Avery Johnson Only DI Coach Notching Winning Career Record in NBA
A total of 10 active NCAA Division I coaches are former NBA bench bosses after Michael Curry, Tim Floyd, Rick Pitino and Reggie Theus departed in the past year. Of the 10 ex-NBA mentors, Alabama's Avery Johnson is the only individual in this group posting a winning career record in the NBA (254-186 with Dallas Mavericks and New Jersey/Brooklyn Nets). New UALR pilot Darrell Walker joined Kentucky's John Calipari among six of the 10 bench bosses failing to win as much as 40% of their NBA outings.
This professional downgrade is not a new trend. Former Final Four coaches P.J. Carlesimo, Lou Carnesecca, Ed Jucker, Doggie Julian, Mike Montgomery, Jerry Tarkanian, Butch van Breda Kolff and Tex Winter also compiled sub-.500 worksheets in the NBA/ABA. New Memphis assistant Sam Mitchell assembled a 185-242 mark (.433) in six NBA seasons as bench boss of the Toronto Raptors and Minnesota Timerwolves. Mike Dunleavy Sr. (seven), Johnson (four), Calipari (one), and Terry Porter (one) accounted for the 13 winning records in a total of 43 NBA seasons among the following active DI mentors:
| Head Coach | Current School | Career College Mark | NBA Record | Winning NBA Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Calipari | Kentucky | 678-202 (.770) | 72-112 (.391) | 1 of 3 |
| Mike Dunlap | Loyola Marymount | 376-180 (.676) | 21-61 (.256) | 0 of 1 |
| Mike Dunleavy Sr. | Tulane | 20-42 (.323) | 613-716 (.461) | 7 of 17 |
| Leonard Hamilton | Florida State | 527-418 (.558) | 19-63 (.232) | 0 of 1 |
| Avery Johnson | Alabama | 57-46 (.553) | 254-186 (.577) | 4 of 7 |
| Lon Kruger | Oklahoma | 619-395 (.610) | 69-122 (.361) | 0 of 3 |
| Larry Krystkowiak | Utah | 180-117 (.606) | 31-69 (.310) | 0 of 2 |
| Eric Musselman | Nevada | 81-29 (.736) | 108-138 (.439) | 0 of 3 |
| Terry Porter | Portland | 21-44 (.323) | 99-116 (.460) | 1 of 3 |
| Darrell Walker | UALR | 45-18 (.714) | 56-113 (.331) | 0 of 3 |