1) Roy Williams (pretty much a "duh" at the moment IMO)
2) Bill Self (national title, right back to #1 a year later with a different cast is impressive)
3) Tom Izzo (remarkably consistent, multiple Final Fours)
4) Ben Howland (national title has alluded him but impressive results otherwise)
5) Jim Calhoun (Awesome résumé, perhaps nearing the end of the line)


Honorable Mention:

Mike Krzyzewski (would be #1 for career achievements, but the game is passing him by? still very formidable)
John Calipari (could easily be higher, but he cheats like hell and leaves every program he touches damaged)
Billy Donovan (would have been #1 two years ago, not really capitalizing on recent success)
Bruce Weber (on the rise again)
Bo Ryan (maybe gets more out of less than any coach in the country)
Rick Pitino (Hall of Famer with recent issues)
Rick Barnes (the luster is fading a bit on this recent "up and comer")
Thad Matta (strong résumé in brief period but so far lots of unfulfilled promise)
Jamie Dixon (good, but not quite elite level at this point)
Mark Few (impressive results at a midmajor)
Jim Boeheim (probably generous to include him off of recent years)

I'm sure I'm missing a few...

1) Roy Williams
2) Tom Izzo
3) Bill Self
4) Coach K
5) Calipari

Hate to admit it, but Bruce Pearl could be on that honorable mention list.

Yup..heckuva coach. That Lorenzo Something guy at Washington is really good, too (although he hasn't accomplished anything significant yet - aside from resurrecting a dormant program).

1) Pat Summitt
2) Roy Williams
3) Tom Izzo
4) Geno Auriemma
5) Bill Self

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!

Care to be more specific?

Get back to me when he makes a tourney run. His teams are undisciplined.

It is clear you started this thread just to antagonize your opponents in the Self debate.

He's won 3 SEC titles in 4 years, made a couple of Sweet 16s. Pretty good accomplishments for a program rarely thought of for men's basketball before his arrival. Not saying he'd be high on the list, but he'd definitely have to be considered one of the better coaches in D1.

No, it's not. I started this thread to see who people thought were the best coaches going. It's an interesting time IMO (Roy's rise to the top, guys like K falling off, Knight retiring, other coaches up and coming). I had all of the Self debate I needed or wanted in the other thread...

If we are talking in terms of meeting or exceeding expectations, then..

1. Izzo
2. Roy Williams
3. Jay Wright
4. Tubby Smith
5. Brad Stevens/Sean Miller

I guess you're free to offer your own interpretation, but I meant who are the best coaches going (meaning most successful). Not who gets the most out of what they have. I'm not going to shoot down your proposal, however.

I think his way makes a lot more sense. I'd be way more impressed with a Tubby Final 4 at Minnesota than a Roy national title at UNC.

1. Roy Williams
2. Coach K
3. Ben Howland
4. Billy Donovan
5. Tom Izzo

Ok, but at the end of the day, they count titles and hardware. You're free to offer up your alternative versions if you choose.

If you're asking who the top five coaches are, that's one thing -- connected to but different from the question of the top 5 programs. Minnesota probably will never be a Duke. e.g.. Tubby Smith is, IMO, a better coach than the program. And to take a school like Minnesota even to the Elite 8, and to get them consistently up in that atmosphere, would be as great an accomplishment, coach-wise, as winning the national championship with a NC team.

That's fine, and I think Tubby is a great coach, but I think Tubby should start doing some of these things before we start entering it into the equation.

I appreciate your being open minded. Again, I think the best coaches are able to perform year in and year out, and do more than they should. Whats scary is that Roy is a damn good coach, and has the talent. Could you imagine what Izzo could do with the NC rosters? I think one of Roy's strongest suits is flexibility.

I agree on Izzo. It's not like his rosters are short on talent, but they're not an embarrassment of riches like Roy or K, either. The fact that Izzo keeps making Final Fours and title games with changing rosters (without ridiculous talent) is a testament to his coaching ability.

This isn't going to be a very favorable post, but #1 on this list could be Bill Self.

He had that Tulsa program up and rolling, to a point where it never returned.

He had Illinois on the cusp of a Final Four. It's debatable as to whether they get there or not while he is the coach, but it was his team he recruited and built and we'll never know what could have been.

At Kansas, with his players, he has a couple of Elite Eights, a National Championship and two years after a National Championship, he has his team primed and ready to win another one.

So, you're talking about a coach who put Tulsa on the map. Put Final Four talent together with us(again, who knows what happens if he's here for two more seasons), then wins one and is a huge favorite this year to win another this year.

Roy never won the big one at Kansas, but has won two at UNC.

I submit that Self did a better job at Illinois and Kansas, than Roy has done at Kansas and UNC given the two programs that had to coach.

1)Bill Self
2)Roy Williams
3)Jim Calhoun
4)Tom Izzo
5)Rick Pitino

Coach K has fallen off that list. I think his teams lack the athletic ability to win the whole deal or even get to the Final Four. This is why they now getting smoked in the tournaments and are prime upset targets in the 1st round. I don't think Calipari is a great coach, but his teams are much more apt to make deep runs than Duke's now.

No one gets their team to peak like Izzo. He is hands down the best tournament coach in the game today, and has a long track record of doing so. I'm not sure there's a coach out there that would choose to face Sparty in the NCAAs.

Tubby got Tulsa up and running, not Self.

Good point. There were a line of coaches there that stepped on Tulsa.

1993–1994 Oral Roberts 6-21
1994–1995 Oral Roberts 10-17
1995–1996 Oral Roberts 18-9
1996–1997 Oral Roberts 21-7 NIT 1st Round
Oral Roberts: 55-54 (.505)

Tulsa (Western Athletic Conference) (1997–2000)
1997–1998 Tulsa 19-12 9-5 3rd (Pacific)
1998–1999 Tulsa 23-10 9-5 T-1st (Mountain) NCAA 2nd Round
1999–2000 Tulsa 32-5 12-2 1st NCAA Elite Eight
Tulsa: 74-27 (.733) 30-12

Illinois (Big Ten Conference) (2000–2003)
2000–2001 Illinois 27-8 13-3 T-1st NCAA Elite Eight
2001–2002 Illinois 26-9 11-5 T-1st NCAA Sweet 16
2002–2003 Illinois 25-7 11-5 2nd NCAA 2nd Round
Illinois: 78-24 (.765) 35-13

Kansas (Big 12 Conference) (2003–present)
2003–2004 Kansas 24-9 12-4 2nd NCAA Elite Eight
2004–2005 Kansas 23-7 12-4 T-1st NCAA 1st Round
2005–2006 Kansas 25-8 13-3 T-1st NCAA 1st Round
2006–2007 Kansas 33-5 14-2 1st NCAA Elite Eight
2007–2008 Kansas 37-3 13-3 T-1st NCAA Champions
2008–2009 Kansas 27-8 14-2 1st NCAA Sweet 16

Then their squad this year, that is easily going to pop over the 33-34 win mark....probably 35-36.

Sorry but Ol'Roy doesn't make the list. All the talent he wasted at Kansas? Winning w/ 5 star out of state talent doesn't qualify you for the list.
Guess he should get a honerable mention for sending Lenord a recruting letter a couple months back though.

So our definition of wasted talent here is not winning a National Championship?

Just looking at Roy's resume from his time at Kansas, I don't think you can say he wasted talent. Could he have won more? Yes, but many people that have impressive coaching resumes could have won more, too.

Final Fours: 1991, 1993, 2002, 2003
Big 12 Tournament Championship: 1997, 1998, 1999
Big 12 Regular Season Championship: 1997, 1998, 2002, 2003
Big Eight Tournament Championship: 1992
Big Eight Regular Season Championship: 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996

I don't know what the definition of wasting talent away is, but apparently it is losing to Arizona in 1997 with arguably the most talented team in the nation, and then in 1998 losing to Rhode Island in the second round.

The one thing about ole Deputy Dog is that he can coach as well as he can cry, and he is maybe the best at shedding tears on the planet this side of Dick Vermeil.

I'm sorry male chauvanists, but this thread is invalid without Pat Summitt and Geno Auriemma on your lists.

Hoops Fan Forum

Top 5 NCAA coaches (at this point in time)

Change or clarify the thread title, or include them.

Yes, i'm a smartass, and yes they both should be mentioned.

This list of accomplishments is incomplete. There's no list of how many times he lost in the NCAA first round two years in a row as a #3 and a #4 seed, with elite level talent.

2005 was a disappointment because that senior class had been to two Final Fours and came within an overtime loss to Georgia Tech of a third, but the 2006 loss was much more palatable.

Six of the top eight players by minutes played were either freshman or sophomores (the core of the 2008 championship team) and the remaining two were walk-ons. That's what happens when you lose three McDAAs in Padget, Giddens and Downs. The team wasn't even ranked until the week of Feb. 13-19 yet still won the Big XII regular season title, Big XII tourney title and earned a 4 seed.

2006 might have been Bill Self's greatest coaching accomplishment, a four point loss to Bradley aside.

Serious question, will you people still be claiming that Self isn't a great coach after he wins his second NC in three years, this one with an almost completely different roster?

Self has improved quite a bit as a coach. He's always been one of the top defensive coaches in the country, and is probably the best defensive coach now, anywhere.

He's proved to be very flexible offensively, changing his offense to fit his players.

Winning with 5 star out of state talent once in 20 years doesn't make him a good Coach. Just an "dag gum" lucky Huckle Berry Hound (that's what his nick name was in the B12).

Oh, and a Coach that tried to steal one of our players 8 months after they had committed.

You didn't read the fine print. UNC has first refusal on all 7 footers in the country. He was just trying to stand up for his rights.

Edit - watching some of the KU / Memphis game. Looks like Self has a pretty good Hair Club for Men weave this year, so watch out.

Ok, I'll bite......

I think there is a major confusion here with great coaches and great recruiters.

Great coaches:

Mark Few
Tom Izzo
Roy Williams
Jay Wright
Rick Barnes

As long as we're talking about Self: His new hairpiece is awful. I think he bought it at Mike Fratello's garage sale.

C'mon, the color almost matches and he has the back a little thin so it almost looks like it could be real.

:dance

No confusion, recruiting is a huge part of the job for college coaches. If you don't do it well, you aren't a great coach.

and I think all the guys on your list are very good recruiters.

In college basketball, the two pretty much go together. And Rick Barnes? Haven't heard many people praise him for his actual coaching abilities. Great recruiter for sure.

Actually, he lost in the second round of the tournament for three straight years from 1998 - 2000 with a #1, #6, and #8 seed.

In 1998 it was a bad loss, an upset (but very few coaches are immune to it) when his #1 seed Kansas team lost to #8 Rhode Island (Lamar Odom wasn't on the team, fwiw).

Then in 1999 they had a 6 seed and lost in the second round to #3 Kentucky.

Then in 2000 they had an 8 seed and lost to Duke in the second round.

So if you want to list out Roy's NCAA resume, it is not as bad as people say. Every one remembers Kansas losing to Arizona (Sweet 16) in 1997 and the 1998 upset to Rhode Island. That plays into the Roy cannot win the big one theme that was pretty prominent until 2005.

At Kansas in 14 eligible NCAA seasons (they were ineligible his first year), he didn't get to the Sweet 16 5 times, and in each year they lost in the second round. I know it's fun to make fun of Kansas for choking in the tournament, and God knows they have done it enough, and I make fun of my friends that are Kansas fans enough for it ... but Roy has a damn impressive resume, even with those losses.

He quoted your post about Roy but he was clearly referring to Self.

If you're refering to mini-ditka, I'd say he was clearly talking about Roy.

He said: This list of accomplishments is incomplete. There's no list of how many times he lost in the NCAA first round two years in a row as a #3 and a #4 seed, with elite level talent.

He was clearly referring to Self, hence my reply a few posts back.

You're right, I misread it. Or more accurately, misinterpreted what he wrote.

You are right, I read it wrong since he quoted my post about Roy. That should teach me to be more careful in reading.

It doesn't make his post any less stupid or your point any less valid. Roy and Bill are both great coaches.

I do get a kick out of the people who use a couple of bad tournament losses (and any coach who routinely puts his team in the tourney is going to have them) as proof positive a man can't coach. All the while, ignoring national titles, league championships, league tournament championships, and overall high level success.

Roy Williams is a great coach. Bill Self is a very good coach who may be accomplished enough in a few years to be considered great. My response was directed at the people who think that Self's accomplishments to this point are anywhere near Williams' (or Coach K's, or Izzo's, or Pitino's, or those of any other great coach). They aren't. Self has had talent as elite as anyone in the nation the last several years, and a NC (or at least multiple FF's) should be expected when you have that talent level going through your program. You can mark me down as guaranteeing that Kansas will not win the National Championship this year, despite their #1 ranking. In fact, I don't think they will make the Final Four, and they may not even win the Big 12.

And yes, losing in the 1st round two years in a row to FAR inferior teams does bear on whether you are a great coach. That doesn't happen to great coaches.

However, I will admit that Self's coaching has vastly improved the last couple of years. I didn't think he was a particularly good game coach at Illinois or his first few years at Kansas, even though I loved his high-post offense and I thought he was a pretty good defensive coach. He wasn't that great at making in-game adjustments when things weren't working, and he has improved that. Show me a couple more years of success that matches his teams' talent level at KU, and I'll consider him great.

Granted, Self has had a few embarrassments and disappointments as has pretty much every coach, even the great ones. But I don't see why people think that Bucknell loss is so unforgivable (bad yes, unforgivable? no). That team's three best players were freshmen. And IIRC there were no significant contributors on that team that were upperclassmen. Is it really so crazy to think a team lead by three freshmen is susceptible to an early NCAA exit? Even three really good freshmen? Not in my mind. But then these are the same people who claim the ND loss was unforgivable given the talent on U of I (once again ignoring a lack of experience outside of a couple of players), but then also claim they didn't get good until Bruce Weber coached them up.