Mar 19, 2015; Charlotte, NC, USA; Georgia Bulldogs head coach Mark Fox speaks to the media during practice before the second round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at Time Warner Cable Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
9. Mark Fox, Georgia
Fox has been good but not great in Athens. He is coming off his second appearance in the NCAA Tournament for the Bulldogs, which was the fifth of his career (three at Nevada).
After six seasons at UGA the program is definitely trending upward. Each of the last two seasons have produced solid teams in the top three of the SEC. We’ll see if he can take the next step.
8. Kevin Stallings, Vanderbilt
Stallings has had a long and successful run at Vanderbilt, although the last few years haven’t been up to par.
In his 16 years he has taken the ‘Dores to six NCAA Tournaments including two Sweet 16s. He’s coming off a trip to the NIT – his fourth in Nashville.
Vandy seems to always have a good team, though not great.
7. Avery Johnson, Alabama
This is the wild card of these rankings. Where do you put a coach without college experience?
Johnson was a really good NBA player, and he took the Dallas Mavericks to the 2006 NBA Finals – when he won NBA Coach of the Year. After a couple of first round playoff exits there he was fired, and took up the Nets in 2010 where things didn’t go so well. He’s spent the last two seasons as an NBA anaylst for ESPN.
How well will he do? Who knows. More than likely he’ll do really well, but it’s hard to tell.