While there’s still a month of regular season left, we’ve seen a lot of basketball and plenty of action from the 364 teams in college basketball. Some programs have disappointed while others have exceeded early expectations, though we’re thinking more about the success today.
Nearly three and a half months into the season, we’ll be taking a look at a few coaches who have had breakout campaigns. We’re talking strictly about up and coming coaches who have really excelled at their schools this season and will be talked about next month and perhaps in the years ahead about much bigger job openings.
Jerrod Calhoun - Utah State
Utah State has seen its last three head coaches depart for bigger jobs in the last five offseasons and it could be another edition with Calhoun’s success. He engineered a nice turnaround at Youngstown State before heading west and has the Aggies at 22-4 and in comfortable position for another trip to the Big Dance. A former Bob Huggins assistant, Calhoun is still just 43 years old and the Ohio native could have a long career ahead of him back closer to his home state.
Ross Hodge - North Texas
After seven years on Grant McCasland’s bench, Hodge was promoted to the top job at North Texas in 2023. After a solid first season, he’s got the Mean Green in great shape this year at 18-6, looking perhaps like the second-best team in the AAC with their 9-3 mark in league play. It’ll take a surprise ACC Tournament title to get North Texas into the Big Dance, but Hodge is a rising star with junior college experience who has shown he can build a program in a few years.
Ben McCollum - Drake
Recent times have been very successful for Drake, but McCollum didn’t inherit much when Darian DeVries left for West Virginia. However, he’s no stranger to success, as McCollum just led his alma mater Northwest Missouri State to four D2 national titles. Now he’s got Drake 23-3 and in a legitimate shot for a rare mid-major at-large bid, though the Bulldogs have work to do if that’s still a possibility. We knew that McCollum could be an excellent D1 head coach but he’s exceeding expectations already.
Eric Olen - UC San Diego
He’s spent his entire coaching career at UC San Diego, but Olen is really starting to get the attention he deserves this season. The 44-year old had D2 Tournament success with the Tritons before the program jumped to D1 back in 2020. This year is the breakthrough season for him and his program, as UC San Diego sits 22-4 and in a legitimate shot for an at-large bid, which is insane for a Big West team. Whether or not Olen jumps to another job someday, his work with this particular team has been awesome and they’re the favorites out of this conference.
Tony Skinn - George Mason
A former George Mason point guard nearly two decades ago, Skinn returned to his alma mater in 2023 after varying levels of success as a collegiate assistant. Suffice to say, he’s doing even better than predecessor Kim English, the current Providence coach, and has the Patriots at 21-5, atop the A-10 standings with a 12-1 conference mark. This team is clawing its way towards a trip to the Big Dance and have won 11 games in a row, with Skinn a rising star in the coaching ranks.