Juwan and Only: NCAA Playoff Coaching Records For Former All-Americans

A modest total of 14 individuals have emerged victorious as both an All-American player and head coach in NCAA Tournament competition. Michigan's Juwan Howard is the only one of them to compile winning NCAA tourney records at least two games above .500 in each category. Howard, joining Memphis' Penny Hardaway, Duke's Jon Scheyer and Indiana's Mike Woodson as former All-Americans coaching their alma mater in either of the last two NCAA playoffs, advanced to a Sweet 16 in back-to-back seasons. Michigan was projected as a playoff team again this year but had a mediocre campaign, preventing the Wolverines from becoming the sixth squad in this year's tourney coached by a former All-American.

Indiana's Branch McCracken, who directed the Hoosiers to NCAA tourney titles in 1940 and 1953, is the only one of the first nearly 70 All-Americans becoming major-college mentors to finish his coaching career compiling a higher winning percentage as coach. But McCracken and Whitey Baccus, Tom Churchill, Jack Gray, Moose Krause plus John Wooden were A-As before the NCAA Tournament was introduced in 1939. More than 40 All-Americans who became major-college coaches either did not play or coach in NCAA playoffs. Five Duke graduates are among the following alphabetical list of 24 individuals participating in national tourney as an All-American player and bench boss (nine of them guiding their alma mater):