Mid-Major Coaches To Consider

It’s looking very likely that Maryland will hire someone from a power conference school to be the new head coach of the men’s basketball team. However, there’s hardly a guarantee that will produce a more successful outcome than hiring a head coach from a mid-major.

So, just to provide a different perspective on the Maryland coaching search, here are four mid-major coaches that I think could be an interesting fit at Maryland.

Matt McMahon (Murray State)

If you want a coach who is excellent at finding and developing talent, you might as well go for Matt McMahon, the coach who got Ja Morant to play for a mid-major.

Morant was unranked by both 247Sports and Rivals when he committed to the Murray State Racers, but that hasn’t stopped him from a successful career. At Murray State, Morant’s teams made the tournament both years he was in school and they upset #5 seed Marquette during his sophomore campaign. Morant then got drafted #2 overall in the NBA draft and will be starting the NBA All-Star Game later this month.

While Morant deserves every ounce of credit for his accomplishments, any coach that finds an unranked high schooler that turns into a lottery pick is also someone who deserves their kudos.

Even without a future NBA star, McMahon has still produced strong results with the Racers. The first year after Morant in 2019-20, the Racers were 15-3 in the Ohio Valley Conference and lost their conference title game by just one point against Belmont. 2020-21 saw a rough 10-10 record in conference play, but they’ve bounced back incredibly well this year.

They’re 24-2 overall and are unbeaten in conference play with a record of 14-0. They’re ranked #24 on Kenpom and #21 in the AP Poll, showing that both the analytics and the media have been impressed by how they’re playing. Meanwhile, the latest Joe Lunardi bracket has Murray State as a #10 seed.

McMahon was able to land one of the best college basketball players of the 2010s as an unranked recruit and has since followed that up with a season where his team is ranked and unbeaten in conference play. If you’re looking for a mid-major coach, he’d be my top pick.

Eric Henderson (South Dakota State)

Let’s take a trip to the Summit League, where the South Dakota State Jackrabbits have one of the best offenses in the country.

Under head coach Eric Henderson, South Dakota State has the #11 offense in the country according to Kenpom’s adjusted efficiency. It’s very easy to understand why, given that the Jackrabbits lead the country in three-point percentage. They’re also pretty good at scoring inside too, with their two-point percentage currently sitting at 18th in the country. On top of that, they’re also willing to push the pace, with a tempo ranked 51st by Kenpom.

This very impressive shooting has led to an unbeaten record in conference play, with the Jackrabbits sitting at 14-0 against Summit League opponents. The latest mock bracket from Lunardi also has them sitting at a #13 seed.

While the offense under Henderson has been absolutely electric, the defense hasn’t exactly been impressive. The Jackrabbits rank 240th in defensive efficiency this year, which is why Kenpom has them ranked at #73 despite one of the best offenses in the country.

Henderson’s offenses were similarly efficient his prior two years on the job, ranking 46th on Kenpom in 2019-20 and 39th in 2020-21. If you’re producing offenses ranked in the top 50 for efficiency in the Summit League, you’re clearly doing something right.

Henderson lacks an impressive pro like Ja Morant and currently hasn’t reached the tournament, but if you want the next Maryland coach to be an offensive mastermind, he might be your guy.

Grant McCasland (North Texas)

If you’re looking for a mid-major coach who has already shown he can beat a Big Ten school, allow me to present Grant McCasland. 

In last year’s tournament, the #13 seed North Texas Mean Green upset #4 seed Purdue 78-69 in overtime. The Mean Green were then eliminated by #5 seed Villanova in a 23-point loss, but it still established McCasland as a coach to watch.

North Texas has built on last year’s upset with an 11-1 record in Conference USA that has them ranked in the top 50 on Kenpom. They’ve also done an excellent job with three-point shooting, ranking 27th in the country for three-point percentage.

However, a free-throw percentage in the 300s and a two-point percentage in the 200s means that their offense is ranked 87th on Kenpom. Meanwhile, their defense is ranked 26th, thanks to a three-point defense that is 11th in the country.

McCasland’s teams are also strongly opposed to playing with tempo. According to Kenpom, the only team that plays slower than them is Tony Bennett’s Virginia. The slow pace is clearly working at North Texas but that also seems like it’d be a major red flag for Maryland fans.

Last year was the first tournament win in the history of North Texas, which means McCasland has done an excellent job helping the Mean Green reach their ceiling as a program. However, their lack of pace could be a tough sell for Terps fans who are hoping for a faster team under the new coach.

Ryan Odom (Utah State)

Ryan Odom is currently in his first season with the Utah State Aggies, but I think you can guess that he’s not in this article because of what he’s doing out west.

On March 16, 2018, Odom’s UMBC pulled off the first #16 seed upset of a #1 seed in the history of the men’s tournament. UMBC not only upset Virginia, but they did so in remarkably comfortable fashion, winning by 20 points while making 50 percent of their threes.

While UMBC’s performance against Virginia is one of the most impressive wins in college basketball history, Odom’s resume outside of that game isn’t exactly someone who’d seem like an excellent hire from a mid-major.

For starters, UMBC wasn’t even the best team in the America East during the regular season that year. They were 12-4 in conference play while Vermont was 15-1. Of course, UMBC was able to beat Vermont in their gym to advance to the NCAA tournament but it’s still worth mentioning that UMBC wasn’t the best team in their conference over a 16-game sample.

The year after their big upset, UMBC once again failed to win the regular season America East title and this time they weren’t able to upset Vermont at home in the conference tournament title game. They also failed to crack the top 200 on Kenpom, after finishing 2017-18 ranked 166th.

Returning to the present, his first year at Utah State hasn’t been particularly impressive. The Aggies are 6-8 in the Mountain West and sit five games behind the two teams tied for first at 10-2. Kenpom says their offense is 37t in the country, but it hasn’t exactly translated into wins so far.

The Virginia upset was incredible but besides one magic night in March, Odom currently doesn’t have a particularly impressive resume for a mid-major coach. He’d be a bigger name than the other candidates I’ve mentioned, but I’m not sure he’d be a better coach.