The number of Division I men's college basketball head coaches is tiny, roughly equivalent to the populations of small towns like Arroyo Alto, Texas; East Germantown, Indiana; Crows Landing, California; or Altamahaw, North Carolina. Not all head coaching positions are elite, necessarily, but the title itself is a scarce commodity.
Unlike small town populaces, however, men's college basketball head coaches pretty much run to a type. Most obviously, as of 2022, such coaches are still all uniformly male.
Here are a few other distinguishing characteristics -- demographic, professional and biographical -- about the 363 men who will pace the sidelines, talk about "building a culture" and call a timeout or two this season.
Division I head coaches tend overwhelmingly to be new to their current job
Fully 31% are either in their first or second season at their present position. Indeed, a robust 61% of all Division I head coaches have been at their current stations for less than five full seasons.
This year, at least 53 head coaches are in their first season at their program. The new arrivals range in age from 35 (Jon Scheyer at Duke) to 74 (Fran Dunphy at La Salle).
At the other extreme in terms of tenure length is of course Jim Boeheim, who recorded his first win as Syracuse head coach during the Ford administration on Nov. 26, 1976. How long ago was that? Nearly a third (32.5%) of today's Division I men's head coaches were born after that date.
How long ago was that part two?
