The recent struggle for Maryland to land a new head man sparked a huge debate about the best college basketball coaching jobs in America. We rank the 25 best and the results should bring a smile to the face of Roy Williams.
.
Note: These rankings are based – in no particular order – on recruiting base, fan support, conference affiliation, financial support, facilities, location, prestige, program alumni, tradition and history of success
.
College Basketball’s Top 25 Coaching Jobs |
|||
| RK | TEAM | COMMENT | |
 |
1 | North Carolina | An unparalleled network of coaches and Hall of Famers including Dean Smith and “His Airness,” fertile recruiting grounds, a basketball-crazy state, great fan base and a picturesque college town located on Tobacco Road in basketball’s most storied conference. What’s not to love? |
 |
2 | Kentucky | Hands down the most rabid fan base in America where the players are treated like kings and coaches that win are gods. With no pro sports in the state, Kentucky lives and breaths UK basketball and Ashley Judd follows you. Oh, and John Calipari has 32M reasons to love his job. |
 |
3 | Duke | Coach K, Krzyzewskiville, Cameron Indoor, the “Crazies,” Christian Laettner, Bobby Hurley. Another ACC school on Tobacco Road, the prestige of this job is only rivaled by the reputation of the school’s academics. The city of Durham is like something out of a novel. |
 |
4 | UCLA | Eleven national titles. Enough said. Nobody has a better group of former college players than the school that produced Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bill Walton. Then throw in being able to coach at the same school as John Wooden and L.A. recruiting. The only problem? Bandwagon fans. |
 |
5 | Kansas | It’s the same school that Dr. James Naismith coached! The entire state (outside Manhattan) loves KU basketball, there isn’t a better venue in the country than Allen Fieldhouse and the team never has a down year. You better like the plains, though. |
 |
6 | Indiana | A little bit of luster has come off this job in recent years but it’s still the marquee program in the Hoosier State with a loyal fan base currently stuck in purgatory. The reawakening of rivals Purdue, Butler and Notre Dame only takes this job down another notch. |
 |
7 | Syracuse | Just attend a game at a sold-out Carrier Dome and you’ll see why this job is so high. The Orange have only won a single national title but they spend each season near the top of the polls and Jim Boeheim recruits on a national basis. The only downside is living in the middle of nowhere. |
 |
8 | Michigan State | Yes, this is how high Tom Izzo has taken this job. Already a great gig, Izzo has turned the Spartans into a Final Four machine and turned what was once a football school into a basketball school. The Breslin Center is a solid facility and Detroit-area recruiting is an embarrassment of riches. |
 |
9 | Connecticut | Speaking of bad college towns, Storrs is up there. But Jim Calhoun has single-handedly made it one of the best jobs in America with routine NBA talent and three national titles in the last 12 years. With NYC just a couple hours south, the recruiting is great too. |
 |
10 | Arizona | You either love Arizona or hate it. The permanently-tan Lute Olson loved it. Rumors continue to swirl that Sean Miller is just biding his time there. But the fan base is loyal (if over-aged), there’s a steady stream of talent from L.A. and the weather during the season can’t be beat. |
 |
11 | Georgetown | There are some drawbacks like playing most games off campus and the nauseating D.C. social scene. But there isn’t a hotter recruiting area right now and alumni include Allen Iverson and Patrick Ewing. |
 |
12 | Louisville | Louisville is a basketball school with an awesome new arena and a great history that includes two national titles. The problem is, an overwhelming majority of the state is part of the Big Blue Nation and competing against UK and Indiana schools for recruits is brutal. |
 |
13 | Maryland | Ten years ago this job would have been right at the top of the second cut of great ones along with Michigan State and Syracuse. But times have changed. The Comcast Center is fabulous and the recruiting is great but the job’s prestige is way down after some off years. |
 |
14 | Texas | Yes, it will always be a football school. But that doesn’t mean the basketball job isn’t great, too. Houston is full of great ballers, Austin might be the best college town in America and those old money boosters keep the checks coming. |
 |
15 | Illinois | It’s over two hours away from Chicago but Illini Backers paint the town orange like Syracuse alums do with NYC and there are always top recruits coming out of Chi-town. Two major downsides: the town and the arena: Both are dumps. |
 |
16 | Villanova | Jay Wright has it all. He lives in a city that loves him, is married to a former ‘Nova cheerleader and has recruiting pipelines laid in D.C. and NYC. But as the stalled jump to FBS football has shown, this small, private university doesn’t have the funds to hang with the big boys. |
 |
17 | Purdue | Poor Purdue. Always living in Indiana’s shadow, the Boilers haven’t made the Final Four since 1980. It isn’t from a lack of fan support, which is among the best. But recruiting in Indiana is tough and nearly losing Matt Painter, a former Purdue player, to Missouri was a bad look. |
 |
18 | Pittsburgh | Pitt has transformed into a basketball school, as Heinz Field always has empty seats while the Oakland Zoo rocks out. Now if Pitt can get over the hump to the Final Four, this program can become one of the best in the country. |
 |
19 | NC State | The glory days of David Thompson, Norm Sloan, Lorenzo Charles and Jimmy V seem like a cruel alternate universe at this point. Now throw in Debbie Yow as the AD. But the job’s still on Tobacco Road, has rabid fans and recruits on a national level. |
 |
20 | Missouri | Ask Quin Snyder what happens when you don’t win in Columbia. Tiger fans are dying for a winner and Mike Anderson leaving town was a death blow to a fan base tired of watching Kansas win big. Frank Haith must have thought he was on “Punk’d” when he was offered this job. |
|
21 | Arkansas | During the 1990s, this was a top 10 program. But it’s been a struggle in Fayetteville over the last decade. The fans are passionate but they might also dig up your text messages, shoot your horse or take out a full-page ad to get you fired (yes, those all really happened). Tread carefully. |
 |
22 | Ohio State | Ohio State isn’t just a football school, it’s a football state. That will never change. But there’s some pretty decent basketball talent in the Buckeye State, the fans would cheer for their school in Tiddlywinks and the athletic department has never-ending deep pockets. |
 |
23 | Florida | Florida is another football state. Plus the top basketball talent from the south like Brandon Knight feels no allegiance to UF. But back-to-back national titles in the last five years, a state-of-the-art practice facility and great college town land it on this list. |
 |
24 | Wisconsin | We know, another football school. Don’t tell that to opponents that visit the Kohl Center. Bo Ryan has done a great job of combining tough, hard-nosed Wisconsin kids with talented Chicago players. The winter is brutal but Madison itself is great. |
 |
25 | Marquette | Howdy, neighbor. Without a varsity football team of any kind, Marquette hoops is huge on campus and has a great history that includes players like Butch Lee and Dwyane Wade. Buzz Williams’ huge buyout was a stroke of genius to make sure he doesn’t get away. |
