In the Missouri Valley Conference, it’s common to see significant movement at the end of each season. The MVC has a strong reputation for producing NCAA Tournament success, electric players who have made the NBA and had an impact in high-major programs, and excellent coaches. This success frequently results in multiple coaches advancing in the coaching ranks each year.
This year is no different, as five newcomers will serve as new head coaches within the conference.
Here are the five coaches who will be guiding MVC programs this season.
Ben McCollum (Drake)
With Darian DeVries leaving the program for West Virginia, McCollum is tasked with leading the charge. Before making his way to Des Moines, Iowa, he served as the head coach of Division II powerhouse Northwestern Missouri State, where he won four championships. Now, McCollum gets his first taste of Division I head coaching with a team that will look completely different this season after qualifying for the NCAA Tournament last year.
Cuonzo Martin (Missouri State)
Martin returns to a Bears team that he led to the 2010 CIT Tournament title and the 2011 NIT Tournament. After three years in Springfield, Missouri, Martin spent time at Tennessee, California and Missouri, leading each school to at least one NCAA Tournament appearance. He hopes to return the Bears to the promised land for the first time since 1999.
Matthew Graves (Indiana St)
After a 32-7 record and NIT championship appearance under Josh Schertz, who heads to St. Louis, Graves looks to head the next chapter of the Sycamores. The once head coach of South Alabama, Graves will get another chance at leading a program. He now hopes to guide a team he has served as an assistant for since 2021. Indiana State will face some growing pains this season after the departure of its entire core.
Scott Nagy (Southern Illinois)
Nagy looks to help the Salukis return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2007, and he brings extensive coaching experience to Carbondale, Illinois. He has head coaching experience at South Dakota State and Wright State, where he won a combined five conference tournament titles.
Rob Ehsan (UIC)
After joining the MVC in 2022, the Flames hired Ehsan as they continue their transition to the conference. Ehsan spent four seasons as the head coach of UAB and will now be one of the younger coaches in the conference at just 42 years old. He hopes to provide much-needed leadership to a team looking to bounce back from a season that featured just four wins in conference play.
