Short and Sweet: Hodgson Latest One-Year Coach Leaving After Winning Big
Bryan Hodgson won 73.5% of his games in only season (25-9 record) with South Florida before seeking greener pastures at Providence. A surprising number of previous "won-and-done" mentors posted even higher winning percentages in "short-and-sweet" one-year stints since the generally recognized start of the modern era of college basketball in the early 1950s. Drake had two such coaches promptly move on to higher ground upon winning at least 28 games (Keno Davis following 2007-08 campaign and Ben McCollum a year ago after earning distinction as the winningest one-year wonder in NCAA history (31-4).
Fordham improved by 14 games in Digger Phelps' only season with the Rams in 1970-71, a mark that stood for one-year wonders until Chris Beard broke it with a 15-game improvement after UALR (30-5) went 13-18 in 2014-15. Buzz Peterson, the only coach to win a national postseason championship in his only season at a school (NIT with Tulsa), is among the following "one-and-done" coaches - including 2026 NCAA playoff bench bosses Rick Barnes (George Mason), Grant McCasland (Arkansas State), Matt Painter (Southern Illinois) and Brad Underwood (Oklahoma State) plus McCollum - winning more than 60% of their games in one-year tenures in the last 70 years:
| Coach | School | Single Season | W-L | Pct. | Reason for One-Year Stint |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lute Olson | Long Beach State | 1973-74 | 24-2 | .923 | Became coach at Iowa. |
| Digger Phelps | Fordham | 1970-71 | 26-3 | .897 | Became coach at Notre Dame. |
| Ben McCollum | Drake | 2024-25 | 31-4 | .886 | Became coach at Iowa. |
| Chris Beard | UALR | 2015-16 | 30-5 | .857 | Became coach at UNLV. |
| Carl Tacy | Marshall | 1971-72 | 23-4 | .852 | Became coach at Wake Forest. |
| Keno Davis | Drake | 2007-08 | 28-5 | .848 | Became coach at Providence. |
| Matt Painter | Southern Illinois | 2003-04 | 25-5 | .833 | Became coach at Purdue. |
| Stan Heath | Kent State | 2001-02 | 29-6 | .829 | Became coach at Arkansas. |
| Paul Weir | New Mexico State | 2016-17 | 28-6 | .824 | Became coach at New Mexico. |
| Danny Sprinkle | Utah State | 2023-24 | 28-7 | .800 | Became coach at Washington. |
| Thad Matta | Butler | 2000-01 | 24-8 | .750 | Became coach at Xavier. |
| Bryan Hodgson | South Florida | 2025-26 | 25-9 | .735 | Became coach at Providence. |
| Bill Fitch | Bowling Green | 1967-68 | 18-7 | .720 | Became coach at Minnesota. |
| Jim Harding* | La Salle | 1967-68 | 20-8 | .714 | Forced out by administration. |
| Buzz Peterson | Tulsa | 2000-01 | 26-11 | .703 | Became coach at Tennessee. |
| Bob Vanatta | Army | 1953-54 | 15-7 | .682 | Became coach at Bradley. |
| Larry Shyatt | Wyoming | 1997-98 | 19-9 | .679 | Became coach at Clemson. |
| Rick Barnes | George Mason | 1987-88 | 20-10 | .667 | Became coach at Providence. |
| Corey Gipson | Northwestern State | 2022-23 | 22-11 | .667 | Became coach at Austin Peay. |
| Ron Greene | Mississippi State | 1977-78 | 18-9 | .667 | Became coach at Murray State. |
| Art Tolis | New Orleans | 1987-88 | 21-11 | .656 | Forced out by administration. |
| Steve Lutz | Western Kentucky | 2023-24 | 22-12 | .647 | Became coach at Oklahoma State. |
| Scott Drew | Valparaiso | 2002-03 | 20-11 | .645 | Became coach at Baylor. |
| Louis Orr | Siena | 2000-01 | 20-11 | .645 | Became coach at Seton Hall. |
| Bob Huggins | Kansas State | 2006-07 | 22-13 | .629 | Became coach at West Virginia. |
| Grant McCasland | Arkansas State | 2016-17 | 20-12 | .625 | Became coach at North Texas. |
| Brad Underwood | Oklahoma State | 2016-17 | 20-13 | .606 | Became coach at Illinois. |
*Harding became coach for Minnesota (ABA) for portion of 1968-69 season.