365. Luke McConnell (St. Francis) (Last year: N/A)
Overall record: 0-0
Something has to take the bottom spot on the list and it’s an unfortunate situation all around for McConnell to begin his coaching career. He has lived and breathed St. Francis, graduating from the school as a football player in 2012 before spending a dozen years on the coaching staff. His father is a former Red Flash head coach, but the younger McConnell brings zero experience from elsewhere and takes over a program that will head down to D3 in the coming season.
364. Bobby Kennen (North Florida) (Last year: N/A)
Overall record: 0-0
Kennen was named interim head coach of the Ospreys in May, though this isn’t technically his first head coaching gig. He was a high school head coach back in the 90’s before spending a quarter century assisting in college ball. After bouncing around at Wichita State, Jacksonville, and Campbell, he spent each of the last sixteen years under Matthew Driscoll and now succeeds him in leading North Florida, albeit without a ton of experience leading any program.
363. Mike Scott (Cal State Bakersfield) (Last year: N/A)
Overall record: 0-0
A rough situation recently developed at Cal State Bakersfield, with Scott taking over as interim head coach for this upcoming season. A former player at Fairleigh Dickinson, he briefly coached at his alma mater and has stops at a few other schools, including the junior college level. Scott joined Rod Barnes’ staff with these Roadrunners back in 2017 and gets the interim shot after eight years on staff. We’ll see if he can earn the full-time gig, though Bakersfield has struggled in recent years.
362. Clint Allard (UC San Diego) (Last year: N/A)
Overall record: 0-0
Another fresh face to the head coaching world, Allard succeeds Eric Olen after extensive work turning this Tritons program into something special. Allard played for the school in the mid-2000’s and has spent over a decade on the staff. He was a big part of the staff as UC San Diego transitioned to D1 five years ago and made their first trip to the Big Dance last year, but now it’s all about if he can continue that success with his first head coaching gig.
361. Ronnie Thomas (Longwood) (Last year: N/A)
Overall record: 0-0
It’s a big opportunity for Thomas, who’s still just 33 and begins his first head coaching gig with a school he’s very familiar with. His career began as an assistant and recruiter at Guilford, a D3 school in North Carolina, before Griff Aldrich brought him onto Longwood’s staff in 2020. Between being the recruitment director and a full-time assistant, Thomas certainly had a hand in the Lancers for the last half-decade, but this is a beginning for him after Aldrich left town this offseason.
360. Charlie Ward (Florida A&M) (Last year: N/A)
Overall record: 0-0
Another former NBA player getting his shot at collegiate coaching, Ward was well-known as a collegian himself, winning the Heisman Trophy and a national title at Florida State before making his name in basketball. A late first round draft pick in 1994, Ward spent over a decade in the NBA and was briefly an assistant as well. Before Florida A&M hired him this offseason, Ward’s only recent experience had been at the high school level. The Rattlers are banking on his coaching talent and pedigree and his first shot at any level of college ball.
359. Doug Davenport (Bellarmine) (Last year: N/A)
Overall record: 0-0
The Louisville native gets a shot to run his alma mater after his father’s retirement, though basketball has always been in Davenport’s blood. A solid player in his hometown and at Bellarmine, Davenport gained real coaching experience as a staffer at Xavier and Louisville, including running video ops during the Cardinals’ vacated national title run. Davenport rejoined his alma mater on his father’s staff in 2016 and spent nine years as an assistant learning the ropes even further.
358. Doug Gottlieb (Green Bay) (Last year: 363)
Overall record: 4-28
Before last season there were legitimate questions on if a radio host could run a college basketball program and those questions still exist. Gottlieb starred at Oklahoma over twenty years ago and had been an analyst, broadcaster, and radio host ever since. The Milwaukee native finally got the shot he wanted with Green Bay last season but it was a very slow start and a last place finish in the Horizon League for these Phoenix.
357. Stacy Hollowell (New Orleans) (Last year: 356)
Overall record: 4-27
Hollowell spent more than twenty-five years coaching basketball at all kinds of levels, working internationally and at different levels of college ball. He had actually been the head coach at Loyola-Louisiana for nearly a decade before a brief run as a staffer at Ole Miss. Last season was definitely a step up as head coach at New Orleans and unfortunately the Privateers had a forgettable season. His team lost every home game and finished at the bottom of the Southland standings; not a great start to his D1 career.
356. Cleo Hill Jr. (Maryland Eastern Shore) (Last year: 359)
Overall record: 6-25
Far from a stranger as a collegiate head coach, Hill’s career in college ball goes way back to his playing days at North Carolina Central nearly four decades ago. He was a high school coach and on a few other college staffs before starting his head coaching career. Hill worked at Cheyney, Shaw, and Winston-Salem State at the D2 level or below with decent success before Maryland Eastern Shore hired him last season. The record right out the gate isn’t exactly inspiring though he hopes his Hawks can build on this.
355. Jake Morton (Alcorn State) (Last year: N/A)
Overall record: 0-0
A new head coach was needed at Alcorn State and Morton jumped at the chance, ready to show his stuff after years as an assistant. A former guard at Miami, Morton’s coaching career started at Ferris State before stints at eight different D1 schools, notable with his alma mater and most recently at league rival Florida State. He’s worked and learned under a plethora of coaches and inherits a Braves program hoping to make headway in the SWAC.
354. Jon Perry (Navy) (Last year: N/A)
Overall record: 0-0
If there was someone you could call Ed DeChellis’s right hand man in basketball then Perry probably fits the bills. The West Virginia native played for DeChellis at East Tennessee State and was a graduate assistant there before following him on his staff at Penn State. He got some experience elsewhere between, but Perry then spent the last 12 years on the Navy bench, including five as associate head coach. An experienced name ready to take over as the head coach of the Midshipman, Perry starts his first head coaching gig this fall.
353. Rob Summers (Cleveland State) (Last year: N/A)
Overall record: 0-0
Summers returns to Cleveland State as their next head coach and it’s an opportunity that’s been a long time coming. A former player at Penn State and West Virginia, Summers had early head coaching experience at D2 Urbana, albeit with mixed results, before nearly a decade as an assistant at the D1 level. He most notably aided Dennis Gates both with these Vikings and last season at Missouri with a few other stops along the way.
352. Zach Chu (Radford) (Last year: N/A)
Overall record: 0-0
Radford’s decision to bring Chu on as head coach was certainly an interesting move and is certainly his first head coaching gig. Ten years ago a player at Richmond, Chu’s coaching experience had mostly been at the professional level, working both as a G League assistant and in the analytics department for multiple NBA teams. Last season, Chu was chief strategist for SMU and now gets his own shot to run a program, taking control of a Highlanders program that can be effective in the Big South.
351. Kory Barnett (Oral Roberts) (Last year: N/A)
Overall record: 0-0
Nothing notable came from Barnett’s playing career, which was spent as a walk-on at Indiana, but he had made an important connection with a fellow Hoosier. Later a graduate assistant there in Bloomington, Barnett would then spent more than a decade working for Steve Alford at UCLA and Nevada. He honed his craft further as a Big 12 assistant at West Virginia this past season and now takes over an Oral Roberts program that needs a boost after a recent step backwards.
350. Nolan Smith (Tennessee State) (Last year: N/A)
Overall record: 0-0
Smith was only named Tennessee State’s head coach a few months ago, but he’s a brilliant basketball mind who could be a steal for the Tigers. A former Duke point guard and national champion, Smith played professionally a few years before returning to the Blue Devils’ staff as an assistant in 2016. He’d spend the next nine years in prominent roles, working and recruiting for Duke, Louisville, and Memphis before this most recent opportunity, his first shot head coaching at any level.
349. Mike Bibby (Sacramento State) (Last year: N/A)
Overall record: 0-0
The second overall selection of the 1998 NBA Draft, Bibby was a talented point guard who starred at Arizona and then spent 14 years playing in the NBA. He worked for several years as a prominent high school coach though he lands at Sacramento State without any collegiate experience. We haven’t seen Bibby impacting the college game since his final minutes playing with the Wildcats, though the former national champion hopes he can bring and inspire new talent for the Hornets.
348. Bryan Petersen (South Dakota State) (Last year: N/A)
Overall record: 0-0
It’s a major responsibility to become a D1 head coach but Petersen seems built for this moment. A former player at Iowa State, he was later a graduate assistant for the Cyclones before starting his head coaching career at Kirkwood Community College in Iowa. After a couple of junior college titles, Petersen caught on at South Dakota State, joining Eric Henderson’s new coaching staff in 2019. With Henderson off to Duke, Petersen got the promotion to the top job and will hope to produce further Summit League championships.
347. Kevin Giltner (Wofford) (Last year: N/A)
Overall record: 0-0
Giltner played collegiately at Wofford in the early 2010’s and to this point had spent nearly all of his career under Mike Young. He joined the Terriers’ staff as an assistant after graduation and was part of great success before following Young to Virginia Tech in 2019. After recent events unfolded at his alma mater, Wofford brought him back as the next head coach in a surprising September head coaching hire. Giltner’s head coaching career begins with the Terriers, inheriting a program that did make the Big Dance last year.
346. Chris Acker (Long Beach State) (Last year: 344)
Overall record: 7-25
Acker caught some attention as a player, both in college and internationally, but has risen to more prominence in his coaching career. He briefly led West Los Angeles College, though his recent decade in D1 has clearly been the highlight. After time with Hawaii and Boise State, he spent half a decade as an assistant at San Diego State during some historic moments for the Aztecs. Unfortunately, his own time as a head coach got off to a tough start with Long Beach State with a very disappointing debut campaign.
345. Kevin Hovde (Columbia) (Last year: N/A)
Overall record: 0-0
After playing collegiately at Richmond, Hovde would begin his coaching career and has become a branch on a pretty brilliant coaching tree. That first step was at Columbia under Kyle Smith, and he’s spent most of his career with either Smith or Todd Golden, including brilliant work out at San Francisco. In fact, Hovde accepted the job to return as Columbia’s head coach just after helping lead Florida to a national title on Golden’s staff. Now we’ll see if he can get the Lions back into more competitive shape like when he was an assistant a decade ago.
344. Matt Braeuer (Stephen F. Austin) (Last year: N/A)
Overall record: 0-0
The first head coaching opportunity has come for Braeuer after more than two decades playing and coaching in the college game. A point guard at Wichita State under Mark Turgeon, Braeuer has risen through the coaching ranks, including stops as a video coordinator for Maryland and an assistant at Sam Houston State. Before Stephen F. Austin came calling, Braeuer had spent the last seven years under Grant McCasland at North Texas and Texas Tech and is hoping to help lead another revival in the Lone Star State.
343. Dave Moore (West Georgia) (Last year: 347)
Overall record: 6-25
No stranger to coaching, Moore continues on at West Georgia, fresh off the program’s first season at the D1 level. He played at small school Bethel in Tennessee and assisted at a few non-D1 schools before joining Mark Schmidt’s staff at Robert Morris. Moore followed him and helped the rebuild at St. Bonaventure for more than a decade before taking the West Georgia job in 2018. Moore’s first head coaching gig has gone relatively well with three D2 Tourney appearances though six wins last season wasn’t the best.
342. Ryan Pannone (Arkansas State) (Last year: N/A)
Overall record: 0-0
It’s the latest branch of a growing coaching tree for Nate Oats, but Pannone’s career stretches further back. A former player at South Florida, Pannone gained experience coaching in college, professionally, and overseas, and was even a G League head coach just a few seasons ago. He spent the last two years with Oats at Alabama after time with the New Orleans Pelicans, though Arkansas State has given him the chance to run a college program for the first time.
341. John Andrzejek (Campbell) (Last year: N/A)
Overall record: 0-0
Another rising coach who’s beginning his head coaching career, Andrzejek was a student manager at Columbia under Kyle Smith and later served as a coach under him at three other schools. The most recent experience came at the power conference level, assisting Smith at Washington State before jumping to Florida a few seasons ago. His work in Gainesville reunited him with him Golden and led to this past season’s national championship and now Andrzejek will hope to coach a turnaround at Campbell.