Each passing day brings us ever closer to the start of another college basketball season full of hype. As we near that start, we’re continuing our look at the top coaches in the nation. Instead of traditionally ranking all 365 D1 head coaches in a single piece, we’re breaking it down by conference and today that means a look into the Big South.
This is a mid-major league that has produced some notable players in recent years and the same could be said about the coaching personnel. These aren’t names that currently jump off the page but you never know what could happen over the coming years.
348. Jeremy Luther (Gardner-Webb) (Last year: 337)
Overall record: 15-49
A coaching career with various stops along the way has taken Luther to Gardner-Webb, though things aren’t exactly going great so far. Previously, he had led a few D2 programs to decent success in Newberry and Armstrong Atlantic before arriving at Gardner-Webb in 2013. After eleven years on staff, Luther was promoted to head coach and unfortunately is coming off a rough second season, taking the Bulldogs to just a 4-29 record.
331. Marty Richter (USC Upstate) (Last year: 329)
Overall record: 19-45
It’s been an eventful two-plus decades for Richter coaching basketball, with much of that experience coming at the college level outside of a brief stint in Ukraine. His first head coaching shot was at Florida Southwestern State with a lot of wins there before spending six years under Darian DeVries on the Drake bench. Since 2024 he’s been at USC Upstate and the record shows a slow start, failing to finish higher than 8th in the Big South in his first two campaigns.
301. Saah Nimley (Charleston Southern) (Last year: 304)
Overall record: 33-54
A guard at Charleston Southern barely a decade ago, it’s been a quick rise into the coaching world for Nimley. He graduated in 2015 and played a few years overseas before joining the Buccaneers’ staff in 2019. Nimley was named interim head coach in 2023 and later earned the full-time gig and has gotten better with each passing year, leading up to 15 wins and 7th place in the Big South in his second full season.
299. Quinton Ferrell (Presbyterian) (Last year: 300)
Overall record: 77-140
As a player, Ferrell was a great defensive player at Presbyterian nearly twenty years ago before starting his coaching career on the Blue Hose staff. Ferrell actually left for nearly a decade for a few other D1 programs, including work under Earl Grant at Charleston for five years. Presbyterian handed him his first head coaching opportunity in 2019 and despite the record he’s done decent work, with two recent CBI bids and a career-best 15 wins last season.
283. Ronnie Thomas (Longwood) (Last year: 361)
Overall record: 16-16
Thomas played D3 basketball at Bridgewater and was a D3 assistant with Guilford, making his recent work at Longwood his only D1 experience. He originally joined the Lancers staff back in 2020, spending five years on the bench before being promoted to head coach last offseason. A 16-win campaign and a tie for 4th in the Big South was a solid enough start for the 34-year-old’s head coaching career.
265. Zach Chu (Radford) (Last year: 352)
Overall record: 16-16
It’s been an unusual path for Chu, who was a playing at Richmond just over a decade ago. He was a G-League assistant and spent half a decade in analytics for the Dallas Mavericks and then Indiana Pacers. Chu’s first taste of college basketball came in a lone season as SMU’s chief strategist under Andy Enfield before getting the Radford job last offseason. All things considered, a 3rd place finish in the Big South was more than acceptable as a starting point with the Highlanders.
191. Mark Prosser (Winthrop) (Last year: 211)
Overall record: 138-116
The son of a coaching legend, Prosser never played or coached for father Skip but has crafted his own path. That journey has included stints at Marist, Wofford, and Bucknell before his head coaching debut at Brevard, a D2 school. Years later he’d have a relatively successful 3-year run leading Western Carolina before taking the Winthrop job in 2021. Prosser hasn’t led the Eagles to the Big Dance yet but has finished Top 4 in the Big South in each of his first five seasons and is coming off back-to-back 23-win seasons.
173. Mike Morrell (UNC Asheville) (Last year: 171)
Overall record: 131-116
A former Shaka Smart disciple still making his mark, Morrell played ball at Milligan, an NAIA school in his home state of Tennessee. Morrell coached alongside Smart as a staffer at Clemson before working with him at both VCU and Texas. After those seasons in the Big 12, Morrell got his first head coaching job with UNC Asheville in 2018. What’s followed has been a turnaround and decent success for the Bulldogs, including an NCAA Tourney bid in 2023 and a recent run of 20-win seasons.
121. Flynn Clayman (High Point) (Last year: 339)
Overall record: 33-6
He may have just a single year of head coaching experience but Clayman already looks like a fantastic leader. The Los Angeles native’s coaching career began with six years at Southern Utah, including a 3-game run as interim head coach. He then joined Alan Huss in turning High Point into a mid-major power and succeeded him in the top job last year. Clayman wasted no time continuing that rise with a 31-win season that included an upset win in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.
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