Black coaches to watch in the 2026 NCAA men’s tournament

At the time Rod Strickland was employed as the head coach at Long Island University in 2022, the purpose of the New York City basketball legend was to change the tradition at a program that appeared to be in a battle to keep related.

“Raise the bar, change the environment and help the culture develop and grow,” mentioned Strickland, who was getting into his first head teaching expertise. “I’m not in a rush. Our time is coming. This is just the beginning.”

At the time Speedy Claxton was employed to lead the Hofstra program in 2021, the purpose of the former highschool star at New York’s fabled Christ the King was to elevate the Long Island college’s respectability to the ranges he helped set up whereas main the college to the NCAA tournament as a participant in 2000.

“I know the incredible history of Hofstra’s men’s basketball program,” Claxton mentioned. “I have lived it. I have experienced it. I am ready to lead it.”

This yr Strickland and Claxton, each well-known New York level guards, proved prophetic: two former NBA gamers in their first school head teaching jobs main hometown groups to the NCAA tournament.

Strickland and Claxton spotlight Andscape’s Black coaches to watch in this yr’s NCAA males’s basketball tournament. This listing options:

• Three coaches who symbolize HBCU’s (Howard, Prairie View and Tennessee State), matching the most traditionally Black faculties in in a single yr of an NCAA tournament (the 1993 and 1994 tournaments each featured three groups: Southern, Tennessee State and Coppin State in 1993; Texas Southern, Tennessee State and North Carolina A&T in 1994).

• Five head coaches making their NCAA tournament debut.

• Two coaches earned NCAA tournament spots in their first yr as head coaches.

Rod Strickland, Long Island University

Conference: Northeast Conference (NEC), Automatic bid 

Seed: No. 16

Record: 24-10, (15-3 convention, first in the common season) 

Opponent: No. 2 Arizona, 1:35 p.m. ET, Friday in San Diego (West Region)

Coach’s résumé: In a enterprise the place a podcaster with no teaching expertise can get a gig leading a Division I program, Strickland had to put in an amazing quantity of labor earlier than touchdown his first head teaching job in 2022. He got here to the downtown Brooklyn college after working 4 years in the NBA G League as the director of the skilled path program, and prior to that he was the director of basketball operations at the University of Memphis, an administrator in the basketball program at Kentucky, and an assistant coach at the University of South Florida.

The first two years at LIU had been tough: The Sharks gained 10 video games, together with a 3-26 report his first season. But Strickland has posted back-to-back successful seasons, incomes NEC Coach of the Year this season. LIU is making its first NCAA tournament look since 2012.

Strickland credit his skill to lead the LIU Sharks to the NCAA tournament to the legendary coaches he gained data from throughout his journey as a participant and a basketball administrator — individuals like Rick Pitino, Larry Brown, Rick Adelman, Pat Riley and John Calipari (who employed Strickland at Memphis and Kentucky).

Speedy Claxton, Hofstra

Conference: Colonial Athletic Conference (CAA), Automatic bid

Seed: No. 13

Record: 24-10 (12-6 convention, third in the common season) 

Opponent: No. 4 Alabama, 1:35 p.m. ET, Friday in San Diego (Midwest Region)

Coach’s résumé: Hired as a particular assistant to the head coach at Hofstra in 2013, Claxton remained in an assistant teaching function till taking up as head coach in 2021. Claxton, in his 5 years holding the high job, has led Hofstra to 4 seasons of a minimum of 20 wins, together with this yr’s tournament title.

As a participant at Hofstra, Claxton was coached by Jay Wright and helped the college attain the 2000 NCAA tournament. Claxton performed for 5 NBA groups throughout seven seasons, successful a championship with the Gregg Popovich-coached San Antonio Spurs in 2003.

This is his NCAA tournament debut as a head coach.

Kenny Blakeney, Howard

Conference: Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), Automatic bid

Seed: No. 16

Record: 23-10 (11-3 in convention, common season and tournament champions) 

Opponent: No. 16 UMBC, 6:40 p.m. ET, Tuesday in Dayton (Midwest Region First Four sport. The winner will play No. 1 Michigan on Thursday)

Coach’s résumé: Before he was named Howard’s head coach in 2019, Blakeney was a university assistant coach at seven faculties for greater than 20 years.

As a university assistant, he was mentored by Lefty Driesell, Mike Brey and Tommy Amaker. His coaches in highschool and school had been each legends: Morgan Wootten at DeMatha, and Mike Krzyzewski at Duke, the place Blakeney performed on two NCAA championship groups.

Blakeney reached the NCAA tournament as an assistant with Delaware (1998, 1999), and later at Harvard, the place he helped the crew to a share of its first Ivy League title (2010-11).

In 2023, Blakeney led Howard to its first NCAA tournament look since 1992, ending a 31-year drought. For Blakeney, the 2023 MEAC Coach of the Year, that is his third NCAA look at Howard.

Nolan Smith, Tennessee State

Conference: Ohio Valley Conference (OVC), Automatic bid

Seed: No. 15

Record: 23-9 (15-5 in convention, common season and tournament champions)

Opponent: No. 2 Iowa State, 2:50 p.m. ET, Friday in St. Louis

Coach’s résumé: It’s been an unimaginable head teaching debut season for Smith, who was named OVC Co-Coach of the Year. He led Tennessee State to common season and tournament championships, and the college recorded 20-plus wins for the first time in 10 years.

Smith discovered the teaching sport from one in all the greatest in Krzyzewski, who coached Smith for 4 years at Duke (Smith was the place to begin guard on the 2010 nationwide championship crew). After Smith’s skilled basketball profession ended, he was employed by Krzyzewski. He labored in varied roles below the Naismith Hall of Fame coach, together with director of basketball operations and participant improvement, and assistant coach.

After Krzyzewski retired in 2022, Smith left Duke for Louisville, the place he labored as an assistant for 2 years below head coach Kenny Payne. After the Cardinals’ teaching employees was fired after the 2023-24 season, Smith went to Memphis as an assistant for one season earlier than he was employed final summer time by Tennessee State, an HBCU in Nashville, Tennessee.

Antoine Pettway, Kennesaw State

Conference: Conference USA (CUSA), Automatic bid

Seed: No. 14 

Record: 21-13 (10-10 in convention, CUSA tournament champions as the No. 6 seed)

Opponent: No. 3 Gonzaga, 10 p.m ET, Thursday in Portland, Oregon.

Coach’s résumé: When Pettway was named Kennesaw State head coach in 2023 (changing the late Amir Abdur-Rahim, who left for South Florida), his resume was spectacular. He spent greater than a decade at Alabama, his alma mater, in varied positions (graduate assistant, assistant coach and director of basketball operations). In every of his final 4 years at Alabama as the crew’s offensive coordinator, the crew ranked in the high 20 in scoring and gained two SEC tournament titles (2021, 2023).

Pettway’s influence at Kennesaw was speedy, with the Owls setting a faculty scoring report (82.8 factors per sport, 14th in the nation). The 21 wins this season had been the third greatest in college historical past, and successful the CUSA tournament title as a sixth seed earned Kennesaw its second NCAA tournament berth in college historical past.

As a participant, Pettway was a walk-on at Alabama as a freshman. He earned a scholarship his sophomore season and completed his profession enjoying on three straight NCAA tournament groups.

Byron Smith, Prairie View

Conference: Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), Automatic bid

Seed: No. 16 

Record: 18-17 (9-9 in convention, SWAC tournament champions as a No. 8 seed)

Opponent: No. 16 Lehigh 7:10 p.m. ET, Wednesday in Dayton (South Region First Four sport; winner will play No. 1 Florida on Friday)

Coach’s résumé: Smith’s teaching expertise is diverse and intensive. His first gig was as an assistant at his alma mater, Houston (the place he labored for one season below Clyde Drexler). Smith was as an assistant at three different faculties, and he was the head coach of the Harlem Globetrotters for one season earlier than becoming a member of Prairie View as an assistant coach in 2013.

Smith was named Prairie View’s head coach in 2016, and in his third season led the Panthers to the NCAA tournament as a No. 16 seed. In 2021, he gained the Hugh Durham Award — given to the nation’s excellent mid-major coach — when he led Prairie View to a 16-5 report (13-0 in the SWAC) throughout a season shortened by the coronavirus pandemic.

As a participant at Houston, Smith twice earned All-Southwest Conference honors.

Dennis Gates, Missouri

Conference: Southeastern Conference (SEC), at-large bid

Seed: No. 10

Record: 20-12 (10-8 in convention play; as a No. 8 seed, crushed by Kentucky in its opening sport of the SEC tournament)

Opponent: No. 7 Miami, 10:10 p.m. ET, Friday in St. Louis

Coach’s résumé: This is the third journey to the NCAA tournament as a head coach for Gates, who’s on the lookout for his first NCAA win. 

In his first yr as head coach, Gates’ crew went 25-10 (the Tigers had been 12-21 the earlier season) and gained a first-round sport in opposition to Utah State for the college’s first NCAA tournament victory in 12 years.

His 2024-25 crew had spectacular wins over No. 1 Kansas, No. 4 Alabama and No. 5 Florida to earn a No. 6 seed, but it surely misplaced to No. 11 Drake in the opening spherical of the NCAA tournament.

Gates beforehand was head coach at Cleveland State, the place he was twice named Horizon League Co-Coach of the Year (2020, 2021). He was as an assistant at 5 faculties, together with a stretch at Florida State (below Leonard Hamilton) when the college reached seven NCAA tournaments, together with two journeys to the Sweet 16 and one journey to the Elite Eight.

As a participant, Gates was twice an Academic All-American throughout 4 seasons at Cal.

Jai Lucas, Miami

Conference: Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), at-large bid

Seed: No. 7

Record: 25-8 (13-5 in convention play; as a No. 3 seed, crushed by No. 2 Virginia in the semifinals of the ACC tournament)

Opponent: No. 10 Missouri, 10:10 p.m. ET, Friday in St. Louis

Coach’s résumé: Before accepting the Miami job prior to this season, Lucas was an assistant for a few of school basketball’s high coaches: Rick Barnes and Shaka Smart at Texas; John Calipari at Kentucky; and Jon Scheyer at Duke. As an assistant coach, he earned a popularity as one in all school basketball’s high recruiters.

Basketball is in his blood. His father, John Lucas, coached for 3 groups in the NBA after a 14-year enjoying profession and was an All-American at Maryland in the Nineteen Seventies. His brother, John Lucas III, additionally performed in the NBA.

Lucas performed collegiately at Texas and Florida. In highschool, Lucas was a 2007 McDonald’s All-American. He was rated nineteenth in his recruiting class by ESPN.

Hubert Davis, North Carolina

Conference: Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), at-large bid

Seed: No. 6

Record: 24-8 (12-6 in convention play; as a No. 4 seed, misplaced to No. 5 Clemson in the quarterfinals of the ACC tournament)

Opponent: No. 11 Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), 6:50 p.m. ET, Thursday in Greenville, SC

Coach’s résumé: When Davis led the Tar Heels to the 2022 Final Four, he completed a uncommon feat: He grew to become one in all simply 10 first-year coaches to lead a crew to the Final Four (North Carolina misplaced 72-69 to Kansas in the title sport). Now in his fifth yr main North Carolina, Davis is making an attempt to return.

This season marks the fourth NCAA tournament look in 5 years for Davis, and this represents his highest seeded crew since North Carolina misplaced as a No. 1 seed in the 2024 regional semifinals. Davis was groomed for this place by the coach he changed, Roy Williams, who retired after the 2020-21 season. Davis was an assistant below Williams for 9 seasons, together with with the 2017 nationwide championship crew.

As a participant, Davis was a first-round choose by the New York Knicks in the 1992 NBA draft, and he performed with six groups throughout his 12-year profession.

Johnny Dawkins, Central Florida

Conference: Big 12, at-large bid

Seed: No. 10

Record: 21-11 (9-9 in convention play; as a No. 8 seed, misplaced to No. 1 seed Arizona in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 tournament)

Opponent: No. 7 UCLA, 7:25 p.m. ET, Friday in Philadelphia

Coach’s résumé: Dawkins’ profession as a head coach has been intensive: 17 seasons on the main school stage, together with the previous 9 at UCF. This is his second journey to the NCAA tournament with UCF, having led the Knights into the second spherical of the 2019 tournament, the place they finally misplaced to his alma mater, Duke.

Previously, Dawkins led Stanford for eight seasons, reaching the NCAA tournament as soon as and successful the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) title twice. Prior to teaching Stanford, Dawkins labored for Krzyzewski at Duke as an assistant coach and affiliate head coach. The 2000-01 crew gained the nationwide title.

As a participant at Duke, Dawkins was the Naismith Player of the Year (1986) and a two-time All-American. He performed 9 seasons in the NBA.

Kelvin Sampson, Houston

Conference: Big 12, at-large bid

Seed: No. 2

Record: 28-6 (14-4 in convention play; as a No. 2 seed, misplaced to No. 1 seed Arizona in the championship of the Big 12 tournament)

Opponent: No. 15 Idaho, 10:10 p.m. ET, Thursday in Oklahoma City

Coach’s résumé: Sampson, one in all the all-time teaching greats, continues his quest for his first nationwide championship after his crew misplaced to Florida in final yr’s title sport. He began his teaching profession as a graduate assistant at Michigan State in 1979 earlier than accepting his first head teaching job at Montana Tech in 1981.

Sampson has been AP Coach of the Year twice (1995 and 2024), and he has led groups to three Final Fours (Oklahoma in 2002, and Houston in 2021 and 2025). This yr’s crew completed the common season ranked No. 5 in the nation, and the Cougars had been briefly No. 1 early in the season.

Sampson’s mother and father had been members of the Lumbee Native American group in North Carolina, and every year he carries the banner for the tradition of the federally acknowledged tribe. Sampson is a member of the Black Coaches Association, and he’s one in all the group’s strongest advocates.