Last spring’s coaching carousel was a wild one, with 60 changes across Division I men’s basketball and turnover at some of the sport’s highest-profile jobs. While some, like Kenny Payne at Louisville and Kyle Neptune at Villanova, are off to disappointing starts, several first-year coaches are overperforming and have their programs well-positioned for this year and beyond. Here’s a look at five hires whose teams are surpassing expectations early on.
1. Jerome Tang, Kansas State
Scott Drew’s longtime right-hand man at Baylor has the Kansas State program in NCAA tournament contention far quicker than most people anticipated. The Wildcats are off to a 2–0 start in Big 12 play and are 13–1 overall after pouring in a record-setting 116 points in a road win at No. 6 Texas on Tuesday.
