Sutton Coaching Tree

Eddie Sutton’s coaching tree includes 26 former assistant coaches, players and a team manager who went on to become NCAA Division I or NBA head coaches. Some both played for him and were his assistant coaches.

 

Nineteen of the coaches on this list have taken teams to the NCAA Tournament at the Division I and II levels. One former assistant coach was an NBA coach of the year. Here’s a rundown:​

Reference from Whole Hog Sports.    

 

BILL SELF

Kansas head coach. … Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee. … Led Kansas to the 2008 national championship. … His teams at Oral Roberts, Tulsa, Illinois and Kansas have made a combined 21 NCAA Tournament appearances. … Has a 706-214 record in 27 seasons. … Two-time AP national coach of the year, and six-time Big 12 coach of the year. … Sutton assistant coach at Oklahoma State.

 

GENE KEADY

Led Western Kentucky and Purdue to a 550-270 record in 27 seasons with 18 NCAA Tournament appearances. … Twice led Purdue to Elite 8 appearances. … AP national coach of the year in 1996. …. Six-time Big Ten coach of the year in 25 seasons with the Boilermakers. … Sutton assistant coach at Arkansas.

 

LEONARD HAMILTON

Florida State head coach. … Has a 582-431 record at Oklahoma State, Miami and FSU with 10 NCAA appearances. … Twice Big East coach of the year, and three-time ACC coach of the year … NBA head coach for one season with Washington Wizards. … Sutton assistant coach at Kentucky.

 

PAT FOSTER

Led Lamar, Houston and Nevada to a 366-203 record in 19 seasons with 5 NCAA Tournament appearances. … Led teams to championships in the Southland Conference, Southwest Conference and Big West. … Emerson native played at Arkansas and was a Sutton assistant with the Razorbacks.

 

JAMES DICKEY

Had a 232-186 record in 14 seasons at Texas Tech and Houston. … Led Texas Tech to 3 NCAA Tournament appearances, including the Sweet 16 in 1996 when the Red Raiders were 30-2. … Valley Springs native who played at Central Arkansas and was a Sutton assistant coach at Arkansas, Kentucky and Oklahoma State.

 

ROB EVANS

Had a 205-201 record in 14 seasons at Ole Miss and Arizona State. … Led Ole Miss to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in 1997 and 1998. … SEC coach of the year in 1997. … Sutton assistant coach at Oklahoma State. … Arkansas assistant coach for John Pelphrey.

 

SCOTT SUTTON

Oklahoma State assistant coach. … Led Oral Roberts University to a 328-247 record in 18 seasons with 3 NCAA Tournament appearances. … Three-time Summit League coach of the year. … Played for his father at Oklahoma State.

 

SEAN SUTTON

Member of the Texas Tech staff as a special adviser to Coach Chris Beard. … Longtime Oklahoma State assistant coach who succeeded his father as the Cowboys’ head coach, going 39-29 in two seasons. … Played for his father as a point guard at Kentucky and Oklahoma State.

 

DARRELL WALKER

University of Arkansas at Little Rock head coach. … Led Trojans to a 21-10 record last season and the Sun Belt Conference regular-season championship. … All-America guard for Sutton at Arkansas who played 10 seasons in the NBA. … NBA head coach with Toronto and Washington. … Led Clark Atlanta University to a 45-18 record in two seasons and back-to-back NCAA Division II Tournament appearances. … 31-31 in two seasons at UALR.

 

JOHN PELPHREY

Tennessee Tech head coach. … Has 158-148 record in 10 seasons at South Alabama, Arkansas and Tennessee Tech, with 2 NCAA Tournament appearances. … Was 69-59 in four seasons at Arkansas with an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2008. … Played for Sutton at Kentucky, and was an assistant coach for him at Oklahoma State.

 

DOC SADLER

Assistant coach at Nebraska, where he previously was the head coach. … Led Texas El-Paso, Nebraska and Southern Mississippi to a 205-261 record in 13 seasons with 1 NCAA Tournament appearance. … Greenwood native was a team manager for Sutton at Arkansas.

 

JIMMY DYKES

College basketball analyst for ESPN. … Led the UA women’s team to a 43-49 record in 3 seasons with 1 NCAA Tournament appearance. … Walk-on player at Arkansas for Sutton, and an assistant coach for him at Kentucky.

 

BILL BROWN

Led Sacramento State, Kenyon College and California University of Pennsylvania to a 490-337 record in 30 seasons. … Led Kenyon College, an NCAA Division III school in Ohio, to 2 NCAA Tournament appearances, and California University of Pennsylvania to 6 NCAA Division II Tournament appearances. … Retired from coaching after the 2015-16 season. … Sutton assistant coach at Arkansas.

 

COREY WILLIAMS

Arkansas assistant coach. … Had a 58-133 record in 6 seasons at Stetson. … Played for Sutton at Oklahoma State and also was a student assistant coach for him with the Cowboys. … Rookie guard on the Chicago Bulls’ 1993 NBA championship team.

 

FRED TRENKLE

Led San Diego State to a 55-83 record in 5 seasons. … Had 329-36 record, including a 137-game winning streak, as a junior college coach at Southern Idaho. … Played for Sutton at Southern Idaho, and was an assistant for him at Arkansas.

 

TOM APKE

Led Creighton, Colorado and Appalachian State to a 318-292 record in 22 seasons. … Creighton assistant for Sutton who succeeded him as the Blue Jays’ coach when Sutton left for Arkansas. … Led Creighton to 3 NCAA Tournament appearances.

 

DWANE CASEY

Head coach of the NBA’s Detroit Pistons. … Has a 434-394 record in 11 seasons as NBA head coach with Minnesota, Toronto and Detroit with 6 playoff appearances. … NBA coach of the year with Toronto in 2018. … Sutton assistant coach at Kentucky.

 

TIM JANKOVICH

SMU head coach. … Has a 90-46 record at North Texas, Illinois State and SMU with 1 NCAA Tournament appearance. … Sutton assistant at Oklahoma State.

 

BROOKS THOMPSON

Led Texas-San Antonio to a 130-176 record in 10 seasons with 1 NCAA Tournament appearance. … Died after the 2015-16 season at age 45 from double organ failure and a blood infection. … Sutton player and assistant coach at Oklahoma State. … Played in the NBA for four seasons.

 

KYLE KELLER

Stephen F. Austin head coach. … Has 88-41 record in 4 seasons with 1 NCAA Tournament appearance. … The Lumberjacks were 28-3 last season, including a victory at Duke. … Sutton assistant coach at Oklahoma State.

 

SEAN WOODS

Southern University head coach. … Has a 151-190 record in 11 seasons at Mississippi Valley State, Morehead State and Southern with 1 NCAA Tournament appearance. … Played for Sutton at Kentucky.

 

BOB GOTTLIEB

Had a 97-91 record in seven seasons at Jacksonville (Fla.) and Wisconsin-Milwaukee. … Led Jacksonville to the NIT semifinals in 1974. … Creighton assistant coach for Sutton. … Died in 2014. … Son Doug Gottlieb played for Sutton at Oklahoma State.

 

RUSS PENNELL

Had a 143-174 record in 11 seasons at Arizona, Grand Canyon and UCA. … Led Arizona to a 21-14 record and the NCAA Tournament as the Wildcats’ interim coach during the 2008-09 season after Lute Olson resigned for health reasons. … After going 72-44 at Division II Grand Canyon, Pennell was 50-116 at UCA. … He was an assistant coach for Sutton at Oklahoma State. … A walk-on player at Arkansas for Sutton, then transferred to UCA, where he became a starting point guard.

 

TONY BROWN

Assistant coach in the NBA for the Washington Wizards. … Became interim head coach of the Brooklyn Nets during the 2015-16 season after Lionel Hollins was fired. … Played for Sutton at Arkansas.

 

BOB CLEELAND

Led Missouri State to a 39-46 record in 4 seasons. … Sutton assistant coach at Arkansas. … Died in 2014.

 

PAUL GRAHAM

Had a 31-79 record in four seasons at Washington State. … Sutton assistant coach at Oklahoma State.