Personal Items: Did You Knows Regarding 2022 NCAA Tournament Coaches

There is a tendency to overindulge at an all-you-can-eat buffet. Anyone digesting the following assortment of incisive facts on the 68 NCAA Division I Tournament coaches should find that variety is the spice of this occasionally irreverent smorgasbord. Remember: If a morsel isn't appetizing, don't be a glutton for punishment in trying to comprehend what makes the coaching community tick. Just proceed directly to the next tidbit. Sooner or later, there's bound to be a factoid you can savor. Several of the following 2022 playoff mentors were student managers, not players, while attending college:

AKRON: John Groce played in high school at Danville, Ind., under Todd Lickliter, who went on to coach Butler and Iowa. Ohio State coach Chris Holtmann was one of Groce's teammates with Taylor University (Ind.) during first half of 1990s.

ALABAMA: Detroit-area prep coach Nate Oats joined Bobby Hurley's Buffalo staff directly with junior college recruit Justin Moss in 2013 before Moss became Mid-American Conference Player of the Year the next season and one year before center Raheem Johnson aligned with the Bulls as another J.C. signee. Moss and Johnson played under Oats at Romulus H.S.

ARIZONA: Tommy Lloyd's son, Liam, averaged 1.5 ppg for Grand Canyon the past two seasons. During the construction of their home in Spokane while Gonzaga's associate head coach, his family lived in the childhood residence of Zags legend and Hall of Famer John Stockton. Lloyd, known for his international recruiting, spent several months backpacking on several continents before commencing his coaching career in the late 1990s.

ARKANSAS: Among Eric Musselman's teammates at San Diego was Mike Whitmarsh, who won a silver medal in beach volleyball at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. Musselman played on same high school team as former NBA player Scott Roth and former NFL Pro Bowl punter Tom Tupa. Musselman's wife, Danyelle, is a former on-air personality and anchor for ESPN, FOX Sports, and the NFL Network. He and his father, Bill, were first father-son combination to both become NBA head coaches.

AUBURN: As an undergraduate at Boston College, Bruce Pearl was Tom Davis' administrative assistant before serving as an assistant coach under Davis at Stanford and Iowa.

BAYLOR: Scott Drew served as coach of an Athletes In Action (AIA) squad touring Croatia and Bosnia in the summer of 1997.

BOISE STATE: Leon Rice's son, Max, averaged 4.1 ppg and 2.2 rpg under his dad with the Broncos the past three seasons.

BRYANT: Jared Grasso ranks among the top five in Quinnipiac history in assists and three-point field goals. He was the school's second 1,000-point career scorer in its NCAA Division I history.

CAL STATE FULLERTON: Dedrique Taylor was an assistant coach for Arizona State when lethal lefthander James Harden led the Sun Devils in scoring in 2007-08 and 2008-09.

CHATTANOOGA: Lamont Paris averaged 8 ppg in three NCAA Division III Tournament games for College of Wooster (Ohio) in 1995 and 1996.

COLGATE: Matt Langel played under coach Fran Dunphy with Penn before serving as an assistant coach under him at Penn and Temple. As a senior in 1999-00, Langel was the Quakers' runner-up in scoring and assists for an NCAA playoff team.

COLORADO STATE: Niko Medved was an assistant at Minnesota under Dan Monson in 2006-07 seven seasons after Monson promised a similar job to Arizona's Tommy Lloyd at Gonzaga before leaving for the Gophers. Monson never has reached the Final Four in 25 seasons of DI coaching.

CONNECTICUT: One of Dan Hurley's assistants at previous pitstops Wagner and Rhode Island was brother Bobby Hurley, an All-American guard for Duke's back-to-back NCAA titlists in 1991 and 1992 and current Arizona State coach.

CREIGHTON: Following graduation from Northern Iowa, Greg McDermott played one season of professional basketball in Switzerland. McDermott led the Panthers in field-goal shooting three consecutive seasons from 1985-86 through 1987-88 when he was a combined 59.5% from the floor. He ranked 16th in the nation in that category as a junior.

DAVIDSON: Bob McKillop was former Notre Dame/North Carolina/SMU coach Matt Doherty's high school mentor at Long Island Lutheran. Ex-Fordham coach Tom Pecora served as an assistant under McKillop at L.I. Lutheran. McKillop scored three points for East Carolina against Lefty Driesell-coached Davidson in the 1969 Southern Conference Tournament championship game. McKillop then transferred to Hofstra, where he led the Flying Dutchmen in assists in 1971-72 with 3.3 per game.

DELAWARE: Martin Ingelsby's father, Tom, led Villanova to the 1971 NCAA championship game against UCLA before playing for the NBA's Atlanta Hawks in 1973-74 (coached by Cotton Fitzsimmons) and ABA's Spirits of St. Louis and San Diego Sails in 1974-75 (coached by Bob MacKinnon) and 1975-76 (coached by Bill Musselman). Martin led Notre Dame in assists three seasons, including NCAA playoff team his senior year with 6.4 apg under coach Mike Brey.

DUKE: Mike Krzyzewski was an assistant with Dave Bliss, Bob Donewald and Bob Weltlich on Indiana coach Bob Knight's staff in 1974-75. Krzyzewski had the worst three-year record for the Blue Devils (38-47 from 1980-81 through 1982-83) since George Buckheit went 16-30 from 1924-25 through 1926-27.

GEORGIA STATE: Rob Lanier, a cousin of all-time great St. Bonaventure center Bob Lanier, became the first individual to capture a conference postseason tournament (Metro Atlantic with Siena in 2002) by winning four games in as many days in his initial season as a college head coach.

GONZAGA: Mark Few never was a head coach at any level before inheriting that position after Dan Monson departed for Minnesota. Few was an assistant for two different Oregon high schools before becoming an aide with the Zags under Dan Fitzgerald and Monson. Few's wedding vows in 1994 were exchanged with Rev. Norm Few, the father of the groom.

HOUSTON: Kelvin Sampson was a three-year baseball letterman for Pembroke (N.C.) State.

ILLINOIS: Brad Underwood, as a juco recruit, took a visit to Oklahoma State, where his player host at the time was current Kansas bench boss Bill Self. Underwood's son, Tyler, played sparingly under his father with OSU and the Illini.

INDIANA: Mike Woodson coached Hoosiers Big Ten Player of the Year Jared Jeffries with the New York Knicks in 2011-12 (4.4 ppg and 3.9 rpg). Woodson's daughter, Alexis, played volleyball one season for IU.

IOWA: Fran McCaffery is believed to have been the youngest coach (28 years old) ever to take a team to the NCAA Tournament when he directed Lehigh to the 1988 playoffs. His wife, the former Margaret Nowlin, ranks among the top scorers in Notre Dame history. She was the catalyst behind the first-ever NCAA women's appearance by the Irish in 1992 and was named MVP of the Midwestern Collegiate Conference Tournament that year. Margaret served as an assistant coach at her alma mater in 1996-97.

IOWA STATE: T.J. Otzelberger was an assistant coach with the Cyclones under his three predecessors - Greg McDermott, Fred Hoiberg and Steve Prohm. Otzelberger's wife, Alison Lacey, was a three-time All-Big 12 Conference selection for ISU women's basketball program.

KANSAS: Bill Self served as an assistant on the Big Eight Conference coaching staffs of Larry Brown (Kansas) and Eddie Sutton (Oklahoma State). Self, an Oklahoma State alumnus, played in the Big Eight against Maryland coach Mark Turgeon (Kansas) and top two NBA draft picks Steve Stipanovich (2nd selection overall in 1983/attended Missouri), Wayman Tisdale (2nd in 1985/Oklahoma) and Danny Manning (1st in 1988/Kansas). Self, Oklahoma's High School Player of the Year over Tisdale in 1980-81, directed Oral Roberts to the nation's best winning percentage among independent schools in 1996 (18-9) and 1997 (21-7). San Antonio Spurs CEO R.C. Buford was a groomsman in Self's wedding.

JACKSONVILLE STATE: Ray Harper was the SWC Rookie of the Year in 1980-81 when he averaged 9.8 ppg and 3.9 apg for Texas coach Abe Lemons before transferring to Kentucky Wesleyan, where he averaged 13.1 ppg and 7.1 apg in 1983-84 and 1984-85.

KENTUCKY: John Calipari lettered two years for UNC-Wilmington before transferring to Clarion (Pa.) State.

LONGWOOD: Griff Aldrich, a college teammate of Utah State coach Ryan Odom at Hampden-Sydney (Va.), had jobs in the private sector for 16 years including partner in top-tier international law firm and CFO of an investment company.

LOUISIANA STATE: Prior to beginning his coaching career, interim Kevin Nickelberry was president of two public relations firms and founded an at-risk youth non-profit organization in the Washington, D.C., area.

LOYOLA OF CHICAGO: Drew Valentine, 30, is the youngest coach at NCAA Division I level. His younger brother, Denzel, was national player of the year with Michigan State in 2015-16 before becoming an NBA first-round draft choice by the Chicago Bulls. Their father, Carlton, averaged 8.4 ppg and 4.1 rpg while shooting 60.1% from the floor for MSU from 1984-85 through 1987-88 under coach Jud Heathcote. Carlton was the Spartans' leading scorer as a senior with 13.3 ppg.

MARQUETTE: When Shaka Smart graduated, he was the career assists leader for Kenyon College, a liberal arts school in Ohio.

MEMPHIS: Penny Hardaway's son, Jayden, averaged 2.6 ppg for the Tigers the past three seasons. Hardaway's nickname stems from his grandmother calling him "Pretty" with a southern drawl, thus sounding like "Penny."

MIAMI (FLA.): Providence product Jim Larranaga spent one season as player-coach for a professional team in Belgium. He had six former assistants serving as a Division I head coach in 2005-06.

MICHIGAN: According to Wikipedia, Juwan Howard has six children with four different women. Howard's first son, Juwan Jr. (played for Western Michigan and Detroit), was raised by Markita Blyden, who was runner-up for Michigan's Miss Basketball when she and twin sister (Nakita Hatcher) led their high school to 1990 Class A state championship game. Howard reportedly met Markita at Pontchartrain Hotel in Detroit in spring of 1991 before Chicago product enrolled at UM.

MICHIGAN STATE: Tom Izzo was a teammate in high school (Iron Mountain, Mich.) and college (Northern Michigan) of former Detroit Lions coach Steve Mariucci. Izzo, a running back, and Mariucci, a quarterback, were the best men in each others' weddings.

MONTANA STATE: Danny Sprinkle was Big Sky Conference Freshman of the Year with the Bobcats in 1995-96 (9.8 ppg and 43.7 3FG%) before earning all-league honors the next season (13.7 ppg and 48.8 3FG%).

MURRAY STATE: Matt McMahon averaged 5.8 ppg for Buzz Peterson at Appalachian State from 1996-97 through 1999-00 before serving as an assistant coach under him with a couple of universities (Tennessee and UNC Wilmington). McMahon's wife, Mary, played basketball for Furman.

NEW MEXICO STATE: Chris Jans was head coach for three different junior colleges. Despite directing Bowling Green to a 20-win campaign on the heels of a 20-loss season, he was fired after one year with the Falcons after being caught on video drunk in a campus bar making inappropriate comments towards a young woman.

NORFOLK STATE: Robert Jones guided the visiting Spartans to an 80-79 overtime victory against No. 1 seed Alabama in 2019 NIT first round. Outcome is regarded as perhaps the biggest upset by point spread in NIT history.

NOTRE DAME: Mike Brey, Danny Ferry's assistant coach at DeMatha High School in Hyattsville, Md., joined Mike Krzyzewski's staff two years after the national player-to-be enrolled at Duke in 1985. Brey's mother, the former Betty Mullen, held the world record in the 50-meter butterfly and competed with the U.S. team at the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne, Australia. His uncle, Jack Mullen, averaged 4.7 ppg as a sophomore guard for Duke's first ACC Tournament championship team in 1960.

OHIO STATE: One of Chris Holtmann's teammates with Taylor (Ind.) was Akron coach John Groce, who previously was bench boss for Illinois.

PROVIDENCE: Ed Cooley was a three-year team captain for Stonehill (Mass.).

PURDUE: Matt Painter's father attended Big Ten Conference rival Indiana.

RICHMOND: Chris Mooney, Mike Brennan (American University coach) and former Princeton/Fairfield coach Sydney Johnson accounted for three of Princeton's top five scorers under Pete Carril in 1993-94. Mooney was a two-time All-Ivy League selection.

RUTGERS: Steve Pikiell played with his brother, Tim, for Connecticut under coach Jim Calhoun in 1989-90 and 1990-91.

SAINT MARY'S: Randy Bennett played for his father, Tom, at Mesa Community College before attending UC San Diego. At Mesa, Bennett helped his team to a 56-10 record and two Arizona J.C. championships.

SAINT PETER'S: Shaheen Holloway was a three-time All-Big East Conference selection with Seton Hall. He drove the length of the court to score winning layup and beat Oregon in ovrtime, 72-17, in first round of 2000 NCAA Tournament.

SAN DIEGO STATE: Brian Dutcher's contract buyout is only $1 million, not in the $6 million range for any other college, if he has a chance to coach his alma mater (Minnesota). His three sisters and wife also attended Minnesota, where his father, Jim, coached for 11 seasons from mid-1970s to mid-1980s and still resides.

SAN FRANCISCO: Todd Golden, after scoring eight points for Saint Mary's against Miami (Fla.) in 2008 NCAA Tournament, graduated as the Gaels' all-time leader in free-throw shooting (83.2%).

SETON HALL: Kevin Willard played under his father, Ralph, at Western Kentucky and Pittsburgh. Kevin went on to become a coaching intern with the Boston Celtics under Rick Pitino, who was Kentucky's coach in 1989-90 when Ralph was an assistant there with Billy Donovan, Herb Sendek and Tubby Smith.

SOUTH DAKOTA STATE: Eric Henderson averaged 7.4 ppg, 8.4 rpg and 1.5 spg under current Creighton coach Greg McDermott at Wayne State (Neb.) from 1997-98 through 1999-00.

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA: Andy Enfield (Johns Hopkins '91) set the all-time NCAA career free-throw percentage record (92.5%; 431-of-466). His wife, Amanda Marcum, is a Maxim cover girl.

TENNESSEE: Texas' turnaround in 1998-99 (19-13 record after going 14-17 in 1997-98 under Tom Penders) enabled Rick Barnes to become the only active coach to take two different schools to the NCAA playoffs in his maiden voyage with them after they posted a losing mark the previous campaign. He previously achieved the feat with Providence in the late 1980s. Barnes posted the nation's best winning percentage by a first-year major college head coach in 1987-88 when he went 20-10 (.667) in his lone season with George Mason.

TEXAS: Chris Beard was team manager at Texas under Longhorns coach Tom Penders.

TEXAS A&M-CORPUS CHRISTI: Steve Lutz played and coached in junior college.

TEXAS CHRISTIAN: Jamie Dixon, an All-SWC second-team selection as a senior with TCU, was a seventh-round NBA draft choice of the Washington Bullets in 1987. In 1983-84, he was a freshman teammate of NBA coach Scott Brooks.

TEXAS SOUTHERN: Johnny Jones is the only individual in LSU history to play and coach with the Tigers at the Final Four. He achieved the feat in a six-year span. Jones averaged 3.3 ppg as a freshman guard for LSU's 31-5 team in 1981 and later was an assistant coach for the Tigers for 12 seasons (reached national semifinals in 1986). They were eliminated both years by the eventual national champion (Indiana in 1981 and Louisville in 1986). Jones was a high teammate in DeRidder, La., of ex-McNeese State coach Dave Simmons and former UCLA/11-year NBA player Mike Sanders.

TEXAS TECH: Mark Adams took time away from college coaching at the turn of the century to become owner of the Lubbock Cotton Kings hockey team.

UAB: Andy Kennedy holds the Blazers' single-game scoring record with 41 points against St. Louis on January 13, 1991.

UCLA: Mick Cronin's father, Harold "Hep" Cronin, compiled more than 400 victories as a high school coach in the greater Cincinnati area. Hep also scouted for the Atlanta Braves and was chiefly responsible for them selecting Cincy product Drew Denson as their No. 1 draftee in 1984 (19th overall pick).

VERMONT: John Becker coached two seasons at Gallaudet, the country's only four-year liberal arts college for the deaf and hearing impaired.

VILLANOVA: Jay Wright worked as an administrative assistant with the Philadelphia Stars football franchise, which captured the 1983 United States Football League championship. He married a former Villanova cheerleader.

VIRGINIA TECH: One hundred percent of Mike Young's student-athletes at Wofford who completed their eligibility graduated. He coached the Terriers for 17 seasons.

WISCONSIN: Greg Gard served as an assistant coach under Bo Ryan at three colleges (Wisconsin-Platteville, UW-Milwaukee and the Badgers).

WRIGHT STATE: Scott Nagy's father, Dick, was a longtime assistant coach at Illinois under Hall of Famer Lou Henson. Scott, who set a career record for assists at Delta State (Miss.) with 549 from 1984-85 through 1987-88, was named Gulf South Conference Athlete of the Year as a senior.

WYOMING: Jeff Linder played under former Texas-Pan American/Mercer coach Bob Hofman at Western State Colorado.

YALE: James Jones' brother, Joe, was an assistant coach at Villanova before becoming bench boss with another Ivy League member (Columbia) for seven seasons before accepting similar position at Boston University.