The best head coach names of the 2019–20 women’s college basketball season

Last week, I spotlighted the best names among Division I women’s college basketball players this season. Regardless of how much a player had contributed to the stat sheet, if she had taken the court in a game this season, she was eligible for my list.

This week, I’m repeating the exercise for the 352 head coaches in Division I, from Aaron (Johnston) to Zenarae (Antoine). (There are 351 teams, but Louisiana Tech’s Brooke and Scott Stoehr are co-head coaches.) Please note that coaches’ names are listed as they appear on NCAA.com; in some cases, that means a coach goes by a nickname instead of his or her full name.

Summary statistics and most common names

Sixty-three percent (222) of the 352 head coaches in Division I women’s college basketball are women. Twelve percent (42) are new to their positions in 2019–20; that includes first-time head coaches as well as experienced head coaches who changed schools in the offseason. Of those 42 new coaches, nearly 80% are women.

Despite the fact that most head coaches are currently women, the most common first names tend to be men’s names. Seven coaches are named Jeff, and there are five Jims, Joes, Kevins, and Mikes. (There are also two Michaels and a Jimmy.) In contrast, Lisa is the only women’s name that is shared by as many as five coaches.

There is less overlap in last names: only four names are shared by even three head coaches. And while there are 48 Division I players who share their full name with another player, no two head coaches share a full name. Interestingly, among the 42 new coaches, none share either a first or last name.

Is that a silent Z??

In last year’s round-up, I highlighted five coaches whose names are most likely to trip up broadcasters. All five are back for a repeat this season:

Jennie Baranczyk, Drake
Dawn Plitzuweit, South Dakota
Kyle Rechlicz, Milwaukee
Seton Sobolewski, Idaho State
Jonathan Tsipis, Wisconsin

Two names to study among the new coaches are Angelika Szumilo of Fairleigh Dickinson and Amaka Agugua-Hamilton of Missouri State. (Or you can just call Agugua-Hamilton “Coach Mox.”)

November was arguably the toughest month of the season for pronunciation: Drake played South Dakota on November 13, Milwaukee played Wisconsin on November 17, and Missouri State took on South Dakota on November 25. Missouri State and Drake will also face off at least twice in conference play, starting on January 10. With Agugua-Hamilton and Baranczyk on the sidelines, that will be a battle of X’s and O’s in more ways than one.

Double-check your notes

There are also coaches whose names are more straightforward to pronounce but sound awfully similar to another coach. None of these coaches will face off in the regular season, but there is always the possibility that they meet in March!

DeWayne Burroughs, Coppin State, and Katie Burrows, Chattanooga
Sherri Coale, Oklahoma, and Kelly Cole, Northeastern
Jacie Hoyt, Kansas City, and Jalie Mitchell, North Texas
Marc Mitchell, Saint Peter’s, and Matthew Mitchell, Kentucky
Garry Broadhead, Louisiana, and Gary Blair, Texas A&M
Misti Cussen, Oral Roberts, and Misty Opat, Chicago State

Style of play

Some coaches’ names seemingly provide an advance scouting report on their teams. For example, last year, UTRGV’s Lane Lord had a player (Madison Northcutt) who dominated the lane, ranking among the top 10 percent of players nationally in rebounds and blocks. This season, it’s a similar story with forward Jordan Agustus, who ranks 42nd in the country in blocks per game (2.0). She is also making 59.5% of her shots, many of which come in the lane, and averaging 12.0 points and 7.8 rebounds.

Over at NJIT, Mike Lane has a similar setup, but it’s 5–10 guard Danielle Tunstall who provides the interior presence that her coach’s name suggests. She ranks 81st in the country with 1.7 blocks per game and averages a whopping 9.1 rebounds to go with 13.0 points.

For an example with a top-25 team, look no further than Louisville, which is led by Jeff Walz. His team ranks 262nd in pace of play, suggesting a proclivity to waltz the ball up the court rather than push the pace. But that style is clearly paying off, as the Cardinals already have wins over then-No. 1 Oregon and then-No. 14 Kentucky.

Other coaches’ names don’t match the scouting report so well. Sandra Rushing’s team at Central Arkansas actually plays quite slowly, ranking 342nd out of 351 teams in pace this season. Conversely, Ashley Walker’s Mississippi Valley team rarely walks the ball up the court, ranking 47th in pace. Rushing’s teams have ranked no better than 272nd in pace in the past four-plus seasons and Walker’s have ranked in the top 75 since her arrival in 2017, which suggests that these are their preferred styles rather than a temporary adjustment to the players on this year’s roster.

Perfect pairings

When picking the best player names, I noticed several pairs of players whose names fit together perfectly, including Coppin State’s Chance Graham and West Virginia’s Lucky Rudd. The same is true among head coaches. But whereas Graham and Rudd faced off on November 21, none of these pairs of coaches play each other in the regular season. (Tournament selection committees, are you listening?)

Jason Flowers, CSUN, and Charli Turner Thorne, Arizona State
Robin Harmony, College of Charleston, and Ravon Justice, Sam Houston State
Jada Pierce, Niagara, and Alaura Sharp, Presbyterian
Amanda Levens, Nevada, and David Six, Hampton (If you need some help with this one, here’s a hint: Levens’s Twitter handle is @Coach11S.)

The 2019–20 Coaches’ All-Name Team

All five coaches from the 2018–19 all-name team returned to the same schools this season, and no new challengers could unseat them from their spots on the 2019–20 list. However, to keep things interesting, this year’s list also highlights three coaches who just missed out on a top-five spot and the three new coaches with the best names.

5. Muffet McGraw, Notre Dame
4. Karen Barefoot, UNC Wilmington
3. DoBee Plaisance, Nicholls State
2. Mountain MacGillivray, La Salle
1. Bunky Harkleroad, Sacramento State

Just missed: Julie Goodenough, Abilene Christian; Fred Batchelor, UMES; Mike Neighbors, Arkansas

New coaches to watch:

3. Morgan Valley, Hartford
2. Aqua Franklin, Lamar
1. Seyram Bell, UC Riverside

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