The Changing Face of ACC Basketball

The ACC has long been the gold standard of college basketball coaching, a conference where Hall of Fame names like Mike Krzyzewski, Roy Williams, and Jim Boeheim built legacies that spanned decades. But in the last few years, the league has undergone a seismic shift, with a wave of legendary coaches stepping away. This offseason, three more pillars of ACC basketball—Miami’s Jim Larrañaga, Florida State’s Leonard Hamilton, and Virginia’s Tony Bennett—have joined the exodus, leaving behind a league that barely resembles the one from just a few years ago.

Larrañaga, best known for taking George Mason to the Final Four before revitalizing Miami’s program, announced his retirement after leading the Hurricanes to another Final Four in 2023. Hamilton, who turned Florida State into a consistent contender with an elite defense and deep tournament runs, also decided to call it a career. Bennett’s retirement came before this past season, a quieter exit for a coach who built Virginia into a powerhouse and won a national title in 2019. Their departures follow the exits of Krzyzewski (Duke, 2022), Williams (North Carolina, 2021), and Boeheim (Syracuse, 2023), marking a near-total turnover in ACC leadership.

The loss of these coaching icons has undeniably weakened the ACC in the short term. The league has struggled on the national stage, with fewer deep NCAA Tournament runs and declining overall prestige. The consistency and stability that long-tenured coaches provided have been replaced by uncertainty. With new faces at the helm, some programs have stumbled, and the ACC’s reputation as the best basketball conference in America has taken a hit.

However, change isn’t always a bad thing. Fresh blood in the coaching ranks can lead to innovation and reinvigorate stagnant programs. Jon Scheyer at Duke and Hubert Davis at North Carolina have already had success in their early years, and younger coaches across the league bring new energy to recruiting and game strategy. New coaches often embrace modern basketball trends—pace, spacing, and analytics—in ways that older regimes might not have. Additionally, programs like Pitt and Clemson are seeing their coaches emerge as contenders in this new era.

Duke’s Jon Scheyer has proven he can maintain the Blue Devils’ national relevance, keeping Duke among the ACC’s elite with strong recruiting classes and tournament success. Pitt’s Jeff Capel, a former Duke assistant, has revitalized the Panthers after years of struggles, bringing toughness and a competitive edge back to the program. Meanwhile, Clemson’s Brad Brownell, who has been at the helm since 2010, appears to be stepping into a more prominent role within the ACC hierarchy, leading the Tigers to consistent NCAA Tournament appearances and competing for top spots in the conference standings.

While the ACC may not be as dominant as it once was, its future isn’t bleak. A new generation of coaches has the chance to write the next great chapter of ACC basketball. If Scheyer, Capel, Brownell, and others continue to build their programs and sustain success, the ACC can return to prominence—not through nostalgia for the past, but by embracing the possibilities of the future.