Zilch/Zero/Nada: None of Ex-NBA Coaches in DI Notched Winning Pro Record

A total of 10 active NCAA Division I coaches are former NBA bench bosses after Michael Curry, Mike Dunlap, Mike Dunleavy Sr., Tim Floyd, Avery Johnson and Reggie Theus departed collegiate ranks in the last several years. Of the 10 ex-NBA mentors in this group, none of them posted a winning career record as an NBA mentor. Kentucky's John Calipari is among seven of the 10 bench bosses failing to win as much as 40% of their NBA outings. Winning at the collegiate level is a different story as Calipari, Leonard Hamilton (Florida State) and Eric Musselman (Nevada before moving to Arkansas) each compiled at least 29 triumphs in 2018-19.

This professional downgrade is not a new trend. Former Final Four coaches John Beilein, P.J. Carlesimo, Lou Carnesecca, Ed Jucker, Doggie Julian, Mike Montgomery, Rick Pitino, Jerry Tarkanian, Butch van Breda Kolff and Tex Winter also compiled sub-.500 worksheets in the NBA/ABA. Sam Mitchell, an assistant at Memphis in Penny Hardaway's inaugural season, assembled a 185-242 mark (.433) in six NBA seasons as bench boss of the Toronto Raptors and Minnesota Timberwolves. Calipari (one), Fred Hoiberg (one), Pitino (one) and Terry Porter (one) accounted for the four winning campaigns in a total of 29 NBA seasons among the following active DI mentors: