Sports
Men’s NCAA basketball conference player of the year picks
In the months ahead, the top men’s college basketball talents will fight to secure player of the year honors in their respective conferences.
Who is most likely to battle for those rights is more apparent in the major conferences. Duke’s Cameron Boozer and NC State’s Darrion Williams are candidates in the ACC. Donovan Dent, the UCLA star who transferred from New Mexico, could push Purdue’s Braden Smith and Trey Kaufman-Renn in the Big Ten. Kentucky’s Otega Oweh and Florida’s Alex Condon lead a crowded field of candidates for individual honors in the SEC. And BYU’s AJ Dybantsa and Kansas’ Darryn Peterson could compete for Big 12 — in addition to the No. 1 spot in the 2026 NBA draft.
But those leagues shouldn’t get all of the buzz; these races are intriguing in every conference. That’s why we’re here to identify the strongest candidates — and their top competition — in all 31 conferences entering the 2025-26 season.
Note: Stats are from 2024-25 season unless otherwise noted.
Jump to a conference:
A-10 | American | ACC | America East | ASUN | Big 12 | Big East | Big Sky | Big South | Big Ten | Big West | C-USA | CAA | Horizon League | Ivy League | MAAC | MAC | MEAC | Mountain West | MVC | NEC | OVC | Patriot League | SEC | Southern | Southland | Summit League | Sun Belt | SWAC | WAC | WCC
America East Conference
Until last season, Vermont had lost just 13 conference games since the start of the 2016-17 season on its way to an eight-year run as regular-season champion in the America East. This season, Hurley aims to help the Catamounts start a new streak finishing second in the standings last season. The 6-foot-5 guard, who averaged 15.8 points and connected on 38% of his shots from beyond the arc, was an All-America East selection a year ago.
Top competition: TJ Long, Vermont (11.1 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 1.3 SPG)
American Conference
Rowan Brumbaugh, Tulane Green Wave
In a tough one-point loss to Memphis in last season’s American Conference tournament semifinals, the 6-foot-4 Brumbaugh scored 22 points to keep Tulane alive until the final seconds. This season, Brumbaugh — an all-conference selection in 2024-25 (15.5 PPG, 4.8 APG, 1.6 SPG) — is the league’s top returning scorer.
Top competition: Jordan Riley, East Carolina (14.5 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 2.0 SPG)
Atlantic Coast Conference
Cameron Boozer, Duke Blue Devils
The son of former Duke standout Carlos Boozer will try to establish a legacy of his own as the program hunts for Jon Scheyer’s first national championship. Cooper Flagg won the Wooden Award as a freshman last season, and this year, the versatile 6-foot-9 forward and two-time Gatorade Player of the Year will begin the season with the same ambitions.
Top competition: Darrion Williams, NC State (15.1 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 3.6 APG, 1.3 SPG at Texas Tech)
ASUN Conference
Jack Karasinski, Bellarmine Knights
The 6-foot-7 center finished top-10 in ASUN scoring a year ago, including field goal and free throw percentage. Unfortunately, Karasinski’s impressive numbers — 15.4 PPG, 39% from 3 and 77% from the charity stripe — were not enough to keep Bellarmine out of the basement (the Knights went 5-26). But a rebooted roster led by Karasinski should change the program’s fortunes this season.
Top competition: Chris Ashby, Queens (12.7 PPG, 89% FT%, school record 115 3-pointers made)
Atlantic 10 Conference
Robbie Avila, Saint Louis Billikens
Avila is still wearing the goggles. A year after leading Indiana State to the NIT championship game, Avila (17.3 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 1.2 SPG) had similar success at St. Louis. He was a second-team all-conference in 2024-25, and if the silky 6-foot-10 center can regain the 3-point stroke he had at Indiana State (39.4% 3P% in 2023-24), he could become the most dominant force in the A-10.
Top competition: Rafael Castro, George Washington (14.0 PPG, 8.9 RPG, 1.4 BPG)
Big East Conference
Zuby Ejiofor, St. John’s Red Storm
Ejiofor played a critical role in St. John’s winning the Big East crown for the first time in 33 years and securing the Big East tournament championship for the first time in 25 years. The 6-foot-9 forward was rewarded with an All-Big East nod (14.7 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 1.4 BPG) to go with the league’s most improved honor.
Top competition: Alex Karaban, UConn (14.3 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 2.8 APG, 1.5 BPG)
Big Sky Conference
Money Williams, Montana Grizzlies
The 6-foot-4 guard averaged 13.2 points and made 80% of his free throw attempts last season, but he saved his best for last. In the final month of a season that ended with Montana’s first NCAA tournament appearance in six years, Williams averaged 17.1 points per game over six contests. If he carries that momentum into this season, he could end the year with a Big Sky Player of the Year trophy.
0:18
Money Williams drains the long 3-pointer
Money Williams drains the long 3-pointer
Top competition: Terri Miller Jr., Portland State (12.1 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 1.6 SPG)
Big South Conference
Toyaz Solomon, UNC Asheville Bulldogs
A 6-foot-9 forward, Solomon’s prominence is the result of durability: he was the only player on UNC Asheville’s roster to start every game last season. After connecting on 61% of his field goal attempts and earning second-team All-Big South honors last season (15.7 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 1.6 BPG), Solomon can build on that effort to fight for player of the year honors.
Top competition: Rob Martin, High Point (14.8 PPG, 4.5 APG, 40% 3P%)
Big 12 Conference
JT Toppin, Texas Tech Red Raiders
A second-team AP All-American last season, Toppin will enter this one as a serious contender for the Wooden Award. He had arguably the most surprising breakout season after transferring from New Mexico to Texas Tech, averaging 18.2 PPG, 9.4 RPG and 1.5 SPG for the Red Raiders. The 6-foot-9 forward withdrew from the NBA draft to help Texas Tech chase its first national title and boost his draft stock.
Top competition: Darryn Peterson, Kansas (No. 2 recruit in SC Next 100; projected No. 1 pick in ESPN’s latest 2026 mock draft)
Big Ten Conference
Braden Smith, Purdue Boilermakers
In ESPN’s ranking of the 2022 recruiting class, Smith was listed as the 31st-best guard. Fast forward three years, Smith enters this season as the favorite to win the Wooden Award. The 6-foot guard, who earned a spot on the AP All-America team last season, is back after earning Big Ten Player of the Year honors (15.8 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 2.2 SPG, 38% 3P%). He could become Purdue’s third Wooden Award winner in four years.
Top competition: Donovan Dent, UCLA (20.4 PPG, 6.4 APG, 1.4 SPG, 40% 3P% at New Mexico)
Big West Conference
Aidan Mahaney, UC Santa Barbara Gauchos
Mahaney’s decision to leave Saint Mary’s for UConn following back-to-back All-West Coast Conference seasons did not yield the results he had anticipated. But if the 6-foot-3 guard can put that lackluster 2024-25 showing behind him and once again look like the young star he was in the WCC (13.9 PPG, 81% FT% at Saint Mary’s in 2023-24), he could make an immediate splash in his third conference in three years.
Top competition: Jason Fontenet II, UC Santa Barbara (9.9 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 77% FT%)
Coastal Athletic Association
Colby Duggan, Charleston Cougars
Duggan’s 32-point explosion in Campbell’s 97-81 loss to North Carolina last season — he led all scorers and finished 5-for-9 from beyond the arc — proved that the 6-foot-7 forward can compete against the game’s top tier. After that outing, he went on to lead the CAA in scoring (19.9 PPG) before transferring to Charleston.
Top competition: Tyler Tejada, Towson (16.7 PPG, 82% FT%)
Conference USA
Simeon Cottle, Kennesaw State Owls
When the 6-foot-2 guard scored 32 points in a win over New Mexico State in last season’s Conference USA tournament, it wasn’t a shocker. In fact, it was Cottle’s eighth outing with 25 or more points during the 2024-25 campaign. Another strength for Cottle? He has a gift for drawing fouls and making his free throws (87%).
Top competition: Jemel Jones, New Mexico State (18.9 PPG at Cal State Bakersfield)
Horizon League
Tuburu Naivalurua, Oakland Golden Grizzlies
In addition to the 6-foot-8 Australian forward’s raw numbers last season (13.9 PPG and 7.1 RPG), the Oakland star was also one of his conference’s most efficient players. Naivalurua made 56% of his shots inside the arc and was ranked sixth in the Horizon League among players with a usage rate of 20% or higher, per KenPom.
Top competition: Orlando Lovejoy, Detroit Mercy (16.4 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 3.6 APG)
Ivy League
The 6-foot-7 forward made an incredible leap from a sophomore reserve to a junior star and All-Ivy League selection last season, proving he’s a top contender for the league’s player of the year honors. A year ago, the third-generation Ivy League star — his mother and grandfather both played sports at Harvard — averaged 15.4 points and made 48% of his 3-point attempts. He could take his game to another level in 2025-26.
0:19
Nick Townsend fights off defender for and-1
Nick Townsend fights off defender for and-1
Top competition: Brandon Mitchell-Day, Dartmouth (13.6 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 2.8 APG)
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
Amarri Monroe, Quinnipiac Bobcats
Monroe has been a catalyst for Quinnipiac’s 2023-24 and 2024-25 conference titles (18.1 PPG, 9.1 RPG, 2.3 SPG last season). Rather than bolt for a higher-profile team, however, the 6-foot-7 forward quickly exited the portal and returned for a third year. He’ll be a school legend if he can lead the Bobcats to the NCAA tournament for the first time as a Division I program.
Top competition: Justice Shoats, Siena (16.1 PPG, 4.7 APG)
Mid-American Conference
Peter Suder, Miami (OH) RedHawks
The 6-foot-5 wing secured All-MAC honors after helping his squad win 25 games to finish second in the conference standings last year. Suder, who started all of his team’s 34 games in 2024-25, connected on 57% of his shots inside the arc and 77% of his free throw attempts, while also compiling averages of 13.7 PPG, 4.9 RPG and 3.8 APG.
Top competition: Tavari Johnson, Akron (13.0 PPG, 3.8 APG, 39% 3P%)
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
Ahmad Torrence, Norfolk State Spartans
A year after leading Norfolk State to its first MEAC conference tournament title and NCAA tournament appearance in three years, Robert Jones has reassembled a new team that will be led by Torrence, a three-star recruit. The New York prep standout could have picked a handful of mid-majors, but the 6-foot-5 combo guard chose to compete for a Norfolk State team that has won three of the last five MEAC regular-season titles.
Top competition: Bryce Harris, Howard (16.6 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 38% from 3P% in 2023-24; suffered a season-ending foot injury and played just seven games in 2024-25)
Missouri Valley Conference
Chase Walker, Illinois State Redbirds
The 6-foot-9 forward earned all-MVC honors last season with a dominant effort: 15.2 PPG, 6.2 RPG and 60% mark inside the arc. But Walker is in this spot because he finished the 2024-25 campaign with an excellent effort during his team’s run to the CBI championship (20.0 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 1.3 BPG in three games).
Top competition: Johnny Kinziger, Illinois State (14.6 PPG, 39% 3P%)
Mountain West Conference
Mason Falslev, Utah State Aggies
The 6-foot-3 wing helped Utah State finish third in the one of the strongest Mountain West races in recent history as the conference received four bids in last season’s NCAA tournament. The anchor of an Aggies squad that finished 20th in adjusted offensive efficiency and won 26 games (15.0 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 3.7 APG, 2.3 SPG, 39% 3P%), Falslev could become one of America’s best players this season.
Top competition: Elijah Price, Nevada (10.5 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 1.3 BPG, 1.3 SPG)
Northeast Conference
Malachi Davis, Long Island University Sharks
In his first year with the program after transferring from Arizona State, Davis earned All-NEC honors after averaging 17.7 PPG and 3.2 APG. The 6-foot-4 guard saved his best performance for the end of the season, though: he averaged 19.5 points as his team won seven of its last eight games in 2024-25.
Top competition: Jamal Fuller, Long Island (12.5 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 37% 3P%)
Ohio Valley Conference
KK Robinson, Little Rock Trojans
Entering last season, Robinson (15.8 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 4.3 APG, 1.2 SPG in 2023-24) was picked as Blue Ribbon’s Ohio Valley Conference Preseason Player of the Year before a knee injury ended his 2024-25 campaign. This season, the 6-foot guard is back to lead a new roster at Little Rock, which is seeking its first NCAA tournament appearance since 2016.
Top competition: Johnathan Lawson, Little Rock (15.4 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 3.6 RPG, 1.8 SPG, 43% 3P%)
Patriot League
Austin Benigni, Navy Midshipmen
His 18 points weren’t enough to lead Navy past American in last season’s Patriot League tournament title game, but that lopsided 74-52 loss should give the 5-foot-11 guard — who averaged 18.8 PPG and 4.3 APG — motivation to push his squad to compete for the program’s first conference tournament championship and NCAA tournament appearance since 1998.
Top competition: Kyrone Alexander, Boston University (12.9 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 1.2 SPG)
Southeastern Conference
The brother of Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Odafe Oweh, the 6-foot-5 guard could become the family’s brightest star if he earns an All-America nod, competes for the Wooden Award and leads Kentucky to the Final Four after a decadelong drought for the program. For Oweh, the SEC’s Preseason Player of the Year, all of those goals seem attainable. He’s on a shortlist of the best players in the country in 2025-26.
Top competition: Alex Condon, Florida (10.6 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 1.3 BPG)
Southern Conference
Rickey Bradley Jr., VMI Keydets
Bradley is one of the rare players in college basketball who left a school, transferred to another program (Georgia State), then returned to his original program. The 6-foot-2 guard made the most of that homecoming when he earned third-team All-Southern Conference honors (16.3 PPG, 37% 3P%) and led his team to the conference tournament semifinals, where the Keydets lost to Wofford.
Top competition: Billy Smith, Chattanooga (14.0 PPG, 39% 3P%, 95% FT% at Bellarmine)
Southland Conference
Javohn Garcia, McNeese Cowboys
Garcia, the reigning Southland Player of the Year who led his team to the second round of the NCAA tournament, was the perfect candidate to make a move in the portal. But even with Will Wade’s departure for NC State, Garcia (12.6 PPG, 81% FT%) stayed at McNeese State, where the 6-foot-2 guard can tack onto a remarkable 2024-25 season.
Top competition: Jakevion Buckley, New Orleans (14.5 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 4.1 APG, 1.8 SPG at Southeastern Louisiana)
Summit League
Isaac Bruns, South Dakota Coyotes
The 6-foot-4 guard made a leap of more than eight points per game between his freshman and sophomore season at South Dakota (14.6 PPG in 2024-25). That jump helped him earn All-Summit League honorable mention honors last season. This season, he can compete for player of the year if the 6-foot-4 guard can once again connect on 56% of his shots inside the arc and 85% of his shots from the charity stripe.
Top competition: Nolan Minnessale, St. Thomas-Minnesota (11.2 PPG, 1.2 SPG, 63% 2P%)
Sun Belt Conference
Robert Davis Jr., Old Dominion Monarchs
Davis is a volume shooter who led the Sun Belt in minutes played (nearly 36 per game) and launched more 3-pointers than any player in America (348). The 6-foot-6 guard’s next challenge is to become more efficient (15.6 PPG, 84% FT%, 38% 2%, 33% 3P%). If he can do that this year, he can be a more dominant force in the conference.
0:19
Robert Davis Jr. drains 3 vs. Troy Trojans
Robert Davis Jr. drains 3 vs. Troy Trojans
Top competition: Jalen Speer, Marshall (10.8 PPG, 81% FT%)
Southwestern Athletic Conference
Daeshun Ruffin, Jackson State Tigers
The impact of the 5-foot-10 guard on former NBA standout Mo Williams’ team was evident last season. Although Jackson State played a challenging nonconference schedule with matchups against Houston, Xavier, Vanderbilt, Kentucky and Iowa State, the Tigers finished 16-8 when Ruffin (15.7 PPG, 4.2 APG) — who returned from a season-ending injury the previous year — was on the court.
Top competition: Michael Jacobs, Southern (11.3 PPG, 2.8 APG)
Western Athletic Conference
Dominique Daniels Jr., California Baptist Lancers
Last season, the 5-foot-10 guard scored at least 21 points in 11 games, a stretch that helped him earn All-WAC honors. He also finished with an average of 19.6 PPG, a tie for 27th place nationally with John Tonje, who was a second-team AP All-American at Wisconsin. Daniels’ 3.1 assists per game showed his unselfish approach to the game, too.
Top competition: Kendal Coleman, California Baptist (11.2 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 37% 3P%)
West Coast Conference
Surprise, surprise: Mark Few has another squad strong enough to potentially end the season with the program’s first national championship. The return of Ike (17.3 PPG, 7.3 RPG) gives the Bulldogs another star who should keep them alive deep into March. The 6-foot-9 forward earned All-WCC honors last year and is one of the most complete players (62% 2%, 81% FT%) in America.
Top competition: Paulius Murauskas, Saint Mary’s (12.1 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 74% FT%)
HOUSTON — David Mirkovic had 14 points and 10 rebounds, and third-seeded Illinois flexed its defensive muscles to eliminate last year’s national runner-up from the NCAA tournament, beating Houston 65-55 in the South Region semifinals on Thursday night.
Next up is a meeting Saturday with ninth-seeded Iowa to see which Big Ten team will advance to the Final Four. It will be the 11th Elite Eight appearance for Illinois (27-8) and its second in three seasons under Brad Underwood.
In the Sweet 16 for a seventh consecutive time, the second-seeded Cougars (30-7) were thrilled to be playing just over two miles from their campus. But their poor shooting gave Houston fans little to cheer about and delighted the orange-clad Illini faithful who made the long trip to Texas.
“At the beginning of the game Houston fans were a little louder, but as game was going, [our fans] started being louder in their city,” Mirkovic said. “So it’s just really important for us, I would say just like a wind to our back. They pushed us, and thanks for them.”
Star freshman point guard Kingston Flemings, who is expected to be an NBA lottery pick, had 11 points on 4-of-10 shooting. Milos Uzan made just 2 of 11 shots.
But they were far from the only Cougars who struggled offensively. The team shot just 34% in its lowest-scoring game of the season.
Underwood was asked about his team’s defensive performance.
“I think it’s a mental focus,” he said. “We’ve been very good at times defensively. It’s just sustaining it. We’ve got very capable defenders, we’ve got size and length, and we just got to make shots difficult.”
Illinois finished well under the 84.7 points a game it averaged entering Thursday. But its offense was still plenty powerful enough to send Houston back to its nearby campus. Keaton Wagler had 13 points and a team-high 12 rebounds for the Illini; he and Mirkovic became the first pair of freshman teammates to each have a double-double in the same NCAA tournament game since freshmen became fully eligible in 1972-73, according to ESPN Research.
“Coaches were telling us before the game: ‘It’s going to be a guard game to get rebounds. We need 10-plus out of the guards,'” he said. “So I took that challenge on. I went in there, tried to play as tough as I could, not let them get any second-chance rebounds. I went in there and tried to get every rebound I could.”
Andrej Stojakovic — with his dad, three-time NBA All-Star Peja Stojakovic, in the stands — also scored 13.
By the time the final seconds ticked off the clock, many Houston fans had cleared out and the Illinois supporters stood and cheered as their team celebrated.
“I was proud of our kids’ effort,” Houston coach Kelvin Sampson said. “We just didn’t play good enough.”
The Illini were up by one early in the second half when they broke it open with a 17-0 run for a 44-26 lead with about 12 minutes left. Jake Davis scored five points during the burst, including a 3-pointer, and Mirkovic and Ben Humrichous capped it with consecutive 3s.
The Cougars missed seven consecutive shots as Illinois built its lead. When Uzan finally ended Houston’s drought with a 3-pointer with 11:20 left, it had been almost seven minutes since the team had scored.
“We were getting stops and we were limiting them to one shot, and to tough shots as well,” Wagler said. “Making them shoot tough middies or contested at the rim, 3-pointers, all of that, and then we were going in and grabbing the rebound and offensively we were getting the shots that we wanted, we were knocking them down.”
Consecutive 3-pointers by Chase McCarty got Houston within nine with about six minutes left. But Wagler and Tomislav Ivisic made 3-pointers to fuel an 8-0 run that extended the lead to 58-41.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Sports
Trey Kaufman-Renn’s controversial tip-in gives Boilermakers spot in Elite Eight, ends Texas’ Cinderella story
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The No. 11 Texas Longhorns’ Cinderella story in the NCAA Tournament came to a heartbreaking end on Thursday night, as Trey Kaufman-Renn’s tip with 0.7 seconds left on the clock gave No. 2 Purdue a 79-77 lead to advance to the Elite Eight.
It was a thriller to the end in this Sweet 16 matchup between a team that needed to play in the First Four to kick off the tournament, and one of the higher seeds in March Madness.
The Longhorns’ Dailyn Swain made a clutch and-one layup with 11 seconds left that allowed him the opportunity to tie the game at 77 apiece if he made his free throw. He nailed it with the pressure on, but the Boilermakers had 11 seconds to get up court and potentially win the game.
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Trey Kaufman-Renn of the Purdue Boilermakers dribbles the ball against the Texas Longhorns during the first half in the Sweet Sixteen of the 2026 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at SAP Center on March 26, 2026, in San Jose, California. (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
It was Braden Smith finding his way to the lane and putting up his own layup. However, the ball didn’t have the correct English off the glass, as it started to roll off the rim.
But Kaufman-Renn, who positioned himself underneath the basket, tipped home the game-winning bucket, giving himself 20 total points to help Purdue move on and keep their tournament dreams alive.
8TH-GRADER STANDS ALONE WITH LAST PERFECT WOMEN’S NCAA BASKETBALL BRACKET
There was some discourse on social media, though, as an overhead shot of Kaufman-Renn’s tip showed a potential foul, as he was hooking the arm of the Longhorns player jostling for the rebound.
Either way, no whistle blew, and the Boilermakers were celebrating, while the Longhorns couldn’t believe their season came to a close in that fashion.
Trey Kaufman-Renn of the Purdue Boilermakers shoots the game-winning shot against the Texas Longhorns during the second half during the second half in the Sweet Sixteen of the 2026 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at SAP Center on March 26, 2026, in San Jose, California. (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
This was a back-and-forth game throughout the 40 minutes on the court, as both teams traded the lead, especially in the second half. The largest lead any team had was Purdue at only seven points, while Texas’ lead never got higher than four.
But it’s because both teams were shooting well, with Texas making 52% of its shots (29-of-56), while Purdue poured in 48% (30-of-62).
Looking more into the box score, every Boilermakers starter had at least 10 points, while Fletcher Loyer (18), and Braden Smith (16) doing crucial work in the backcourt to help the winning cause.
Meanwhile, Texas’ Tramon Mark left it all out on the court, shooting 11-of-15 for 29 points, including 5-of-7 made from beyond the arc. Swain also just missed a double-double with nine rebounds, while tallying five assists.
Trey Kaufman-Renn of the Purdue Boilermakers celebrates with teammates after making the game-winning shot against the Texas Longhorns during the second half in the Sweet Sixteen of the 2026 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at SAP Center on March 26, 2026, in San Jose, California. (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
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Purdue now awaits the winner of Arkansas and Arizona to see who they must play to earn a spot in this year’s Final Four, which will be played at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
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This St. John’s team can’t shoot.
The Red Storm are 182nd nationally in field goal percentage (45.2) and 225th from 3-point range (33.2).
It doesn’t seem to matter. Rick Pitino’s team (30-6) has been opportunistic, physical and fearless in reaching the Sweet 16, where it will play Duke on Friday.
It is reminiscent of Pitino’s 2012-13 Louisville team that shot just 33.3% from behind the arc (216th nationally) yet won the national title. It’s a far cry, however, from his underdog 1987 Providence team, which reached the Final Four thanks to his then-revolutionary idea of prioritizing the newly created 3-pointer. Those Friars hit 42.2% of them.
Pitino can win one way, or the other, or back again; from the Camelot of Kentucky to the late-career rehab of Iona College.
The years change, the teams change. The players, style of play, rules, roster construction, and even the cuts of his neatly tailored suits change.
One thing remains constant.
Pitino wins.
The case for Rick Pitino as the greatest college basketball coach of all time takes some contorting, but each year it gains credence. The 73-year-old coached his first game 50 years ago, in 1976 as an interim at Hawai’i. He now appears better than ever.
Pitino’s 915 victories, .743 winning percentage and two national titles will never compare numerically to, say, Mike Krzyzewski’s 1,202 victories, Adolph Rupp’s .822 win percentage or John Wooden’s 10 championships.
Part of that is by choice — Pitino spent eight seasons in the NBA, including six as head coach in New York and Boston. He also had various NCAA and personal scandals that made him a temporary pariah and, to some, permanently ruined his reputation.
His legacy will always be linked to scandal. He had that Louisville national title, along with 123 victories, “vacated” by the NCAA as a result of its investigation into allegations that a staffer provided escorts at on-campus parties for players and recruits. The program was also at the center of a federal fraud and bribery case involving Adidas.
For a stretch, he was essentially professionally exiled to Greece, where he coached pro ball for two seasons, winning a couple of titles there, too.
Outside the lines, Pitino is one thing. Inside them, though, is a different story. Had he just stayed at Kentucky in 1997 rather than jump to the Celtics — and kept his business in order (perhaps unlikely) — there is no telling what his career totals would be. UK was rolling, after all, winning another national title under Tubby Smith the season after Pitino left.
But he has always bounced around, rescuing six bottomed-out programs (Boston University, Providence, Kentucky, Louisville, Iona and St. John’s). In the season before his arrival, those teams were a combined 76-105 (.419).
No matter.
He led five of them back to the NCAA tournament within two seasons (or in UK’s situation, when a tournament ban concluded). At BU, it took four.
This isn’t to punish other great coaches who built national powers and then stuck with it. Maintaining a juggernaut isn’t simple and deserves credit. Yet, Pitino has proven it was him, not the institution, that made the difference.
Pitino has had talented players (especially the 1996 Kentucky national champions), but he has coached just three future NBA All-Stars — Donovan Mitchell, Jamal Mashburn and Antoine Walker.
This isn’t as impressive as Bob Knight, who won 902 games and three titles despite having just one player who would become an NBA all-star (Isiah Thomas), but it’s also not the Hall of Fame parade that Dean Smith (UNC), Krzyzewski (Duke) or Wooden (UCLA) had.
Pitino, a former New York point guard, is about basketball. He still conducts one-on-one development workouts. He still grinds game footage. He still finds the way to maximize what he has — sometimes with a full-court press, sometimes the old 2-3 zone he learned as an assistant under Jim Boeheim.
He still communicates, harshly but honestly, in a way, for example, that not only empowers current guard Dylan Darling to confidently call for the ball in the waning seconds of Sunday’s victory over Kansas, but allows Pitino to trust “Church Bells” — a nickname stemming from Pitino’s description of Darling’s, uh, fearlessness — to pull it off, even with his off hand.
Pitino’s career has bridged multiple eras; not just in style of play (he coached pre-shot clock and 3-point line), but style of pay. As an assistant at Hawai’i in the mid-1970s, the NCAA dinged him for giving players coupons to McDonald’s. Now, they can own a franchise.
Some of his best work has come recently.
He returned from his Greek purgatory to lead low-major Iona to two NCAAs in three seasons. At age 70, he took over St. John’s, and won consecutive Big East regular-season and tournament titles. Now, the Red Storm are in the Sweet 16 for the first time this century.
The players still listen. They still defend. They still hustle. They still believe.
They still win, even when they can’t shoot all that well.
That’s a pure college basketball coach, perhaps the best there has ever been.
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