The modern history of the NBA is filled with strivers who made the jump from the college to professional ranks with varying degrees of success: John Beilein, John Calipari, Billy Donovan, Rick Pitino, Brad Stevens and Jerry Tarkanian, to name a handful.
Lesser known are the entrenched NBA greats who put in time in the college ranks. For some coaches, this is an essential part of their biographies—both the Celtics’ Joe Mazzulla and the 76ers’ Nick Nurse would likely not be where they are today without the character-building years they spent at small schools.
