60. Mike Young (Virginia Tech) (Last year: 54)
Overall record: 404-329
Young just keeps humming along at Virginia Tech, though this consistency shouldn’t surprise many people. After all, the Radford native spent 30 years at Wofford, including a 17-year stint as the Terriers’ head coach. During that stretch, he took Wofford to 5 NCAA Tournaments, including a 30-win campaign and first round win in the 2019 Tourney. Young left for the Hokies right afterwards and got Virginia Tech to the Big Dance twice quickly but his program has underwhelmed since and is coming off a disappointing 13-19 season.
59. Porter Moser (Oklahoma) (Last year: 63)
Overall record: 367-301
Final Four in 2018
After playing at Creighton and assisting at schools like Texas A&M and Milwaukee, Moser got his head coaching start at Little Rock a quarter century ago. His work with the Trojans was solid before failing to make headway leading Illinois State, but Loyola Chicago certainly gave him new life a few years later. Moser notably took the Ramblers to that wild Final Four run in 2018 before a Sweet Sixteen berth three years later. He would leave for Oklahoma and fall short of expectations in his first three years, but he did get the Sooners to the NCAA Tournament in their first season as members of the SEC.
58. Josh Pastner (UNLV) (Last year: N/A)
Overall record: 276-187
It’s a return to form for Pastner, who’s back in collegiate coaching after a pair of seasons in broadcasting. He played and coached under Lute Olsen at Arizona before eventually succeeding John Calipari at Memphis. Pastner couldn’t quite compare to Calipari, but did take the Tigers to four straight NCAA Tournaments before heading to Georgia Tech in 2016. His seven years with the Yellow Jackets included a surprise ACC Tournament championship but little sustained headway, though he’s looking to make a mark in Las Vegas and in the MWC ahead.
57. Penny Hardaway (Memphis) (Last year: 67)
Overall record: 162-68
Few forget how Hardaway starred at Memphis in the early 90’s, became the 3rd pick of the 1993 NBA Draft, and then starred in the league for over a decade. After his retirement, Hardaway spent a few years coaching high school ball but made quite the leap when accepting Memphis’s head coaching job in 2018. Hardaway has had no shortage of talent and has topped 20 wins in each of his first seven seasons, including appearances in three of the last four NCAA Tournaments, winning both the AAC regular season and tournament titles last year.
56. Frank Martin (UMass) (Last year: 50)
Overall record: 335-248
Final Four in 2017
Martin grew up in down in Miami and coached high school ball in his hometown for several years before catching on at the collegiate level. He worked under Bob Huggins for a few years and succeeded him at Kansas State, taking the Wildcats to the Elite Eight in 2010. Martin hopped to South Carolina and most notably took the Gamecocks to a historic Final Four run in 2017. His decade with the Gamecocks didn’t have a ton of sustained success, which seems to also be the case with UMass. His third year leading the Minutemen ended just 12-20 and near the bottom of the standings in their final season in the A-10.
55. Chris Holtmann (DePaul) (Last year: 59)
Overall record: 265-191
Now in his fourth head coaching gig, Holtmann has established himself as a pretty solid head coach, dating back to his early work leading Gardner-Webb. He suddenly became head coach at Butler and won at least one NCAA Tournament game in all three seasons leading the Bulldogs. Holtmann leaped to Ohio State and didn’t have the same sustained success, even with four more trips to the Big Dance. After his firing, he’s bounced back at DePaul and it’s hard to complain after a 14-win campaign in year one in Chicago.
54. Leon Rice (Boise State) (Last year: 57)
Overall record: 316-177
Before his own successful head coaching career, Rice played a significant role in Gonzaga’s rise as an assistant for Mark Few for 11 years. There were other notable stops before that, including as a junior college coach, but these last two stops have really stood out. Rice landed at Boise State in 2010 and has been largely successful, taking the Broncos into the MWC and appearing in five NCAA Tournaments. That success included three straight trips to the Big Dance before this past year’s 26-win campaign and a CBC appearance.
53. Jerome Tang (Kansas State) (Last year: 47)
Overall record: 61-42
Then known only for coaching high school basketball in Texas, Tang joined Scott Drew’s new Baylor staff in 2003 and spent nearly two decades helping rebuild the Bears into a champion. One year after winning a national title as associate head coach, Tang departed Baylor to become head coach at Kansas State, his first collegiate head coaching stop. Year one was magical, taking the Wildcats to the Elite Eight, but this team has sidestepped since, finishing 9th place in the Big 12 in back-to-back years.
52. Ed Cooley (Georgetown) (Last year: 61)
Overall record: 361-261
Cooley gained early experience on a few staffs before a 10-year partnership with Al Skinner, mostly coaching under him at Boston College. He won a number of games as head coach at Fairfield before landing at Providence. Cooley’s 12 years with the Friars were filled with memories, including seven NCAA Tournaments and great strides in the Big East. He accepted a new challenge with Georgetown in 2023 and while year one was rough, his Hoyas did accumulate 18 wins this past season and look more lively in the Big East.
51. Mark Byington (Vanderbilt) (Last year: 80)
Overall record: 233-146
Byington is unquestionably a head coach on the rise. He gained plenty of experience at Charleston, including as interim head coach, but has now led D1 programs for the last 12 years. He made steady strides helming Georgia Southern before breakthrough success with James Madison, taking the Dukes to a boatload of wins, including a trip to the second round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament. Byington jumped to Vanderbilt last offseason and rewarded the Commodores, taking the program to 20 wins and into the Big Dance in his first season.