When Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski retires after the upcoming season, ending a 42-year run at Duke with a minimum of 5 nationwide championships to his credit score, he’ll hand his whistle off to a coach who’s greater than 4 a long time his junior. Jon Scheyer is on observe to be the youngest coach within the ACC by a full decade when he succeeds Coach Ok within the 2022-23 season, and the duty of carrying on his mentor’s legacy shall be daunting.

However Scheyer will not be the primary within the career to observe a legend. There are many different coaches over time who’ve been requested to succeed all-time greats, and so they have skilled various ranges of success. At a current press convention when Krzyewski expounded on his resolution, he requested that the Duke devoted not evaluate the succession plan to others in school basketball. “That is ours, and we have got the individuals in place to get it achieved,” he stated.

However comparisons are solely pure, and it solely is sensible to review how different successions involving legendary school basketball coaches have gone over time.

By limiting this examination to those that spent a minimum of 20 years as the pinnacle coach of a college the place they received a nationwide title, some notable names are neglected of this piece. Amongst them are Billy Donovan, John Chaney, Jerry Tarkanian, Jud Heathcote, Eddie Sutton, Nolan Richardson and Gene Keady. That such titans of faculty basketball are excluded based mostly on the 20 years and a nationwide title standards is merely one other illustration of the rarified air the Krzyzewski inhabits. In any case, John Picket is the one coach with extra nationwide titles than Coach Ok.

Here’s a rundown of how the successions involving different former all-time greats have gone. Please notice that the data included right here rely any victories which will have been vacated later.

Jim Calhoun to Kevin Ollie

Calhoun’s file (1986-2012): 629-245 (72%), 3x nationwide champion
Ollie’s file (2012-18): 127-79 (61.7%), 1x nationwide champion

After a 26-year run at UConn that included three nationwide titles, Calhoun retired shortly earlier than the 2012-13 season and ceded the reins to his former level guard and assistant Kevin Ollie. The 13-year NBA veteran inherited a group confronted with a postseason ban because of poor APR scores and led it to a strong 20-10 file. It was a promising starting for the Ollie period, and the Huskies cashed within the following season by successful the 2014 nationwide title. The accomplishment was considerably surprising since UConn was a No. 7 seed in that NCAA Match.

Issues deteriorated from there, nevertheless, as UConn appeared in only one extra NCAA Match over Ollie’s last 4 seasons. The Huskies completed with dropping data in Ollie’s last two seasons, and he was fired after the 2017-18 season amid alleged NCAA violations that resulted in a three-year present trigger for Ollie. He not too long ago accepted the pinnacle teaching place with the Time beyond regulation Elite highschool program.

Bob Knight to Mike Davis
Knight’s file (1971-2000): 659-242 (73.1%), 3x nationwide champion
Davis’ file (2000-06): 115-79 (59.3%)

After three seasons as an assistant underneath Knight, Davis took over the pinnacle job on an interim foundation for the 2000-01 season following Knight’s falling out with college administration. It was his first head teaching job, and after main the Hoosiers to a 21-13 file and an NCAA Match look, Davis landed the full-time gig. In the end, the Hoosiers plateaued with a a run to the 2002 nationwide title sport, the place they misplaced to Maryland as a No. 5 seed in Davis’ second 12 months.

Indiana missed the NCAA Match in 2004 and 2005, and a second-round exit from the 2006 Huge Dance spelled the top for Davis after six seasons on the job. Davis simply wrapped up his third season because the coach at Detroit Mercy after stints at UAB and Texas Southern.

Adolph Rupp to Joe B. Corridor
Rupp’s file (1930-72): 876-190 (82.2%), 4x nationwide champion
Corridor’s file (1972-85): 297-100 (74.8%)

After 41 seasons underneath Rupp that included 4 NCAA Match titles, his former participant and assistant Joe B. Corridor bought the gig. Corridor reached three Ultimate Fours throughout his 13-year tenure and received the 1978 nationwide title in his sixth season with a group that completed 30-2.

After wrapping up a comparatively lackluster 18-13 season in 1985, Corridor resigned even though he was simply 56. He was quoted by the Chicago Tribune on the time as saying, “I did not wish to be an outdated coach.” Kentucky athletic director Cliff Hagan stated he was “actually shocked” by the choice. Corridor, now 92, has by no means coached once more.

Lute Olson to Sean Miller
Olson’s file (1983-2007): 587-190 (75.5%), 1x nationwide champion
Miller’s file (2009-21): 302-109 (73.5%)

Discovering a everlasting successor to Lute Olson took a while as a result of circumstances surrounding his exit from the pinnacle teaching job after 24 seasons. Newly-hired assistant Kevin O’Neill assumed the job on an interim foundation for the 2007-08 season when it was introduced that Olson was taking a depart of absence simply earlier than the season opener. Olson deliberate to return for the 2008-09 season, however his retirement was introduced shortly earlier than that season started as he handled issues from a stroke. One other interim was named as Russ Pennell took over.

In the end, the full-time job ended up with Sean Miller for the 2009-10 season after Miller’s profitable five-year run at Xavier. Miller, who had not beforehand performed or coached at Arizona or for Olson, held the job for 12 seasons till the varsity dismissed him in April. 

Maryland

Gary Williams to Mark Turgeon
Williams’ file (1989-2011): 461-252 (64.7%), 1x nationwide champion
Turgeon’s file (2011-present): 221-113 (66.2%)

After 22 seasons at Maryland that included the 2002 nationwide title, Williams retired in Could 2011. The timing gave Maryland sufficient time to conduct a full search earlier than the 2011-12 season, and so they settled on Texas A&M coach Mark Turgeon. Although he had no direct ties to Maryland or Williams, Turgeon had already been a head coach of three applications and had been to NCAA Tournaments with Wichita State and Texas A&M when he took the job.

Turgeon simply completed his tenth season, and though he is but to guide a group previous the Candy 16, Turgeon’s squads have been to 5 of the final six NCAA Tournaments. He not too long ago inked a three-year contract extension with the varsity.

John Picket to Gene Bartow
Picket’s file (1948-75): 620-147 (80.8%), 10x nationwide champion
Bartow’s file (1975-77): 52-9 (85.2%)

Picket was simply 64 when he retired after successful his tenth nationwide championship in a 12-year span following the 1975 season. Not surprisingly, his all-time nice run with the Bruins, which started in 1948, created unfairly excessive expectations for his successor.

That man was Gene Bartow, the previous coach at Valparaiso, Memphis and Illinois. He arrived at UCLA after one season with the Illini and led UCLA to a 52-9 file in his two seasons. However after the Bruins fell wanting a nationwide title for the second consecutive season, Bartow jetted for UAB, the place he helped launch the varsity’s sports activities program as athletic director and basketball coach. Bartow coached UAB from 1979-96 and stayed on as athletic director till 2000.

Dean Smith to Invoice Guthridge
Smith’s file (1961-97): 879-254 (77.6%) 2x nationwide champion
Guthridge’s file (1997-2000): 80-28 (74.1%)

After 36 seasons as UNC’s head coach, Dean Smith retired unexpectedly simply weeks earlier than the 1997-98 season. He was 66 on the time and handed the whistle to a loyal assistant in 60-year-old Invoice Guthridge, who had been with Smith on the UNC workers for 3 a long time.

A pair of Ultimate 4 appearances spotlight Guthridge’s resume from his three seasons on the job, however his last two seasons as head coach had been a slog that noticed the Tar Heels go simply 19-13 in league play. Total, his brief tenure seems to be like successful in hindsight, though the expertise degree dropped following Smith’s departure. The handoff from Guthridge to Matt Doherty additionally might have gone higher, however the Tar Heels ultimately bought via it and satisfied Roy Williams to come back again to Chapel Hill as coach.

Denny Crum to Rick Pitino
Crum’s file (1971-2001): 675-295 (69.6%), 2x nationwide champion
Pitino’s file (2001-17): 414-143 (74.4%), 1x nationwide champion

After 30 seasons and two nationwide titles, Crum retired from Louisville on the age of 64 following the 2000-01 season after failing to win an NCAA Match sport in 4 consecutive seasons. His alternative had no direct ties to Crum or Louisville however was nonetheless well-known within the state’s basketball scene.

Pitino, who coached Kentucky from 1989-97, had resigned as coach of the Boston Celtics lower than two months earlier and accepted the job. He went on two win two nationwide titles in 16 seasons with the Cardinals, though one among them has since been vacated. After a controversial ending to his Louisville tenure following the 2016-17 season, Pitino coached in Greece. Now 68, he simply completed his first season again in school basketball by main Iona to the NCAA Match.

John Thompson to Craig Esherick
Thompson’s file (1972-1999): 278-151 (65.3%), 1x nationwide champion
Esherick’s file (1999-2004): 103-74 (58.2%) 

Although simply 57, Thompson resigned halfway via the 1998-99 season, which was his twenty seventh main this system. His legendary run included the 1984 nationwide title, and he handed the baton to Esherick, a longtime assistant to Thompson and one among his former gamers.

Esherick spent 5 and a half seasons on the job and peaked with a Candy 16 look in 2001. Nevertheless, that marked his solely NCAA Match look because the Hoyas’ head coach, and he was changed with Thompson’s son, John Thompson III, for the 2004-05 season. Esherick has a regulation diploma and is now a professor at George Mason and the affiliate director on the college’s heart for sport administration.