Many things have changed in college basketball in recent years. The advance of NIL and the transfer portal have created what feels like yearly free agency in the sport. Various rule changes have affected on-court play and we’re expanding to 76 teams in next year’s NCAA Tournament. Recent Selection Committee and scheduling decisions have greatly impacted mid-major leagues and gone are the days when we were regularly seeing multiple bids to the Big Dance from leagues like the MVC.
Even as everything has changed and perhaps soured opinions on this sport, there are a few aspects that remain the same. One big thing relates to the coaching carousel and how greatness is recognized in this sport. Power conference teams will always raid mid-major programs for their head coaches, offering better resources and opportunities than those mid-majors can provide. The MVC is once again a glaring example of that this offseason.
The names
The 11-team conference saw two of its most prominent head coaches lured away to power conference programs. After twenty years as head coach and even longer on staff, Ben Jacobson departed Northern Iowa for a chance at Utah State, new members of the Pac-12. After winning a regular season title, Belmont also saw a disappointing departure, with Casey Alexander leaving for Kansas State after 7 years as head coach and more than two decades as part of Belmont basketball.
These kinds of moves aren’t new at all and the MVC has been affected just as strongly as any mid-major conference. Porter Moser took Loyola Chicago to the Final Four and was off to Oklahoma and the Big 12 three years later. People forget that Matt Painter led Southern Illinois before his success at Purdue, while other names like Greg McDermott, Josh Schertz, and Bruce Weber had great years in this league.
What’s also true is that new coaches arrive and more times than not build their own success. This time around both Belmont and Northern Iowa are mourning departures but have each nailed their replacement hires. Both programs grabbed high-profile names with program experience that should have these two teams remaining in contention for years to come.
Ten years ago, Evan Bradds was named OVC Player of the Year as a forward for the Bruins. He would repeat the feat in 2017 and now returns nine years later as head coach. Between that time, Bradds was an NBA assistant for several seasons and spent last year on Jon Scheyer’s staff at Duke. He’s been coaching and recruiting at a high level and begins his head coaching career back at his alma mater with great knowledge to share in Nashville.
Been a while
Northern Iowa finds a familiar son in Kyle Green, who had previously spent more than 15 years as an assistant under both Jacobson and McDermott. Green does boast some head coaching experience with Western State, Lewis, and Wisconsin-Eau Claire though this’ll clearly be his first D1 head coaching gig. He had spent the last five years on staff at Iowa State, helping T. J. Otzelberger turn the Cyclones back into a national power and is certainly ready for his chance running these Panthers.
Nothing is guaranteed in this sport. Sometimes great hires flop or we see coaches on the rise underwhelm in new jobs. Regardless, it’s easy to argue that Bradds and Green both have great pedigrees and are set up for success. As we mentioned, life isn’t any easier in the MVC, especially with this league very rarely getting multiple teams into the Big Dance. However, if you’re a fan of Belmont or Northern Iowa it’s understandable to be excited about the direction of these two programs.
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