The Top 5 Ul Basketball Coaches of All Time

It’s no secret that some of the best Basketball Coaches come from the University of Louisville In this blog post, we countdown the top 5 University of Louisville Basketball coaches of all time.

Phil Jackson

1. Phil Jackson

Arguably the greatest coach in Basketball History Phil Jackson led the Chicago Bulls to six NBA championships in the 1990s. He also had a successful stint with the Los Angeles Lakers, winning five championships. Jackson is known for his innovative “triangle offense” and his calm demeanor on the sidelines.

Dean Smith

Often called the “guru of basketball”, Dean Smith was the Head Coach of the University of North Carolina men’s basketball team from 1961 to 1997. He is credited with popularizing the use of multiple defensive strategies, as well as the “Four Corners” offense. His teams won two National Championships and appeared in 11 Final Fours. He is also the winningest coach in college basketball history, with a total of 879 victories.

John Wooden

John Wooden is widely considered the greatest college basketball coach of all time. He coached the UCLA Bruins to an unprecedented 10 NCAA Championships in 12 years, including an unprecedented 7 in a row. He also coached the Bruins to an undefeated season in 1972. Wooden was named Coach of the Year 6 times and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1973.

Adolph Rupp

Adolph Frederick Rupp (September 24, 1901 – October 10, 1977) was an American college basketball coach Rupp is ranked fifth in total victorious seasons by a head coach in the history of NCAA Division I college basketball Rupp is also second among all men’s college coaches in all-time winning percentage, trailing only Clair Bee. He is the only coach in NCAA Division I history to have won four NCAA championships and an Olympic gold medal (in 1948).

Rupp was born on September 24, 1901 in Halstead, Kansas to Heinrich Rupp, a German immigrant, and Anna Lichi, an Austrian immigrant. The fourth of six children, Rupp grew up on a 163-acre farm that his parents had homesteaded. He began playing basketball as a young child, and played organized basketball as a freshman at Halstead High School under the tutelage of Albert Pioneer Bartow. Bartow served as the athletic director at the University of Kentucky from 1914 to 1927; he would be inducted into Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame coaching enshrinement with Rupp as one of his presenting speechwriters in 1969.

While at Halstead high school Rupp significantly contributed to the team’s success: he set a school scoring record that stood for over half a century; he led his team to an undefeated season (20–0); and he was named captain and All-State center during his senior year (1917–18). Upon graduation from high school in 1918, he enrolled at Kansas State Agricultural College in Manhattan. He spent two years at K-State cousreing under Head Coach Ralph Miller; during those two years spent with Miller’s Wildcats teams compiled records opportunities for him to display his abilities as both a player and a coach. After Abilene defeated its rivals on the court for three consecutive years from 1925 to 1927 — including wins over such national powers as Notre Dame 25th edition of Who’s Who In Collage Basketball Coaches

Jim Calhoun

Jim Calhoun is a retired American college basketball coach He was the Head coach of the University of Connecticut men’s Basketball team for 26 seasons, winning 3 national championships, 9 conference tournament titles, and 10 regular season conference titles. In 2005, he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame