Top Coaching Jobs - #6

With Indiana facing certain sanctions from the NCAA for the next several years, the Hooisers were still able to land Tom Crean. Roy Williams left the Kansas Jayhawks for North Carolina in 2003. Kansas was able to replace him with Bill Self, from Illinois, who just recently turned down Oklahoma State to stay at Kansas.

It makes you wonder, what are the Top 10 coaching jobs in college basketball? We here at Drinking the Forty consulted with some of the finest basketball experts in the country to find out. Hey, if ESPN can pull random people off the street and call them experts, then we can too.

Here is our Top 10, based on a program’s national persona, recent success, fan base, facilities, history and tradition, and potential for future success.

#6.) Indiana Hooisers

One of the crown jewels of college basketball, just ask any basketball person over 50 about the program and look out for the ensuing drool. Since Bob Knight was forced to go, the Indiana program has been in limbo. From the Mike Davis years to the giant black eye named Kelvin Sampson (that’s what you get for hiring a Sooner), the Indiana program has faced some rough times as of late.

But one thing that shows that this program is still among the tops in the sport is the way it has remained in the news and relevant despite its struggles. With major NCAA sanctions looming, (granted they won’t be as bad as Baylor, I guess that’s a perk of being a major player in your sport) the Hooisers were still able to land a major hire in Tom Crean of Marquette. The ability to go in and say, “Hey, you’ll probably have 0 returning starters, face several years of probation, and be expected to win immediately, but did we say we’re Indiana?” and get the coach to sign the dotted line, speaks volumes about the tradition, history, and relevance of this program.

While the .624 winning percentage over the last seven years is not where Indiana would like it, they have had a few seasons in contention in the Big Ten, including the improbable Mike Davis trip to the Final Four. But, what makes Indiana is the tradition and history. It’s the candy stripe pants, Assembly Hall, five national championships, and eight final fours. Whether they win or lose, they still will be Indiana, one of the most storied programs in basketball.

Indiana had been fighting their hardest to become relevant again, and took the shortcut named Kelvin Sampson to do it. Despite the NCAA sanctions, the relevance was achieved. Sampson was able to land a major recruit in Eric Gordon, and while he will be heading to the NBA, Indiana showed it is still capable of attracting the best players. Tom Crean’s success in Marquette will allow him to recruit anywhere in the Midwest, and coupled with the Indiana name, he should be able to become the leader in the region, which is important in keeping Chicago talent close to home.

While it may take two or three years to fully get the program back on track, Crean was the perfect hire to bring Indiana back to elite status in college basketball. It has been 21 years since the Hooisers cut down the nets, but with Tom Crean at the helm, the possibility isn’t that far off. And that is why the Indiana Hooisers come in at number six on our list.

#7.) Florida Gators
#8) Michigan State Spartans
#9.) Connecticut Huskies
#10.) Arizona Wildcats

Knight Wants to Hunt More In Neighbor's Yard

Bob Knight resigned unexpectedly on Monday, turning over the head coaching job at Texas Tech to his son Pat Knight. Sources cited that Knight stepped down because after 42 years of coaching, he "was tired". Texas Tech is in the midst of a difficult season, where an NIT bid might be their only chance.

While Knight will never be remembered for his coaching exploits at Texas Tech, he did a lot to bring stability and respectability to an inconsistent Red Raider program. It gave Knight a chance to start over after Indiana in a place that would be out of the glaring media spotlight he encountered in Indiana.


He came to Texas Tech during a period that saw the coaches in the Big XII improve dramatically. While he found out early on that it is difficult to get top basketball prospects to want to go to Lubbock, Texas, he managed to turn teams that were low on talent into Big XII contenders year in and year out. His teams were ones that you looked at on paper and figured they should be easy wins, and it never really turned out that way.

He will forever be known as one of the top coaches in the history of the college game and certainly the most poloarizing figure to ever grace the hardwood. Bob Knight did it his way and was successful at it. He will be missed in the Big XII, and Texas Tech certainly will not be the same without him.

What lies ahead for Texas Tech is unknown. Pat Knight will take over, and Red Raider fans hope that he is able to do a better job than Sean Sutton, who replaced his father Eddie at Oklahoma State. Texas Tech has a difficult time recruiting, and that was with Bob Knight at the healm. Pat Knight will have a very big challenge in front of him as the program is already short on talent. He is an unproven coach that is getting his first taste of head coaching in a major conference.

This is a period of transition for the Big XII as Oklahoma State has fallen off, Oklahoma is just starting to get back, Kansas State will have major question marks after the season, Texas Tech will surely experience some problems, and many other teams are rebuilding. Kelvin Sampson, Bob Huggins, Billy Gillespie, Eddie Sutton, and Bob Knight have all moved on in the last two years and the conference is still in the rebuilding process. Kansas and Texas remain strong, while Texas A&M should be able to maintain their level under Mark Turgeon. Baylor looks to be a newcomer under Scott Drew and Oklahoma looks to almost be back under Jeff Capel. But after that, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, Nebraska, Colorado, Missouri, Iowa State, and Kansas State (after Beasley and Walker go pro) are far from NCAA Tournament programs.

Bob Knight signals the changing of a guard in the Big XII as it now becomes a conference that must rebuild its ranks with top young coaches. That is the direction that Colorado, Iowa State, and Missouri have taken. I believe Oklahoma State and Texas Tech will follow suit in the next few years, because I don't think Sutton and Knight part duex can be successful. Nepotism is rarely a winning strategy.

Bob Knight will be missed, and he leaves Texas Tech with his legacy untarnished. He is one of the great all-time coaches, and possibly the greatest personality. Here's to hoping he doesn't join Eddie Sutton at a bottom dweller in the West Coast Conference.