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NCAA Basketball: Top 15 head coaches on the rise entering 2023-24 season

By Cole Amundson

Dec 14, 2021; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; Furman Paladins head coach Bob Richey in the second half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 14, 2021; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; Furman Paladins head coach Bob Richey in the second half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /
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Norfolk State Spartans head coach Robert Jones Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-USA TODAY Sports
Norfolk State Spartans head coach Robert Jones Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-USA TODAY Sports /

Climbing up the ladder, as some might say. In the world of NCAA basketball, many of its current most successful head coaches have started their head coaching careers at the mid-major level and have climbed up the coaching ladder. Certain examples include Bill Self at Oral Roberts, Matt Painter at Southern Illinois, Scott Drew at Valparaiso, Eric Musselman at Nevada and John Calipari at UMass, to name a few.

Just this year, a pair of successful mid-major coaches like Mark Madsen (Utah Valley to California) and Grant McCasland (North Texas to Texas Tech) jumped ship in hopes of leading their new respective programs to sustained success.

As the 2023-2024 NCAA basketball season quickly approaches, it’s time to take a deep dive into the top 15 college basketball coaches that are on the rise. Who are the coaches that could realistically be in the mix to take a job at a power-five/high-major school come next season? Here are my top 15 names to keep an eye out for.

15. Robert Jones, Norfolk State

At only 44 years of age, Robert Jones has built a consistent winner throughout his 10-year tenure leading the Spartans. The Spartans have never finished below .500 in MEAC play and they eventually broke through to get to the NCAA Tournament in 2021 and 2022, respectively.

Although the program’s ceiling is limited compared to many Division One programs, Jones has done a tremendous job sustaining a winning culture. He looks to keep the Spartans in the top half of the MEAC once again.

14. Mike Magpayo, UC Riverside

UC Riverside is an extremely tough place to win. In the Highlander’s 22 seasons as a Division 1 program, they have an overall program win percentage of .384, according to Sports Reference.

Mike Magpayo, on the other hand, has diverted that trend. Magpayo has led the Highlanders to three straight winning seasons including a 21-win season last year. The Highlanders have been more than competitive — which speaks volumes about his coaching path moving forward.

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