Humble Backgrounds: Small-College Graduates Coaching DI Tourney Teams
March 18th, 2024 - 13:19
In a caste-like era separating the haves from the have-nots, imperial universities are seeking mega-conferences and, perhaps in the near future, a restrictive upper division. But the socially elite won't ever be able to exclude small schools from making a big impact on the NCAA playoffs.
Smaller colleges, many of them in the hinterlands, have supplied a striking number of the biggest names in coaching. From 1995 through 2000, five of the six NCAA Tournament championship coaches (Jim Calhoun, Jim Harrick, Tom Izzo, Lute Olson and Tubby Smith) graduated from obscure colleges with smaller enrollments. In fact, it is a rarity for a Final Four not to feature at least one coach who graduated from a non-Division I school.
John Calipari, a graduate of Clarion (Pa.) State, guided Kentucky to the 2012 national championship before Michigan's John Beilein (Wheeling Jesuit NY) and Wichita State's Gregg Marshall (Randolph-Macon VA) directed teams to the Final Four eight years ago. Following is an alphabetical list of 2024 NCAA Tournament mentors who worked their way up the ladder after graduating from a small college:
2024 NCAA Playoff Coach School Small-College Alma Mater Scott "Griff" Aldrich Longwood Hampden-Sydney (Va.) '96 Dana Altman Oregon Eastern New Mexico '80 Rick Barnes Tennessee Lenoir-Rhyne (N.C.) '77 John Becker Vermont Catholic (D.C.) '90 Randy Bennett Saint Mary's UC San Diego '96 Brad Brownell Clemson DePauw (Ind.) '91 John Calipari Kentucky Clarion State (Pa.) '82 Greg Gard Wisconsin Wisconsin-Platteville '95 John Groce Akron Taylor (Ind.) '94 Eric Henderson South Dakota State Wayne State (Neb.) '00 Tom Izzo Michigan State Northern Michigan '77 Donte Jackson Grambling State Central State (Ohio) '02 Chris Jans Mississippi State Loras (Iowa) '91 Donnie Jones Stetson Pikeville (Ky.) '88 James Jones Yale Albany (N.Y.) '86 Kevin Keatts North Carolina State Ferrum (Va.) '95 Tommy Lloyd Arizona Whitman (Wash.) '98 Steve Lutz Western Kentucky Texas Lutheran '95 Nate Oats Alabama Maranatha Baptist (Wis.) '97 T.J. Otzelberger Iowa State Wisconsin-Whitewater '01 Lamont Paris South Carolina College of Wooster (Ohio) '96 Kelvin Sampson Houston Pembroke (N.C.) State '78 Shaka Smart Marquette Kenyon (Ohio) '99 Kyle Smith Washington State Hamilton College (N.Y.) '92 Preston Spradlin Morehead State Alice Lloyd (Ky.) '09 Rodney Terry Texas St. Edward's (Tex.) '90
NOTE: Albany was subsequently classified as an NCAA Division I university.