Popular College Basketball Coaches

The most popular college basketball coaches have the support of both fans and administrators, if their salaries are any indication. Colleges that have excellent basketball programs that produce winning teams establish good reputations for themselves. Their popularity attracts the best players as well as students. Men's basketball has a history of attracting excellent and charismatic coaches to lead college teams.

Five most popular coaches today

Presently, the five college coaches that lead the popularity and salary list include Louisville’s Rick Pitino, Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski, Kentucky’s John Calipari, Kansas’ Bill Self and Florida’s Billy Donovan. Pitino is the only coach who has taken teams from three different colleges to the Final Four. Krzyzewski has taken his North Carolina teams to four NCAA titles and numerous other championships. In 17 seasons of basketball, only one coach has achieved a better win-loss record than Calipari. Self took his team to the Elite Eight in his first year at Kansas. Florida’s Donovan received the honor of 2011 SEC Coach of the Year.

Well-known coaches from the past

Popular basketball coaches in the past include Dean Smith at North Carolina, John Wooden at UCLA, and Bob Knight at Indiana. With a career that was marked by high levels of controversy, Knight won three national titles while he was head coach at Indiana. His leadership, as well as his outbursts on the court, kept his popularity high. Dean Smith has taught some of the most important figures in college and professional basketball today.

Successful college basketball coaches establish records that live on in history and create reputations for the schools that they represent. They are leaders and teachers who make important impressions on their student athletes.