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Ryan recaps the 10 best men's college basketball coaching hires ahead of the 2023-24 season. Who will be the best faces in new places during the upcoming season?
While the 2023-24 college basketball offseason officially ended a little over a month ago, the offseason drama doesn't rest for anyone. The Rothstein-ism "We sleep in May" may apply to the fans and players participating in the sport, but it certainly does not apply to countless athletic directors across the country who have had to frantically fill their head-coaching vacancies.
Several programs actually made their hires during the NCAA Tournament, but the majority closed after March Madness had fully wrapped up. In the transfer portal-NIL era, it's never been more important to hire guys as quickly as possible to get a jump on "recruiting." Over 60 programs have completed this process, 15 hailing from the high-major ranks.
Here is a ranking of the top-10 coaching hires in men's college basketball thus far.
10. Washington - Danny Sprinkle
Previously: Utah State
Collegiate Head-Coaching Record: 109-50 (.686)
That's it. The jury is out. Utah State is officially the top launching pad for coaching careers in men's college basketball. In three out of the past four seasons, its head coach has left for a more prestigious job -- Craig Smith took off for Utah in 2021, Ryan Odom left for VCU in 2023, and now Sprinkle departs for Washington.
Sprinkle has seen a career liftoff similar to Josh Schertz, taking his first D1 head-coaching job only five years ago at Montana State. He spent a year as the Aggies head man where he put on the most impressive coaching job in the country, returning ZERO production from the 2022-23 squad (a team that won 26 games) and won the Mountain West outright in a historically competitive league for their standards.
Even with Washington's move to the Big Ten -- which will assuredly make this new gig a tough task -- the job Sprinkle did with roster construction and maximizing the talent he had last season was unprecedented. He should have the Huskies competing for NCAA Tournaments every year.
BREAKING: Great Osobor, the top-available player in the transfer portal, has committed to Washington, George Langberg of GSL Sports Group told ESPN.
Osobor will be the highest-paid known player in college basketball, with 2 million dollars of NIL deals already in place. pic.twitter.com/W6EwRj65PC
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) May 13, 2024
9. West Virginia - Darian DeVries
Previously: Drake
Collegiate Head-Coaching Record: 150-55 (.732)
After leading Drake to six straight 20-win seasons, DeVries gets his shot at manning a high-major college basketball program, but he has some major shoes to fill. Legendary coach Bob Huggins didn't have the most peaceful exit from the West Virginia men's basketball program, but he is unquestionably one of the best ever, ranking eighth all time in wins with 863.
DeVries' resume speaks for itself. Two MVC tournament titles and Coach of the Year Awards, along with a regular-season title and an NCAA Tournament victory. Many will point to his son Tucker as a big reason for his success (2x MVC Player of the Year), and while he is a phenomenal player, Darian still had the program competing at a high level before his arrival. Also, one great player does not make a team, especially in this sport where it is crucial to have a well-rounded roster. Mountaineer fans should be over the moon about this duo coming to Morgantown.
Darian DeVries and the Mountaineers are leaning on the portal heavily in Year 1.
How will that fare for them in the Big 12? #HailWV https://t.co/QtVCFuEOr9
— Heartland College Sports (@Heartland_CS) May 17, 2024
8. Stanford - Kyle Smith
Previously: Washington State
Collegiate Head-Coaching Record: 258-193 (.572)
A relatively unknown name until recently, Smith took maybe the most difficult Power 5 job in the sport and was able to turn the program around, leading the Cougars to their first NCAA Tournament since 2008. With Stanford joining the ACC for the 2024-25 season, a different challenge awaits, but Smith has said that this job is "a dream come true."
A defensive-minded coach, Smith has put forth three top-30 teams in adjusted defensive efficiency (per KenPom) over the past five years, which has helped him to three consecutive finishes above .500 in the Pac-12. He doesn't have the best career win percentage, but finding success at a left-for-dead program like Washington State is more impressive than half of the accomplishments on this list.
Kyle Smith is turning me into a Stanford fan as long as he is the head coach there. Bigger than sports. pic.twitter.com/Q3fboaN5OP
— Ryan McIntyre (@Moneyline_Mac) March 28, 2024
7. Michigan - Dusty May
Previously: Florida Atlantic
Collegiate Head-Coaching Record: 126-69 (.646)
A hot candidate for several head-coaching jobs last season after guiding FAU to their first-ever Final Four in 2023, May decided to sign a 10-year contract extension with the Owls last offseason. When a big school like Michigan comes knocking, it's hard to say no.
Outside of the one magical season a year ago, May has just been a good coach, not a great one. He's still viewed as a solid program builder who surrounds himself with a phenomenal staff, which he's already assembled in Ann Arbor. May has also hit the ground running on the recruiting front, having brought in six transfers already, highlighted by seven-foot center Vlad Goldin, who spent the last three seasons playing for May in Boca Raton.
What makes Dusty May unique?
"He's an innovator. He's going to be up at 3 a.m. studying Euro basketball, studying WNBA. That's what he does. He watches a lot of basketball. He watches a lot of film, and he spins it in his own way." — @CoachKeemhttps://t.co/c7x73T9xQ0
— Alejandro Zúñiga (@ByAZuniga) May 9, 2024
6. Kentucky - Mark Pope
Previously: BYU
Collegiate Head-Coaching Record: 187-108 (.643)
While the prayers of Billy Donovan were not answered for Kentucky fans, Big Blue Nation still got a gem of a coach in Pope, who has led BYU to two NCAA Tournaments and three top-20 KenPom finishes in five seasons. Pope is known for being analytically minded and offensively savvy, which should be welcome to a program that has mostly relied on sheer talent on that end of the floor.
He has strong ties to the university as the captain of the 1996 national championship team under Rick Pitino and has already started to re-energize the fan base with his big personality and welcoming antics. Like Pat Kelsey for Louisville, I think fans may regret bashing this hire so quickly.
Possibly the most badass entrance ever into Rupp Arena.
The 1996 Kentucky championship team walks out of the bus, with new coach Mark Pope hoisting the trophy.
Welcome home Coach! pic.twitter.com/uKgxDkHqlm
— Tristan Pharis (@TristanUda) April 14, 2024
5. Arkansas - John Calipari
Previously: Kentucky
Collegiate Head-Coaching Record: 865-263 (.765)
The writing was on the wall after another first-round NCAA Tournament upset loss for John Calipari, who failed to make it past the second round of the tournament for four straight years. That doesn't cut it at arguably the most storied program in the history of the sport.
He's still one of the best coaches in modern college basketball, ranking 18th on the all-time wins list (first among active coaches). Arkansas wasted no time in pouncing on Cal, with the news breaking on the eve of the national championship. Calipari will reportedly have a much more robust NIL budget to work with in Fayetteville, and he'll need to likely use all of it to account for the nine players that have transferred out of the program since the end of the season.
“I met with the team… there is no team.”
John Calipari knows he’ll have to build a roster from scratch at Arkansas 😅pic.twitter.com/5i93pkzMW4
— Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) April 11, 2024
4. BYU - Kevin Young
Previously: Phoenix Suns (Associate Head Coach)
Collegiate Head-Coaching Record: 0-0
The only guy on this list that has zero collegiate basketball head-coaching experience, Young comes over from the Phoenix Suns where he served as the associate head coach since 2021 after grinding his way through G League jobs for almost 10 years. This one was a bit of a surprise, as Young had been targeted for a number of NBA head-coaching jobs over the past year or so but chose to accept the open BYU position after Mark Pope bolted for Kentucky.
Young does have strong ties to the community, being a member of the Mormon Church himself, and his work ethic has been praised by numerous NBA players and coaches around the league. The culture fit should be seamless. How Young will navigate the new NIL/portal era of college basketball remains to be seen, but maybe it's a good thing he is just now joining the ranks. He'll have a fresh perspective on how to handle these unique situations without the context of old processes potentially biasing him.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Kevin Young choosing to become #BYU’s head coach: “A choice about winning.”
➡️: https://t.co/0weqUB15xx#BYUHoops pic.twitter.com/4xQo9EUFMe
— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) May 15, 2024
3. St. Louis - Josh Schertz
Previously: Indiana State
Collegiate Head-Coaching Record: 403-109 (.787)
What a career bump Schertz has experienced over the past few seasons, going from Division II to head coach of St. Louis in only three years. The former Florida Atlantic guard put Indiana State back on the map, virtually pulling the program out of the gutter.
The Sycamores were 11-20 in his first season but just finished with a 32-7 mark in 2024 that ended with a conference regular -season title and an NIT championship appearance after narrowly missing the NCAA Tournament. Schertz has been lauded for his close relationship with his players, going viral a handful of times last season during press conferences.
Everyone is happy when star big man Robbie Avila plays including Sycamore head coach Josh Schertz "Makes me look like a much smarter coach, wife thinks I'm better looking. Have more friends. Everything is better when he's out there" pic.twitter.com/jtAyJBUK1g
— Rick Semmler (@RickSemmler) November 15, 2023
2. USC - Eric Musselman
Previously: Arkansas
Collegiate Head-Coaching Record: 221-93 (.704)
The Muss Bus decided to jump ship for greener pastures at USC after incumbent Andy Enfield took the SMU job. Musselman is one of the best recruiters and navigators of the portal in college basketball. He's a proven winner, having led the Razorbacks to two Elite Eights and a Sweet 16 in only five years at the helm.
He also took Nevada to three straight NCAA Tournaments before his time in Fayetteville. While USC's transition to the Big Ten will be a tough test for Musselman and the program overall, he's one of the few coaches who has been thoroughly battle-tested at this level and should be competing for conference titles regularly.
Eric Musselman TOOK HIS SHIRT OFF 🤣
Coach was HYPED after upsetting No. 1 Kansas pic.twitter.com/biB5m1Z4uS
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 18, 2023
1. Louisville - Pat Kelsey
Previously: Charleston
Collegiate Head-Coaching Record: 261- 122 (.681)
Louisville fans wanted a high-profile guy but I think the Cardinal faithful will be extremely happy with this move in a couple of years, maybe even as early as next season. Kelsey is very well-respected in the industry and is loved by his players, both great signs coming into a job that has sky-high expectations.
He's also been deep in the portal already, snagging four top-100 players, according to EvanMiya, which has put them in the top spot in On3's team portal rankings for next season. As a Virginia graduate, I'm not happy about another great coach coming into the ACC but Kelsey is going to revitalize this program quickly.
"This is my office?" 🤣
Pat Kelsey is still getting used to things with Louisville 😅
(via @LouisvilleMBB)pic.twitter.com/Soxyw3CxgC
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 29, 2024
