Since it's the Big East I decided to post this separately
Jeff GoodmanESPN Insider
These rankings go in descending order from least to most stable. Keep in mind that stability is not solely determined by whether a program will want to part ways with its head coach if there are perceived failings; often, success will make it difficult, if not impossible, for a program to keep a coach from leaving for a seemingly better job.
Here is the breakdown of each Big East coaching situation.
Chris Mullin, St. John's Red Storm
Second season, 8-24
He was hired a little more than a year ago to replace Steve Lavin and lead the program back to the glory days. In his defense, he didn't inherit much and it was a throwaway year. But he also looked disinterested much of the season on the sideline. The Johnnies went 8-24 and will bring in some talent next season, but it will be interesting to see if St. John's can be better than the Lavin regime -- which produced two NCAA tournament appearances in five seasons. It will also be interesting to see if the 52-year-old Hall of Famer is in this for the long haul.
Dave Leitao, DePaul Blue Demons
Second season, 9-22
Year 1 of his second stint at DePaul wasn't pretty. The 56-year-old signed a five-year deal through 2020 when he was hired by AD Jean Lenti Ponsetto, and he should be fine for the next couple of years. But let's face it: DePaul is a tough, tough gig. The trio of Pat Kennedy, Jerry Wainright and Oliver Purnell went a combined 180-270 and made just one NCAA appearance (Kennedy, in 2000). Leitao was 58-34 and went to the postseason all three times in his first go-around, but DePaul was in Conference USA then.
Steve Wojciechowski, Marquette Golden Eagles
Third season, 33-32
He didn't inherit much from Buzz Williams, and he struggled in his rookie campaign. This past season was an improvement with 20 wins, but there was no postseason appearance. Now Wojo will have some pressure to get to the NCAA tournament over the next two years, and he'll have to do it without Henry Ellenson, who left for the NBA after just one season. Wojo did get a two-year extension in 2015 that runs through 2022, but he'll need to get to the tournament in the next couple of years or else he'll feel the heat.
Kevin Willard, Seton Hall Pirates
Seventh season, 107-90
Willard was on the hot seat entering the season, but it's cooled off a bit after he took the Pirates to the NCAA tournament this past season. Willard has two years remaining on his current contact and if he can take next year's team to the tournament, it's difficult to imagine him not getting an extension from athletic director Pat Lyons, who has stuck with him. Willard lost Isaiah Whitehead from last season's team, but he returns his other four starters and has a team more than capable of getting back.
John Thompson III, Georgetown Hoyas
13th Season, 264-133
Frankly, he'd be lower on this list if his last name weren't Thompson. The positive is that JT3 has taken the Hoyas to the NCAA tournament in eight of his 12 seasons at the helm. However, there's a negative: Georgetown hasn't gotten past the first weekend since it went to the Final Four back in 2007. It's still unclear how long Thompson's current deal goes through, but he made nearly $3 million a year ago. As long as his father is Big John Thompson, it's difficult to imagine the younger Thompson is any legitimate trouble.
Chris Holtmann, Butler Bulldogs
Third season, 45-22
Holtmann has done a tremendous job, especially given the circumstances. Remember, this is a guy who took over on an interim basis just before the start of the 2014 campaign after Brandon Miller stepped away because of personal reasons. Miller had the interim tag removed a couple months into the start of the 2014-15 season, and has taken the Bulldogs to the NCAA tournament in both of his two seasons. Holtmann spurned an opportunity to go to Georgia Tech this past offseason, but he could still be a candidate for other jobs going forward, especially if he's able to keep the program nationally relevant. He just inked a six-year deal this past April that runs through 2022.
Chris Mack, Xavier Musketeers
Eighth season, 162-77
The 46-year-old is coming off a 28-6 campaign, has taken the Musketeers to a trio of Sweet 16s in his seven seasons and has a group back that could spent most of next season in the top 10 and battling for the Big East title again. Mack has turned down multiple jobs, and would only leave Xavier for an elite-level gig -- and those don't open all that often and when they do, they aren't exactly easy to land. Mack received a one-year extension on his deal this past offseason that runs through 2022.
Jay Wright, Villanova Wildcats
16th season, 354-157
It wasn't all that long ago that Wright was being criticized for not getting past the first weekend of the NCAA tournament since the Final Four appearance in 2009, but this past April he got the ultimate vote of confidence when the Wildcats beat North Carolina to win the national title. Wright has turned down multiple college jobs, including Kentucky, so it's highly unlikely he leaves the Main Line for another college gig. There is, however, still always that chance he could jump to the NBA, especially if Villanova makes another deep run next season and the Sixers make a move with Brett Brown.
Ed Cooley, Providence Friars
Sixth season, 103-67
Cooley is a Providence native who has taken the Friars to three NCAA tournaments in his five years since coming back home. To put that into perspective, Providence went to three in the previous 17 seasons under the trio of Keno Davis (zero), Tim Welsh (two) and Pete Gillen (one). The 46-year-old Cooley will now have to rebuild after losing Kris Dunn and Ben Bentil, but he's built up no shortage of equity. Again, he's a favored son. Oh yeah, he also just agreed to a 10-year deal that goes through 2026.
Greg McDermott, Creighton Bluejays
Seventh season, 141-72
When Doug McDermott graduated after 2014, there was naturally that question about whether Creighton would get back to the NCAA tournament, especially while still undergoing a transition to the Big East. It wasn't pretty in the first season of the Post-Dougie Buckets Era; the Bluejays finished under .500. Last year, though, they won 20 games, went to the NIT and return its core and add Kansas State transfer Marcus Foster this season. McDermott's AD, Bruce Rasmussen, loves Big Mac and signed him to a 10-year deal when he hired him in 2010. I'm not sure McDermott goes anywhere in the near future, especially after already giving it a shot at Iowa State.
Jeff GoodmanESPN Insider
These rankings go in descending order from least to most stable. Keep in mind that stability is not solely determined by whether a program will want to part ways with its head coach if there are perceived failings; often, success will make it difficult, if not impossible, for a program to keep a coach from leaving for a seemingly better job.
Here is the breakdown of each Big East coaching situation.
Chris Mullin, St. John's Red Storm
Second season, 8-24
He was hired a little more than a year ago to replace Steve Lavin and lead the program back to the glory days. In his defense, he didn't inherit much and it was a throwaway year. But he also looked disinterested much of the season on the sideline. The Johnnies went 8-24 and will bring in some talent next season, but it will be interesting to see if St. John's can be better than the Lavin regime -- which produced two NCAA tournament appearances in five seasons. It will also be interesting to see if the 52-year-old Hall of Famer is in this for the long haul.
Dave Leitao, DePaul Blue Demons
Second season, 9-22
Year 1 of his second stint at DePaul wasn't pretty. The 56-year-old signed a five-year deal through 2020 when he was hired by AD Jean Lenti Ponsetto, and he should be fine for the next couple of years. But let's face it: DePaul is a tough, tough gig. The trio of Pat Kennedy, Jerry Wainright and Oliver Purnell went a combined 180-270 and made just one NCAA appearance (Kennedy, in 2000). Leitao was 58-34 and went to the postseason all three times in his first go-around, but DePaul was in Conference USA then.
Steve Wojciechowski, Marquette Golden Eagles
Third season, 33-32
He didn't inherit much from Buzz Williams, and he struggled in his rookie campaign. This past season was an improvement with 20 wins, but there was no postseason appearance. Now Wojo will have some pressure to get to the NCAA tournament over the next two years, and he'll have to do it without Henry Ellenson, who left for the NBA after just one season. Wojo did get a two-year extension in 2015 that runs through 2022, but he'll need to get to the tournament in the next couple of years or else he'll feel the heat.
Kevin Willard, Seton Hall Pirates
Seventh season, 107-90
Willard was on the hot seat entering the season, but it's cooled off a bit after he took the Pirates to the NCAA tournament this past season. Willard has two years remaining on his current contact and if he can take next year's team to the tournament, it's difficult to imagine him not getting an extension from athletic director Pat Lyons, who has stuck with him. Willard lost Isaiah Whitehead from last season's team, but he returns his other four starters and has a team more than capable of getting back.
John Thompson III, Georgetown Hoyas
13th Season, 264-133
Frankly, he'd be lower on this list if his last name weren't Thompson. The positive is that JT3 has taken the Hoyas to the NCAA tournament in eight of his 12 seasons at the helm. However, there's a negative: Georgetown hasn't gotten past the first weekend since it went to the Final Four back in 2007. It's still unclear how long Thompson's current deal goes through, but he made nearly $3 million a year ago. As long as his father is Big John Thompson, it's difficult to imagine the younger Thompson is any legitimate trouble.
Chris Holtmann, Butler Bulldogs
Third season, 45-22
Holtmann has done a tremendous job, especially given the circumstances. Remember, this is a guy who took over on an interim basis just before the start of the 2014 campaign after Brandon Miller stepped away because of personal reasons. Miller had the interim tag removed a couple months into the start of the 2014-15 season, and has taken the Bulldogs to the NCAA tournament in both of his two seasons. Holtmann spurned an opportunity to go to Georgia Tech this past offseason, but he could still be a candidate for other jobs going forward, especially if he's able to keep the program nationally relevant. He just inked a six-year deal this past April that runs through 2022.
Chris Mack, Xavier Musketeers
Eighth season, 162-77
The 46-year-old is coming off a 28-6 campaign, has taken the Musketeers to a trio of Sweet 16s in his seven seasons and has a group back that could spent most of next season in the top 10 and battling for the Big East title again. Mack has turned down multiple jobs, and would only leave Xavier for an elite-level gig -- and those don't open all that often and when they do, they aren't exactly easy to land. Mack received a one-year extension on his deal this past offseason that runs through 2022.
Jay Wright, Villanova Wildcats
16th season, 354-157
It wasn't all that long ago that Wright was being criticized for not getting past the first weekend of the NCAA tournament since the Final Four appearance in 2009, but this past April he got the ultimate vote of confidence when the Wildcats beat North Carolina to win the national title. Wright has turned down multiple college jobs, including Kentucky, so it's highly unlikely he leaves the Main Line for another college gig. There is, however, still always that chance he could jump to the NBA, especially if Villanova makes another deep run next season and the Sixers make a move with Brett Brown.
Ed Cooley, Providence Friars
Sixth season, 103-67
Cooley is a Providence native who has taken the Friars to three NCAA tournaments in his five years since coming back home. To put that into perspective, Providence went to three in the previous 17 seasons under the trio of Keno Davis (zero), Tim Welsh (two) and Pete Gillen (one). The 46-year-old Cooley will now have to rebuild after losing Kris Dunn and Ben Bentil, but he's built up no shortage of equity. Again, he's a favored son. Oh yeah, he also just agreed to a 10-year deal that goes through 2026.
Greg McDermott, Creighton Bluejays
Seventh season, 141-72
When Doug McDermott graduated after 2014, there was naturally that question about whether Creighton would get back to the NCAA tournament, especially while still undergoing a transition to the Big East. It wasn't pretty in the first season of the Post-Dougie Buckets Era; the Bluejays finished under .500. Last year, though, they won 20 games, went to the NIT and return its core and add Kansas State transfer Marcus Foster this season. McDermott's AD, Bruce Rasmussen, loves Big Mac and signed him to a 10-year deal when he hired him in 2010. I'm not sure McDermott goes anywhere in the near future, especially after already giving it a shot at Iowa State.
