College Coaches Who Failed in the NBA

Author:
SI Staff
Publish date:
Jul 4, 2013

College Coaches Who Failed in the NBA

Rick Pitino

While there have been a few exceptions over the years, college coaches haven't had much success in the NBA. Whether it's adapting to the professional game or dealing with millionaire's egos, few NCAA coaches have been able to find second calling's in the NBA. The most high-profile example might be Rick Pitino, who is the only coach in NCAA men's basketball history to lead two different schools to national titles, yet is equally remembered for his well-chronicled struggles with the Knicks and Celtics. Click through this gallery to find more college coaches who have flopped in the NBA.

John Calipari

He's a legend in college basketball, but John Calipari was just another struggling head coach when he was with the New Jersey Nets from 1996-1999. Calipari won just 26 games his first season, but managed to make the playoffs the next as the No. 8 seed before being swept by the Bulls. In 1998-99, the season we delayed by the owners' lockout, but it was just delaying the inevitable for Calipari. The current Kentucky coach went just 3-17 before being let go.

Lon Kruger

Lon Kruger has had success in the SEC, Big Ten, Mountain West and Big 12 -- but not the NBA. The longtime college coach was given a shot with the Hawks in 2000, only to go 25-57 in his first season and being fired in his third. Kruger since has made stops at UNLV and Oklahoma, where he's reached the NCAA tourney in five out of nine seasons.

Leonard Hamilton

One of Michael Jordan's many failed experiments with the Wiards was plucking Leonard Hamilton from Miami. Hamilton led the Hurricanes to three straight NCAA tournaments from 1997-2000, earning him a shot in the NBA. But that opportunity lasted only one season thanks to a dismal campaign in D.C.

Tim Floyd

Tim Floyd gained national attention at Iowa State by coaching such future NBA products as Fred Hoiberg, Marcus Fizer and Kelvin Cato, but coaching in the NBA was a different story. Floyd went 49-190 in three-plus years with the Bulls before being let go in 2002. He returned to the NBA in 2003 to coach the Hornets, leading them to a 41-41 record and the NBA playoffs, but was fired after losing the first round in seven games.

Mike Montgomery

Mike Montgomery was a four-time Pac-10 Coach of the Year at Stanford, but failed to experience the same results up north in Golden State. Montgomery led the Warriors to identical 34-48 records from 2004-06 before being let go. Since his NBA tenure, Montgomery has returned to the NCAA level at California, where he's reached the postseason five straight seasons.

Mike Dunlap

Mike Dunlap was never a head coach in the college ranks, but served as a top assistant at several schools including Iowa, USC, Oregon and most recently St. John's. Dunlap doubled the Bobcats' win total from the year before in 2012-13, but was still canned after just one season at the helm.

P.J. Carlesimo

Arguably the most successful of the coaches on this list, Carlesimo has been the head coach of four different NBA teams, only to a compile a record well under .500. He is a three-time NBA champion as an assistant coach with the Spurs, but hasn't seen the same success as the head man on an NBA bench. Carlesimo had maybe his best season as a head coach in 2012-13, taking over as an interim for Avery Johnson and going 35-19, only to be fired at the end of the season.

Reggie Theus

Reggie Theus has two successful seasons at New Mexico State before making the jump to the Sacramento Kings, whom he played for in the 1980s. But Theus struggled to turn the Kings around, coaching for a little over a season before being let go by the Maloof brothers in 2008.

Billy Donovan

Billy Donovan spent just five days as the head coach of the Orlando Magic before deciding he had made a mistake and returning to Florida. Upon his return, the Gators made him the highest-paid coach in college basketball.