ACC Basketball: Ranking all 18 head coaches for 2024-25 season

10. Jeff Capel (Pittsburgh)

A talented Duke guard back in the mid-90’s, Capel’s initial coaching rise came with successful stints leading both VCU and Oklahoma. He jumpstarted VCU’s recent rise to mid-major stardom and coached a Blake Griffin-led Sooners squad to the Elite Eight before getting fired a few years later. After seven years on Coach K’s staff back at his alma mater, he got his third shot by taking the Pittsburgh job in 2018.

Quite familiar with the ACC at that point, he had quite the project ahead, as the Panthers were in rough shape and struggled greatly in his first few seasons. After four years under .500, Pittsburgh really shined in 2023, making a surprise trip to the NCAA Tournament and winning their opening round game. Capel’s squad found themselves on the wrong side of the bubble this year, though the program is clearly in better shape than just a few years ago.

9. Pat Kelsey (Louisville)

One of the rising names in the coaching world, Kelsey played point guard at Wyoming and Xavier before beginning what’s been a prosperous coaching career. He worked under Skip Prosser, one of his college coaches, in the ACC at Wake Forest before head coaching experience at Winthrop and Charleston. He won several Big South titles with the Eagles before amazing results the last two seasons at Charleston before departing for Louisville.

Charleston brought Kelsey aboard in 2021 and were rewarded for that decision. After a mediocre rebuilding season, Kelsey has led the Cougars to back-to-back CAA titles and NCAA Tournament trips, with 58 combined wins between those seasons. After a grueling search, he was tabbed to lead Louisville just a few weeks ago and has quite the task ahead with the Cardinals. Kelsey has been awesome at the mid-major level, but will that translate in the ACC?