It’s that special time of year where the college basketball season is right around the corner. With that in mind, we’re doing our yearly ranking of every D1 head coach once again, though the format is very different this time around. Instead of one giant article, it’s a conference-by-conference breakdown and that takes us to the ASUN today.
These head coaches are far from household names and the average college basketball fan likely doesn’t know or remember any of them. We do have a brand new head coach and a few other young coaches in a league that also includes a former Big Ten coach.
364. Tanner Smith (West Florida) (Last year: N/A)
Overall record: 0-0
A new era begins as West Florida joins D1 athletics and they’re giving Smith his first chance as a collegiate head coach. A former Clemson guard, he worked on several staffs across the last decade, including work in the SEC with Mississippi State. Smith spent the last three years working with Appalachian State after success with other mid-majors and hopes to make a statement in the ASUN.
354. Bobby Kennen (North Florida) (Last year: 364)
Overall record: 7-25
Kennen was thrust into a significant role last season when Matthew Driscoll resigned in May and is now the full-time head coach of the Ospreys. A former high school head coach and longtime assistant, Kennen’s long trek included 16 years on Driscoll’s bench before getting the top job. A 7-win campaign doesn’t exactly jump off the charts but the New Jersey native is just getting started.
333. Doug Davenport (Bellarmine) (Last year: 359)
Overall record: 13-19
The son of Bellarmine’s longtime coach, Davenport played under his father with the Knights at the D2 level before becoming a D1 assistant. Davenport gained early experience on the staffs of Xavier and Louisville, directing the Cardinals’ video operations during that vacated title-winning season. After nine years back on the Bellarmine bench, Davenport succeeded his father last season and managed a tie for 7th place in his first year in the ASUN.
238. Kevin Carroll (Lipscomb) (Last year: 326)
Overall record: 19-13
Carroll now owns a decade of collegiate head coaching experience, though he’s still hoping to make his mark at this level. He’s a former high school and D2 head coach, with previous work at Maryville and Trevecca. Carroll was on staff for several years at Lipscomb and returned to Nashville as the new head coach last offseason. All things considered, 19 wins and a 4th place finish in the ASUN is a pretty solid start for his Bisons.
207. Jordan Mincy (Jacksonville) (Last year: 191)
Overall record: 81-77
A former player at Kent State, Mincy bounced around at a few D1 schools before latching on under Mike White, spending several years on staff at Florida. After that work in the SEC, he made the short trip to Jacksonville in 2021 to begin his head coaching career. His work with the Dolphins has had both ups and downs, including 21 wins in his debut, though last year’s 12-20 record was clearly a step in the wrong direction.
176. Donnie Jones (Stetson) (Last year: 174)
Overall record: 253-252
Before he became a head coach Jones was part of the Florida staff that won a pair of national titles during the 2000’s. He then got his start with stints at Marshall and UCF, though he never led either team to the NCAA Tournament. In 2019, Stetson gave Jones his third shot and he finally came through, taking the Hatters dancing back in 2024. Unfortunately, his program is just 20-45 since then.
162. Grant Leonard (Queens) (Last year: 222)
Overall record: 73-63
After assistant coaching gigs at the high school and lower collegiate levels, Leonard found his way to Queens back in 2013. He was an assistant under Bart Lundy for nine years, taking over as head coach right as the Royals joined the D1 level. His initial work winning games was impressive in Charlotte, though this past season was clearly the highlight, taking Queens to their first trip to the NCAA Tournament and thus first ASUN Tournament crown.
130. Pat Chambers (Florida Gulf Coast) (Last year: 114)
Overall record: 256-244
Chambers spent several years on staff with Jay Wright at Villanova before beginning his head coaching career by taking Boston University to the Big Dance in 2011. He then had mixed results across nine years at Penn State before resigning in 2020 as a result of an investigation. Chambers has tried to move forward and has been at Florida Gulf Coast since 2022, though the results are largely mixed even coming off back-to-back Top 5 finishes in the ASUN standings.
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