCAA Tourney both years. However they had a bit of a dip in 2023 with a 19-15 record and a 7 game conference losing streak. The Hokies were talked about a team that was atop of the ACC before they went on this losing streak, but they regained their momentum and even defeated their arch rival Virginia who was ranked 6th at the time.
Young looks to get his team back on track for 2023-24 and to avoid what plagued them in 2022-23. Young needs to prove last year wasn’t a fluke and he also needs to break past a barrier that Virginia tech hasn’t been able to get past in recent years. Even in the 4 years Young has been there they haven’t made it past the round of 64, which is an issue.
Young not only needs to get Tech back to winning ways, but to winning consistently, and much better play in the postseason. Young never took Wofford past the round of 32 but the assets he has available at Virginia Tech should be more than enough to propel him past the first weekend. Young needs to win more consistently and prove that last season wasn’t a sign of what Virginia Tech will be in the future.
No. 9: Kevin Keatts, NC State Wolfpack
Kevin Keatts has been coaching the NC State Wolfpack since 2017 and has had some good seasons for the Wolfpack in that time. Keatts has led the Wolfpack to the round of 64 in 2 of his 6 seasons, but has never led them out of the first round. Keatts seems to have them back on the right track after a couple low win seasons. He got them into the tournament last season but could not make it past the first round.
Keatts needs have more postseason success and win games in March.Keatts is a proven regular season winner and has had a winning record in all of his seasons but one. However, the next step for this NC State program is to start having more postseason success, and winning more in conference play. The Wolfpack have been around the middle of the ACC since Keatts took over and his next step for this program should be to win bigger games and to play better in March.
Keatts is a good coach and should look to lead the Wolfpack to higher standards next season. if he does, he can certainly improve his standing on this ranking.
No. 8: Steve Forbes, Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Steve Forbes has been turning Wake Forest around and he looks to be even better in year 4. Forbes came from East Tennesse State and has been coaching Wake for the past 3 seasons. He has a 50-39 (.562%) overall record and has had the Deacons on the brink if making the tournament, especially in 2022. Forbes won ACC coach of the year in 2022 and took the Deacons to a 25-10 record, even though they were not picked to make the NCAA Tournament.
By Wake Forest standards Forbes has been doing wonders for the basketball program. He has not any outstanding recruiting classes by any means but the way he coaches players and his coaching style has led Wake to win more games in the last couple years. They beat Duke at Cameron Indoor last year, and if someone were to tell me Wake Forest would do that in 2023, I would probably call you a liar.
Forbes has been moving up on this list every year, and even though the team dipped in wins from 2022 to 2023, the wins Forbes had are impressive for Wake Forest. If Forbes can keep getting his team ready to win games and improving weekly he will keep moving up on this list. For now though, he is here at number nine.
No. 7: Micah Shrewsberry, Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Micah Shrewsberry will enter his first season as Notre Dame’s head coach after the retirement of Mike Brey. Shrewsberry has a lot of coaching/staff experience, and was even on Brad Steven’s Butler staff when they were back to back national runner ups in the NCAA Tournament.
Since then Shrewsberry was the head coach at Penn State for the past two years. He went 14-17 and 23-14 in those two years. In his second year Penn State was on a roll and even made it to the round of 32 in the tournament before eventually losing to Texas (where Penn State was a popular upset pick).
Shrewsberry is a name on the rise and Notre Dame was able to grab him before another power 5 school did. Shrewsberry offense is what people are always talking about when his name comes up. Penn State had a top ten three point percentage while also being top ten in three point rate. he turns his offenses inside out and is able to score at will with his teams.
Notre Dame has been not as nationally prominent in recent years and Shrewsberry looks to turn that around as a new hot name in college basketball.
No. 6: Brad Brownell, Clemson Tigers
Brad Brownell has been the head coach of the Clemson Tigers since 2011 and will be entering his 14th year coaching the Tigers in 2023-24. Brownell has been quite successful at Clemson and has taken them to the tournament a couple times and even had a sweet sixteen bid. Brownell is known for his dynamic offense and physical defense the Tigers play. Most of Brownell’s good teams are made up of older players that have been in his system, and that seems to be something that is becoming less and less popular in college basketball.
The Tigers were poised to be a dangerous team last season after starting 15-3 and 7-0 in conference play. However, they started to losing more games and losing to teams like Boston College and Louisville essentially put them out of the tournament bubble. They were a good and talented team but losing games to really bad teams will kick you out of the field of 64 easily.
Brownell is a proven coach and seems to always have his teams ready, even if the talent isn’t at a Duke or UNC level. Brownell however, can’t seem to break through the Clemson barrier. Clemson is not known as an ACC powerhouse and because of that they never seem to make it past the first weekend of the NCAA tourney. For Clemson fans they might see this as better than not making the tourney at all. However, to teams with tradition like Duke, UNC, Virginia, and Louisville it is unacceptable. For Brownell to be higher on these rankings he will have to prove he can win at a higher level consistently and win more in the postseason and in late conference play.
No. 5: Leonard Hamilton, Florida State Seminoles
As of today I have Leonard Hamilton as the 5th best coach in the ACC but if he loses his first 2 games against Kennesaw State and Central Michigan, I might drop him to the bottom 5. I am dumbfounded on how a team and coach can simply fall off so hard in two years. FSU made the sweet sixteen in 2021 but in 2023 they went 9-23 and even lost by 40 points to a conference opponent. Hamilton has chucked it up to his performance as a coach, too many freshman, or just not the right transfers. FSU started 1-9 with their lone win against Mercer last season in their first ten games.
Hamilton is one of the best ACC coaches in recent memory, and had led the Seminoles to multiple tournament appearances, including sweet sixteens and an elite 8. When looking at ACC coaches in the last 10 years he is with no doubt in the top 5, outside of Mike Krzyzewski, Roy Williams, and Tony Bennett. However, this list is looking at ranking the coaches going into next season.
Hamilton needs to get his team ready to play good basketball in 2023-24 or he might be another ACC coach that will (be forced to) retire.
No. 4: Jon Scheyer, Duke Blue Devils
If I would have made this list in the middle of the season last year Jon Scheyer probably would have been at 7 or 8 but Scheyer and the Duke Blue Devils had other plans. Duke finished 2022 on a 9 game winning streak, won the ACC Tournament, and got placed as a 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament before losing to Tennesse in the round of 32.
At one point the Blue Devils were 14-6 (5-4) and Duke basketball looked a little off compared to where experts thought they would be. Scheyer must have heard the noise because he turned their season around and even beat UNC to end the regular season.
Scheyer had been on former head coach Mike Krzyzewski’s staff since 2013 and from there to succeeded him for the 2022-23 season. Scheyer didn’t look like the perfect hire in the middle of Duke’s season, but he managed to turn it around and he started to look like the coach he would be from the beginning.
If Scheyer can keep improving as a coach and bring in the players he has been recruiting, he should follow well in Krzyzewski’s footsteps.
No. 3: Hubert Davis, North Carolina Tar Heels
Hubert Davis has had one of the most interesting 2 years of a power 5 head coach in recent memory. He led North Carolina to the national championship game and lost, came into 2022 as the number 1 overall team, and then proceeded to be one of the first 4 teams out of the NCAA Tournament. Based on making it to the championship in his first year, it’s hard to leave Davis outside of the top 5 coaches in the ACC. However, the fact he missed the tourney last year with essentially the same team is worrisome.
Davis was the protege of former UNC head coach Roy Williams, and Williams had seem to be grooming him for the job for the last ten years. Davis’s success shows how a coach with no prior head coaching experience can work out, given the right circumstances.
How the Tar Heels perform in 2023-24 will be very interesting, and will show if the Tar Heels learned anything from their season last year. Davis looks to be one of the upper tier coaches in the ACC, and next season will show how good of a coach he really can be in the ACC for the coming years.
No. 2: Jim Larranaga, Miami Hurricanes
Jim Larranaga has had the Miami Hurricanes rolling the past two seasons, and he looks to keep that momentum going in 2023-24. Larranaga is a coach that has been around for a long time and has coached for Bowling Green, George Mason, and has been in Miami since 2011. Larranaga has an overall record of 255-149 ( .631) and has taken the Hurricanes to multiple tournament appearances, including a sweet sixteen, elite 8, and final 4 (the last two happening in the last two years).
Larranaga always has his teams ready to play, and his elite team defense paired with Miami’s ability to score in the paint the last two years has led to a lot of success. Larranaga has gone up in the coach standing the past few seasons just on his ability to get his players ready to play and how Miami is always prepared for big games. Miami basketball has become more of national name in the past few years, and Larranaga is a big part of that.
Now no one just sees him as that one ACC coach who looks like Jim Boeheim.
Miami and Larranaga will be interesting to watch next season, as we see if Larranaga can not just continue his regular season success, but also his very high postseason success. If he can continually have his players ready to play like in recent years, it will be hard not to see him continue to be one of the best coaches in the ACC.
No. 1: Tony Bennett, Virginia Cavaliers
Tony Bennett isn’t just the best head coach in the ACC right now but is one of the best ACC coaches in the history of the conference. Bennett has been coaching the Cavaliers since 2009 after he had coached Washington State for 3 years and had been a former college player. Bennett has taken the Cavalier to the postseason many times and even won the championship just a year after 1 seed Virginia lost to a 16 seed (the first time it had ever happened).
Bennett is known for his pack line defense and how his team almost always controls the tempo of the game. His Virginia teams always put defense first, and his style of coaching basketball is the most unique in the sport. Bennett always has the Cavaliers ready to play hard nosed physical basketball no matter who they are playing. Whether they are playing Boston College or Duke, Bennett always has his team ready to play.
The only thing holding back Bennett’s legacy might be his postseason wins, as he has been knocked out of the tournament multiple times in the first round. Although that is almost put to rest when you see that he did win a championship in 2019.
Bennett is the best coach in ACC Basketball and it is hard to see that changing anytime soon.