Missouri Valley Next Generation Stars--Valley Hoops Insider
MVC Basketball: Preseason power rankings for 2022-23 season--Busting Brackets
NCAA Basketball: Ranking all 363 D-I head coaches for 2022-23 season--Busting Brackets
316. Ryan Pedon (Illinois State) (Last year: N/A)
- Overall record: 0-0
With two decades of D1 experience in his pocket, Pedon begins his first collegiate head coaching job at Illinois State. He spent much of the beginning of his career coaching in the MAC before stints under John Groce and Chris Holtmann, serving as an aide at Illinois and a full-time assistant at Butler and Ohio State. He’s been a key part of shaping the Buckeyes program the last five years, and the Redbirds are hoping that this prowess helps him turn Illinois State into an MVC contender very soon.
305. Josh Schertz (Indiana State) (Last year: 312)
- Overall record: 11-20
This past season was the first for Schertz at the D1 level, but he’s already an accomplished coach. A former aide under current Milwaukee coach Bart Lundy at a pair of schools, he spent thirteen years at Lincoln Memorial, leading that program to a ton of D2 tournaments and postseason success. Now in the MVC, winning is a bit harder, and a 9th place finish wasn’t exactly a surprise, but Schertz can hopefully turn around the recent struggles for the Sycamores in these coming seasons.
NCAA Basketball: Ranking all 363 D-I head coaches for 2022-23 season--Busting Brackets
66. Steve Prohm (Murray State) (Last year: N/A)
- Overall record: 201-124
After a year off, Prohm is back in NCAA basketball, beginning his second stint at Murray State. He originally took over back in 2011 after assisting predecessor Billy Kennedy at a number of schools. Prohm led the Racers to an NCAA Tournament first-round win and a CBI title before departing for Iowa State. He was successful early with the Cyclones but was fired after a horrific final season in Ames. Now, he’s back with the Racers and faces a new challenge, leading this Murray State program into the MVC this season.
62. Ben Jacobson (Northern Iowa) (Last year: 63)
- Overall record: 321-201
Jacobson has been head coach at Northern Iowa since he succeeded Greg McDermott way back in 2006. This North Dakota native has been with the Panthers for nearly two decades as a staffer and has seen the program through some of its finest moments. Jacobson was head coach during memorable March Madness shots by Ali Farokhmanesh and Paul Jesperson, leading the Panthers to four NCAA Tournaments and four Tournament wins. Last year’s squad won the MVC regular season title but settled for the NIT after a 20-12 campaign.
NCAA Basketball: Ranking all 363 D-I head coaches for 2022-23 season--Busting Brackets
108. Casey Alexander (Belmont) (Last year: 114)
- Overall record: 214-139
Alexander is a former player and longtime assistant at Belmont and it seems only appropriate that he enters year four as head coach of the Bruins. Before returning as head coach, he began his head coaching career with stints at Stetson and Lipscomb, leading the Bisons to their first-ever NCAA Tournament and an appearance in the NIT title game. He’s 77-19 in these last three years at Belmont, leading the Bruins to a pair of OVC regular season titles. However, the conference transitions to the MVC this season and will face heavier challenges ahead.
168. Brian Wardle (Bradley) (Last year: 173)
- Overall record: 205-181
Wardle played collegiately at Marquette and began his coaching career on Tom Crean’s staff with the Golden Eagles. He later spent a decade at Green Bay, including five seasons in his first head coaching position with the Phoenix. Wardle took the Phoenix to consecutive NIT bids before heading to Bradley, engineering a recent turnaround with the program. His Braves have won a pair of MVC Tournaments and won 20 games in three straight years; last year’s 17-14 mark was a sign of good things to come in the near future.
74. Darian DeVries (Drake) (Last year: 89)
- Overall record: 95-40
The role DeVries has played at Drake has been monumental in recent years. He’s got a ton of experience in the MVC, spending his playing career at Northern Iowa before a 17-year run as an assistant at Creighton. DeVries returned to the MVC in 2018 when Drake brought him aboard and he’s repaid their faith. The Bulldogs have won at least 20 games in each season, getting off to an 18-0 start in his third season, a year that resulted in Drake making the NCAA Tournament. The Bulldogs are coming off a great deal of success and expect to compete for MVC titles in the near future.
Season preview: HoopsHD interviews Drake coach Darian DeVries--Hoops HD
346. David Ragland (Evansville) (Last year: N/A)
- Overall record: 0-0
Ragland seemed like the ideal candidate when the Evansville job was open two years ago, but now he gets his shot. Briefly a junior college head coach, Ragland has bounced around as a D1 assistant, most recently spending time at Valparaiso, Utah State, and Butler. Evansville has really struggled in the MVC in recent years, but at least Ragland has familiarity with the conference and state, serving already at four other Indiana schools.
156. Dana Ford (Missouri State) (Last year: 163)
- Overall record: 129-116
It’s been a quick rise for Ford, one of the up-and-coming coaches in the country still under 40 years old. He bounced around as an assistant, spending time under Gregg Marshall at Wichita State, before starting his head coaching career at Tennessee State. After four seasons, he was lured back to the MVC by Missouri State, taking over the Bears program in 2018. He’s 72-51 in his first four years in Springfield, leading the Bears to a 23-win season and a NIT trip this past year.
233. Bryan Mullins (Southern Illinois) (Last year: 244)
- Overall record: 44-45
A point guard at Southern Illinois just over a decade ago, Mullins returned to his alma mater to take over as head coach back in 2019. After a brief international playing career, Mullins gained his coaching experience on Porter Moser’s staff at Loyola-Chicago, playing a role as an assistant on their Final Four team. He’s had a decent run with the Salukis, finishing 16-15 last year in his third season, though he certainly has the MVC crown on his mind for this program.
265. Luke Yaklich (UIC) (Last year: 292)
- Overall record: 23-29
A native of Illinois, Yaklich spent the early years of his career coaching high school basketball in his home state before joining Dan Muller’s staff at Illinois State. He became known as one of the best defensive-minded assistant coaches in the nation during stints at Michigan and Texas before getting his first college head coaching gig at UIC. He’s entering his third season with the Flames and leads the program into the MVC this upcoming season. Last year marked a 5-win improvement, but that’ll be hard to top with their first season in a new and better conference.
217. Matt Lottich (Valparaiso) (Last year: 204)
- Overall record: 97-96
It’s year seven for Lottich at Valparaiso and it’s the program’s sixth season since joining the MVC. He’s spent his entire coaching career with the school after starring for Stanford nearly two decades ago. He took Valparaiso to 24 wins and the NIT in his first season but has struggled to find consistent success in the following years. The Beacons have finished below .500 in four of his six years, including struggling to a 14-18 finish last year.
Valpo Basketball Announces Schedule Updates--valpoathletics.com
Analysis: Examining Bradley women’s basketball’s non-conference schedule--Bradley Scout
