NCAA Basketball: Ranking all 364 D-I head coaches for 2024-25 season

200. Kenny Blakeney (Howard) (Last year: 233)

Overall record: 61-76

Blakeney has impacted basketball in various ways throughout his career, playing at Duke in the 90’s before coaching at a lengthy list of schools. He was an assistant at multiple places, notably Seton Hall, Harvard, and most recently Columbia. Blakeney took over at Howard as his first head coaching job in 2019 and has won back-to-back MEAC Tournament titles. Those two NCAA Tournament appearances are proof of his success with the Bison, with the team finishing Top 2 in the MEAC for three straight years.

199. Michael Lewis (Ball State) (Last year: 206)

Overall record: 35-28

Lewis received quite the opportunity to begin his head coaching career when Ball State came calling two years ago. It’s a career that started as a player at Indiana under Bob Knight before serving as his graduate assistant at Texas Tech. Lewis later aided coaches like Brad Stevens and Chris Holtmann at Butler and was part of UCLA’s success in recent years with Mick Cronin. After winning 20 games in his head coaching debut, his Cardinals were back down to earth last season with a 9th place finish in the MAC.

198. Corey Gipson (Austin Peay) (Last year: 216)

Overall record: 41-27

Gipson played at Austin Peay in the early 2000’s so it’s not a surprise to see him back at his alma mater as head coach. He had been a collegiate assistant at several schools, including his alma mater, most notably spending seven years on staff at Missouri State. His first head coaching stop was a single year at Northwestern State, taking the Demons to 22 wins and 2nd place in the Southland. Gipson returned to Austin Peay and just completed his first season at the helm, leading the Governors to the CIT.

197. Nathan Davis (New Hampshire) (Last year: 209)

Overall record: 145-130

While things hadn’t necessarily been going his way in recent years, Davis looks to bounce back at New Hampshire. His head coaching career started with D3 success at Randolph-Macon before taking Bucknell to four straight Patriot League titles and a pair of NCAA Tournaments. His Bison took a backseat to Colgate and were really underwhelming in his final few seasons. Davis took the New Hampshire gig last offseason and had a solid 16-15 mark in his debut.

196. Andrew Toole (Robert Morris) (Last year: 193)

Overall record: 226-232

Toole has spent nearly all of his coaching career at Robert Morris, as the former Penn guard originally joined the program as an assistant in 2007. After three years under Mike Rice Jr., Toole was promoted to the top job and remains the leader of the Colonials. He had initial success, including two NEC titles and a trip to the Big Dance back in 2015. His team won the NEC Tournament again in the pandemic-shortened season before transitioning into the Horizon League where life has been rougher, including a 10-22 mark last year.

195. Talvin Hester (Louisiana Tech) (Last year: 257)

Overall record: 37-28

Things are going well for Hester two seasons into a head coaching career that was many years in the making. He worked as a collegiate assistant at numerous schools, notably aiding Kelvin Sampson at Houston and Mark Adams recently at Texas Tech. A former Louisiana Tech assistant, he was called back to the school to succeed Eric Konkol in 2022. After a mediocre first season, his Bulldogs won 22 games and latched onto 2nd place in CUSA in year two.

194. Daniyal Robinson (Cleveland State) (Last year: 213)

Overall record: 42-29

Robinson played collegiately at Little Rock and has been a collegiate coach for more than 20 years. He aided his alma mater and also worked under Porter Moser, Greg McDermott, and Steve Prohm in his career. After seven years on staff at Iowa State, he took the Cleveland State job to begin his head coaching career in 2022. Taking over a Cleveland State program in decent shape, he’s led the Vikings to a pair of 21-win seasons each of which ended with trips to the CBI.

193. Lennie Acuff (Lipscomb) (Last year: 211)

Overall record: 85-72

Responsible for more than 600 wins in his lengthy head coaching career, Acuff has been relatively solid with the Bisons, who hired him back in 2019. He had previously helmed NAIA schools Belhaven and Berry before a 22-year stretch at the D2 level with Alabama-Huntsville. Acuff then meandered to Nashville to take over at Lipscomb and has been very solid in recent years, winning 20 games in each of the last two seasons, including a tie for 2nd in the ASUN this past season.

192. Ed DeChellis (Navy) (Last year: 185)

Overall record: 400-442

A Penn State alum and native of that state, DeChellis has spent nearly three decades as a D1 head coach. He spent most of his assistant coaching days with the Nittany Lions and later became their head coach in the late 90’s. His head coaching career actually began at East Tennessee State, taking them to the Big Dance in 1996 before doing the same later on with Penn State. Also responsible for an NIT title with the Nittany Lions, DeChellis has been at Navy since 2011 and is still hunting for breakthrough success.

191. Terrence Johnson (Texas State) (Last year: 189)

Overall record: 72-52

Born in New Orleans, Johnson has found his coaching home in Texas. He worked at the AAU levels but really caught on at Texas State as an assistant in 2015. Five years later he was promoted, taking over his first collegiate program and was successful right off the bat. His Bobcats won Sun Belt regular season titles in each of his first two seasons, making the NIT in 2022. The last two seasons have been far less prosperous, finishing slightly below .500 and much further down the standings in the Sun Belt.

190. Stan Heath (Eastern Michigan) (Last year: 191)

Overall record: 240-269

Heath played at Eastern Michigan in the 1980’s and is originally from the state, picking up his earliest coaching experience at small schools in Michigan. He was an assistant to Tom Izzo at Michigan State, winning a national championship back in 2000. Heath’s head coaching career began at Kent State, leading the Golden Flashes to the Elite Eight. He had varying levels of success leading Arkansas, South Florida, and the Lakeland Magic before returning to his alma mater in 2021. He’s just 31-62 with the Eagles in three years.

189. Jerrod Calhoun (Utah State) (Last year: 221)

Overall record: 118-106

After playing at Cleveland State under Rollie Massimino, Calhoun picked up early coaching experience under Bob Huggins, serving as a student assistant at Cincinnati before joining his staff at West Virginia. Calhoun took Fairmont State to the D2 title game in his first head coaching job before taking over at Youngstown State in 2017. While he couldn’t get the Penguins to the Big Dance, he did fantastic work making them a contender in the Horizon League, winning 46 games total in the last two seasons. He now transitions to Utah State for the next big step in his career.

188. Mike Morrell (UNC Asheville (Last year: 195)

Overall record: 95-88

Morrell has been at UNC Asheville for six years but is still relatively young in coaching circles. He worked at several schools, aiding at Clemson before being a full-time assistant under Shaka Smart at both VCU and Texas. His Bulldogs started in rough shape back in 2018 but he’s turned this program into a winner, taking UNC Asheville to the NCAA Tournament in 2023. He couldn’t quite match that feat this past season, but still managed 22 wins and 2nd place in the Big South.

187. Rob Jeter (Southern Utah) (Last year: 192)

Overall record: 233-236

A major arm of the Bo Ryan coaching tree, Jeter played under Ryan at Wisconsin-Platteville in the late 80’s and early 90’s and would later assist him at three schools. He followed Ryan to Milwaukee and Wisconsin before taking over the Panthers as head coach in 2005, taking them to an NCAA Tournament win in his first season. Jeter lasted 11 seasons with the Panthers and bounced back nicely as head coach at Western Illinois. He made the change last season to take the Southern Utah job and won just 10 games in his debut, though he’s only just getting started with that program.

186. Mike Magpayo (UC Riverside) (Last year: 186)

Overall record: 68-50

The first D1 men’s basketball head coach of Asian heritage, Magpayo isn’t just a trendsetter, but has proven to be a very solid leader. He had previously been a Kyle Smith assistant at Columbia and San Francisco before joining David Patrick’s staff with UC Riverside. When Patrick left the program in 2020, Magpayo was promoted to the top job. He’d then lead the Highlanders to a trio of solid seasons, even winning Big West Coach of the Year honors in 2023. Last year was his first below .500 but still came in a 5th place finish in the league.

185. Martin Ingelsby (Delaware) (Last year: 194)

Overall record: 131-117

A Notre Dame point guard around the turn of the century, Ingelsby played his final season under Mike Brey and would spend much of his coaching career with him and those Fighting Irish. After 13 seasons at Notre Dame, including seven as a full-time assistant, Ingelsby’s first head coaching chance came with Delaware, landing there in 2016. His time with the Fightin’ Blue Hens has featured highs and lows, notably leading them to the NCAA Tournament in 2022 while winning 19 games this past season.

184. Dave Paulsen (Holy Cross) (Last year: 167)

Overall record: 239-208

Paulsen is someone with significant coaching experience, possessing more than 500 career wins at multiple collegiate levels. He helmed St. Lawrence, Le Moyne, and Williams, taking that third school to the D3 title way back in 2003. Paulsen’s first D1 gig was Bucknell, taking the Bison to a pair of NCAA Tournaments before later stalling across six seasons at George Mason. Holy Cross afforded him a chance back in the head coaching chair last offseason, with Paulsen’s team finishing 10-23 in year one.

183. Ben Johnson (Minnesota) (Last year: 208)

Overall record: 41-54

A former Big Ten player at Northwestern and Minnesota, Johnson has been head coach at his alma mater since 2021 and is doing decently at his first head coaching position. He had previously spent 16 years as a D1 assistant, working at Northern Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota, and Xavier before heading back to Minneapolis. The Golden Gophers showed little sign of potential, finishing last place in the Big Ten in each of his first two seasons. Last year was different, with a 19-15 mark and a trip into the NIT.

182. Damon Stoudamire (Georgia Tech) (Last year: 188)

Overall record: 85-95

A former NBA lottery pick and star guard at Arizona, Stoudamire played in the NBA for 13 years before getting into coaching. He assisted at Memphis and Arizona and also worked in the NBA before beginning his head coaching career at Pacific. The record doesn’t scream success, but Stoudamire did solidly at Pacific before bailing for a position with the Boston College. He’s back in the college game and just finished his first season at Georgia Tech, with his Yellow Jackets showing some signs of brilliance in a 14-win campaign.

181. Kyle Neptune (Villanova) (Last year: 181)

Overall record: 51-49

After playing collegiately at Lehigh, Neptune has spent most of his coaching career at Villanova, initially spending a decade on Jay Wright’s staff. His head coaching career began with a single season of .500 ball at Fordham before being lured back to succeed Wright at Villanova in 2022. Unfortunately, his Wildcats have largely underachieved in each of his first two seasons, settling for 6th place finishes in the Big East and a pair of trips to the NIT, far below the standard that Wright put forth.