220. Kevin Broadus (Morgan State) (Last year: 219)
Overall record: 119-118
Getting back into the head coach’s chair didn’t seem likely for Broadus after things ended poorly at Binghamton nearly two decades ago, but the DC native has been resilient. He led those Bearcats to the NCAA Tournament in 2009 before he was dismissed for recruiting violations, but Broadus has also been a valuable assistant at several schools like George Washington, Georgetown, and Maryland. That second chance has come with Morgan State, who hired him in 2019, though the pandemic-shortened season was his only finish above .500 with the Bears.
219. John Jakus (Florida Atlantic) (Last year: 273)
Overall record: 18-16
Last year marked a significant step forward for Jakus’s career as he got his first collegiate head coaching gig but it was far from his first experience. He’s been a head coach at the high school and international level and was on Scott Drew’s staff with Baylor for nearly a decade. A national champion as an assistant with the Bears, Jakus hopes to make his mark in his own career with Florida Atlantic and took that program to the NIT in his first season.
218. Ryan Ridder (Mercer) (Last year: 221)
Overall record: 110-111
The route may seem unusual, but Ridder has worked his way through the coaching ranks with successful head coaching stints at four different schools. After brief D1 experience on staff at Campbell, his head coaching career began with a ton of junior college success at Daytona State before landing at Bethune-Cookman and later UT Martin. Ridder won regular season titles with those two programs and is hoping to match that success with Mercer, though his Bears after work ahead after a 14-19 finish last year.
217. Alex Jensen (Utah) (Last year: N/A)
Overall record: 0-0
While he’s certainly familiar with the game of basketball and coaching in the state of Utah, Jensen is taking a big step as the new head coach of the Utes. He played forward there in the late 90’s before several years playing pro ball overseas and has spent most of his coaching career in the NBA. His only collegiate experience was on Rick Majerus’s staff back at Saint Louis while the Canton Charge of the G League was his only head coaching gig. With a decade with the Utah Jazz under his belt, Jensen is hoping to revitalize his alma mater.
216. Tony Pujol (North Alabama) (Last year: 262)
Overall record: 102-114
The first work for Pujol was at the high school level, but more recently he’s gained prominent experience in college basketball. He was an assistant under Anthony Grant at both VCU and Alabama and was briefly on staff with Wyoming before North Alabama came calling. The former SEC assistant took the Lions’ head coaching gig in 2018 right as they transitioned to D1 basketball. There have been bumps along the way, but Pujol is coming off his best season with 24 wins, an ASUN regular season title, and a trip to the NIT.
215. Donny Lind (Mount St. Mary’s) (Last year: 361)
Overall record: 23-13
A former student manager for Loyola Maryland, Lind’s first coaching experience was sensational, becoming a video coordinator at VCU as the Rams made that wild Final Four run in 2011. He gained valuable coaching experience at a few other schools, spending several years coaching with current UNC Greensboro coach Mike Jones, before Mount St. Mary’s hired him in 2024. A former assistant for the school, Lind wasted no time making an impression on the Mountaineers, guiding the program to the NCAA Tournament, winning the MAAC Tournament and in the First Four.
214. Stan Johnson (Loyola Marymount) (Last year: 217)
Overall record: 72-73
Johnson played collegiately at Southern Utah and Bemidji State before a coaching career that has taken him to several schools over the last two decades. Most recently, Johnson was an assistant at Utah, Drake, Arizona State, and Marquette before getting the call to lead Loyola Marymount in 2020. His first head coaching job has been a mixed bag after half a decade, with a 19-win campaign in year three the highlight. His Lions have tied for 6th in the WCC in each of the last two seasons but aren’t exactly making headway
213. Corey Gipson (Austin Peay) (Last year: 198)
Overall record: 55-46
Another coach trying to change the tide at his alma mater, Gipson played a pair of seasons for the Governors in the early 2000’s and was later an assistant a decade later. He spent several years on staff at Missouri State before his head coaching career began at Northwestern State, winning 22 games in his lone year with the Demons. Gipson returned home to Austin Peay in 2023 and took the Governors to the CIT, but is coming off an underwhelming campaign with just 14 wins.
212. Chris Caputo (George Washington) (Last year: 258)
Overall record: 52-46
Caputo wasn’t exactly a household name as a player at Westfield State, though he quickly caught the attention of Jim Larranaga. He was hired as a video coordinator for him at George Mason in 2002 and would spend the next two decades with Larranaga, both there and at Miami. After seven years as Miami’s associate head coach, Caputo accepted George Washington’s head coaching job in 2022. The native New Yorker put up his best effort in year three, with 21 wins and a postseason big for those Revolutionaries.
211. Mark Prosser (Winthrop) (Last year: 235)
Overall record: 115-105
Son of the late great Skip Prosser, the younger Prosser made his own path in his coaching career. He had successful stints on staffs like Winthrop and Wofford and had a rocky head coaching debut at D2 Brevard. Prosser spent three years building something at Western Carolina before he was snatched away in 2021 by the Eagles. Winthrop has averaged nearly 20 wins in Prosser’s first four seasons, tying for 2nd in the Big South this past season.
210. Brad Korn (Southeast Missouri State) (Last year: 256)
Overall record: 74-85
Korn played at Southern Illinois under Bruce Weber and Matt Painter, learning under a pair of great head coaches before his own career would start. After graduation, he stayed on the Salukis staff for several years before later reuniting with Weber at Kansas State. In 2020, Korn was given his first chance as a head coach at Southeast Missouri State, leading the Redhawks to the NCAA Tournament in his third year in town. This past season was another prosperous effort, with 21 wins and OVC regular season title.
209. John Gallagher (Manhattan) (Last year: 242)
Overall record: 193-244
After playing under Phil Martelli at Saint Joseph’s nearly three decades ago, Gallagher got right into coaching himself. He had solid years on staffs like La Salle, Lafayette, and Penn before Hartford gave him his head coaching start back in 2010. After years of hard work, Gallagher took the Hawks to the NCAA Tournament in 2021, though the university disbanded the athletics the following season. Gallagher bounced back when the Manhattan job opened and made major progress last season with a 10-win improvement and a CBI bid.
208. Donte Jackson (Alabama A&M) (Last year: 209)
Overall record: 132-124
Jackson started his playing career at Milwaukee in his hometown but soon landed at Central State, a place where he’d play and coach over the next 15 years. That first stop of his head coaching career was followed by success, leading Stillman to the D2 Tournament, before landing at Grambling State in 2017. For what he had to work with, Jackson did sensational work with the Bulldogs, including a trip to the NCAA Tournament in 2024 and three SWAC regular season crowns. This offseason saw him transition to Alabama A&M for a new challenge after a soft finish last year with Grambling.
207. Kenny Blakeney (Howard) (Last year: 200)
Overall record: 73-96
A national champion as a player at Duke, Blakeney has never worked for his alma mater but has experienced on a number of staffs over the years. He notably served with former Duke assistants Mike Brey at Delaware and Tommy Amaker at Harvard but has been Howard’s head coach since back in 2019. While the start was rather rough, Blakeney took the Bison to the NCAA Tournament in both 2023 and 2024 before a disappointing 12-20 performance this past season.
206. Kevin Baggett (Rider) (Last year: 206)
Overall record: 206-202
Baggett has been firmly entrenched at Rider for nearly two decades. After stints on staff at Western Kentucky, Coastal Carolina, and a few other schools, he joined the Broncs in 2006 and obtained promotions to associate head coach and later became head coach in 2012. He’s responsible for more than 200 wins with the Broncs and has made a few postseason appearances, including a MAAC title back in 2018, though he’s still looking for that first trip to the Big Dance.
205. Sundance Wicks (Wyoming) (Last year: 216)
Overall record: 30-34
A native of Wyoming, Wicks played and coached with Northern State in South Dakota and has other relevant experience in this sport. He aided at Colorado, San Francisco, and a few other schools and was even head coach at Missouri Western at the D2 level. He left that job to join the Wyoming coaching staff before bolting for his first D1 head coaching gig at Green Bay. The Phoenix showed great growth before he jumped back to Wyoming last offseason. Year one with the Cowboys wasn’t outstanding with a 12-20 season but this is just the beginning.
204. Michael Lewis (Ball State) (Last year: 199)
Overall record: 49-45
Lewis played at Indiana in the final years for Bob Knight and later began his coaching career as a graduate assistant for him at Texas Tech. He bounced between a few other coaching stints, including prominent roles on staff at Butler, Nebraska, and UCLA, including a Final Four run with the Bruins. Ball State gave him his first head coaching role in 2022 and he won 20 games in his debut with the Cardinals. Success hasn’t quite continued, with Ball State finishing 9th in the MAC in each of the last two years.
203. John Pelphrey (Tennessee Tech) (Last year: 204)
Overall record: 215-246
Somewhat notable as a player at Kentucky in the 80’s and 90’s, Pelphrey has gained even more notoriety in this coaching career, including many more years in the SEC. He aided Billy Donovan at both Marshall and Florida before getting head coaching gigs at South Alabama and Arkansas. Pelphrey took both schools to the Big Dance but fizzled out with the Razorbacks, returning to the Florida staff. He’s been leading Tennessee Tech since 2019 but hasn’t had a season over .500 to this point, though his Golden Eagles have been far from a punching bag in the OVC.
202. Zach Spiker (Drexel) (Last year: 210)
Overall record: 233-257
Spiker suddenly now has sixteen years of D1 head coaching experience under his belt. A former admin assistant for John Beilein at West Virginia, Spiker gained Army’s head coaching gig after solid work on staff at Cornell and has been the head coach at Drexel since 2016. Spiker took the Dragons to the Big Dance in 2021 and had his first 20-win campaign just a few years later. Last season was another decent effort from the Dragons, who won 18 games and finished in the middle of the CAA standings.
201. Andy Newman (Cal State Northridge) (Last year: 263)
Overall record: 55-44
After bouncing around at several schools as a guard and assistant, Newman spent a decade at Cal State Fullerton, including a season as interim head coach. Newman then honed his craft as a D2 head coach, taking both UT Permian Basin and Cal State San Bernardino to the D2 Tournament, including a Final Four run in 2023 with the Coyotes. Soon after he was hired at Cal State Northridge and has had an excellent start with the Matadors. After 19 wins in year one, he took CSUN to a 22-11 mark and an NIT trip this past year.