Ranking each Big Ten basketball head coach for 2024-25 season
18. Ben Johnson, Minnesota
Johnson is still trying to find his footing in the Big Ten but helped Minnesota to its first campaign above .500 since 2018-19 last season. The former Golden Gophers guard has gone 41-54 in his first three seasons back at his alma mater and will hope to continue the program’s upward trajectory in 2024-25, particularly with standout forward Dawson Garcia still on the roster.
17. Mike Rhoades, Penn State
Rhoades had a tough task replacing Micah Shrewsberry last season and led Penn State to a 16-17 record overall where it nearly went .500 in Big Ten play. The former Rice and VCU head coach will have a chance to continue building the program鈥檚 identity in year two and the Nittany Lions could be improved with a deeper group of talent headlined by guard Ace Baldwin Jr.
16. Jake Diebler, Ohio State
Despite being low on this list, Diebler has a lot of upside as he begins his first full season as a head coach in Columbus. The former Valparaiso guard has been an assistant at his alma mater, Vanderbilt and Ohio State, and took over as interim head coach for the Buckeyes after they fired Chris Holtmann last season. The 38-year-old went 8-3 to end the campaign and showed nice recruiting ability through the transfer portal this past offseason.
15. Danny Sprinkle, Washington
Sprinkle is the reigning Mountain West Coach of the Year after leading Utah State to a conference title last season and also was named Big Sky Coach of the Year in 2022 while he was at Montana State. The 48-year-old is 109-50 as a Division I head coach and gives Washington upside, particularly with former Aggies star Great Osobor on the roster. However, it could ultimately take some time for Sprinkle to adjust to the Power 4 level.
