Humble Backgrounds: Small-College Graduates Make Big NCAA News
March 20th, 2013 - 20:51
In a caste-like era separating the haves from the have-nots, imperial universities are seeking megaconferences and, perhaps in the near future, a restrictive upper division. But the socially elite won't ever be able to exclude small schools from making a big impact on the NCAA playoffs.
Smaller colleges, many of them in the hinterlands, have supplied a striking number of the biggest names in coaching. From 1995 through 2000, five of the six NCAA Tournament championship coaches (Jim Calhoun, Jim Harrick, Tom Izzo, Lute Olson and Tubby Smith) graduated from obscure colleges with smaller enrollments. In fact, it is a rarity for a Final Four not to feature at least one coach who graduated from a non-Division I school.
John Calipari, a graduate of Clarion (Pa.) State, guided Kentucky to last year's championship. Following is an alphabetical list of 2013 NCAA Tournament mentors who worked their way up the ladder after graduating from a small school:
NCAA Playoff Coach School Small-College Alma Mater Dana Altman Oregon Eastern New Mexico '80 John Beilein Michigan Wheeling Jesuit (N.Y.) '75 Randy Bennett Saint Mary's UC San Diego '86 Will Brown Albany Dowling (N.Y.) '95 Andy Enfield Florida Gulf Coast Johns Hopkins (Md.) '91 Jim Ferry Long Island Keene State (N.H.) '90 Steve Fisher San Diego State Illinois State '67 John Giannini La Salle North Central (Ill.) '84 John Groce Illinois Taylor (Ind.) '94 Frank Haith Missouri Elon (N.C.) '88 Ray Harper Western Kentucky Kentucky Wesleyan '85 Tom Izzo Michigan State Northern Michigan '77 Dale Layer Liberty Eckerd College (Fla.) '80 Gregg Marshall Wichita State Randolph-Macon (Va.) '85 Mike Montgomery California Long Beach State '68 Scott Nagy South Dakota State Delta State (Miss.) '88 Dave Paulsen Bucknell Williams (Mass.) '87 Jack Perri Long Island Bentley (Mass.) '98 William "Bo" Ryan Wisconsin Wilkes College (Pa.) '69 Shaka Smart Virginia Commonwealth Kenyon (Ohio) '99 Orlando "Tubby" Smith Minnesota High Point (N.C.) '73 Brad Stevens Butler DePauw (Ind.) '99 Brent "Buzz" Williams Marquette Oklahoma City '94
NOTES: Elon, High Point, Illinois State and Long Beach State are now classified as NCAA Division I colleges.