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

300. Shane Burcar (Northern Arizona) (Last year: 306)

Overall record: 57-95

A Michigan native who attended college at Ottawa, a small school out in Kansas, Burcar’s coaching career began with relative success at the high school level. He built strength and even won an Arizona state title at Mesa HS before being lured to Northern Arizona as an assistant in 2018. Burcar would spend a single season with the Lumberjacks in that role before being promoted to the top job. His first year remains his best, but he’s coming off a 14-win campaign that was a step back in the right direction.

299. Jon Judkins (Utah Tech) (Last year: 296)

Overall record: 46-70

Judkins has led a relatively successful basketball career, with all of that experience coming in the state of Utah. A former player at Dixie State and Utah State, he spent nearly two decades at Snow College, spending twelve years as their head coach before heading to Utah Tech back in 2005. He inherited a D2 program (then still named Dixie State) and led them to several D2 Tourney appearances. Judkins hasn’t had the same success in the program’s first four years in the WAC since transitioning, finishing well under .500 in league play again.

298. Patrick Sellers (Central Connecticut) (Last year: 328)

Overall record: 38-57

Sellers just completed his third year as a collegiate head coach, though he certainly came to Central Connecticut with a ton of experience. A former shooting guard for those Blue Devils, he began his collegiate coaching career with his alma mater but has also been on staff at UConn, Creighton, several other schools, and even overseas in China. The great news for Sellers is that that third year was impressive, with 20 wins and a tie for 1st place in the NEC.

297. Mark Montgomery (Detroit) (Last year: N/A)

Overall record: 126-179

Montgomery played collegiately at Michigan State under Jud Heathcote and was later an assistant for nearly a decade under Tom Izzo. His first head coaching run came during an up-and-down decade at Northern Illinois. While his last three years were back in East Lansing, he was also briefly on staff at Detroit in 2021. Now he’s back with the Titans as their next full-time leader, hoping to put this program into contention in the Horizon League for the first time in several years.

296. Stan Gouard (Southern Indiana) (Last year: 282)

Overall record: 24-41

Three decades ago, Gouard was a player at Southern Indiana. He began his coaching career several years later on the Screaming Eagles’ coaching staff and would later become their head coach. Before that, he took Indianapolis to six D2 Tournaments in a dozen years. Southern Indiana lured him back in 2020 and he led this program on their D1 transition two years later. His overall body of work is very solid, though last year’s 8-24 mark was definitely a disappointment.

295. David Ragland (Evansville) (Last year: 341)

Overall record: 22-45

While he had briefly been head coach at Vincennes, a junior college in southwest Indiana, Ragland has gotten his first D1 head coaching gig off to a solid start with Evansville. No stranger to the sport or the state of Indiana, Ragland was formerly an assistant at Indiana State, Valparaiso, Utah State, Butler and a few other schools before taking over the Purple Aces in 2022. This past season saw Evansville’s win total more than triple, including a trip to the CBI.

294. Alvin Brooks (Lamar) (Last year: 314)

Overall record: 84-147

Things have somewhat come full circle for Brooks, a Houston native who was a guard for the Cardinals back in the early 1980’s. He’s spent time on multiple coaching staffs in the state of Texas and was even had coach at Houston way back in the 90’s. Brooks returned to the Cougars as an assistant for over a decade before Lamar hired him in 2021. After just two wins in his debut, he’s ushered in a great development, leading the Cardinals to a 19-14 campaign in his third season at the helm.

293. Mo Williams (Jackson State) (Last year: 294)

Overall record: 43-71

Despite his head coaching career now entering its fifth year, Williams is likely still remembered for his 14 years in the NBA. The former Alabama point guard was an NBA All-Star in 2009 and later won a championship with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He was briefly an assistant at Cal State Northridge under former college coach Mark Gottfried before taking the head coaching job at Alabama State. After two decent seasons, Williams hopped to Jackson State and has led the Tigers to a pair of Top 5 finishes in the SWAC.

292. Antoine Pettway (Kennesaw State) (Last year: 308)

Overall record: 15-16

Before starting his head coaching career last year at Kennesaw State, Pettway had spent the majority of his basketball career at Alabama. He played for the Crimson Tide in the early 2000’s, was a graduate assistant to begin his career, and was later an assistant for 15 years under four different head coaches. He transitioned into a head coaching role with these Owls and had a fine debut season, though challenges await as Kennesaw State moves to Conference USA this season.

291. George Ivory (Mississippi Valley State) (Last year: 273)

Overall record: 146-326

Ivory played at Mississippi Valley State back in the mid-1980’s and has spent the majority of his coaching career shaping lives in the SWAC. An assistant at a few different schools, he led Arkansas-Pine Bluff for 13 years, including a trip to the Big Dance way back in 2010. He later returned to his alma mater for a third coaching stint, but this time as head coach starting two seasons ago. Ivory has yet to turn this program around and is coming off a dreadful 1-30 campaign.

290. Anthony Latina (Sacred Heart) (Last year: 281)

Overall record: 141-193

A point guard at Brandeis nearly three decades ago, Latina has been a collegiate coach ever since he graduated back in 1995. After stints with UMass Lowell and Central Connecticut, he was hired at Sacred Heart in 2005 and ascended to the head coaching job eight years later. He hasn’t had postseason success in his first eleven seasons with the Pioneers but did just lead the program to another 3rd place finish in their final season in the NEC. How will he and this program fare as a new team in the MAAC?

289. David Kiefer (Southeastern Louisiana) (Last year: 286)

Overall record: 68-87

A former student manager under Bob Huggins at Cincinnati and Kansas State, Kiefer coached at the high school and junior college before catching on at Southeastern Louisiana nearly a decade ago. He was an assistant under Jay Ladner for four years before being promoted to head coach in 2019. Kiefer does have a postseason appearance and three straight Top 5 finishes in the Southland Conference, but his Lions underachieved and finished just 15-17 this season.

288. Kevin Johnson (Southern) (Last year: 325)

Overall record: 83-114

Johnson’s head coaching career actually began at Centenary in the late 90’s, back when that program was still at the D1 level. His time with the Gentlemen wasn’t outstanding, and afterwards he’d spend significant time coaching in the state of Louisiana. After spending four years on staff at Tulane, he was given another head coaching shot at Southern. This was his first season with those Jaguars and an 18-14 mark is certainly a positive first step, especially with 12 wins in the SWAC.

287. Chris Markwood (Maine) (Last year: 292)

Overall record: 28-34

Markwood played collegiately at both Notre Dame and Maine and began his head coaching career at his alma mater two seasons ago. A native of Maine, Markwood has had success as an assistant in New England, serving at Maine, Vermont, Northeastern, and even Boston College. After that season of experience on an ACC bench, he was brought back to the Black Bears in 2022 and just led Maine to 4th place in the America East in his second season.

286. Ryan Pedon (Illinois State) (Last year: 310)

Overall record: 26-38

Pedon spent his own playing career at Wooster, a D3 school in Ohio, but has spent his entire coaching career at the D1 level. He worked as an assistant at six different schools, including more than a decade in the MAC before stints at Illinois, Butler, and Ohio State. After that long stretch under Chris Holtmann, he moved to Illinois for his first head coaching job. It’s a career that’s started off slowly, though the Redbirds showed definite improvement last season, winning 15 games and tying for 7th in a talented MVC.

285. Jonas Hayes (Georgia State) (Last year: 290)

Overall record: 28-38

An Atlanta native and former player at Georgia, Hayes is only a few years into his own head coaching career. He served on several staffs, first at lower levels before catching on both at Georgia and with Xavier. He’d lead the Musketeers to an NIT championship as interim head coach in 2022 before landing at Georgia State just weeks later. While his first year with the Panthers was really rough, this last season was a step forward, with 14 wins and a drastic improvement in league play.

284. Rob Krimmel (St. Francis PA) (Last year: 264)

Overall record: 155-210

Krimmel has played and worked for St. Francis for his entire basketball career. He played for the Red Flash right before the turn of the century and became an assistant coach shortly after his graduation. He was promoted to head coach back in 2012 and has had mixed results over the last decade-plus. He’s led this program to an NIT and a few other postseason appearances, though none have come in the last five years. The Red Flash finished 8-22 this past season and haven’t exactly been competing for NEC titles.

283. Jeff Wulbrun (Denver) (Last year: 297)

Overall record: 43-55

A talented basketball mind with experience across the country, Wulburn is originally from California and attended Cal State Fullerton back in the 80’s. He was an assistant at Cal with the Golden Bears early in his career and was also a successful high school coach in central Illinois. After assisting Jerod Haase at UAB and Stanford, Wulbrun received his first head coaching chance with Denver three seasons ago. His Pioneers have gradually gotten better with each season, including a 17-17 mark and a trip to the Summit League title game last year.

282. Matt McKillop (Davidson) (Last year: 284)

Overall record: 31-33

The son of a remarkable head coach, McKillop played at Davidson under his father Bob back in the early 2000’s and would join the coaching staff just a few years later. He was an assistant for 14 years, overlapping briefly with Stephen Curry, while coaching several other talented Wildcats. When his father retired in 2022, McKillop ascended to the top job. It’s been a struggle out of the gate, lacking a season above .500 while leading Davidson to a 13th place finish in last year’s A-10 standings.

281. Chris Casey (Fairfield) (Last year: N/A)

Overall record: 88-142

Casey has served as head coach at three different institutions, with D2 success at LIU Post, and decent run at Niagara. He’s worked in various posts across New England, including as an assistant at St. John’s. He was actually hired by Fairfield as an assistant back in 2019 and rose to head coach right before last season began. That interim season leading the Stags became a 24-win campaign with a trip to the CBI and a 2nd place finish in the MAAC, clearly more than enough to earn him the full-time gig.