Missouri’s Martin leads field of black coaches into NCAA Tournament; Butler will have some bite

Head Coach Kevin Sampson, University of Houston Cougars speaks on Mike Davis and Texas Southern University Tigers.

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana -- Of the 68 participants in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, which includes the “First Four” participants who played Tuesday and Wednesday, 15 have African-American/minority head coaches at their helm.

That comes to about 22 percent of the coaches. This would seem like an outstanding number, except for the fact that the number of black players in the tournament (especially those who start or play major minutes) will probably be three times as high.

Also, if you take out the head coaches of mid-major or HBCU schools, the number drops significantly. Just five are from Power 5 Conferences, which includes the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac 13 and SEC.

he black/minority coaches in the 2018 NCAA Tournament are:

Mike Anderson, Arkansas – The former Missouri coach was a stalwart in the SEC this season, guiding his Razorbacks to a 23-11 record and a No. 7 seed. He was on the hot seat when the season started.

LeVelle Moton, North Carolina Central – Respected ESPN pundit and former Indiana coach Dan Dakish said it is just a matter of time before Moton gets a big-time coaching opportunity. Moton, who led his team to the MEAC tournament title over Hampton, is headed to the NCAA Tournament for a second consecutive year.

CONTINUE READING