60. Grant Leonard (Queens)
0 NCAA Tournaments
These were moments that Leonard could only dream about in the earliest stages of his career. He was an assistant at a ton of small non-D1 schools for many years, including a 9-year run under Bart Lundy at Queens. When the program jumped to D1 in 2022, Leonard took over as head coach of the Royals. After making solid strides in his first three years, he just led Queens to the ASUN Tournament title and the program’s first ever NCAA Tournament appearance in their very first year of eligibility.
59. Antoine Pettway (Kennesaw State)
0 NCAA Tournaments
Much of Pettway’s experience has come at Alabama including four years playing for the Crimson Tide, including in the Elite Eight in 2004. Later a graduate assistant, Pettway would spend 15 years on the Alabama bench and helped build this program several times, including the recent success with Nate Oats. His first head coaching chance has come with Kennesaw State and it’s paid off after just a few seasons. He’s led the Owls from the ASUN into CUSA and already has a CUSA Tournament title to his name here in year three.
58. Jim Ferry (UMBC)
2 NCAA Tournaments (0-2)
Ferry has spent nearly a quarter century as a head coach in college basketball, dating back to non-D1 success at Plymouth State and Adelphi. He took Long Island to multiple NCAA Tournaments before falling out at Duquesne a decade ago. After a brief stint as Penn State’s interim head coach, Ferry took over at UMBC in 2021. His best year with the Retrievers has resulted in 24 wins, the America East Tournament title, and their first trip to the Big Dance since that unforgettable upset in 2018.
57. Kenny Blakeney (Howard)
2 NCAA Tournaments (0-2)
A notable player and two-time champion while at Duke, Blakeney has been trying to carve his own path in coaching. He spent many years on several coaching staffs, with work at Seton Hall, Harvard, Marshall, and a few other D1 schools. He had recently been out of coaching for many years before a brief stop at Columbia, though Howard handed him their top job in 2019. The native of Washington DC has done brilliantly in his hometown, turning the Bison around while leading this program to its third MEAC Tournament crown in the last four years.