Among the fans, one of the most controversial aspects during a coaching search is agreeing on what qualifications the new coach should have.
The opinions run the spectrum, from only former Villanova head coach Jay Wright and his two national titles will do, to hiring a winner like Drake’s Ben McCollum and his one season at Division I is the move.
So where do high-major’s top college coaches actually come from?
Chosen mostly from today’s KenPom top-30, with a few notable exceptions and additions, here is where 32 of the most prominent coaches in college basketball came from.
What does this inform us about Indiana’s process?
IN HOUSE PROMOTION (5)
This looks like a solid path if a successor has been groomed. But Indiana doesn’t appear to have a coach-in-waiting:
- Duke’s Jon Scheyer
- Michigan State’s Tom Izzo
- Purdue’s Matt Painter
- Gonzaga’s Mark Few
- Wisconsin’s Greg Gard
- North Carolina’s Hubert Davis
UNEMPLOYED DUE TO SANCTIONS/CONTROVERSY (3)
All three of these individuals have been tied to Indiana’s search. But there’s no one in this category and currently out of the game who the Hoosiers are considering.
- Auburn’s Bruce Pearl
- Houston’s Kelvin Sampson
- Ole Miss’ Chris Beard
FROM MID-MAJOR (12)
Indiana fans are scarred by the Archie Miller experience. But hires from the mid-major ranks can be home runs.
- Florida’s Todd Golden
- Alabama’s Nate Oats
- Texas Tech’s Grant McCasland
- Iowa State’s T.J. Otzelberger
- St. John’s Rick Pitino
- Clemson’s Brad Brownell
- Missouri’s Dennis Gates
- Louisville’s Pat Kelsey
- UCLA’s Mick Cronin
- Michigan’s Dusty May
- Baylor’s Scott Drew
- UConn’s Dan Hurley
FROM HIGH-MAJOR (8)
This is the path most Indiana fans want to follow, but it’s a relatively uncommon move.
- Tennessee’s Rick Barnes
- Kentucky’s Mark Pope
- Maryland’s Kevin Willard
- Texas A&M’s Buzz Williams
- Illinois’ Brad Underwood
- Kansas’ Bill Self
- Marquette’s Shaka Smart
- Creighton’s Greg McDermott
ASSISTANT COACH AT ANOTHER PROGRAM (2)
This is another path no one expects IU to follow, but it certainly paid off for the two programs here.
- Arizona’s Tommy Lloyd
- St. Mary’s Randy Bennett
FROM NBA (1)
Another very uncommon path. The irony of course is this is the one route IU fans would unite around the most (Brad Stevens), even though the current coach (Mike Woodson) and many other NBA to college hires didn’t pan out.
- BYU’s Kevin Young
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