College basketball coaching changes: The most immediately successful hires of the 2023-24 season

On this final day of April, let’s take one last look back at the season. Every spring, we take the time here at CBS Sports to reflect on which hirings paid off right away. 

No, this isn’t a grades post. Longtime readers know I’m a stickler about grading coaching hires so soon after they’re on the job. (Give these folks time to put in some years and all that.) That said, my annual four-year-later grading — 2020’s strange class is next up — will publish later this week. 

This yearly appraisal is about commending the first-year coaches who did the best right away. There were 12 high-major hirings a year ago. At that level, only two in that group had certifiably really good seasons, with one of them carrying an asterisk as is. But, with such a low number, I also included two more power-conference coaches who did pretty well for themselves, big picture.

And at the mid-major level, we’ve got a dozen coaches who earn acclaim following tremendous debut campaigns. 

A good Year 1 doesn’t ensure a good Year 2 but, boy, does it help at this time of the year in the transfer portal. Of the 60-plus hires in 2023, here were the 16 who did the best in their first season at their new school.

2023-24’s most immediately successful high-major hires

Two more that were close 

If you were a first-year coach at a high-major program but DIDN’T make the NCAA Tournament, I can’t put you in the same bucket as the teams that did get there in Year 1 under their new guys. That said, two coaches did come close and had solid seasons and/or rated well in NCAA and tempo-free metrics. 

Mid-major noisemakers in Year 1

You don’t need to make the NCAA Tournament to get recognition around these parts. Here were the small-school coaches that were exceptional in their inaugural go-rounds. Four of them did in fact dance in their first season at their new jobs. And two of those four are already on to greener pastures. We had nearly 50 mid-major switches in 2023. Eleven first-year hires stood out…