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Missouri Valley Basketball: Top 10 head coaches of the century (2000-20) - FanSided Sports
by Joey Loose
posted: 06/05/20, 7:15am cst
https://bustingbrackets.com/2020/06/...ntury-2000-20/
"Who are the most accomplished head coaches in Missouri Valley Basketball so far this century?
The second oldest conference in the country, Missouri Valley Basketball is an exciting mid-major league with a deep history. Each of the programs in this Midwestern league has their own stories to tell, and we’ve seen even in recent years that these teams still pack a punch on the national level. Even while teams like Creighton and Wichita State have bid the MVC farewell, there is still plenty of excitement in the conference.
Over the years, some incredible coaches have come and gone through the league. The teams currently in the conference aren’t exactly attracting 5-star prospects, but it’s the on-court coaching that’s really stood out over the years. We remember the men who win big postseason games and accomplish great things at their programs. This is a conference truly filled with legacies.
We’ll be taking a closer look at some of the greatest head coaches in the conference since 2000, focusing on the ten best during that time. There’s no criteria that our ranking is based on, simply a combination of obvious factors. We’ll look into coaches who have won a lot of games, especially in the postseason, and who have made a permanent positive mark on their program. There have been plenty of teams in this conference who have stood out over the year and there are some great coaches who haven’t even made this list.
Without any hesitation, let’s get right into the ranking, looking closely at some of the accomplishments of these MVC head coaches:
10. Jim Les (Bradley, 2002-2011)
9. Brian Wardle (Bradley, 2015-2020)
8. Chris Lowery (Southern Illinois, 2004-2012)
7. Mark Turgeon (Wichita State, 2000-2007)
When Turgeon was hired in 2000, this Wichita State program was nowhere near the dominance force we know today. The Shockers hadn’t even been in the NCAA Tournament since 1988 and had been struggling in MVC play for several years. They certainly have turned a corner over the course of the last two decades, and Turgeon played a definite role as they started to flip the switch. Turgeon began his rebuild and started seeing results by his third season. The Shockers were 12-6 and made the NIT for three straight years before the real success in 2006. After winning the MVC regular-season title, the Shockers took a 7-seed to the Sweet Sixteen before getting upended by Cinderella team George Mason. After nearly two decades of struggle, Turgeon had led them not only back to the Tournament but into the second weekend. While Turgeon would leave for Texas A&M in 2007, his success set up the Shockers for big things in the future. It’s easy to give Gregg Marshall all of the credit for the Shockers’ recent success, but he inherited a program in 2007 that was in much better shape than what Turgeon was working with a few years earlier. Meanwhile, Turgeon took advantage of that postseason success, leading to his success at Texas A&M and now Maryland.
6. Bruce Weber (Southern Illinois, 2000-2003)
5. Ben Jacobson (Northern Iowa, 2006-2020)
4. Porter Moser [Illinois State (2003-2007), Loyola IL (2013-2020)]
3. Greg McDermott [Northern Iowa (2001-2006), Creighton (2010-2013)]
2. Dana Altman (Creighton, 2000-2010)
1. Gregg Marshall (Wichita State, 2007-2017)
As was previously mentioned, Mark Turgeon left Wichita State in a good shape when he departed the program in 2007, but Marshall has done just a fare bit better with the Shockers. Prior to this point, Marshall had built a dominant program in the Big South with Winthrop and he was certainly no stranger to the NCAA Tournament or postseason success. He would translate this success in a big way with the Shockers. The first two years were slow, but by year three, Marshall had a bigtime contender on his hands. Each of his final eight years in the MVC his Shockers won at least 25 games and were a top 2 team in the MVC. The 2013 team took a 9-seed all the way to the Final Four while next year’s club marched into the Tournament undefeated before falling at 35-1. Prior to their departure for the AAC in 2017, Wichita State was 68-4 in conference play the last four seasons and had become a dominant force the MVC had not seen for a long time. New conferences mean new challenges as Wichita State adjusts to the AAC, but Marshall clearly dominated in the ten years he led a Valley program. Marshall’s presence ignited this Shockers program, taking them to the highest level and establishing complete domination in a great mid-major league. There is no MVC coach who has done more since 2000 and there are very few programs in the entire country that wouldn’t want someone like Marshall coaching their players."
by Joey Loose
posted: 06/05/20, 7:15am cst
https://bustingbrackets.com/2020/06/...ntury-2000-20/
"Who are the most accomplished head coaches in Missouri Valley Basketball so far this century?
The second oldest conference in the country, Missouri Valley Basketball is an exciting mid-major league with a deep history. Each of the programs in this Midwestern league has their own stories to tell, and we’ve seen even in recent years that these teams still pack a punch on the national level. Even while teams like Creighton and Wichita State have bid the MVC farewell, there is still plenty of excitement in the conference.
Over the years, some incredible coaches have come and gone through the league. The teams currently in the conference aren’t exactly attracting 5-star prospects, but it’s the on-court coaching that’s really stood out over the years. We remember the men who win big postseason games and accomplish great things at their programs. This is a conference truly filled with legacies.
We’ll be taking a closer look at some of the greatest head coaches in the conference since 2000, focusing on the ten best during that time. There’s no criteria that our ranking is based on, simply a combination of obvious factors. We’ll look into coaches who have won a lot of games, especially in the postseason, and who have made a permanent positive mark on their program. There have been plenty of teams in this conference who have stood out over the year and there are some great coaches who haven’t even made this list.
Without any hesitation, let’s get right into the ranking, looking closely at some of the accomplishments of these MVC head coaches:
10. Jim Les (Bradley, 2002-2011)
9. Brian Wardle (Bradley, 2015-2020)
8. Chris Lowery (Southern Illinois, 2004-2012)
7. Mark Turgeon (Wichita State, 2000-2007)
When Turgeon was hired in 2000, this Wichita State program was nowhere near the dominance force we know today. The Shockers hadn’t even been in the NCAA Tournament since 1988 and had been struggling in MVC play for several years. They certainly have turned a corner over the course of the last two decades, and Turgeon played a definite role as they started to flip the switch. Turgeon began his rebuild and started seeing results by his third season. The Shockers were 12-6 and made the NIT for three straight years before the real success in 2006. After winning the MVC regular-season title, the Shockers took a 7-seed to the Sweet Sixteen before getting upended by Cinderella team George Mason. After nearly two decades of struggle, Turgeon had led them not only back to the Tournament but into the second weekend. While Turgeon would leave for Texas A&M in 2007, his success set up the Shockers for big things in the future. It’s easy to give Gregg Marshall all of the credit for the Shockers’ recent success, but he inherited a program in 2007 that was in much better shape than what Turgeon was working with a few years earlier. Meanwhile, Turgeon took advantage of that postseason success, leading to his success at Texas A&M and now Maryland.
6. Bruce Weber (Southern Illinois, 2000-2003)
5. Ben Jacobson (Northern Iowa, 2006-2020)
4. Porter Moser [Illinois State (2003-2007), Loyola IL (2013-2020)]
3. Greg McDermott [Northern Iowa (2001-2006), Creighton (2010-2013)]
2. Dana Altman (Creighton, 2000-2010)
1. Gregg Marshall (Wichita State, 2007-2017)
As was previously mentioned, Mark Turgeon left Wichita State in a good shape when he departed the program in 2007, but Marshall has done just a fare bit better with the Shockers. Prior to this point, Marshall had built a dominant program in the Big South with Winthrop and he was certainly no stranger to the NCAA Tournament or postseason success. He would translate this success in a big way with the Shockers. The first two years were slow, but by year three, Marshall had a bigtime contender on his hands. Each of his final eight years in the MVC his Shockers won at least 25 games and were a top 2 team in the MVC. The 2013 team took a 9-seed all the way to the Final Four while next year’s club marched into the Tournament undefeated before falling at 35-1. Prior to their departure for the AAC in 2017, Wichita State was 68-4 in conference play the last four seasons and had become a dominant force the MVC had not seen for a long time. New conferences mean new challenges as Wichita State adjusts to the AAC, but Marshall clearly dominated in the ten years he led a Valley program. Marshall’s presence ignited this Shockers program, taking them to the highest level and establishing complete domination in a great mid-major league. There is no MVC coach who has done more since 2000 and there are very few programs in the entire country that wouldn’t want someone like Marshall coaching their players."
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