The best players don’t always make the best coaches.

Patrick Ewing at Georgetown is the living, breathing proof of that.

Still, as several members of the ACC’s coaching fraternity have proven, it’s possible to parlay a successful career on the hardwood into a successful career on the bench.

Here’s a look at all 14 of the league’s men’s basketball coaches, ranked in order by the success they achieved – or in some cases, didn’t achieve – during their own college playing careers.

Let the countdown begin …

15. Steve Forbes, Wake Forest

If this was a list of the best baseball players among the ACC coaching fraternity, Steve Forbes would be at the very top instead of the tail end. That’s because the vivacious Deacons coach played baseball, not basketball, during his senior season of college eligibility. 

He was a pitcher for a Southern Arkansas team that went 46-7 and placed 3rd at the NAIA College World Series in 1987.  He was 4-2 with 2 saves and a 3.78 ERA that was the 2nd-best on the team in 16 games. The entire team was inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame for their performance that season.

Prior to joining the Muleriders, Forbes played baseball and basketball for 2 seasons at Muscatine Community College and 1 season at Grand View University, both in his home state of Iowa.

14. Josh Pastner, Georgia Tech

A walk-on at Arizona, Josh Pastner had the best seat in the house as the Wildcats won the national championship in 1997. He scored 12 points that season as a freshman, the 2nd-most of his career. He finished with 17 points as a senior in 1999-2000. In all, he saw action in 42 games for coach Lute Olsen’s teams as he prepared for his successful coaching career.

13. Mike Young, Virginia Tech

Mike Young scored 118 points and recorded 79 rebounds and 57 assists in 93 games during his 4 seasons at NCAA Division III Emory & Henry. While his statistics weren’t anything to get excited about, his contributions helped a 1985-86 team to a 17-9 record – its 1st winning season in 19 years.

His most important accomplishment during his time with the Wasps was the knowledge he gained from legendary coach Bob Johnson, who hired him for his 1st coaching job. Young’s success as the coach of his own teams helped earn him induction into Emory & Henry’s athletic Hall of Fame.

12. Mike Brey, Notre Dame

The basketball program at Northwestern State in Natchitoches, La., still was in its fledgling stages when Mike Brey arrived in 1977. He played 3 seasons for the Demons, averaging 7.6 points as a sophomore and 5.1 points as a junior before transferring to George Washington for his final college season.

There, he averaged 5.0 points and 4.8 assists in 29.1 minutes per game while shooting 57% from the floor.

11. Brad Brownell, Clemson

Brad Brownell was the quintessential playmaking point guard during his career at Division III DePauw in Greencastle, Ind. Three decades after playing his final game for the Tigers, he still ranks 7th on the school’s all-time assists list with 332. He led the team in that category in 3 straight seasons. He also compiled 102 steals.

As a junior in 1989-90, Brownell averaged a career-high 7.0 points per game while leading the team in assists and steals. He shot 89.9% from the free-throw line that season, the 2nd-best mark in school history, and was named 1st-team all-conference for helping DePauw to the Division III national championship game.

10. Kevin Keatts, NC State

There’s a reason Kevin Keatts’ teams are built around dynamic combo guards who are equally adept at scoring and distributing the ball to others. It’s because he was that kind of player during his college days.

The NC State coach helped Ferrum College to a then-school-record 21 wins and its 1st-ever Division III NCAA Tournament bid in 1991-92. He averaged 13.3 points per game as a senior in 1994-95, scoring a career-high 30 points in an overtime win against Maryville that season. He was inducted into the Ferrum Hall of Fame in 2018.

9. Earl Grant, Boston College

Earl Grant played only 2 seasons at NCAA Division II Georgia College in Milledgeville, Ga., but he made his time there count. The point guard led the Bobcats to Peach Belt Conference championships in each of his seasons, earning 1st-team all-conference honors as a senior in 2000. 

He averaged 13.3 points, 2.5 rebounds and a team-leading 3.8 assists that season to help his team advance to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament. His best game came against Lander on Jan. 26, 2000, when he tied a school record by making all 6 of his 3-point attempts.

8. Jim Boeheim, Syracuse

Jim Boeheim wasn’t quite the shooter his son Buddy was, but he wasn’t bad, either. Playing in 76 games for the Orange in 1963-66, the bespectacled guard averaged 9.8 points and 2.3 rebounds while shooting 51.9% from the floor.

His best season came during his senior season, when he averaged a career-high 14.6 points while teaming with future NBA star Dave Bing to lead Syracuse to a 22-6 record and an NCAA Tournament bid.

7. Leonard Hamilton, Florida State

Leonard Hamilton made history before ever playing his 1st game at Tennessee-Martin by becoming the 1st African-American athlete to play for the Skyhawks. He joined the program after a standout career at Gaston Community College in North Carolina, where he set a school record by scoring 54 points in a game. 

In his 2 seasons at UT-Martin, Hamilton amassed 206 assists – the most in program history to that point – while learning his team’s Most Valuable Player and Best Defensive Player awards during a senior season in which he served as captain. He was inducted as a charter member of the school’s athletic Hall of Fame in 1983.

6. Kenny Payne, Louisville

The Cardinals might be struggling this season, but their 1st-year coach has a championship pedigree with the program. Kenny Payne was a reserve on Louisville’s national title team in 1986 and played in 3 Sweet 16s during his 4-year career.

He played in 128 games, averaging 8.5 points and 3.7 rebounds while helping to win 3 Metro Conference championships, capped by a senior season in which he earned 2nd-team all-conference recognition.  

5. Jim Larrañaga, Miami

Jim Larrañaga led Providence in scoring as a sophomore and junior before captaining the team in 1970-71 that went 20-8, earned an NIT bid and began the rise that led to a Final Four appearance 2 seasons later. 

A 6-foot-4 forward, Larrañaga averaged in double figures in each of his 3 varsity seasons and was the 5th-leading scorer in program history at the time of his graduation with 1,258 points. He also averaged 6.0 rebounds and 3.1 assists for his career that earned him induction into Providence’s athletic hall of fame in 1991.

4. Jeff Capel, PItt

Jeff Capel earned a starting position from his 1st game with the Blue Devils and was the point guard on a team that reached the national championship game as a freshman. He started all 4 seasons, finishing his career with 1,601 points and ranked among the top 10 in school history in minutes played, 3-point field goals, 3-point percentage and assists.

His most memorable accomplishment came on Feb. 2, 1995, when his running, half-court basket at the buzzer at Cameron Indoor Stadium helped extend Duke’s game against rival North Carolina to a 2nd overtime. Although the Blue Devils lost the game, the shot was nominated for College Basketball Play of the Year at the ESPY Awards.

3. Hubert Davis, North Carolina

Hubert Davis got off to a slow start in his UNC career, but he began to pick up steam as a junior in 1990-91 when he averaged 13.3 points per game in helping the Tar Heels get back to the Final Four for the 1st time since their 1982 national title. 

His career hit full stride a season later as a senior when he averaged 21.4 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game while earning 2nd-team All-ACC honors. He capped the season by scoring 35 points with 6-of-8 shooting from beyond the arc against Duke in his final regular-season game in Carolina blue.

Davis finished with 1,615 points and his career .435 3-point shooting percentage still is the best in UNC history.

2. Tony Bennett, Virginia

Tony Bennett’s teams at UVA might be best known for their defensive prowess, but offense was the name of his game as a player at Wisconsin-Green Bay. He averaged 19.4 points in his 118 career games while leading the Mid-Continent Conference in scoring as a junior and a senior. 

His 2,285 points is a school record. He also is the most accurate 3-point shooter in NCAA history with a career .497 percentage from beyond the arc that still is an NCAA Division I record. And Bennett wasn’t just a prolific scorer. He also led the league in assists in 1990-91, averaging better than 5 per game during each of his 4 seasons.

Bennett won the Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award as the nation’s top player under 6 feet tall in 1991 and was drafted in the 2nd round by the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets after averaging 20.2 points, 2.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists while making better than 50% of his 3-point attempts.

1. Jon Scheyer, Duke

A 5-star shooting guard prospect from Illinois, Jon Scheyer delivered on that promise by putting together a productive and consistent career with the Blue Devils in 2006-10. He was a double-figure scorer while averaging about 3.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists during each of his 4 college seasons. He finished with 2,077 points, a total that ranks 10th in school history.

He was a pure shooter who played with an intensity easily identified by his on-court facial contortions that became known as “Scheyer face.” 

He also was a dedicated team player whose position switch to point guard helped catapult Duke to the 2010 national championship. He was the captain of that team, averaging 18.2 points, 3.6 rebounds and 4.9 assists while earning ACC tournament MVP honors and selection as a consensus 2nd-team All-American.