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High Heels: College Basketball’s Top 25 Coaching Jobs

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.

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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

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12:53 PM on 5/11/2011

Best of the Web

  • Poonky

    Not a bad list, I’d only make a few changes. Swap #5 Kansas with #4 UCLA, and swap UConn #9 with Syracuse #7.

  • Mike Littisor

    The thing I first noticed about this list was that it contained only coaching jobs at BSC/Big 6 schools. Has anyone noticed that in 3 of the last 4 NCAA Tournament Championship Games played involved a non-Big 6 team?i

  • Budtigerm

    You are a nut case, how in the h— could you leave Memphis out of that list. They are always in the top 10 in attendance, the coach’s pay is in the top 20, the team has the winnest record in college basketball over the last 10 yrs. You must have had a brain fart.

  • Travis

    “winnest”? Maybe you’re the one who had a brain fart, obviously.

  • BeachBumHeel

    True, if you’re looking at the job only. Memphis plays in CUSA with a great recruiting base, big contracts for their coaches, a pro arena, and top ten in attendance most years. I think it’s an oversight.

  • Marc Mensa

    Memphis is one of the best jobs in America. 18k per night… 2 mil per year; Cal was offered 4mil… top city for producing HS talent… Fed Ex Forum… Pro scouts in town, regularly… great practice facilites… Guaranteed 20-25 wins per year… What more would a coach want? Sure visibility is better for marquee programs in BCS conferences, but recruiting isn’t a problem at Memphis. If I were a coach, an almost assured NCAA bid each year, coupled with a fat paycheck and top HS talent would be enough to keep me at Memphis for a while. There is a reason Calipari turned down Pitt, NC State, Missouri and Arkansas while electing to stay at Memphis.

    • Anonymous

      And don’t discount the Fedex money. You have unlimited funds to buy any recruit. Sure worked well for Calipari.

  • Dave

    UConn is a great college town, in fact, the University of Connecticut is the town. You own it. The whole place is dedicated to you as a student.

    • Stevan

      I concur. Storrs, CT a bad college town? Maybe a visit would help….unless your idea of such a place requires something other than beautiful, rather bucolic, New England countryside. I hear they’ve had some success with the women’s team, too.

  • Jamie

    How in the world are Florida and Ohio State behind places like NC State, Arkansas, Missouri, Purdue, and Illinois??

  • B

    How is Gtown, Arizona, Uconn, Mich St and Syracuse better coaching jobs than Louisville? We can pay a coach more money, have arguably the best arena in college bball and have just as much, if not more, bball tradition than those schools.

    • Stevan

      Now if all that would only lead to a title.

  • tom611982

    this list is a joke, in what world would UCLA be below Duke??? And I hate UCLA fwiw

  • Amazed

    That would have been a great list 10 years ago. but as you mentioned several of those programs are far removed from greatness and a couple have a ways to go to get back to average.

    Is it bias, oversight or ignorance that restricted your list to BCS conference schools? I guess yuo are not a professional but if you put stuff in print it should be close to reality. Or if you are just a conference snob then say so and we know not to respond.

  • TC

    Because outside of their 2006-2008 run UCLA hasn’t done a whole bunch of anything since 1980. The Bruins have only won one title in the last 35 years, and that was 17 years ago. Most HS seniors weren’t even alive the last time UCLA won it all. UCLA has only won three Pac-10 titles the past 14 years.

    UCLA finished last year 63rd nationally n attendance only putting about 8,000 people a game in a 12,000+ seat arena.

  • TUOwl

    If you include Memphis then i think Temple deserves to be listed. Both have great traditions and are located in top notch recruiting grounds.

  • Haha

    Bwahahaha! My 9 year old daughter could make up a better list than this… NC State top-25??? Louisville #12??? SMH…

  • PT

    People, you have to recognize that more goes into this than just how good the team has been lately or history and stuff like that. Why is Memphis not on the list? Because you have to live in Memphis. And, by the way, Calipari was not offered most of those jobs that Marc (not) Mensa lists….especially Mizzou. Why is Duke above UCLA? Partly because Durham is a million times better place to live than LA. Look at ku. Not only have they been good, but the administration will let the coach do literally whatever they want. “Compliance does not sell tickets.” Some schools are more patient and a long leash makes a job better. Some schools are the only game in town and the coach is a much bigger celeb than they would be elsewhere.
    This list is not perfect at all, but it’s hardly a travesty.

  • Wow

    Haha this is a joke
    Especially the fact that Louisville is #12
    They are by far the #1 revenue school in the country
    Always top 5 in attendance
    Every coach that goes through there becomes HOF
    By far the best arena in the country
    Top 10 in tradition
    Most 1,000 pt scorers
    The list goes on. Just wow

  • Hutch,ks

    If you think the whole state of Kansas “loves” the **yhawks I’ve got a couple of bridges I’ll sell you cheap.

  • Anonymous

    Louisville #12??? You just lost all credibility with that one??? They are top 5 or 6 without a doubt! Really, #12???

  • RW

    Louisville needs to be much, much higher!

  • CARDS

    You lost all credibility putting Louisville at 12. They are absolutely toward the top of the list in all the criteria mentioned that was used to rank these teams.

  • Gator

    You are an idiot. This is the STUPID most UNEDUCATED list I have ever seen in my life. I guess it’s true, any moron can create a blog.

  • D. Marshall

    Granted the Ville has not done much lately if you call 2 elite 8′s and 1 final four nothing. But #12 is too low for a storied program like Louisville. Not to mention they are the #1 revenue producing program,top 5 in attendance and 3rd in value at $24.5 million, behind UNC and UK.

  • D. Hunter

    First, N C State isn’t anywhere near what it was. Valvano has been gone for over twenty years. It has been more than a while since the Wolfpack was even a factor in the ACC, much less nationally. It has some nice facilities and that is about it. The recent coaching search indicates what a poor position it is now considered. Second, Duke belongs at the top of the list, but Durham isn’t a major selling point. Duke’s campus is quite nice, but it is hardly indicative of the town. Westwood is far nicer. Chapel Hill is nicer. Charlottesville and Atlanta are nicer. Durham may be better than College Park and Blacksburg, but saying more than that is questionable. Finally, Florida and Wisconsin seem a bit low, and I question why Marquette would be included and BYU omitted.

  • Marc Mensa

    Calipari declined the Mizzou job prior to taking the job at Memphis…a little research on your part would certainly legitimize your arbitrary compilation of schools. Now, whether you personally care for the city really means little in the world of college hoops. It might mean something to secure a spot on the jobs you like, but those who actually know the game of basketball understand what a good gig Memphis is. Again, Cal snubbed many a program on the “list” to stay at Memphis. Why? Because he was making bank, recruiting top talent, packing in 18k a night, and winning 30 games a year; and Josh Pastner is doing the same. BTW… Pastner turned down NC State… that’s now 2 coaches who KNOW Memphis is a better gig than NC State.

  • Joe

    Calipari was never offered the Missouri job, nor the Pittsburgh job. Both administrations didn’t consider him due to his reputation.

  • Joe

    Swap Duke and Kansas and this isn’t a bad list. UNC dominates the area and it’s exceptionally unlikely that Duke will pony up to steal a top coach as Kansas, UCLA and Carolina have done in the last decade.

  • Marc Mensa

    Jobs aren’t publically offered unless the school is 100% sure the offer would be accepted. Sources close to the Mizzou search said Cal was the leading candidate for the job in ’99 and he declined the opportunity. He, too, was offered the head coaching position at South Carolina in 2001, NC State in 2006, Arkansas in 2007.

    That being said, if 2-4 mil per year, consistent top 10-15 recruiting classes, top notch facilities, 18k fans per game & charter flights are not enough to earn a spot on the list, then so be it. Just find me 25 schools who do offer those same perks.

  • Joe McInerney

    Notre Dame is in the top 15 in both winning percentage and total wins. It is a very competitive program in the big east.

  • Joe

    I wasn’t arguing that Memphis wasn’t a great job, just that Cal wasn’t nearly as in demand as you think he was. Many schools declined to interview him when he was publicly lobbying…

  • Adam Johnson

    If Kentucky was the 2nd best job in the country why did they have to go through 3+ preferred coaches before they arrived at Calipari- and even more than that when they hired Gilispie?

  • Dave Bliss

    They all suck!!

  • Donell

    The statement that austin may be the greatest college town in america is false becasue austiin is a bustling city that happens to be the state capital a college town is a town that is built around the college as is main source of income and reason for being in excistance like college station where texas is a true college town or columbia missouri

  • YO YO

    Not perfect but a nice start. For starters, Maryland seems a bit high given their recent mediocrity. Arkansas may have been good in the 90s but before and after? Using that logic, UNLV would be way up the list. Not sure most coaches wouldn’t view Michigan as a more storied and prestigious job than some, along with Georgia Tech.

  • Dan

    This list is a joke without Georgia Tech.

  • A Good Laugh

    This list is absurd on so many levels.

    WISCONSIN? Since when? MARYLAND? Are you serious? NC STATE? The AD Debbie Yow is a joke. TEXAS? The same school that did not sellout the game against UConn? PITTSBURGH? Who has never been past the Sweet 16? FLORIDA is an afterthought compared to its football program. ARKANSAS has fair-weather fans who abandoned the team when the chips were down. Your list is awful.

    OBVIOUS SNUBS:
    MEMPHIS, MICHIGAN, GEORGIA TECH & ST. JOHN’S

  • Dean Smith

    George Mason University is the greates university on the planet. We have a top 25 basketball team. We have the most diverse university in the world. We are the only Law School in the top 50 that is less than 100 years old (we’re about 30). We’re on pace to be number one. We are located 20 miles from tha Nation’s Capital. We are surrounded by the highest paying jobs in the country (Fairfax, Louden, Arlington, Prince William). As the cost of education goes up, the locals will be attending George Mason in droves and the local high schools are the very best in the nation. The weather is great and the jobs are plentiful. Come join us!

  • Rick

    you could take out half a dozen of these yahoos and put in Utah, St. Johns, UNLV, DePaul, West Virginia, basketball schools with all time tradition

  • CMRJayhawk

    i would agree Memphis should pop up about 10 or 11. Mizzou is garbage and always will be. not worthy here. Arkansas niether. St. John’s? you want to sell me Marquette but no Gonzaga? some improvements could definentley be made.

    Louisville, could maybe be an 8 or 9, but quit complianing! 12 on the all time list is nice respect. btw, drop Indiana. they are classic, but dead for good.

    • lrcgn120@yahoo.com

      They have been defeated by whom this year? Teams with national titles and tradition belong there, teams that are want-to-be’s with big $$$$ do not deserve to be there.

    • endianer

      Drop the hoosiers. Really, They are on the way back and by the end of next year will be in the mix like the old days.

  • deadly accurate

    Kansas is the best coachin job in the country. No other school has had more Hall of Fame coaches than Kansas. UCLA, UNC, and UK all had to fire coaches in recent years whereas Kansas has not. Allen Fieldhouse has the best venue in the country and the freakin inventor of basketball coached at KU. The rest are just imitators.

  • DC

    Whoever thinks Arkansas doesn’t belong on this list are freaking idiots. They were also a top 10 program under eddie sutton in the 80′s, and all you need to do is look up overall ncaa tourney wins and appearances. one of the largest on-campus arenas in the country, and will definitely be a top 10 program again with a good coach in place. Kentucky fans will tell you that the SEC needs Arkansas to be good in order to have top notch conference once again, regardless of what Florida or Tennessee does.

  • lrcgn120@yahoo.com

    Please note that the so-called storied programs # 14, and # 15 have never seen a national title and never will.

  • the dude

    #3 Duke ” …Durham is like something out of a novel.”
    Not really sure what that means, good or bad?

  • rg

    kentucky, kansas most victorys 1 and 2 alltime. north carolina right there, duke since coach k arrived. but overall thru the long course of the ncaa kentucky, kansas, north carolina have always been teams you did not want to face come march madness.gotta include ucla as one of the true bluebloods.

  • evad9897

    The person who wrote with regard to Kansas, “You better like the plains,” has never been in Lawrence. It is anything but flat, especially the campus. Using stereotypes instead of information is, unfortunately, typical of Yahoo.

  • Anonymous

    How do you leave Gonzaga off the list?

  • Earl Harrison

    I’m glad to see some people think the SEC is more than the best football league in the country. With the University of Florida Gators having the best group of young guards in the country, look for them to go far into the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. They finished in the “Elite 8″ last year and most likely be in the “Final 4″ in the next tournament. If they win the tournament, the Gators will be the first college (University) to have 3 national championships in football & 3 championships in men’s basketball. Before you people out there start to come after me, I did say IF they did win the tournament.

  • Bob

    Look again bozo….Indiana is coming back after they left Knight there to long and then hired that dofus Davis and then worse than that hired that low life Sampson.