As soon as once more CBS Sports activities presents our Candid Coaches collection, which spotlights related subjects and points in males’s faculty basketball. Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander polled practically 100 coaches in current weeks on quite a lot of topics. Coaches spoke on background and have been supplied anonymity to supply unfiltered opinions. As we speak, we take a look at the number of new faces in new locations.
Modifications within the NIL panorama, and the frenetic nature of the switch portal, has accelerated the speed of turnover in faculty teaching.
To wit: 18% of the power-conference head-coaching construction flipped again within the spring. That is 14 out of 79 jobs. That is a very good chunk, and actually faculty hoops had 14 ACC/Large East/Large Ten/Large 12/SEC flips for the second straight yr. So far as I can inform, 28 high-major teaching modifications in a two-year interval is a university basketball report.
In 2025, we had makeovers at Maryland, Miami, Indiana Iowa, Villanova, Virginia, Texas and Texas A&M and nonetheless six extra within the big-boy leagues. A few of these hirings will flame out by 2030. Others will show to be house runs, with maybe one, two or three of the coaches in new perches this yr fated to thrive for effectively over a decade at their new colleges.
Candid Coaches: Who’s the very best X’s and O’s coach in faculty basketball proper now?
Gary Parrish
Which faculty made the very best resolution in shifting ahead with its males’s hoops program over the subsequent five-plus years? This was our query to almost 100 coaches and listed below are the outcomes of our survey.
Who was the very best rent of the 2025 hiring cycle?
| Ben McCollum, Iowa | 25% |
| Will Wade, NC State | 22% |
| Sean Miller, Texas | 21% |
| Ryan Odom, Virginia | 9% |
| Buzz Williams, Maryland | 7% |
| Niko Medved, Minnesota | 5% |
Others receiving a number of votes: Kevin Willard (Villanova), Ross Hodge (West Virginia), Alex Jensen (Utah)
Quotes that stood out
About McCollum
- “I did not know a lot about him earlier than he went to Drake. Simply heard there was this high-level D-II coach, however I began finding out his stuff this previous yr. They performed a coach I labored with … I watched one sport, locked in, and it is simply unbelievable what he does. I studied him increasingly more because the season went alongside. Then they beat Missouri within the NCAA Event. There’s extra than simply success in 12 months 1 (at Iowa). Longevity at that place. That seems like a extremely good match for him and he is bringing a few his good gamers. I might be shocked if he does not have speedy success there.”
- “It ought to’ve by no means taken Ben this lengthy to get a power-conference job. Have a look at his profession report and accomplishments. Nice coach. He’ll win constantly so long as his administration helps him.”
- “McCollum I do not know something about, however looks as if he is a controlling tempo and defensive man, so that can translate it doesn’t matter what personnel they’ve. Additionally it looks as if an ideal character location match for a brand new head coach. And his monitor report is tremendous spectacular.”
- “Ben McCollum due to match. From the area, profitable at an insane clip and has proven now he can recruit and coach within the present panorama of D-I. Iowa followers will love his demeanor and magnificence of play.”
About Wade
- “He’ll thrive on this new period of school basketball. Somebody was going to take an opportunity and NC State beat everybody to it.”
- “I believe it is the gangster, Will Wade (laughing). Matches NC State completely. I believe that is a match made in heaven.”
- “At all times has been a extremely good coach and recruiter. This job suits him and his character, but in addition what is required there too. Somebody who does not give a shit concerning the blue bloods round him.”
- “Good marriage with program. Passionate fanbase with deep pockets. Expertise-rich area. Performs a enjoyable type. Excellent probability to win early and constantly within the weakest [Power Five] league.”
- “What he was fired for the principles are completely different — take a look at Houston with Kelvin Sampson. He’s the right match to attain at a excessive ceiling kind of job. He’s going to recruit, coach, and promote that program.”
About Miller
- “He did not lose his job at an elite program like Arizona for not performing. He has the expertise and the talent to be an ideal match at Texas.”
- “It is probably not shut. He has confirmed he can win at an elite faculty (Arizona) and he’s at Texas. It is a spot you’ll win at. And: Sean wins.”
- “Good match and has received large [at that level] already. Very good rent. Ensures they’ll proceed to be good after the worst four-year interval in historical past. Went from a number of Elite Eights at a hoops-only faculty to not making tourney for 4 years. Main slide. [Texas] will likely be again.”
About Odom
- “Some coaches get employed, it is smart and is the right the place. For me, Odom is a simple selection as a result of this system he went to is probably the most synergistic match of all the fellows. I’ve gotten to know Ryan and know UVa effectively based mostly on having labored in that space. I do know what UVa is about academically and non-athletically. When Ryan Odom was at UMBC, he invited me to his observe and I acquired to know him there. How he’s as a coach, who he’s, what he values and the college, it is an ideal match.”
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“He has a private connection to the college and he is received in every single place he is been: UMBC, Utah State, VCU.”
About others
- Medved: “How can anybody low cost what Niko Medved has carried out at every cease in his profession? He inherited a catastrophe at Furman and in three years he received. Drake, he received. And what he did at CSU is past spectacular.”
- Jensen: “I had an opportunity to spend a yr with Alex once I was [younger]. He has a method about him. Humble, exceptionally good, clearly very educated concerning the sport however does not attempt to outsmart himself. He has a really feel for individuals.”
The takeaway
With our “who’s the very best participant?” and “who’s the very best staff?” survey questions this yr, I have been pulling out information from the archives to point out who received these Qs in years previous. Let’s do the identical for right this moment’s examine, as it is a query we have requested courting again to 2014.
Latest winners of this query — with hyperlinks to return and see how the coaches voted annually — are …
2024: John Calipari to Arkansas. Approach too quickly to inform, however he was objectively not the very best rent in 12 months 1.
2023: Rick Pitino to St. John’s. A straightforward selection not so way back and it is actually trying like the appropriate decide as of right this moment.
2022: Shaheen Holloway to Seton Corridor. A decent vote that yr, however a miss, as Holloway was employed in the identical yr as Jon Scheyer, Todd Golden, Dennis Gates and Chris Jans.
2021: Chris Beard to Texas. It ended disastrously. Shaka Good completed second, and that tracks. Tommy Lloyd to Arizona wasn’t even top-five!
2019: Fred Hoiberg to Nebraska. He completed effectively forward of fellows who proved to be higher their colleges: Nate Oats, Mick Cronin, TJ Otzelberger and Eric Musselman.
2018: Chris Mack to Louisville. Mack beat out the Right Reply by one proportion level that yr: Dan Hurley to UConn.
2017: Archie Miller to Indiana. An apparent miss. Brad Underwood to Illinois is the clear finest rent from 2017; he took second to Miller that yr.
2016: Brad Underwood to Oklahoma State. Sure, Underwood had two power-conference jobs in two years. Beard to Texas Tech or Greg Gard at Wisconsin wound up as probably the most fruitful hires, although.
2015: Shaka Good to Texas. He comfortably received, with Ben Howland to Mississippi State being second. The Right Reply got here in third that yr with 12% of the vote: Tennessee hiring Rick Barnes.
2014: Buzz Williams to Virginia Tech. An identical to 2018, the highest vote-getter that yr beat out the main vote-getter by 1%: Bruce Pearl to Auburn got here in second.
I like asking this query yearly to get a learn of coaches’ opinions on their contemporaries. That mentioned keep in mind the winner is way from assured to be the very best of their hiring class. Within the 10 earlier iterations of this query, it is honest to say coaches acquired it proper with the No. 1 decide perhaps two instances.
That does not imply McCollum will not show to be wonderful. After profitable 395 video games (and 4 nationwide titles) in 15 seasons at Division II Northwest Missouri State, the Iowa native walked into D-I at Drake and went 31-4. The match with the Hawkeyes looks as if it might change the dynamic within the Large Ten within the subsequent decade if McCollum’s philosophies are adaptable on the high-major stage.
I anticipated Wade to complete top-three after we introduced this query, and actually he took the 2-slot. His confidence and character profile matched with NC State’s place within the Triangle pecking order has lots of coaches desirous to see if the Wolfpack is usually a nationwide issue within the subsequent two years. That’s going to be a enjoyable one to observe.
And with Miller, he is been up for voting on this query earlier than, just some years in the past when he went to Xavier. He has extra wins than any coach on this yr’s cycle. He goes to Texas, with the concept that he can do greater than he did at Xavier. With the new income sharing guidelines in place, we’ll see if that winds up being the case. Miller has lengthy been known as the most effective coaches and not using a Closing 4 to his title. He’d like to shed that label as shortly as potential in what needs to be his ultimate cease in faculty teaching.
Large image, I take a look at McCollum to Iowa, Wade to State, Medved to Minnesota, Odom to Virginia, Alex Jensen to Utah, Luke Loucks to Florida State, and so on. … and I do not suppose there’s been a carousel cycle up to now decade the place there have been extra “suits” that align with teaching type, faculty, background, geographical ties than what we now have in 2025. It is why, regardless that coaches needed to choose one reply, quite a few guys I spoke with gave their second-choice votes to the likes of Medved and Odom.
Even Jai Lucas and Bucky McMillan — neither of whom has been a high-major coach till this yr — every acquired a vote. It is a promising, comparatively younger class of coaches moving into new gigs. It isn’t nearly who they have been once they received the job, it is about how they will adapt within the subsequent few years. School sports activities is in both Stage 3 or 4 of most likely a five-stage mega-shift, and solely the coaches who perceive the terrain and find out how to map-read, pivot and alter will nonetheless be holding on to those jobs, or higher ones, 5 years from now.