The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is witnessing a growing number of black coaches in sports such as basketball. This is an interesting development that proves the capacity of black people to coach at a high level. So, who are the black coaches in college sports?
Kelvin Sampson – University of Houston
Kelvin Sampson has been the head coach of the University of Houston since 2014. His time has been relatively successful, having won the NCAA Division I Regional tournament twice. He also won individual awards:
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AP Coach of the Year, Ben Jobe Award, Henry Iba Award, NABC Coach of the Year, Sporting Coach of the Year, AAC Coach of the Year, and Big 12 Coach of the Year. Sampson has coached several schools, including Michigan State, Montana Tech, Washington State, the University of Oklahoma, and Indiana University.
Shaka Smart – Marquette University
Shaka Smart has worked with Marquette University since 2021. Although he hasn’t won the NCAA Division I tournament with the university, he has won multiple individual awards, including AP Coach of the Year, NABC Coach of the Year, Henry Iba Award and Big East Coach of the Year.
Other schools he has worked with include Pennsylvania Western University, the University of Akron, Clemson University, the University of Florida, Virginia Commonwealth University and the University of Texas.
Rodney Terra – University of Texas
Rodney Terra was the head coach of the University of Texas. He first joined the university in 2021 as an assistant, then became an interim head coach between 2022 and 2023, and then head coach from 2023 to 2025.
During his college career, he only won two tournaments, the Mountain West Conference (MWC) Tournament and the Big 12 Tournament. Other schools he worked with include St. Edward’s University, James Bowie High School, Somerville Independent School District, and the University of Texas.
Penny Hardaway – University of Memphis
Anfernee Deon “Penny” Hardaway has been the head coach of the University of Memphis since 2018. During his tenure, he has won the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) Championship, AAC Tournament Championship, and AAC regular season championship. In 2025, Hardaway won the AAC Coach of the Year. The other school he has coached include East High School.
Dennis Gates – University of Missouri
Dennis Gates began working at the University of Missouri in 2022. Among his accomplishments are the Horizon League tournament and two Horizon League Coach of the Year awards. Before joining Missouri, he worked at Marquette University, Florida State University, the University of California, Northern Illinois University, and the University of Nevada.
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Hubert Davis – University of North Carolina (UNC)
Hubert Davis is among the black coaches in the NCAA men’s tournament. His first coaching job was at the University of North Carolina as an assistant between 2012 and 2021. In 2021, he ascended to the head coach of the team. So far, he has become the NCAA Division I regional champion-Final Four, ACC regular season champion, and ACC Coach of the Year.
Ritchie McKay – Liberty University
Ritchie McKay joins the list of black coaches in the NCAA. He first joined the Liberty University in 2015 and has enjoyed a level of success, including three ASUN tournament, four ASUN regular season championships, ASUN East Division, CUSA regular season, and the CUSA tournament. Individually, McKay has won Jim Phelan Award (2019), Big South Coach of the Year (2016), and two ASUN Coach of the Year (2020, 2021).
James Jones – Yale University
James Jones is one of the black coaches that’s served in the NCAA for a long time. He has been at Yale University since 1999. During this period, Jones has led them to several championships: 7 Ivy League regular championships (2002, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2020, 2023, 2025), and four Ivy League tournament championships (2019, 2022, 2024, 2025). For his achievements, Jones has been feted, receiving, Hugh Durham Award (2016), the Ben Jobe Award (2019), and four times Ivy League Coach of the Year (2015, 2016, 2020, 2023).
Final thoughts
These black coaches in the men’s NCAA tournament have made significant achievements in their careers. Their presence highlights progress and contributes to addressing the disparities that continue to exist in the hiring of black coaches.
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