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

320. Erik Martin (South Carolina State) (Last year: 339)

Overall record: 19-44

After splitting his playing career between three colleges and several different countries, Martin has caught on as a collegiate coach across the last two decades. Nearly all of his experience came on Bob Huggins’ staffs at Kansas State and West Virginia, helping especially the Mountaineers during an era of success. After 15 years in Morgantown, Martin began his head coaching career two seasons ago at South Carolina State, with last season’s 14-win campaign a measured step forward.

319. Gerry McNamara (Siena) (Last year: N/A)

Overall record: 0-0

As a freshman guard at Syracuse, McNamara became a national champion. His number was later retired as he became a thrilling player in the Big East before later joining the Orange coaching staff. McNamara spent fifteen years on the staff, but wasn’t selected to succeed Jim Boeheim last offseason. Instead, McNamara has finally left Syracuse for a new opportunity, beginning his head coaching career at Siena. The Saints are a team with great potential in the MAAC, though we’ll have to see how McNamara fares running his own show.

318. Stan Waterman (Delaware State) (Last year: 344)

Overall record: 23-69

Quite possibly basketball’s most notable name in the state of Delaware, Waterman played collegiately for the Fightin’ Blue Hens before spending three decades leading Sanford School, a high school in the state. In 2021, he was brought to Delaware State for his first real experience at the college level. Inheriting a Hornets program in rough shape, Waterman just had a major breakthrough in year three, taking Delaware State to 15 wins and an appearance in the CBI.

317. Jack Castleberry (Fairleigh Dickinson) (Last year: 357)

Overall record: 15-17

Castleberry played college ball at VMI under Duggar Baucom and later served as his assistant both at his alma mater and at The Citadel. In between those stints, his coaching career also included a run as a woman’s assistant at Siena. There is where he met Tobin Anderson, and together they took Fairleigh Dickinson to that historic upset last season. After Anderson left in the offseason, Castleberry claimed his first head coaching gig and had a decent initial run with the Knights.

316. John Griffin III (Bucknell) (Last year: 356)

Overall record: 14-19

Griffin played for Bucknell in the 2000’s and was later an assistant with the Bison, making it quite fitting that he was named head coach last offseason. After a brief international playing career, he worked with the Indiana Pacers before collegiate coaching stints with Rider, Bucknell, and Saint Joseph’s. This first head coaching post came after four years as the Hawks’ associate head coach. You’ll find few complaints off the bat, as he led the Bison into a tie for 2nd place in the Patriot League in his debut.

315. Mike McGarvey (Lafayette) (Last year: 335)

Overall record: 13-24

While he had been interim head coach briefly for the Leopards, last season was McGarvey’s first as Lafayette’s full-time head coach. He had a long stint aiding Matt Langel at Colgate and saw head coaching success at the D3 level with Lycoming. His 11-21 mark in his first full season with the Leopards wasn’t inspiring, though Lafayette did tie for 2nd place in the Patriot League behind Colgate. Could brighter days be ahead under his leadership as this program stabilizes?

314. Solomon Bozeman (Arkansas-Pine Bluff) (Last year: 330)

Overall record: 30-63

During his playing career, Bozeman saw time at point guard at South Florida and Little Rock and even spent a few years playing overseas. He’s been back in the States for the last decade as a collegiate coach, including a stint at Little Rock, his alma mater. Bozeman was an assistant on the Oral Roberts squad that reached the Sweet Sixteen in 2021 and received his first head coaching job just weeks later. Arkansas-Pine Bluff has steadily improved in each of his three years on campus.

313. Rashon Burno (Northern Illinois) (Last year: 305)

Overall record: 33-60

Burno enters the fourth season of his head coaching career with Northern Illinois. A former player at DePaul, he was a high school coach in the Chicago suburbs before coaching at several colleges across the nation. Most notably, he aided Billy Donovan at Florida and Bobby Hurly at Arizona State before taking over these Huskies in 2021. While things were trending in a solid direction earlier, the Huskies finished 11th in the MAC this past season, with Burno’s overall record not exactly inspiring.

312. Russell Springmann (Oral Roberts) (Last year: 313)

Overall record: 12-19

Though he’s a former high school coach, Springmann has gotten his first collegiate head coaching experience here at Oral Roberts. He formerly spent 17 years with Rick Barnes at Texas and worked briefly at other schools as well. Springmann joined Paul Mills’ staff in 2018, helped the program to that amazing Sweet Sixteen in 2021, and was named head coach last offseason. There’s no reason for disaster after one season, but his Golden Eagles certainly underachieved.

311. Quinton Ferrell (Presbyterian) (Last year: 336)

Overall record: 48-103

Much of Ferrell’s experience has come at Presbyterian. After all, he played for the Blue Hose in the mid-2000’s and started his coaching career there as well. He also spent time at other schools, including a lengthy stint at the College of Charleston, but began his head coaching career at his alma mater in 2019. While Presbyterian hasn’t exactly been a contender in the Big South, Ferrell is fresh off his best season, winning 14 games and leading his team into the CBI for the first time.

310. Vance Walberg (Fresno State) (Last year: N/A)

Overall record: 14-35

Walberg is back in college basketball, a move that’s a bit unexpected but gives Fresno State a new direction. He’s a longtime high school coach, including more than two decades in multiple stints at Clovis West HS in Fresno. Walberg briefly led Pepperdine, albeit without much success, and also spent time as an NBA assistant. Once considered an innovator in the game, Walberg assumes what’s likely his final collegiate coaching post, hoping to put the Bulldogs into contention in the near future.

309. Dwayne Killings (Albany) (Last year: 321)

Overall record: 34-60

Killings played collegiately at UMass and Hampton and has now been in coaching for over twenty years. He worked briefly for the Charlotte Hornets and spent several years assisting at Temple, UConn, and Marquette. His own head coaching career came into being when Albany brought him aboard in 2021. These first three seasons haven’t exactly been prosperous for the Great Danes, though last season was a step back in the right direction with 13 wins.

308. Charlie Henry (Georgia Southern) (Last year: 337)

Overall record: 9-24

While he was previously head coach of the Chicago Bulls’ G-League team, Henry’s head coaching career really got started last season with Georgia Southern. He had worked under Fred Hoiberg both with the Bulls ad at Iowa State before catching on during a nice run of success for Alabama. While the record on his first season isn’t great, he’s got Georgia Southern trending in a solid direction after tying for 7th in the Sun Belt.

307. Otis Hughley Jr. (Alabama A&M) (Last year: 301)

Overall record: 27-41

Hughley has coached basketball for more than thirty years at various levels. He’s coached high school, college, and international ball, serving as a women’s national coach for multiple different nations. Before Alabama A&M hired him in 2022, his previous collegiate experience had been two decades in the past, though he had spent time on NBA benches as well. The record wasn’t ideal at just 12-23 this past season, but his team was in the CIT semifinals at least.

306. Chris Crutchfield (Omaha) (Last year: 324)

Overall record: 24-41

Crutchfield played college ball at Omaha more than three decades ago and now begins his third season leading his alma mater. It’s his first D1 head coaching gig after a few jobs at lower levels, while he was also an assistant at schools like Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Oregon in recent years. He might not quite replicate Oklahoma’s Final Four run while with the Mavericks, but his second season was a marked improvement with 15 wins and 6th place in the Summit League.

305. Saah Nimley (Charleston Southern) (Last year: N/A)

Overall record: 8-15

Originally born in Liberia, Nimley played high school ball in the state of Georgia and played for Charleston Southern in the early 2010’s. After a few seasons playing overseas, he joined the coaching staff of his alma mater under Barclay Radebaugh. This past season saw him unexpectedly thrown into the spotlight as Radebaugh resigned, making Nimley the interim head coach. His record with the Buccaneers isn’t awe-inspiring, but the program tied for 5th in the Big South and did enough to earn him the full-time gig.

304. Tony Madlock (Alabama State) (Last year: 315)

Overall record: 37-62

Formerly a great player at Memphis in the early 1990’s, Madlock has been in coaching since the end of his playing career, which much of that coming at the D1 level. He was an assistant at several schools, including Auburn, Ole Miss, and his alma mater. Though he was briefly the interim head coach at Ole Miss, his head coaching career really got started a few years ago at South Carolina State. He left after one year for the challenge at Alabama State and just led the Hornets to a 5-win improvement in year two.

303. Ryan Looney (Idaho State) (Last year: 302)

Overall record: 53-97

The head coaching job at Idaho State is Looney’s first D1 gig, but it’s far from the beginning of his career. A former guard at Eastern Oregon, he would begin his head coaching career back in 2004 at his alma mater before gaining significant D2 experience at both Seattle Pacific and Point Loma. After taking the latter to the D2 title game in 2019, Looney arrived at Idaho State and has been decent in his first five years. This past season saw the Bengals win 14 games, their highest total since his hiring.

302. Mike Jones (Old Dominion) (Last year: N/A)

Overall record: 0-0

Jones spent most of his coaching career at DeMatha Catholic, one of the best high school basketball programs in the country. He left the program in 2021, becoming an assistant at Virginia Tech and then Maryland. Now with collegiate experience, he gets into the head coaching seat with Old Dominion, where he played back in the early 1990’s. His pedigree as a winner at the high school level was outstanding, but how will that translate to leading these Monarchs?

301. Levell Sanders (Binghamton) (Last year: 309)

Overall record: 40-50

A Seton Hall point guard back in the 90’s, Sanders played and coaching internationally for nearly two decades, including head coaching experience in the Czech league. He returned stateside as an assistant with Birmingham in 2019 and was named interim head coach just two seasons later. Sanders clearly has very limited coaching experience in the US but has done solidly with the Bearcats, fresh off a second straight 4th place finish in the America East.