The top 10 college basketball coaches of the 2024-25 season
- ThatManChe
- Apr 11
- 5 min read
Every year college basketball brings so much. This year was like every other year, a lot of bubble chaos, program turnarounds, and disappointing seasons. In this list, I will rank the top 10 coaching jobs this season. This was a very hard list to make as there were so many coaches who did elite jobs this season.
Some honorable mentions (These are just a few. This list could be much longer)
Eric Olen (UCSD)
Mark Byington (Vanderbilt)
Kevin Young (BYU)
Will Wade (McNeese)
Greg Gard (Wisconsin)
Chris Crutchfield (Omaha)
Chris Beard (Ole Miss)
Jerrod Calhoun (Utah State)
Dan Earl (Chattanooga)
Tony Skinn (George Mason)
The top 10
Pat Kelsey (Louisville)
Pat Kelsey took a Louisville team that finished 8-24 in 2024 to a 27-8 record this season. This is one of the reasons the transfer portal is good and needs to be talked about more. These 1-year turnarounds just used to not happen, but with the portal now, they are possible. Kelsey and Louisville had a disappointing postseason, but part of that was because of the selection committee. Expect Kelsey to be right back in the NCAA Tournament next season, as he is already putting together an elite transfer portal class.
Dusty May (Michigan)
Dusty May did a very similar thing to what Pat Kelsey did. He took a Michigan team that finished last in the Big Ten 2 seasons ago, and this season he led them to a 5th seed, a Big Ten Tournament title, and a Sweet 16. Expect Michigan to always have a good team under Dusty May and for them to be right back in the NCAA Tournament next season.
8. Jon Scheyer (Duke)
Duke might have had an absolute choke, but it shouldn’t change the fact that they were an absolute powerhouse this season and Jon Scheyer did his best job yet as head coach. Duke cruised through ACC play and the ACC tournament. He also got to his first Final Four. The elite freshmen and the success they had were a big part of him for the development and recruiting. Expect Scheyer and Duke to be right back as a high seed in the NCAA Tournament next season as they always do.
Ben McCollum (Drake)
McCollum could be one of the better college basketball coaches in the country. Drake was nearly perfect all year and even won an NCAA Tournament game. McCollum took over a Drake team, and 4/5 of his starters this season played Division 2 in the 2023-24 season, and the other starter was a transfer also. Coach McCollum helped build a Division 2 dynasty at Northwest Missouri State, and in his first year in Division 1, he was nearly perfect. Now McCollum will head over to Iowa, take some players with him, and look to get Iowa basketball back on track. It is hard to see a world where McCollum fails at Iowa and the Iowa Hawkeyes could be set for years to come.
Randy Bennett (Saint Mary’s)
After losing a couple of starters going into this year, St. Mary’s had a lot of questions. Randy Bennett shut those down quickly, starting the year 7-0 with wins over Nebraska and USC. St. Mary’s cruised through conference play, going 17-1. St. Mary’s would lose to Gonzaga in the WCC tournament championship and then lose to Alabama in the round of 32. Many didn’t think St. Mary’s would be able to replace the production they lost going into this year, but yet again, Randy Bennett put together another very good season. What he has built at St. Mary’s is the standard for Mid-Majors, and it is what every Mid-Major should aspire to be. Randy Bennett is one of the most underrated coaches in college basketball and I expect him and St. Mary’s to be right back in the NCAA Tournament next season.
Tom Izzo (Michigan State)
Going into this year, nothing seemed special for MSU. Most people didn’t know what the team would be like and projected them to be on that 7-10 seed line once again, with even some people questioning if this team would make the NCAA Tournament. Michigan State started the year at 4-1 with a loss to Kansas and 4 wins over Mid-Majors. Maui came and Michigan State lost to Memphis in the first game and many fans thought nothing had changed and that this team would be another team on that 7-10 seed line. MSU would go beat Colorado and then the next day they grinded out an OT win over UNC, a game the team the year prior would have probably lost. The win over North Carolina changed everything and MSU went on to clinch an Outright Big Ten Championship and get to the Elite 8 before losing a close game to Auburn. This season shut down the talk about Tom Izzo and that he couldn’t win big anymore and proved once again why he is one of the best coaches of all time and to not count him out just yet.
Bruce Pearl (Auburn)
Bruce Pearl had some pressure going into this season due to a few past early tournament exits. He was able to shut that talk down and helped lead Auburn to the number 1 overall seed and eventually the Final Four. Although it was a tough Final Four loss, it was still a solid season. Auburn will lose a lot of talent next season, and Pearl will need to get some solid replacements. With Bruce Pearl as head coach, though, he will figure it out and have Auburn right back in the tournament next season.
Rick Pitino ( St. john’s)
Rick Pitino and St. John’s was a team going into the year that was expected to make the tournament. Pitino exceeded those expectations, winning a regular-season Big East title and the Big East Tournament title. Pitino, like Izzo this season, proved that despite the changing game, they are still some of the best coaches in America. Although an early tournament exit occurred, it shouldn’t distract from the fact that St. John’s accomplished this year. Expect Pitino and St. John’s to be right back next year competing for a national championship.
Kelvin Sampson (Houston)
Kelvin Sampson is one of the best coaches in the country and proved it this season. His team may not have had the most talent, but they were just gritty and elite defensively. The Duke game proved that, Houston had no quit and went against all odds to pull off one of the best Final Four comebacks ever. Sampson is already making noise in the portal as Pop Isaacs, the Creighton guard who averaged 16 points, is heading to Houston for next season. Expect Houston to be right back next year with another chance to win a national title and for them to always be a great team under Sampson.
Todd Golden (Florida)
Golden started the year with plenty of questions and also had some pretty heavy accusations, but now he is a national champion. With accusations like that, it can become easy to lose the locker room and just fall out. That is the opposite of what he did. Florida got off to a hot out-of-conference start and then had a very solid SEC season. They won the SEC Tournament and then defeated plenty of great teams in the NCAA Tournament to become national champions. Golden is still only 39 years old and is coaching at one of the best programs in America. Expect Florida to be good for years to come if Todd Golden is at the helm.
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