10 College Basketball Players and Coaches Who Will Always Be Tied Together

Stars rarely stick around college basketball long enough anymore for us to identify them with their alma mater, let alone their coach. 

It didn't used to be that way. Nowadays it's the coaches that make a program. Once upon a time it was the combination of a great coach and a great player taking a program to the next level. The coach owed the player, and the player owed the coach. You couldn't talk about one without talking about these other.

These 10 player-coach combinations will forever be linked. 

Bob Knight and Steve Alford

It was a story made for the movies. In fact, it's surprising a movie hasn't been made about Steve Alford and Bob Knight. Alford was the classic homegrown Indiana basketball legend destined to play for Knight and the Hoosiers. 

Alford helped Knight win gold in the 1984 Olympic Games and was the star on Knight's final national championship team in 1987. Rumblings that the two didn't like each other began at some point, and Knight responded to that in typical Knight fashion. (Spark notes version: It was a bunch of bleepity bleep.)

Steve Fisher and Chris Webber

No matter how much Steve Fisher accomplishes at San Diego State—can you believe he's been there for 14 seasons?!—he'll always be remembered as the guy who coached Chris Webber and the Fab Five.

Outside of Michigan fans, it's probably overlooked that Fisher coached the 1989 national champs. 

Webber was the star of Fisher and Michigan's most memorable teams, and he was right in the middle of the Ed Martin scandal that eventually led to Fisher getting fired in 1997. 

Mike Krzyzewski and Christian Laettner

Mike Krzyzewski was already a respected coach when Christian Laettner came along. Coach K had been to two Final Fours and coached in a national championship game. Laettner helped turn Krzyzewski into a legend. 

Laettner's nickname could have been Mr. March. He won back-to-back titles—the first of Coach K's career—and he played in 23 NCAA tournament games. Think about that for a second. Only once in his career did Laettner lose before the final game of the season, and that one loss came in the national semifinals as a freshman.  

Laettner hit arguably the most famous shot in the history of college basketball and he was arguably one of the greatest college players. But since he wasn't a great pro, Coach K gets a lot of credit for the career he had. 

Jim Boeheim and Carmelo Anthony

Jim Boeheim would probably defend Carmelo Anthony if he averaged 40 shots a game, shot 25 percent, the Knicks lost 50 games and Anthony spent his offseason training for the Nathan's Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest. 

You know why? 

Boeheim loves Anthony. Loves him. You can sense that in his most recent defense of Melo to the Syracuse Post-Standard. 

And why wouldn't he be eternally grateful to Anthony? He has his only national title because of the guy. Anthony is the best player Boeheim ever coached and has become the most recognizable former Orange. 

John Thompson and Patrick Ewing

College basketball in the mid-'80s was all about two men who stood above all the rest—John Thompson and his intimidating center, Patrick Ewing. Ewing turned the Hoyas into a power and made Georgetown a big man's school—Dikembe Mutumbo and Alonzo Mourning both followed Ewing to D.C. 

Thompson won a lot of games without Ewing, but his only three Final Fours were with the Hall of Fame big man as his center. 

Larry Brown and Danny Manning

Had Larry Brown stuck around in the college game, he would have been one of the greatest college coaches of all time. Instead, he's considered one of the best NBA coaches of all time. 

But when you do think of Brown's time in the college ranks, his years at Kansas coaching Danny Manning come to mind. Manning and Brown took the Jayhawks on one of the most wild rides in tourney history in 1988 when "Danny and the Miracles" won the tournament as a No. 6 seed. Since then, no team lower than a No. 4-seed has won the tourney. 

When Manning graduated, Brown booked it to the NBA and didn't return to the college game into last year at SMU. Manning had a solid pro career—he was held back by knee injuries—and he's most remembered for what he did at Kansas as Brown's pupil. 

Dean Smith and Michael Jordan

You could say (and some have) that Dean Smith's claim to fame is he's the only guy who could keep Michael Jordan to less than 20 points per game—Jordan averaged 17.7 in three years at Carolina and 13.5 as a freshman. 

But Smith is famous for far more than simply coaching Jordan. He helped create Jordan, and Jordan obviously added to the Carolina mystique. Jordan also helped Smith win his first national championship in 1982, hitting the game-winner over Georgetown. 

John Wooden and Bill Walton

You could argue that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the most famous player John Wooden ever coached. 

It's Bill Walton, however, who continues to sing the praises of Walton and educates a new generation about the legendary coach. Walton also is better known for his dominating college career than his career in the NBA. When you picture Walton, you picture him in a UCLA uniform. 

And when you listen to him talk these days as a broadcaster, it's rare that he goes 10 minutes without talking about the Wizard of Westwood. 

Jerry Tarkanian and Larry Johnson

If the people at the NCAA had it their way, Jerry Tarkanian's UNLV Runnin' Rebels would not have been so dominant and become so relevant. At least, that's what Tark would tell you. 

Larry Johnson was the star that helped Tark dominate for two seasons. His teams were great for more than two years, but those two years stand out in history. The Johnson-led Rebels won the 1990 NCAA title and then became the only team since Indiana in 1976 to enter the NCAA tournament undefeated.  

Rick Pitino and Billy Donovan

Rick Pitino owes his quick rise in coaching to Billy "The Kid" Donovan. The Donovan-led Providence Friars made a surprise run to the Final Four in 1987, and Pitino turned that run into a job with the Knicks. He even gave Donovan a shot with the Knicks as a rookie. 

When Pitino returned to college basketball at Kentucky, Donovan was on his staff and has become the most successful head coach from the Pitino coaching tree. It's possible neither coach would have received the opportunities they've had without the other.