Top Thirty up-and-coming coaches you should know
Amaka Agugua-Hamilton, Michigan State associate head coach- When Spartan head coach Suzy Merchant had to step away for a few weeks a season ago for health reasons, Agugua-Hamilton stepped in and led Michigan State to a 3-3 record. While a .500 record isn’t usually something to be excited about, the way she was able to steady the team while it collectively worried about their head coach was something to be impressed by. Since her time began in East Lansing, Agugua-Hamilton has helped Sparty land four consecutive top-35 recruiting classes and the team has missed the postseason only once. While she is already a name that is known in inner circles, if she can help Michigan State reach the Sweet Sixteen- something they haven’t done since 2008- her name will shoot right to the top of many short lists.
Courtney Banghart, Princeton head coach- In 2009-10, Banghart’s third year at Princeton, the Tigers made the NCAA tournament. Since then, they’ve never finished worst than 2nd in conference and have made the Big Dance or WNIT every single season. Tack on the 2015 Naismith National Coach of the Year after going 31-1 and you’ve got a 40-year-old coach who is the envy of many. Her name is one that is often in the mix anytime a Power 5 job has opened, but she has yet to make the leap. Most agree that she can afford to wait it out for a job that is really appealing to her. Next time an academically inclined school with a good tradition opens up, be prepared to see Banghart’s name attached to the serious candidate list.
Vanessa Blair-Lewis, Bethune-Cookman head coach- The difficulties faced by most HBCUs are well documented, and building a consistent program at them is no different. Blair-Lewis has taken her Wildcats team to three straight MEAC regular-season championships, a program record 24-wins a year ago, and three straight WNITs. Entering her 11th year at the Daytona Beach located school, Blair-Lewis may very well be happy being where she is at but there is no doubt she can coach. While coaches in the MEAC- and other conferences who feature HBCUs prominently- are often overlooked, Blair-Lewis quietly put the work in and deserves a shot elsewhere if she were to want it.
Kelly Bond-White, Texas A&M associate head coach- If you’ve watched any Gary Blair coached team in the past 18 seasons, you’ve seen Kelly Bond-White right by his side. For the past 15 years, plus three at Arkansas, Bond-White has helped Blair build a formidable program, including a team that won the 2011 national championship. Her recruiting ability is well known and proven every year, and she is well respected in the inner circles. She has been in the mix for head coaching jobs before- most recently with Wichita State last year- and she will surely be in them moving forward. It is worth wondering what happens when Gary Blair retires… would A&M hand the reigns to a first-time head coach, or could Bond-White go prove herself elsewhere then return?
Dan Burt, Duquesne head coach- Never one to mince his words or thoughts, Dan Burt has helped Duquesne transform into one of the more steady mid-majors in the country. Starting his 6th season in charge of the Dukes, Burt’s teams have won 20+ games each year except one and have made the NCAA tournament or WNIT every single year. The 48-year-old’s name was predictably thrown out when neighboring Pittsburgh opened last summer, but Burt showed no interest in the ACC school. After starting his career as an assistant at West Virginia from 1998-2001, Burt has only coached at mid-majors (UNC-W, Bucknell, Duquesne). With his comfort at that level- not to mention a program that is better than many Power 5s anyways- it would likely take a special situation to pull Burt away.
Mark Campbell, Oregon associate head coach- He is only entering his ninth season as a college coach on the women’s side- he coached men for several years- but the results have been spectacular. Campbell was one of Scott Rueck’s first hires when he took over at Oregon State and while the team was still in rebuild mode for much of his time there, Campbell helped get things rolling in recruiting that eventually saw the Beavers in the Final Four two years after his departure. With the Ducks, it’s been much of the same. Instrumental in landing All-Everything point guard Sabrina Ionescu- among others- Campbell has helped Kelly Graves turn Oregon into a national championship contender in just four seasons. A lifelong West Coaster, the question with Campbell is what job would he leave for. Nothing in the PAC-12 will be open anytime soon- barring something unforeseen- and he may prefer to see how far the Ducks can go. Either that or someone from further inland gives him an offer he can’t refuse.
Joy Cheek, Clemson assistant coach- It’s telling that for the third time, a new head coach at a school hired Cheek onto their staff: Kevin McGuff at Ohio State, Stephanie White at Vanderbilt and now Amanda Butler at Clemson. A former 1,000 point scorer at Duke, Cheek has made a name for herself as an excellent recruiter and has the respect of many around the sport. If she goes for a head job in the next year or two, it will be interesting to see if athletic directors will hold her team’s recent records against her; Vanderbilt struggled in her two seasons and Clemson is a massive rebuild job. There is no rush for all of that though, as Cheek just turned 30-years-old. If Clemson does make improvements, she could be one of the hottest commodities in the country.
More from NCAA
- Your Day in Women’s Basketball, April 6: Stanford defeats Arizona in a tightly contested matchup to win the national title
- Your Day in Women’s Basketball, March 30: UConn and Baylor deliver a classic battle of storied programs
- Your Day in Women’s Basketball, March 26: Louisville and Texas A&M survive and advance
- Your Day in Women’s Basketball, March 23: Highlights from the first round of the NCAA Tournament
- Your Day in Women’s Basketball, March 16: Tournament bracket released
Megan Duffy, Miami (OH) head coach- You think Miami (OH) is happy with their decision to hire the then 34-year-old as their new head coach? After failing to eclipse 11 wins in the previous four seasons, the Redhawks went 21-10 in Duffy’s first season, the biggest turnaround in the country. They almost crashed the NCAA tournament too, falling in the MAC championship to eventual Sweet Sixteen participant Central Michigan by a score of 61-58. She still needs to show year one wasn’t a flash in the pan, but many expect Duffy to continue her success. While most assume Muffet McGraw’s successor at Notre Dame is already in-house, it wouldn’t be crazy to think that the former Irish All-American point guard might be in the mix when the time comes.
Kyra Elzy, Kentucky assistant coach- An SEC veteran and only having seen three losing seasons since her assistant coaching debut back in 2002 with Western Kentucky, Kyra Elzy is back at Kentucky for the second time after coaching for four years at Tennesee, her alma mater. This season marks her eighth in Lexington and Elzy’s impact has been noticed by many. Kentucky’s recruiting took a drop when she was gone and then immediately got back up to their standards upon her return. She knows what it takes to operate at a high level and wouldn’t be a surprise to see her running her own program in the next few years.
JD Gravina, Western Illinois head coach- A name that was tossed around in the rumor mill last offseason when Texas Tech was looking for a coach, Gravina has done quite the job at Western Illinois. Two consecutive 20-win seasons, something that hadn’t been done at WIU in 15 years, plus an NCAA tournament birth in 2017 have many eyes looking towards Macomb. Oh yeah, they also beat Stanford on the road last season. One of the top teams in the country in terms of 3-points shooting attempts and makes, the Leathernecks play a style that many teams are starting to turn to which makes you wonder how long before a big school pulls the trigger on Gravina.
Johnnie Harris, Mississippi State associate head coach- The 2018 Women’s Basketball Coaches Association assistant coach of the year has been by Vic Schaefer’s side long before Mississipi State. Both served as assistants together at Arkansas and Texas A&M as well- and won a national championship at A&M- and Harris has been a huge reason for the success of the Bulldogs. With over 20 years of experience, it’s getting to the point that Harris is as ready as she’ll ever be for a head coaching position. No one would blame her if she stayed in Starkville and enjoy the fruits of her labor, but you’d think the time is close for Harris to her shot at the top spot.
Niele Ivey, Notre Dame associate head coach- Shocker. Ivey is perhaps the assistant coach that everyone is waiting on to take a head job- well, her and someone else, who we will get to later- and has everyone wondering if she is just waiting for the Irish top spot. Other than a two-year stint at Xavier following her All-American and WNBA playing career, Ivey has spent her entire coaching life in South Bend. The 2018-19 season will be the 41-year-old’s 12th on the bench and you already know what the team has done in her time there- six Final Fours and one national championship in case you didn’t- and the team entered this season ranked #1. As long as she stays at ND, Ivey’s name will be thrown into the conversation for every major opening in the country, every single year.
Patrick Klein, Ohio State associate head coach- A coach who could have already had a head coaching job, the Ohio State alum has earned a reputation as one of the top assistants in the country. Entering his ninth season in Columbus, Klein has served under both current head coach Kevin McGuff and Hall of Famer Jim Foster. In addition to leading the charge in the Buckeyes landing multiple Top-5 recruiting class, Klein also runs several non-profit organizations, something that is seen warmly by administrators as it shows his commitment to the community. It really isn’t a question of if he will be a head coach; just a matter of when and where.
Tina Langley, Rice head coach- When Langley took the Rice job, the Owls had recorded just one winning season in the previous eight. Now? Year two the team won 22 games, as well as the WBI championship. Last season they won 23 games- the second most in school history- and made it to the second round of the WNIT. She has Power 5 experience- she was the associate head coach at Maryland for seven seasons prior to Rice- and has now proven herself at one of the top academic institutions in the nation. Langley will be getting a lot of phone calls from a lot of ADs, and it’s going to happen soon.
Maureen Magarity, New Hampshire head coach- Sure, the Wildcats have yet to make it to the NCAA tournament under Magarity, but they haven’t made it ever so that is no real indictment against her. Entering her 9th season at the helm, Magarity is still only 37-years-old and led her team to the best season in program history in 2016-17. That year the team went 26-6 (15-1) and made the WNIT, the first post-season in program history. The Northeast isn’t the most fertile recruiting ground but she has still found a way to build a consistent squad. Many agree that if given the chance, she could do great things at a bigger program.
Ryan McCarthy, Alaska-Anchorage head coach: One of just two Division II head coaches to make the list, McCarthy earned it by building a powerhouse program in Alaska. A 160-31 (96-18) record in seven seasons, including a D2 record 38 wins in 2016-17, only tells part of the story, but it gives a nice snapshot of what the Anchorage native has been able to do. His team deploys the “Mayhem” style, one that forces a ton of turnovers and, in turn, a lot of points. McCarthy was in the mix for several high-profile jobs the past few years, so don’t be surprised to see him land somewhere in the contiguous United States soon.
Katrina Merriweather, Wright State head coach- At Wright State since 2010 as an assistant before taking over as head coach, Merriweather has continued to oversee a program who has quietly been one of the best in the country. Not yet 40-years-old, Merriweather will be asked to continue the winning for a few more seasons before she is likely to get pursued heavily, but there is no reason to think she won’t do just that. 48 wins in two seasons- and two WNIT births- is impressive any way you stack it up and just like others on this list, an NCAA tournament run might accelerate the process.
Jalie Mitchell, North Texas head coach- No, on paper it wouldn’t appear Mitchell has done enough to deserve being on the list. A 17-14 record last season- her third at the helm- is fine, but a deeper look reveals much more. That win total was the most by a North Texas team in 12 years and the run to the Conference USA tournament semifinals was the deepest in 16 years. If she can get the Mean Green over the 20 win threshold- something they haven’t done since 2001-02 when Mitchell was a senior and Sun Belt Player of the Year- she could have the chance for a big payday.