Many things are different in college basketball this season and many things are the same. We’re reflecting on things both new and old as we continue ranking all 365 D1 head coaches. This time things are happening a little differently, as we’re applying our national rankings but sorting and presenting the coaches one conference at a time.
The NEC is certainly one of the forgotten conferences to much of the college basketball world, but there’s still notable ball being played in the northeast. There’s a brand new head coach and a few young faces but also some more well-established coaches hoping to continue making their mark with these programs.
336. Dwan McMillan (Wagner) (Last year: N/A)
Overall record: 0-0
A former player at Hofstra and high school coach, McMillan was thrown into the fire last season, taking over as Wagner’s interim head coach just weeks before the season began. Without significant collegiate coaching experience, McMillan did decently well helming the Seahawks and now becomes the full-time head coach after a 6th place finish in the NEC and the stability he’s brought in New Jersey.
323. Chris Kraus (Stonehill) (Last year: 310)
Overall record: 45-82
Born in Ontario, Kraus has made quite the home and spent much of his basketball career at Stonehill. He played for the Skyhawks in the early 2000’s and later returned in 2010 after a few years at a few Canadian colleges. Kraus was promoted to the top job in 2013 and led Stonehill to solid D2 success before leading their transition to the D1 level. That transition hasn’t exactly led to a breakthrough for the Skyhawks, who are fresh off a 12-21 season.
321. Jack Castleberry (Fairleigh Dickinson) (Last year: 314)
Overall record: 39-58
A Virginia native who played collegiately at VMI, Castleberry has been in coaching for nearly two decades. He spent a decade under Duggar Baucom both at his alma mater and The Citadel and was also a women’s coach at Siena. That connection with the Saints brought him to Fairleigh Dickinson under Tobin Anderson and they pulled that monumental upset of 1-seed Purdue in 2023. Castleberry was promoted to head coach right after that and the results just haven’t been there, including just 11 wins last year.
311. Ted Hotaling (New Haven) (Last year: 340)
Overall record: 14-17
We’ve seen Hotaling in the same place for 16 years with New Haven after bouncing round much earlier in his career. He played at Albany and briefly overseas and aided at Adelphi, Yale, and Eastern Kentucky. The Chargers brought him back as head coach in 2010 and made several trips to the D2 Tournament before transition to D1 just last offseason. His first year at that level went fine with a 5th place finish in the NEC.
310. Nate Champion (Le Moyne) (Last year: 325)
Overall record: 39-57
He may be just 34 years old, but Champion is already entering year eight as a collegiate head coach. He played guard at Le Moyne in the early 2010’s and then briefly overseas in Australia. After just three years on D2 staffs, Le Moyne named him head coach in 2019. He’s had mixed results across his tenure with the Dolphins, but did recently lead the program through their own D1 transition and is fresh off a tie for 3rd in the NEC, their best finish yet.
278. Gary Manchel (Mercyhurst) (Last year: 287)
Overall record: 32-33
Another longtime D2 head coach, Manchel has more than three decades of head coaching experience and got his first taste of the sport as a player at Vermont in the early 1980’s. His first head coaching gig was a solid 9-year run at UMass Lowell before landing at Mercyhurst back in 2003. He made a slew of appearances in the D2 Tournament before the Lakers hopped up to D1 and the NEC in 2024, with a pair of 3rd place finishes since then.
263. Landon Bussie (Chicago State) (Last year: 243)
Overall record: 73-108
It’s been quite a unique rise and path for Bussie in his career. He played at Xavier in Louisiana and coached there briefly before a longer stint on staff at Prairie View A&M. His first head coaching job was pretty successful, taking Alcorn State to two SWAC titles and a pair of trips to the NIT across five seasons. Bussie then jumped to Chicago State last offseason and went just 7-25 in his debut, though that’s certainly not the worst season in recent memory for the Cougars.
262. Rod Strickland (LIU) (Last year: 313)
Overall record: 51-75
A star guard at DePaul in the late 80’s, Strickland was a 1st round pick of the New York Knicks and spent 17 seasons playing in the NBA. After that impressive career, he had several coaching stints, including work under John Calipari at Memphis and Kentucky. His own head coaching journey had a slow start when Long Island hired him in 2022. After just 3 wins in year one, he’s slowly built something great with the Sharks and made the NCAA Tournament this past season.
257. Patrick Sellers (Central Connecticut) (Last year: 253)
Overall record: 81-76
It’s been a long and winding coaching journey for Sellers, a former guard at Central Connecticut more than 35 years ago. After work at the high school level, he was an assistant for a myriad of schools, including 6 years at UConn and more recent stops with Creighton, DePaul, and Fairfield. Central Connecticut brought him home for his first head coaching gig in 2021, and while he’s come short of the Big Dance he does have a pair of NEC regular seasons titles already.
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