The ACC coaching scene is about to get a whole lot greener! With the arrival of two new young coaches, the league is set for a fresh and exciting era. But here's the twist: these newcomers have never held a varsity head coaching position before.
Luke Loucks, a former player under Leonard Hamilton at Florida State, takes the title for the youngest coach at just 35 years old. And he's not alone; Jai Lucas, an ex-assistant to Jon Scheyer, steps into the Miami program at 36.
Scheyer, now 38, finds himself among the older coaches in the ACC, despite his relatively young age. He's joined by fellow Duke-connected coaches Jeff Capel and Jai Lucas, creating an interesting dynamic within the league.
Capel, who played and assisted Mike Krzyzewski at Duke before Scheyer's arrival, is now the second-most senior coach in the ACC, entering his eighth season at Pitt. Brad Brownell, Clemson's head coach, holds the top spot for seniority. Brownell's success at Clemson, a notoriously tough outpost, is impressive, with over 100 victories under his belt, more than any other coach in Clemson's history.
The appointment of Loucks and Lucas brings the total number of ACC men's programs led by first-time varsity head coaches to five. This group also includes Hubert Davis at UNC and Adrian Autry at Syracuse, making up 28% of the ACC men's head coaches this season.
History shows us that this lack of experience isn't always a barrier to success. Vic Bubas and Dean Smith, two of the most successful coaches in ACC history, took over at Duke and North Carolina, respectively, in the 1960s with no prior varsity head coaching experience. Bubas transformed Duke into a national powerhouse, with multiple Final Four appearances and ACC titles. Dean Smith, who worked as an assistant to Frank McGuire, went on to define ACC basketball for over three decades, winning an incredible 879 college games.
While Bubas never claimed an NCAA championship, Smith, along with Krzyzewski and Williams, did. The last ACC coach to win a national title was Tony Bennett of Virginia in 2019.
So, will these new coaches follow in the footsteps of their successful predecessors? Only time will tell. But one thing's for sure: the ACC is about to get a whole lot more interesting.
And this is the part most people miss: the ACC has a rich history of champions. Here's a special delivery of the NCAA Men's Champions from member schools while in the ACC:
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So, what do you think? Are these new coaches a breath of fresh air or a risky move? Let's discuss in the comments!
