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North Carolina remains deep in its coaching search, and school officials hope to have a hire in place before April 7, when the transfer portal opens.
Two reported top candidates, Arizona’s Tommy Lloyd and Michigan’s Dusty May, have both led their teams to the Final Four, slowing the process. If either wins the national title, the odds of UNC landing him drop even further. Lloyd, the preferred candidate, could also simply choose to stay at Arizona.
There is also a slim possibility that Billy Donovan, viewed as a fallback option, loses interest in the job. If that happens, where does UNC turn next?
Here are some names to watch if two of those three candidates come off the board.
Mark Byington is a basketball lifer who has exceeded expectations at every stop. Georgia Southern had been a perennial bottom-feeder in the Southern Conference until Byington arrived and led the Eagles to their best season of the KenPom era, which dates to 1997. He used that run to vault to James Madison, where he took the Dukes into the Top 25 for the first time in school history and into the Round of 32 in the 2024 NCAA Tournament.
A similar arc is now playing out at Vanderbilt, just in a different ZIP code. Byington has lifted the Commodores from the SEC basement into one of the league’s top teams.
Byington is, at his core, a program builder. He maximizes each roster and has beaten his preseason KenPom projection in nine of his 13 seasons as a head coach. His offenses are consistently high-level, and he has proven to be a sharp evaluator in the portal and what amounts to college free agency.
In an era when talent evaluation is everything, Byington stands out as one of the best. His familiarity with North Carolina also helps: He played at UNC Wilmington from 1994 to 1998.
Ben McCollum has made winning routine, from Division II to the Big Ten.
The Iowa City native just led Iowa to a 24-13 season and its first Elite Eight since 1987, punctuated by a last-second upset of No. 1 seed and defending national champion Florida. The Hawkeyes had not reached the Sweet 16 since 1999 and were coming off a 17-16 year that led to the firing of longtime coach Fran McCaffery.
McCollum took over at Iowa after one season at Drake, where he went 32-4 in 2024. The Bulldogs swept the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season and tournament titles and earned their first NCAA Tournament win since 1971 by upsetting No. 6 seed and nationally ranked Missouri.
Before moving to Division I, McCollum built a Division II power at Northwest Missouri State. From 2009 to 2024, he went 395-91 with four national championships and 20 conference titles (12 regular-season, eight tournament). His 2018-19 team finished 38-0, and he posted a 32-7 postseason record with the Bearcats.
Across Northwest Missouri State, Drake and Iowa, McCollum has a 36-9 record in NCAA Tournament play, an .818 winning percentage, and has won at least one tournament game in 13 of 14 seasons. His track record in talent evaluation, player development and culture building has translated into consistent postseason success.
Grant McCasland is a coaching chameleon who adapts to his environment and wins, from junior college to Division I.
He has a career record of 284-121 (.701) across Midwestern State (Division II), Arkansas State, North Texas and Texas Tech. He led North Texas to the NIT title in 2023 and Texas Tech to the Elite Eight last season. Before moving into Division I, he was a highly successful junior college coach at Midland College from 2004-09, going 142-32 with two national championship appearances and a title in 2007.
In 17 seasons as a head coach at the junior college and NCAA levels, McCasland has had only one year with fewer than 20 wins — the shortened 2020-21 season at North Texas, when the Mean Green still earned their first NCAA Tournament win by upsetting Purdue in a 13-over-4 matchup.
He has won 68% of his Big 12 games after winning 67% of his Conference USA contests. McCasland’s roster-building is consistently logical, and his teams play tough, scrappy and smart. A season-ending injury to JT Toppin likely derailed another deep tournament run for Texas Tech.
Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.
This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC Basketball: Under-the-radar candidates to keep your eye on
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Two reported top candidates, Arizona’s Tommy Lloyd and Michigan’s Dusty May, have both led their teams to the Final Four, slowing the process. If either wins the national title, the odds of UNC landing him drop even further. Lloyd, the preferred candidate, could also simply choose to stay at Arizona.
There is also a slim possibility that Billy Donovan, viewed as a fallback option, loses interest in the job. If that happens, where does UNC turn next?
Here are some names to watch if two of those three candidates come off the board.
Mark Byington (Vanderbilt)
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Mark Byington is a basketball lifer who has exceeded expectations at every stop. Georgia Southern had been a perennial bottom-feeder in the Southern Conference until Byington arrived and led the Eagles to their best season of the KenPom era, which dates to 1997. He used that run to vault to James Madison, where he took the Dukes into the Top 25 for the first time in school history and into the Round of 32 in the 2024 NCAA Tournament.
A similar arc is now playing out at Vanderbilt, just in a different ZIP code. Byington has lifted the Commodores from the SEC basement into one of the league’s top teams.
Byington is, at his core, a program builder. He maximizes each roster and has beaten his preseason KenPom projection in nine of his 13 seasons as a head coach. His offenses are consistently high-level, and he has proven to be a sharp evaluator in the portal and what amounts to college free agency.
In an era when talent evaluation is everything, Byington stands out as one of the best. His familiarity with North Carolina also helps: He played at UNC Wilmington from 1994 to 1998.
Ben McCollum, Iowa
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Ben McCollum has made winning routine, from Division II to the Big Ten.
The Iowa City native just led Iowa to a 24-13 season and its first Elite Eight since 1987, punctuated by a last-second upset of No. 1 seed and defending national champion Florida. The Hawkeyes had not reached the Sweet 16 since 1999 and were coming off a 17-16 year that led to the firing of longtime coach Fran McCaffery.
McCollum took over at Iowa after one season at Drake, where he went 32-4 in 2024. The Bulldogs swept the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season and tournament titles and earned their first NCAA Tournament win since 1971 by upsetting No. 6 seed and nationally ranked Missouri.
Before moving to Division I, McCollum built a Division II power at Northwest Missouri State. From 2009 to 2024, he went 395-91 with four national championships and 20 conference titles (12 regular-season, eight tournament). His 2018-19 team finished 38-0, and he posted a 32-7 postseason record with the Bearcats.
Across Northwest Missouri State, Drake and Iowa, McCollum has a 36-9 record in NCAA Tournament play, an .818 winning percentage, and has won at least one tournament game in 13 of 14 seasons. His track record in talent evaluation, player development and culture building has translated into consistent postseason success.
Grant McCasland, Texas Tech
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Grant McCasland is a coaching chameleon who adapts to his environment and wins, from junior college to Division I.
He has a career record of 284-121 (.701) across Midwestern State (Division II), Arkansas State, North Texas and Texas Tech. He led North Texas to the NIT title in 2023 and Texas Tech to the Elite Eight last season. Before moving into Division I, he was a highly successful junior college coach at Midland College from 2004-09, going 142-32 with two national championship appearances and a title in 2007.
In 17 seasons as a head coach at the junior college and NCAA levels, McCasland has had only one year with fewer than 20 wins — the shortened 2020-21 season at North Texas, when the Mean Green still earned their first NCAA Tournament win by upsetting Purdue in a 13-over-4 matchup.
He has won 68% of his Big 12 games after winning 67% of his Conference USA contests. McCasland’s roster-building is consistently logical, and his teams play tough, scrappy and smart. A season-ending injury to JT Toppin likely derailed another deep tournament run for Texas Tech.
Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.
This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC Basketball: Under-the-radar candidates to keep your eye on
Continue reading...
