Painter isn't bad. He's also not great. Man will either get you to the FF or get you bonked to a 16 seed.
5 Best Coaches in the Country
- Thread starter I’m The Village Idiot
- Start date
Yeah....people act like they're a backwater program or something. Michigan isn't quite a blueblood, BUT they have a good basketball tradition and are a P5 CBB program.
And they're the richest public school in the country.
There's no reason (especially with NIL) for him to go anywhere. He can win a title at Michigan- and might do it this year. Why would I go anywhere else?
Without opening the thread I picked my top 5, and the five you listed were what I came up with, and no other name entered my mind. It was those five and that was it.
With a little more consideration, I would have to consider Bill Self, Matt Painter, and Rick Barnes. Recency bias favors Painter, as Purdue has been all over the top-25 during the last few seasons, and has nearly cut down the nets. History favors Bill Self, as he and Mark Few are the two winningest coaches over the last twenty years or so. Plus, he has championships. Rick Barnes has been a consistent thorn in the SEC. While he has no Final Fours to his name, he is probably one of the winningest coaches for whom that is true.
Tell me you're still living in 1997 without telling me you're still living in 1997.
After anyone takes off the blue sun glasses, they would see what you are saying.
As much as I do not like UL from a UK fan perspective, Pat Kelsey is doing a good job. He can recruit, seems to know how to spend NIL money better than others and his style is fun.
He is not unlike the IU football coach really.
But UL still is our little bro.
I disagree with that. It was not his on court coaching that turned fans on him. It was his ego, his kneeling during the national anthem, his down playing the SEC tournament, the one and dones, his rambling in press conferences and taking shots at the fan base. The trend before COVID was freshamn and one and dones. During COVID everyone got older and the trend was older more experience players. Now the look at this year, the trend is going back to one and dones because the COVID years have expired.
If you are realistic and look at Cal's results the last 5 years without an agenda, they were not that bad. He had a terrible year in a screwed up world during COVID. He ran into a couple of hot teams in the tournament in back to back years (Elite Eight Teams) and he had a horrible game plan in the tournament against OAKLAND.
If you look at Cal's last 2021 (losing season), 2022, 2023, and 2024 seasons, he lost by 10 or more points 12 times, he lost by 20 or more points 2 times, he lost by 30 or more points 0 times. Now, if you compare that to Pope's 2025 season and 11 games this year, Pope has lost by 10 or more points 8 times, 20 or more points 2 times, and by 30 or more points 1 time,
The problem is that most fans were sick of Cal and wanted him gone. Cal did not have a problem recruiting to Kentucky. His last year, he recruited, Knox, Fland, JQ, and Richmond to UK. Now the fans want to blame JMI. Cal has the most tournemant wins among active coaches. As a 10th seed last year he took Arkansas to the sweet 16. Kentucky as a #3 seed made it to sweet 16. So the guy can still coach.
Jon Scheyer at 100-22, achieved 100 wins faster than any coach in ACC history.
Scheyer was close on mine. Certainly in that conversation. He gets hate, but I think he’s proven some great coaching chops just not top 5. If I need to win a game, I’d pick anyone in my top 5 before JS
That was the last time Pitino was the best coach in college basketball.
He has made three Final Four appearances since 1997 (2005, 2012, 2013). He has a vacated championship (2013), but at that time Calipari was the best coach in the sport, having four Final Four appearances in six seasons.
Pitino was a great coach, but he hasn't been the best coach in college basketball since 1997.
1. Hurley
2. Sampson...but aging probably a few years left
3. Golden
4. Scheyer
5. Dusty May
Oats plays a gimmick analytic style. Don't think it's ever a recipe to win 6 in a row. But at a football school, it's a good method to win basketball games.
2. Sampson...but aging probably a few years left
3. Golden
4. Scheyer
5. Dusty May
Oats plays a gimmick analytic style. Don't think it's ever a recipe to win 6 in a row. But at a football school, it's a good method to win basketball games.
In my opinion, this is a list that is constantly being reshaped. There's an all-time top-5 list, and a top-5 right now list. Generally, there are one or two names that hang on the top-5 right now list for 5-10 years. Some coaches last a bit longer. Coach K was on it for about thirty years. Bill Self has been on it for the last twenty, but I think is just off it now.
1985-1993 would have looked something like this:
Jerry Tarkanian
Coach K
Nolan Richardson
Bobby Knight
Dean Smith
1993-2000:
Rick Pitino (really 1992-1998 - I still consider 1998 Rick's team)
Coach K
Lute Olson
Jim Calhoun
Nolan Richardson (1993-1998)
Tim Izzo (1999-2000)
2001-2007
Coach K
Roy Williams
Bill Self
Billy Donovan
Tom Izzo
2007-2015
John Calipari
Coach K
Bill Self
Jim Calhoun
Brad Stevens
------
Jim Boeheim?
Rick Pitino?
2015-2022
Jay Wright
Coach K
Mark Few
Tony Bennett
Bill Self
2022-Current:
Dan Hurley
Todd Golden
Nate Oats
Mark Few
Kelvin Sampson
1. Hurley
2. Sampson
3. Few
4. Self
5. Golden
Kind of hard to make a list of 5. If I expanded it I'd add, Pitino, Cal, Oats.
2. Sampson
3. Few
4. Self
5. Golden
Kind of hard to make a list of 5. If I expanded it I'd add, Pitino, Cal, Oats.
That is funny. That goes to show the tunnel vision some have.
According to the AP. He won the AP Naismith Men's college basketball coach of the year in 2025. He won the Henry Iba Award in 2025.
However according to The Eight Banners Association, he has been washed up since 1997. Ironically that is the last time he coached at UK, wonder if that has a coincidence...
Ignore what he did at Louisville with his C-USA championships, National Championships, his Big East Championships, his ACC championships, or what he did at Iona with MAAC championships.
It is always good to come to Rafters and get some good laughs.
If you haven't won the title you cannot be on the list. Sorry but the competition is too heavy otherwise.
He would not be on my top 5 list either, but what he's done is pretty impressive, nonetheless, especially considering he took the job at age 33.
Duke is his first head coaching job, after being an assistant there for seven (7) years, since 2014 at age 27, after playing pro ball abroad.
I would certainly love to have him as our coach.
Jon Scheyer - Wikipedia
Glad my opinions could brighten your day!That is funny. That goes to show the tunnel vision some have.
According to the AP. He won the AP Naismith Men's college basketball coach of the year in 2025. He won the Henry Iba Award in 2025.
However according to The Eight Banners Association, he has been washed up since 1997. Ironically that is the last time he coached at UK, wonder if that has a coincidence...
Ignore what he did at Louisville with his C-USA championships, National Championships, his Big East Championships, his ACC championships, or what he did at Iona with MAAC championships.
It is always good to come to Rafters and get some good laughs.
For what it's worth, let me fact check your response:That is funny. That goes to show the tunnel vision some have.
According to the AP. He won the AP Naismith Men's college basketball coach of the year in 2025. He won the Henry Iba Award in 2025.
However according to The Eight Banners Association, he has been washed up since 1997. Ironically that is the last time he coached at UK, wonder if that has a coincidence...
Ignore what he did at Louisville with his C-USA championships, National Championships, his Big East Championships, his ACC championships, or what he did at Iona with MAAC championships.
It is always good to come to Rafters and get some good laughs.
-I never said he was washed up. I didn't say he wasn't a great coach. I didn't even say it couldn't be argued he is currently a top 5 coach. I said he hasn't been the best coach in CBB since 1997. I don't have him in my current top-5, thus he isn't #1, as he is on your list. My argument was against your list that said, "1. Pitino - and it's not even close). I don't think that could be said of any coach right now not named Dan Hurley, and even then that would be a stretch. If "1. Pitino - and it's not even close" could have ever been true, it was in 1997.
-I didn't over look all his successes at Louisville, Iona, etc. Those still would not put him at "1. Pitino - and it's not even close." He had a great year last year but still lost to Calipari (he has been owned by Cal) and a mediocre Arkansas team. If he were undoubtedly the best he would not have lost to that team last year.
Hopefully this will give you more laughs.
If Pitino had the same record at UK in the last eight years, people would be saying the standards were lowered:
2026: 7-3
2025: 31-5 (2nd Round Exit)
2024: 20-13 (No Tournament Wins)
2023: 27-8 (First Round Exit)
2022: 25-8 (No Tournament Wins)
2021: 12-6 (No Tournament Wins)
2017: 25-9 (2nd Round Exit)
2016: 23-8 (No Tournament Wins)
Now, I’ll absolutely acknowledge there are contextual reasons why this isn’t as bad as it looks, but some of the people who chirp “Rick Pitino” “Rick Pitino” nonstop don’t allow context in other scenarios. Now, if someone posted what I have right here, it would be disingenuous and incomplete, yet many will do this very same thing and never second guess it.
It’s tough to disagree with the person who said that if Calipari was top five, he’d still be at Kentucky.
I don’t think you can have a top active coaches list without Bill Self in there and I’d like to see a little bit more from Todd Golden before I annoint him as one of the best coaches right now. Let’s remember that Kevin Ollie also has a title. His other Florida records are 16-17, 23-12 and 6-4. Just because the stars lined up and Walter Clayton Jr fell in his lap with Pitino leaving Iona doesn’t make him among the best as of yet imo.
I don’t think you can have a top active coaches list without Bill Self in there and I’d like to see a little bit more from Todd Golden before I annoint him as one of the best coaches right now. Let’s remember that Kevin Ollie also has a title. His other Florida records are 16-17, 23-12 and 6-4. Just because the stars lined up and Walter Clayton Jr fell in his lap with Pitino leaving Iona doesn’t make him among the best as of yet imo.
He would not be on my top 5 list either, but what he's done is pretty impressive, nonetheless, especially considering he took the job at age 33.
Duke is his first head coaching job, after being an assistant there for seven (7) years, since 2014 at age 27, after playing pro ball abroad.
I would certainly love to have him as our coach.
Jon Scheyer - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
I concur and I would probably put Scheyer in that lower tier list based on what he has done so far. I guess 8-12 range? Somewhere in there. 100-22 record is pretty impressive. He’s actually a good contrast with Golden who I just talked about earlier. Scheyer has done about everything you can do but win the title and while Gilden won a title, he has been very average in his other seasons at Florida with a losing season and another double digit loss season. We’ll see how this season turns out.
My number one in college basketball is Danny Hurley. I don’t care what anybody says about his histrionics or personality. This is not a popularity contest, we would all take an a hole who wins like he does.
If the thread was top five recruiters, I would have had him and Cal in there, but both of them and coach K, should have won more titles with the talent they had over and over. But even the best coach has to get the horse's to win the big race.
Hurley is a great coach, but I couldn't put that sorry little bast.urd in there, he's to damn cocky.
Banners are banners, whether jerk or not. That’s why I brag about all 8 of ours. Well, actually I brag about all 11 of ours. (We have two Helms titles as well and a Premo-Poretta title.)
I can see that, to many wishing Cal was back. As much as I don't like Hurley, he would do good at KY, and hang another banner or 2. If he ever came to Ky, I would have to not hate him as bad
. And after a title, put him in my top five 
The conference is weaker than it’s ever been in history too.
Put the bourbon bottle down and take your cal love elsewhere. Pitino can still coach rings around most guys out there. Give him equal talent with Duke, Kansas UConn and he will beat your ***.
Pitino in his prime, was ahead of the game
Sampson his teams play hard & he wins without a lot of big name players
Few has a style and recruits players to play that style. Wins and wins without a lot of stars
Lloyd must have learned very well under Few. can recruit and wins a lot of games
Sampson his teams play hard & he wins without a lot of big name players
Few has a style and recruits players to play that style. Wins and wins without a lot of stars
Lloyd must have learned very well under Few. can recruit and wins a lot of games
I mean, I get the sentiment, but at the same time, I don't.
I doubt he's dealing with much. It's clearly not affecting the basketball team.
I don't know that I see it that way.
A football scandal doesn't always affect the basketball team. I guess we can agree to disagree.