Ranking coaches at their alma maters: Matt Painter a slam dunk at Purdue; Kenny Payne flopped at Louisville

When new Kentucky coach Mark Pope walked off a bus inside Rupp Arena final month holding the 1996 nationwide championship trophy he helped win as a participant for the Wildcats, an area stuffed to the brim with UK followers went nuts celebrating the return of a champion. It was a frenzied second of each nostalgia and hope that the previous and current will collide to carry extra triumphs with Pope because the coach at his alma mater.

On the one hand, Pope has but to win an NCAA Tournament recreation throughout 9 whole seasons as a coach at Utah Valley and BYU. Though his profession 187-108 document is strong, his resume pales compared to national-title winners similar to Billy Donovan, Dan Hurley and Scott Drew, who have been every linked to the UK opening at some stage.

But however, Pope is aware of firsthand what it takes to achieve the head of faculty basketball whereas carrying a Wildcats uniform. Kentucky went 62-7 throughout Pope’s two seasons underneath Rick Pitino, earned a pair of No. 1 seeds within the NCAA Tournament and gained the trophy that Pope toted on his manner off the bus.

Pope averaged 7.6 factors, 5.2 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 20.3 minutes per recreation for the 1995-96 title group, incomes him a spot within the lore of a proud program.

“Guys, it is the greatest honor that I will ever have in my professional…career to be able to come back here and do this with you,” Pope stated. “The difference between Kentucky and every other program in the country is that this is not my team. It is not even our team. It is our team.”

Time will inform whether or not the passionate reunion between Kentucky and Pope yields the outcomes UK followers are hoping for. They don’t must look far for an instance of how a joyous reunion can go flawed. Kenny Payne gained a nationwide championship as a participant at Louisville in 1986, however flopped as a coach, posting a 12-52 mark in two seasons from 2022-24.

Recent historical past exhibits that coaches returning to the colleges the place they as soon as performed produce a combination of outcomes starting from horrendous to triumphant. Here’s the rating of huge hits, large misses and a look at a few of those that fell someplace in between. 

The coaches ranked are both lively now or have been employed by their former college throughout the previous 15 years.

Big hits

1. Matt Painter, Purdue (2005-present)

Painter spent one season as a faculty head coach at Southern Illinois earlier than returning to Purdue to be the Boilermakers head coach in ready.in 2004. After one season working underneath Gene Keady, his former coach, Painter took over the top job. Now 19 years in, his stardom has by no means been greater. The Boilermakers are coming off consecutive outright Big Ten titles and simply reached the Final Four for the primary time since 1980. 

2. Fred Hoiberg, Iowa State (2010-15)

With no collegiate teaching expertise, Hoiberg took over at Iowa State simply a few years after retiring as a participant. He produced beautiful outcomes for a program that had posted 4 straight shedding information earlier than his arrival. After going 16-16 in Year 1, Hoiberg took ISU to 4 straight NCAA Tournaments earlier than he was employed as head coach of the Chicago Bulls.

3. Hubert Davis, North Carolina (2021-present)

Davis is doing a good job by way of three seasons as he navigates the unenviable job of changing Roy Williams. He began by main the Tar Heels to the Final Four in 2021-22. Although the 2022-23 season was a large flop, UNC rebounded by successful the ACC common season title and reaching the Sweet 16 as a No. 1 seed in 2023-24. Next yr’s squad is shaping up fairly properly as UNC stands at No. 3 in Gary Parrish’s Top 25 And 1.

4. Jamie Dixon, TCU (2016-present)

TCU had been to only two NCAA Tournaments since growth in 1985 earlier than Dixon took over in 2017. The former Horned Frogs guard has guided his alma mater to 4 appearances within the Big Dance and 6 20-win seasons in eight years. TCU was a Big 12 punching bag earlier than Dixon’s arrival. Now, it has made three consecutive NCAA Tournaments for the primary time in program historical past.

5. Jon Scheyer, Duke (2022-present)

Elevated to switch Mike Krzyzewski at simply 34, Scheyer has saved the Duke customary excessive in his first two years by successful the ACC Tournament in his first season and reaching the Elite Eight in his second. Scheyer has one other large problem forward as he builds his 2024-25 roster round No. 1 ranked freshman Cooper Flagg. His legacy is generally undetermined at this level, however he’s been good to this point.  

Big misses

1. Kenny Payne, Louisville (2022-24)

After years as an assistant at Oregon, Kentucky and with the New York Knicks, Payne landed the top teaching job at his alma mater in 2022. His tenure an unmitigated catastrophe. The Cardinals misplaced an exhibition recreation to Division II Lenoir-Rhyne earlier than Payne’s tenure formally started, and issues by no means improved. He was fired after going 12-52 in two seasons.

2. Kim Anderson, Missouri (2014-17)

Unlike most of the different busts, Anderson really entered with vital expertise working a faculty program. His Central Missouri group gained the 2014 Division II nationwide title, and that achievement catapulted Anderson to the highest seat at Mizzou. But the Tigers by no means gained greater than 10 video games in his three seasons, and Anderson’s tenure concluded with an 8-46 mark in SEC play.

3. Eddie Jordan, Rutgers (2013-16)

Jordan starred for Rutgers’ 1976 Final Four group and loved a fruitful NBA enjoying and training profession. But he couldn’t replicate that success at Rutgers. Faced with the tough job of navigating the Scarlet Knights from the Big East to the Big Ten, Jordan posted a 7-25 (1-17 Big Ten) mark in his third and closing season.

4. Patrick Ewing, Georgetown (2017-23)

Ewing’s tenure started in considerably respectable trend because the Hoyas completed 19-14 (9-9 Big East) with an NIT look in his second season. Then, in Year 4, he led the Hoyas on a beautiful Big East Tournament title run that resulted in a shock NCAA Tournament look. But the underside fell out throughout his final two seasons as Georgetown went 13-50 total and 2-37 within the Big East, which led to a change following the 2022-23 season.

5. Chris Mullin, St. John’s (2015-19)

A 3-time Big East Player of the Year throughout his time in faculty, Mullin landed the St. John’s job in 2015 and steadily improved, culminating with an look within the 2019 NCAA Tournament. But on the entire, it was a battle. The Red Storm by no means posted a successful document in Big East play throughout Mullin’s 4 seasons as he completed simply 20-52 in convention video games.

Mixed bag

These outstanding coaches who have been employed by the colleges the place they performed are a blended bag of success and frustration.

Mike Woodson, Indiana (2021-present)

Neither of Woodson’s two most-recent predecessors at Indiana did something price mentioning in their first three seasons, and by the point Archie Miller was fired in 2021, it had been 5 years because the Hoosiers reached the NCAA Tournament. Woodson got here in and instantly obtained IU to consecutive NCAA Tournaments. Though IU regressed to 19-14 and missed the Big Dance in 2024, Woodson has a sturdy class of transfers coming into. This one may nonetheless go both manner.

Juwan Howard, Michigan (2019-24)

Howard took Michigan to an Elite Eight as a No. 1 seed in his second season and led the Wolverines again to the Sweet 16 the next season. It resulted in flames following an 8-24 season and loads of drama. But his five-year roller-coaster of a tenure featured some highs that ought to be acknowledged.

Penny Hardaway, Memphis (2018-present)

Memphis has gained 20+ video games in all six seasons of Hardaway’s tenure, which is spectacular for somebody who entered the job with no teaching expertise past the highschool stage. But the Tigers have but to achieve the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament. Given the large recreation Hardaway talked early in his tenure, the dearth of postseason pop is disappointing.

Shaheen Holloway, Seton Hall (2022-present)

Holloway simply led Seton Hall to a 25-win season and NIT title after the Pirates have been left on the flawed aspect of the NCAA Tournament bubble with a 13-7 Big East document. Normally, that sort of season could be a harbinger of huge issues to return. But the portal hit Seton Hall with pressure, leaving Holloway on uneven footing coming into Year 3 on the job.

Kevin Ollie, UConn (2012-18)

UConn gained the 2014 nationwide championship in Ollie’s second season as coach. Eventually, amid diminishing on-court outcomes and allegations of NCAA violations, he was fired for trigger. Ollie’s six-year run featured the very best of highs and the bottom of lows.

Keeping rating

Notable latest coaches at their alma maters