40 Under 40: We rank the best young coaches in college basketball
Although the college basketball coaching landscape continues to be dominated by legendary and established names including Mike Krzyzewski (age 74), Jim Boeheim (76), Roy Williams (70) and others, the game also features an abundance of talented young coaches who've collectively made their marks in the early stages of their careers. At ESPN, we hope to recognize some of those rising stars of coaching's next generation with our "40 Under 40" list.
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ESPN college basketball writers Myron Medcalf, Jeff Borzello and John Gasaway began this project with a long list of candidates culled from all 32 Division I conferences, before debating, revising and finalizing our list of the top 40 coaches and assistant coaches in college basketball who were under 40 years old as of April 30, 2020. The final list, which attempts to rank coaches according to both achievements and potential, features a diverse collection of elite young coaches who could secure some of the top jobs in the sport in the coming years.
1. Wes Miller, UNC Greensboro (age: 37)
Three years after playing on a North Carolina team that captured the 2005 national title, Miller started his coaching career as an assistant at Elon in his mid-20s, and the No. 1 coach on our list hasn't looked back. After accepting the head-coaching job at UNC Greensboro as a 27-year-old, Miller emerged as one of the top young coaches in college basketball. Since the start of the 2016-17 season, Miller has amassed 104 wins in a stretch that includes the program's first NCAA tournament appearance in 17 years (2018). -- Myron Medcalf
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2. Travis Steele, Xavier (38)
At the tender age of 38, Steele already has two full seasons under his belt as head coach at a program that has launched everyone from Skip Prosser and Thad Matta to Sean Miller and Chris Mack. Who knows, the Musketeers might have made the tournament in 2020. Either way, the future's bright in Cincinnati. -- John Gasaway
