X's, O's, and Rick Pitino: Sizing Up the Big East Basketball Coaches

From its inception as a seven-team league in 1979, the Big East has transformed into an entity that is widely regarded as the best college basketball conference in the country year in and year out.

Throughout the league's existence, it has produced a staggering number of NBA stars and has been home to teams that have been coached by some of the most legendary figures in college hoops lore.

During what some consider to be the league's heyday back in the 1980s, squads led by such coaching luminaries as John Thompson, Lou Carnesecca, and Rollie Massimino would square off in grueling matches that featured the physical style of play that has come to define the league.

The Big East is still packed with a group of coaching legends and also features coaches who have already accomplished great feats in a relatively short amount of time.

And of course, there are the coaches who are far, far away from being considered legendary (or even mediocre in some cases).

With all of this in mind, I took it upon myself to weigh the merits and accomplishments of the Big East's 16 coaches, and ranked them accordingly.

No. 16: Fred Hill, Rutgers Coach

Career Wins: 32

Career Winning Percentage: 34.8 percent

NCAA Tournament Appearances: none

After a long, decorated career as an assistant coach, Hill was hired by Rutgers and just finished up his third season as the Scarlet Knights' coach.

In his time there, Hill has not yet been able to lift Rutgers out of the cellar of the Big East; none of his three teams have been able to finish better than 14th in the conference standings.

No. 15: Norm Roberts, St. John's Coach

Career Wins: 88

Career Winning Percentage: 34.2 percent

NCAA Tournament Appearances: none

Taking over for an embattled St. John's program after Mike Jarvis' stormy (no pun intended) tenure, Roberts is about to enter his fifth season as the Red Storm coach despite speculation that he would be fired this offseason.

Roberts has certainly had the odds stacked against him.

He's had to deal with NCAA sanctions from Jarvis' time there and the overbearing pressure from being New York City's primary college basketball program, all while having to live up to expectations from those who still have Carnesecca's legendary career at the school still fresh in their minds.

However, Roberts has yet to lead St. John's to the NCAA Tournament in his four years there, and he has had no success in attracting top players from the school's talent-rich city.

If progress isn't made, Roberts' fifth year may very well be his last with the Red Storm.

No. 14: Jerry Wainwright, DePaul Coach

Career Wins: 238

Career Winning Percentage: 52.3 percent

NCAA Tournament Appearances: three

In his four seasons at DePaul, Wainwright has not lived up to the expectations that he brought with him when he became the Blue Demons' coach back in 2005.

For over 10 years, Wainwright was one of the top mid-major coaches in the country, having very successful stints at both UNC-Wilmington and Richmond (the two places where a good majority of his career wins came from).

Wainwright perhaps suffers from the same affliction as Roberts, not having been able to tap into the talent pool in a major city (in this case Chicago) at a school with an admirable basketball tradition.

Many people were surprised that he was not fired after this past season, when Wainwright's Blue Demons team finished the year with a 0-18 conference record, good enough for last in the Big East.

No. 13: Stan Heath, South Florida Coach

Career Wins: 133

Career Winning Percentage: 55.2 percent

NCAA Tournament Appearances: three

Heath took the college basketball world by storm in his first season as a head coach in 2002, leading a Cinderella Kent State team all the way to the Elite Eight.

He then spent his next five seasons as the Arkansas head coach, leading the Razorbacks to two NCAA Tournaments before being fired in what was a surprising move to many experts and pundits.

Heath has spent the past two seasons at South Florida, where he has been unable to match his success at his previous two jobs.

But Heath gets a bit of a sympathy pass here, seeing as he is working hard to build a program that is years and years away from being a legitimate contender in the conference.

No. 12: Bobby Gonzalez, Seton Hall Coach

Career Wins: 174

Career Winning Percentage: 58.6 percent

NCAA Tournament Appearances: two

After an impressive stint as the head coach at Manhattan, Gonzalez has yet to make Seton Hall much more than a middle-of-the-road team in the Big East.

His past two teams have finished over .500, but there have been loud and numerous calls for Gonzalez to be fired.

Any bit of success that Gonzalez's Pirates teams have had has been offset by his fiery temper and embarrassing on-court antics.

No. 11: Mick Cronin, Cincinnati Coach

Career Wins: 111

Career Winning Percentage: 59.4 percent

NCAA Tournament Appearances: two

Cronin took over an embattled program, one that was trying to recreate its image after Bob Huggins' controversial, albeit extremely successful, tenure as coach.

Facing these odds, Cronin has done little to make Bearcats fans forget about Huggins' time there.

Cincinnati made progress last year, Cronin's second year there, and the future looks bright for Bearcat hoops after Cronin managed to land top prospect Lance Stephenson.

No. 10: Buzz Williams, Marquette Coach

Career Wins: 38

Career Winning Percentage: 59.4 percent

NCAA Tournament Appearances: one

Williams is coming off an exemplary season at Marquette, only his second as a collegiate head coach.

His Golden Eagles team finished 24-9, and for a good portion of the season Williams was considered to be a leading candidate for Big East and National Coach of the Year awards.

His task will now be to sustain the same kind of success at Marquette with his own group of players, not the heralded crop of players that Williams inherited from his predecessor, Tom Crean.

No. 9: Keno Davis, Providence Coach

Career Wins: 47

Career Winning Percentage: 71.2 percent

NCAA Tournament Appearances: one

Davis is a similar case to Williams, as he is about to enter only his third year as a college basketball head coach.

However, in that brief time, Davis has collected his fair share of accomplishments.

He was voted National Coach of the Year for the 2007-2008 season after he led his Drake team to a 28-5 record and a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Davis translated that remarkable season to the head coaching job at Providence, where his veteran-laden Friars team fell short of an NCAA Tournament berth.

Davis is still widely considered to be one of the rising stars in the collegiate coaching ranks.

No. 8: Mike Brey, Notre Dame Coach

Career Wins: 287

Career Winning Percentage: 65.2 percent

NCAA Tournament Appearances: seven

Brey has been at Notre Dame for the past nine seasons. In his time there, he has helped maintain one of the Big East's most formidable programs at the football-minded school.

He led the Irish to one of their best seasons (in decades) a couple of years ago with the help of Big East Player of the Year Luke Harangody.

With Harangody coming back for his senior season, Brey will be looking to lead Notre Dame back to the NCAA Tournament.

No. 7: Jamie Dixon, Pittsburgh Coach

Career Wins: 163

Career Winning Percentage: 78.3 percent

NCAA Tournament Appearances: six

In Dixon's time at Pittsburgh, his teams have produced some astounding numbers that really make someone wonder why it took an Elite Eight run by his 2008-2009 team for Dixon's efforts as a coach to finally be given proper recognition.

Taking over for Ben Howland back in 2003, Dixon has made Pittsburgh one of the elite basketball programs in the Big East, if not the entire country at this point.

In addition to his extraordinary winning percentage, Dixon has led the Panthers to the NCAA tournament in each of his six seasons at the helm.

The reason why a coach of Dixon's pedigree is not higher up on this list has been what his teams have done once they have entered the Big Dance.

Only one of his six teams made it past the Sweet 16, and unlike the other men ahead of him on this list, Dixon has yet to lead one of his teams to the Final Four.

No. 6: John Thompson III, Georgetown Coach

Career Wins: 184

Career Winning Percentage: 66.4 percent

NCAA Tournament Appearances: five

Final Fours: one

Since becoming the Georgetown coach in 2004, Thompson (in an almost storybook fashion) has restored the luster and winning tradition of Hoya Basketball that his father, John Thompson Jr., first established.

With the successful implementation of the Princeton Offense, Thompson has taken the Hoyas to multiple NCAA Tournaments in his time in the nation's capital.

With the help of Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert, Thompson took Georgetown to the 2007 Final Four, the school's first since 1985.

Last year, a talented Hoyas squad staggered to a disappointing NIT season, but with Thompson as the coach, the 2008-2009 campaign was probably more of an aberration, if anything.

No. 5: Jay Wright, Villanova Coach

Career Wins: 300

Career Winning Percentage: 63.2 percent

NCAA Tournament Appearances: seven

Final Fours: one

In his time at Villanova, Wright has taken what was a struggling program that was still living off of the Cinderella 1985 Championship team and has transformed the Wildcats into a perennial contender in the Big East.

Wright's past five Villanova teams have made the NCAA Tournament, and he has proven to not only be a fantastic coach, but also an innovative basketball mind with his use of a four-guard offense for his 2006 Elite Eight team.

His efforts culminated last year when his team reached the Final Four, the school's first in 24 years.

With a top-tier recruiting class coming to Villanova next year, it looks as though Wright and his Villanova program are here to stay among the Big East's elite.

No. 4: Bob Huggins, West Virginia Coach

Career Wins: 637

Career Winning Percentage: 73.5 percent

NCAA Tournament Appearances: 17

Final Fours: one

It seems like almost anyone who follows college basketball on a consistent basis has an opinion on Huggins, but what cannot be ignored is his fantastic track record as a head coach.

Many of his career wins came in his 16-year stint at Cincinnati, where he made the Bearcats into the Conference USA version of a dynasty, achieving the kind of success that had not been seen at the school since the days of Oscar Robertson.

Huggins is about to enter his third year as the head coach at his alma mater, West Virginia. His first two seasons have been very good, and his squad for next year looks to be one of the preseason favorites to win the conference.

No. 3: Jim Boeheim, Syracuse Coach

Career Wins: 799

Career Winning Percentage: 73.5 percent

NCAA Tournament Appearances: 26

Final Fours: three

National Championships: one

In all meanings of the word, Jim Boeheim is truly one of the legendary figures of college basketball.

He is an icon in the Big East and at Syracuse, where he has virtually singlehandedly built a hoops mega power.

After losing his first two appearances in the National Championship Game, Boeheim (with the help of one Carmelo Anthony) claimed his first and only National Championship in 2003, the highlight of his astounding 33 years as the Syracuse head coach.

No. 2: Jim Calhoun, Connecticut Coach

Career Wins: 805

Career Winning Percentage: 70.2 percent

NCAA Tournament Appearances: 21

Final Fours: three

National Championships: two

In a similar fashion to Boeheim, Calhoun has spent decades working on building his respective school from an basketball afterthought to one of the premier programs in the country.

In addition to his accolades as the Connecticut head coach, Calhoun has produced an astounding number of NBA stars in his time as the Huskies coach (Northeastern included).

National Championships in 1999 and 2004 are the hallmark of Calhoun's legendary career, making his UConn program one of the most nationally dominant for the greater part of his tenure.

No. 1: Rick Pitino, Louisville Coach

Career Wins: 553

Career Winning Percentage: 74.3 percent

NCAA Tournament Appearances: 14

Final Fours: five

National Championships: one

Anyone can take a quick glance at my profile and see that I'm from Louisville, but by no means is this a biased selection.

Pitino is one of a few college basketball legends that coach in the Big East, but what sets him apart from the likes of Boeheim and Calhoun is the sweeping success he has achieved at multiple schools.

Having unparalleled accomplishments at one school can be attributed to a good situation, a fostering environment, or an inherent collection of productive intangibles.

But Pitino has managed to take his winning ways to multiple schools, and he is the only coach to lead three different programs to the Final Four: Providence, Kentucky, and Louisville.

He led Kentucky, coming off NCAA probation from Eddie Sutton, on a dominating run through the 1990s, where he led the Wildcats to the 1996 National Championship.

His team lost in the National Championship Game the following year in overtime, and he laid the groundwork for Kentucky's National Championship season of 1998.

Pitino has since resurrected the Louisville basketball program, taking the Cardinals to the 2005 Final Four, and is coming off of a season in which his team was the Big East regular season champions, the conference tournament champions, and the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament.