The NCAA Tournament is finally here and one of the top storylines every year is the coaches who are looking to make a statement. Maybe it's a coach looking to get their program some respect or maybe it's a coach who is shockingly looking for their next opportunity. Or it could be a coach who has fallen from grace and is looking to get back to former glory. Well this year's edition of March Madness has all three in Duquesne's Keith Dambrot, Long Beach State's Dan Monson and McNeese State's Will Wade.
Will Wade is looking to return to glory
Will Wade had it all at LSU. He was being talked about as one of the top coaches in college basketball and was able to bring in some highly-touted recruits to a traditional SEC powerhouse. But Wade got caught up as part of the college basketball scandal that rocked the nation regarding paying potential recruits.
Amid an FBI probe and NCAA investigation, Wade was fired from his position at LSU. It didn't take him long to land on his feet as he was scooped up as head coach at McNeese State this season. In his first year, he's already led the Cowboys to their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2o02.
In a similar situation, Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino was let go at Louisville only to resurface at Iona. He used a strong stint with the Gaels to make it back to a Power 5 job at St. John's. That's probably what Wade is hoping for in the near future. And the Cowboys drew a shaky Gonzaga team in the first round. Don't be surprised to see high majors looking in Wade's direction if they manage to upset Gonzaga.
Keith Dambrot is building something special at Duquesne
1977, that was the last time that the Duquesne Dukes made it to the NCAA Tournament. Current head coach Keith Dambrot was only 19 years old. And it was Dambrot who led the team through the Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament and into March Madness.
Dambrot has a lot to gain from this tournament berth and not much to lose. The Dukes come into the tournament as an 11th seed and matched up against No. 6 BYU. A strong showing against BYU and Dambrot might start to turn heads Duquesne's way. This is a team that for the most part, has improved each season that Dambrot has been at the helm.
One of the special things about March Madness is the national spotlight that mid-major schools get that they did not have the majority of the season. Dambrot also has some impressive ties having coached Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James in high school. He could be on the verge of making Duquesne explode.
Dan Monson has his next opportunity on the horizon
Dan Monson has been the talk of March so far as Long Beach State let him know he was not being retained for next season before the Big West Conference Tournament even began. How did Monson respond? By blowing through the Big West Tournament and leading the Beach to their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2012.
Following Long Beach State's win over UC Davis in the Big West Tournament championship game, Monson made it clear that he is not done coaching and is very much looking for his next opportunity. Monson has always been a good coach, dating back to his days at Gonzaga when he led the Bulldogs to an Elite Eight appearance.
There should be no shortage of suitors for Monson among the mid-major ranks, and perhaps from a high-major or two looking to make a splash. The Beach's first round opponent, Arizona, has been shaky in conference play and was upset last season as a No. 2. But regardless of their performance against Arizona, he will be in demand.
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