The Athletic Top Coaches List

[CL82]

College basketball coaching tiers 2023: Dan Hurley moves into Tier 1, John Calipari falls

Based on expert input and our own criteria, here's how we rank the top coaches in Division I.

theathletic.com

The Big East is back to being "a coaches conference". It really is impressive when you look at the talent.

For what it's worth, I think Cooley is reading a little too high on this list and Shaka Smart too low.

 

[JRSlim2284]

It's alphabetized in each tier (not trying to poke fun at you). That said, I'd rather flip Calipari with Hurley. Too soon to consider him a top tier coach (if Shaheen or Ewing won last year, id say the same thing).

 

[CL82]

It's alphabetized in each tier (not trying to poke fun at you). That said, I'd rather flip Calipari with Hurley. Too soon to consider him a top tier coach (if Shaheen or Ewing won last year, id say the same thing).

Lol, I completely missed that!

I think Hurley's got a little bit of recency bias due to winning the national championship last year. He's definitely grown as a coach since being at Connecticut. I think that will continue, but you can definitely make a fair argument that winning won national championship shouldn't get you into tier 1. But if you did, who's left? And Pitino, who technically only has one since the one at Louisville Was rescinded and Self who may well be the dirtiest coach ever in the game of basketball.

 

[TheHall87]

I can see why Calipari would drop to Tier 2 as UK has fallen on hard times relative to its (and his) typical standing but he's the only coach with a national championship outside of Tier 1.

Hurley does seem to be a bit of a outlier given he is far less experienced than the rest of the list.

FWIW, Few and Sampson, the only non-champions in Tier 1, are there because of 1400 wins combined and winning percentages of 84% and 68% respectively

 

[radecicco]

Juwan Howard and Porter Moser both came in for some heavy criticism in this article. Sha comes in middle of the pack, below Pike but in the mix with guys like Steve Forbes, Micah Shrewsbury and Mike Woodson. Interesting list.

 

[JRSlim2284]

General question: how do you objectively rate a coach like Woodson with his NBA background? The article places Woodson as a Tier 4 vs someone like Willard who is Tier 3, based on their criteria.

 

[SOBO1]

It’s amazing what difference a year can make. This time last year the narrative was that Hurley has to win this year. Now he is living large on these best coaches lists.

 

[CL82]

It’s amazing what difference a year can make. This time last year the narrative was that Hurley has to win this year. Now he is living large on these best coaches lists.

Winning a national championship will do that.

 

[dehere23]

Flags fly forever. Gun to head, do I think Hurley is on the same level as the more established coaches on that list (Izzo, Self, Pitino, etc). No, based on body of work, and only for that reason, since a number of those guys have done it longer, including at different stops). But when you are coming off a title and have the UCONN program reloaded, back to seemingly being a blue blood, you get all the credit that comes with that terrain.