2011 NCAA Final Four: The Best College Basketball Coaches in the Modern Era

It is fine to laud the players every year as we head to the Final Four. You just cannot make it without the horses. Or can you? In any analysis, we are forced to give credit to the coaches to some degree. In some cases, as with the Fab Five, many claimed they were not coached at all. In others, the coaches have been given all the credit. Here is one take on who deserves top billing in the period since the tournament expanded to 64 teams and why.

In the best of all circumstances, coaches get top billing because they win it all. Some may not have done so. But real winners, and the best of the best, win it all.

For this reason, we cannot take Butler's Brad Stevens or VCU's Shaka Smart. Not because they are not among the best. But because they do not have the essential part of their pedigree complete. In order to be the best, you must have coached and won the NCAA championship.

Also, as unfair as it may be, you are not the best if your competition was not the best. And despite great and improving competition at the other NCAA divisions, only Division 1 basketball coaches qualify.

Finally, while there were great coaches before the field expanded to 64 teams, we have eliminated those who never coached in that size of a field. Another game in the tournament makes the tournament different. More chances for an upset. More travel. And in addition, in older times the talent was less dispersed and with far fewer teams at least until the field expanded to 48 teams.

I know. This leaves out many legends of the game. John Wooden, the winningest coach in many ways in college basketball whose championship winning streak at UCLA will probably never be broken. Adolf Rupp, whose Kentucky teams were great but left with the taint of racism on himself and his teams. Branch McCracken, the great Indiana coach. And James Naismith who wrote the first set of rules for the game, and Phog Allen, another great who taught many other great coaches. But that is the way it is when sports progress.

There were great in their era, but might be incapable of coaching today. I would guess otherwise. But one thing is certain. Talent was much less dispersed. Just look at UCLA during the Wooden era.

With this said, here are the results of our analysis of what we have called the Modern Era.

The coaches who qualify must win an NCAA title in men's basketball. Here are the qualifiers, with the years and opponents.

1985	Villanova	Rollie Massimino
1986	Louisville	Denny Crum
1987	Indiana	Bob Knight
1988	Kansas	Larry Brown
1989	Michigan	Steve Fisher
1990	UNLV	Jerry Tarkanian
1991	Duke	Mike Krzyzewski
1992	Duke	Mike Krzyzewski
1993	North Carolina	Dean Smith
1994	Arkansas	Nolan Richardson
1995	UCLA	Jim Harrick
1996	Kentucky	Rick Pitino
1997	Arizona	Lute Olson
1998	Kentucky	Tubby Smith
1999	Connecticut	Jim Calhoun
2000	Michigan State	Tom Izzo
2001	Duke	Mike Krzyzewski
2002	Maryland	Gary Williams
2003	Syracuse	Jim Boeheim
2004	Connecticut	Jim Calhoun
2005	North Carolina	Roy Williams
2006	Florida	Billy Donovan
2007	Florida	Billy Donovan
2008	Kansas	Bill Self
2009	North Carolina	Roy Williams
2010	Duke	Mike Krzyzewski

I am gong to take out all one time winners, including Bobby Knight. Perhaps this is too limiting, but Knight was never a great coach for one reason in my mind. To be great, you must be a role model. And Knight was far too abrasive to qualify in my opinion.

Of the rest, Jim Calhoun, Billy Donovan, Roy Williams, and Mike Krzyzewski have all won more than one championship. Of the modern era, these are the best by results. And they are the best coaches.

At least one other coach deserves to be on the list even with just one championship. That coach, Dean Smith, left a huge legacy on the game, singlehandedly making the UNC Tar Heels one of the great college basketball dynasties, and coaching the following players who themselves became well-known head coaches.

Roy Williams, Kansas and UNC head coach, who has received many coaching honors in his career, perhaps more than Dean Smith.

Doug Moe, Denver Nuggets head coach and NBA coach of the year.

Matt Doherty, Notre Dame, UNC, Florida Atlantic University and SMU head coach.

George Karl, Denver Nuggets head coach.

Larry Brown, Kansas New York Knicks, San Antonio Spurs, Indiana Pacers, Philadelphia 76ers, Charlotte Bobcats and Detroit Pistons head coach with NBA and NCAA championships.

Eddie Fogler, head coach at Witchita State, Vanderbilt and South Carolina, national coach of the year at both Vanderbilt and South Carolina.

Billy Cunningham, head coach of Philadelphia 76ers NBA champions.

Jeff Lebo, East Carolina, Tennessee Tech, Chattanooga, and Auburn head coach.

Buzz Peterson, head coach at UNC-Wilmington, Coastal Carolina, Tennessee, Tulsa and Appalachian State.

Tony Shaver, head coach at The College of William & Mary

Scott Cherry, head coach at High Point University.

John Kuester, head coach of the Detroit Pistons.

In addition, Bill Gutheridge was Smith's longtime assistant before winning a national championship and the national coach of the year award.

So there you have my take on the best college coaches in the Modern Era.

If after the Final Four, either Butler or VCU win the tournament, and either Brad Stevens or Shaka Smart win a second championship, one of these two will also join this group and have a very good chance of exceeding Krzyzewski as the best of the best. Only time will tell.