This is our first edition with a list of names in no particular order.
Drake head coach Ben McCollum
Age: 43
McCollum is a name that was on the early stages of the Hotboard last season and finds his way back onto it just a year later. There are connections considering that he worked with Athletic Director Wren Baker during his time at Northwest Missouri State. McCollum took over the head coaching position at his alma mater in 2009 and posted a record of 394-91 while earning five NABC Division II National Coach of the Year Awards. He also led the Bearcats to four D-II national championships during his time at the helm. Took over, ironically, the Drake basketball program last season after the departure of Darian DeVries to West Virginia and has led the Bulldogs to a 30-3 record, including 17-3 in the Missouri Valley Conference and earned a trip to the NCAAs.
Utah State head coach Jerod Calhoun
Age: 43
Calhoun has ties to West Virginia as well considering he served as an assistant under previous head coach Bob Huggins from 2007-12 and then spent five years at Fairmont State as the head coach. Moved onto Youngstown State in 2017 and led the Penguins to a 118-106 record during his time there. Calhoun was named the Utah State head coach this past season and took the Aggies to the NCAA Tournament with a 26-7 record. The Ohio native is surely to be a name that is considered this time around given his ties and success that he has experienced at multiple stops in his career.
McNeese State head coach Will Wade
Age: 42
Wade is one of the hottest names on the list after back-to-back seasons leading the Cowboys to the Southland Championship and NCAA appearances in both years. Wade, who has gone 49-8 and 36-2 in his league during those two seasons is an experienced coach with high major experience as well. Wade was the head coach at LSU prior to his time at McNeese State where he was 105-51 and led the Tigers to the Sweet 16 during the 2018-19 season but was fired after the NCAA formally served a notice of allegations due to recruiting violations. Prior to his time at LSU, Wade also was successful at VCU leading the program to back-to-back NCAA trips in his two years there and a 40-25 record in two seasons at Chattanooga.
Colorado State head coach Niko Medved
Age: 51
Medved served as an assistant for 16-years at various stops before getting his first head coaching role at Furman in 2013. He won 23 games in his final year there before spending a season at Drake leading that program. From there, Medved moved to Colorado State where he has spent the past seven seasons including three trips to the NCAA Tournament including this past year. Medved is a Minnesota native and has won 62-percent of his games atop the Rams basketball program. A respected talent developer, Medved is a name that will certainly receive consideration after being in the mix last year for the job.
VCU head coach Ryan Odom
Age: 50
Odom, a North Carolina native, spent almost 20-years as an assistant at various stops including Furman, American, Virginia Tech and Charlotte before he was given his first head coaching job at Lenoir-Rhyne. After one season, he moved onto University of Maryland, Baltimore County where he helped to lead the Retrievers to the NCAA Tournament in 2017-18 and became the first No. 16 seed to knock off a No. 1 seed when they beat Virginia. Odom then moved onto Utah State where he was 44-25 in two seasons including a trip to the NCAA Tournament in his second year before ending up at VCU. Odom has taken the Rams to the NCAA Tournament in both of his seasons atop the program and holds a 52-30 overall record. He has won a total of 63.8-percent of his games over the course of his head coaching career.
High Point head coach Alan Huss
Age: 46
Huss started his career at the high school level and was an assistant at both New Mexico and Creighton for nine seasons prior to getting an opportunity to lead his own Division I program at High Point. In his two seasons there, Huss has led the Panthers to two Big South regular season conference championships and a record of 56-14 including 27-5 in the league. Huss led the Panthers to a 29-5 campaign this past season and a trip to the NCAA Tournament. The Illinois native played his college basketball at Creighton.
North Texas head coach Ross Hodge
Age: 44
Hodge has been the head coach for the Mean Green since 2023 and has amassed a 43-23 record during that time with the program. Prior to that Hodge spent six seasons on the staff there as the associate head coach and also had been an assistant at Arkansas State, Colorado State and Southern Mississippi. He also previously served as the head coach at both Paris JC and Midland College where he had a combined 146-24 record in his five seasons and was the NJCAA runner up in 2010-11.
West Virginia associate head coach Chester Frazier
Age: 38
Frazier arrived in Morgantown with previous head coach Darian DeVries and has lived up to his billing on being a high-level assistant with great recruiting chops. Frazier has served as an assistant at Kansas State, Virginia Tech and Illinois previously since he first became the associate head coach in Morgantown. Frazier appears primed for the next step in his career and clearly knows what it’s like to coach at West Virginia but it’s unclear if the Mountaineers would want to make the leap to give him the reins.
Drake head coach Ben McCollum
Age: 43
McCollum is a name that was on the early stages of the Hotboard last season and finds his way back onto it just a year later. There are connections considering that he worked with Athletic Director Wren Baker during his time at Northwest Missouri State. McCollum took over the head coaching position at his alma mater in 2009 and posted a record of 394-91 while earning five NABC Division II National Coach of the Year Awards. He also led the Bearcats to four D-II national championships during his time at the helm. Took over, ironically, the Drake basketball program last season after the departure of Darian DeVries to West Virginia and has led the Bulldogs to a 30-3 record, including 17-3 in the Missouri Valley Conference and earned a trip to the NCAAs.
Utah State head coach Jerod Calhoun
Age: 43
Calhoun has ties to West Virginia as well considering he served as an assistant under previous head coach Bob Huggins from 2007-12 and then spent five years at Fairmont State as the head coach. Moved onto Youngstown State in 2017 and led the Penguins to a 118-106 record during his time there. Calhoun was named the Utah State head coach this past season and took the Aggies to the NCAA Tournament with a 26-7 record. The Ohio native is surely to be a name that is considered this time around given his ties and success that he has experienced at multiple stops in his career.
McNeese State head coach Will Wade
Age: 42
Wade is one of the hottest names on the list after back-to-back seasons leading the Cowboys to the Southland Championship and NCAA appearances in both years. Wade, who has gone 49-8 and 36-2 in his league during those two seasons is an experienced coach with high major experience as well. Wade was the head coach at LSU prior to his time at McNeese State where he was 105-51 and led the Tigers to the Sweet 16 during the 2018-19 season but was fired after the NCAA formally served a notice of allegations due to recruiting violations. Prior to his time at LSU, Wade also was successful at VCU leading the program to back-to-back NCAA trips in his two years there and a 40-25 record in two seasons at Chattanooga.
Colorado State head coach Niko Medved
Age: 51
Medved served as an assistant for 16-years at various stops before getting his first head coaching role at Furman in 2013. He won 23 games in his final year there before spending a season at Drake leading that program. From there, Medved moved to Colorado State where he has spent the past seven seasons including three trips to the NCAA Tournament including this past year. Medved is a Minnesota native and has won 62-percent of his games atop the Rams basketball program. A respected talent developer, Medved is a name that will certainly receive consideration after being in the mix last year for the job.
VCU head coach Ryan Odom
Age: 50
Odom, a North Carolina native, spent almost 20-years as an assistant at various stops including Furman, American, Virginia Tech and Charlotte before he was given his first head coaching job at Lenoir-Rhyne. After one season, he moved onto University of Maryland, Baltimore County where he helped to lead the Retrievers to the NCAA Tournament in 2017-18 and became the first No. 16 seed to knock off a No. 1 seed when they beat Virginia. Odom then moved onto Utah State where he was 44-25 in two seasons including a trip to the NCAA Tournament in his second year before ending up at VCU. Odom has taken the Rams to the NCAA Tournament in both of his seasons atop the program and holds a 52-30 overall record. He has won a total of 63.8-percent of his games over the course of his head coaching career.
High Point head coach Alan Huss
Age: 46
Huss started his career at the high school level and was an assistant at both New Mexico and Creighton for nine seasons prior to getting an opportunity to lead his own Division I program at High Point. In his two seasons there, Huss has led the Panthers to two Big South regular season conference championships and a record of 56-14 including 27-5 in the league. Huss led the Panthers to a 29-5 campaign this past season and a trip to the NCAA Tournament. The Illinois native played his college basketball at Creighton.
North Texas head coach Ross Hodge
Age: 44
Hodge has been the head coach for the Mean Green since 2023 and has amassed a 43-23 record during that time with the program. Prior to that Hodge spent six seasons on the staff there as the associate head coach and also had been an assistant at Arkansas State, Colorado State and Southern Mississippi. He also previously served as the head coach at both Paris JC and Midland College where he had a combined 146-24 record in his five seasons and was the NJCAA runner up in 2010-11.
West Virginia associate head coach Chester Frazier
Age: 38
Frazier arrived in Morgantown with previous head coach Darian DeVries and has lived up to his billing on being a high-level assistant with great recruiting chops. Frazier has served as an assistant at Kansas State, Virginia Tech and Illinois previously since he first became the associate head coach in Morgantown. Frazier appears primed for the next step in his career and clearly knows what it’s like to coach at West Virginia but it’s unclear if the Mountaineers would want to make the leap to give him the reins.
