Big Ten schools reverse trend with more Black men's basketball coaching hires

For the first time since the Gophers' Tubby Smith competed against Indiana's Kelvin Sampson on Jan. 17, 2008, two Black men's basketball head coaches will square off in a Big Ten game on Saturday night.

No matter the outcome at Crisler Center, the mere presence of first-year Gophers coach Ben Johnson and Michigan's Juwan Howard will be a picture of progress for the Big Ten in diversity hiring, especially from where the league was not long ago.

"It's great for college basketball," said Howard, who congratulated Johnson when the Gophers hired him on March 22 and has continued to give advice.

As recently as 2016-17, the Big Ten had no Black men's basketball coaches, the only power conference to have that distinction at the time. But the league now has five men's basketball coaches of color this season, the most in its history.

The 2021 offseason saw a significant step forward with the addition of three African Americans to the Big Ten coaching fraternity: Minnesota's Johnson, Indiana's Mike Woodson and Penn State's Micah Shrewsberry. Danny Manning made it five this month, when he took over as Maryland's interim coach in place of Mark Turgeon.

The Big East leads all six power conferences with six Black head coaches this season, followed by the Big Ten and ACC, tied with five.

"It's great to see," said Johnson, who has the Gophers off to a 7-1 start. "They've done a good job in the Big Ten giving guys an opportunity and allowing them to have success. You've seen that with Juwan Howard. Or even Clem Haskins from back in the day."

Showing the way

The Big Ten had four Black men's basketball coaches, including Haskins, as recently as 1996-97. But the conference went three years without any Black coaches before Michigan hired Howard in May 2019.

Howard, a well-known Wolverines alum and member of the storied "Fab Five," delivered big last season, leading Michigan to a Big Ten regular-season title and an Elite Eight appearance.

"I'm excited to see guys who look like me get an opportunity to become head coaches in the best conference in college basketball," Howard said. "So with those coaches getting an opportunity, it's beautiful to see. There are going to be many coaches in the future with all the hard work and effort that guys are putting in behind the scenes that we haven't had a chance to witness."

Search firms and administrators around the country appear to be taking notice. Seven new men's basketball hires in power conferences this year were Black coaches to increase the total from 13 last season to 19 out of 76 full-time high major positions (ACC, Big Ten, Big East, Big 12, Pac-12, SEC).

Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren recognized the significance of the new hires. He spoke at length at Big Ten media day in Indianapolis in the fall about the league's commitment to diversity and inclusion in the men's and women's coaching ranks.

In March, Wisconsin hired Marissa Moseley, a former Gophers assistant, as its head coach, and she joined Rutgers' C. Vivian Stringer as the only Black head coaches in Big Ten women's basketball.

Warren was proud in October that four of the five Big Ten basketball head coaching vacancies — men's and women's combined — from last season were filled by coaches of color.

"These are all individuals who I've had an opportunity to talk with," Warren said. "They're hardworking, they're honorable, they're on it, and they will do a good job in leading their programs.

"I think it shows what the Big Ten stands for, that we're an environment that's inclusive not only from a gender standpoint, from a color standpoint, from an opportunity standpoint."

Big new opportunities

Howard didn't have a wealth of college coaching experience, but his immediate success last season helped put Black coaches on the big stage again. Gone are the days of John Thompson, John Chaney, Nolan Richardson and Haskins among the most prominent faces leading dominant teams nationally.

The last Black coach to win a national title was Kevin Ollie at Connecticut in 2014. The only one with an NCAA title currently coaching is Smith, who is still at his alma mater, High Point. Sampson, now at Houston, broke the six-year men's Final Four hiatus for an African American coach last season.

In the Big Ten, rookie coaches Johnson and Shrewsberry are going through rebuilding processes. They were both assistant coaches in the conference — Johnson at Minnesota and Shrewsberry at Purdue — before becoming head coaches.

"I know how good this league is and how good the coaches are in this league," said Shrewsberry, who has Penn State off to a 5-4 start. "For me to get an opportunity like this from being an assistant coach is something that's really special. I don't take that for granted."

The Gophers have been a surprise team nationally with a completely remade roster. They were 7-0 before Wednesday's 75-67 loss to Michigan State, but Johnson isn't in any rush to say his team has arrived.

The youngest coach in the Big Ten at 40, Johnson has spoken about how fortunate he is to have this position and what it means to represent Black coaches at the highest level.

"[Black] coaches have been put in position to have success," Johnson said. "It's our job now to plow through and pave the way for the next generation and open those doors for others."

Shrewsberry, who first plays the Gophers and Johnson on Jan. 19 at Penn State, agrees with his Big Ten counterpart.

"Some people stay inside the box and make the same kind of hires," Shrewsberry said. "[Others] looked outside the box to find who was the best fit for them. I'm proud to be here with Ben Johnson. We're kind of waving the flag to help the next young Black assistant coach to get an opportunity."

Number of Black head coaches in each power conference

6 – Big East

5 – Big Ten

5 – ACC

2 – SEC

1 – Big 12

0 – Pac-12