Scheyer Joins List of Former A-As With Winning NCAA Playoff Coaching Marks

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. But Howard, missing the tourney the past two years, was dismissed by the Wolverines. Duke's Jon Scheyer and Nevada's Steve Alford were the only former A-As coaching teams in this year's tourney.

Indiana's Branch McCracken, who directed the Hoosiers to NCAA tourney titles in 1940 and 1953, is the only one of the first 69 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):