Bossi's Best: Hot coaching candidates

The end of the regular season in college basketball means two things: It's NCAA Tournament time, the college coaching carousel will run full speed.

As jobs begin to open over the next few weeks, here’s a look at some current mid-major and/or up-and-coming coaches who are likely to be hot names as coaching searches fire up across the country.

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The Davis file: On the verge of leading Middle Tennessee State to its third NCAA Tournament since 2013, Davis has been around the block a time or two and he has plenty of experience. Davis actually got his first head coaching job at Idaho in the late 80’s when he was just 28 years old. He made the NCAA Tournament in each of his first two years with the Vandals before a one-year stint at Texas A&M. Last year he earned a lot of press when the led MTSU to an upset of No. 2 seed Michigan State, and he’s backed it up this year, leading his team to a 17-1 record in Conference USA. His contacts at all levels and ability to build a program are major plusses.

The Dooley file: Dooley’s first four-year stint as a head coach at East Carolina in the late 90’s was relatively average, but he’s been getting the job done at Florida Gulf Coast. After a successful stint as an assistant at Kansas where he helped the Jayhawks win the 2008 National Championship and appear in the 2012 title game, Dooley has never finished lower than second place in the Atlantic Sun during his four years in Fort Myers. The Eagles are in the NCAA Tournament for a second year in a row, and Dooley has recruited several big-time athletes.

The Forbes file: Well known as a successful recruiter during assistant coaching stints at Texas A&M and Tennessee, Forbes was also a highly successful junior college head coach during stops at Barton County and Northwest Florida. At East Tennessee State, he’s worked those junior college connections and has been active in picking up transfers to build a strong program. After going 51-20 in his first two seasons at ETSU, he has the Buccaneers in their first NCAA Tournament since 2010.

The Keatts file: The 44-year-old may be the hottest name in college basketball when it comes to coaches ready to make a jump. Keatts first made waves as an extremely successful coach at prep school power Hargrave Military Academy in Virginia. From there, he was hired by Louisville’s Rick Pitino and considered his top recruiter. In three years on the job at Wilmington, he’s claimed at least a share of the Colonial Athletic Association’s regular season conference title, and he’s led the Seahawks to their second straight NCAA Tournament while compiling a 72-27 record. In the three years prior to Keatts’ arrival, Wilmington went 29-63 and finished no higher than eighth in the CAA.

The Kelsey file: Kelsey first earned his stripes as an assistant coach at Wake Forest and Xavier. Since taking over at Winthrop during the 2012-13 season, the Eagles have improved their record each year, and they’ve tied for first place in the Big South in each of the last two regular seasons. This year, though, they’ve broken through with the program’s first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2010.

The Musselman file: Musselman is only in his second year as a head coach at the Division One level, but he has an extensive background as a coach in the NBA, where he had head coaching stints with Sacramento and Golden State. Prior to landing in Reno, Musselman was an assistant at both Arizona State and LSU. This year Nevada won their first Mountain West title since 2012.

The Rice file: In order to make his first trip to the NCAA Tournament, Rice is going to have to hope for an at-large this year after Monmouth lost in the MAAC Conference Tournament. Even so, he’s still a hot name because of two straight regular season conference championships and a fun style of play. Rice played at North Carolina, had his most recent high-major assistant experience at Vanderbilt and has done a good job of both identifying and attracting under-the-radar talent while going 55-14 over the last two seasons.

The Wade file: Only 34 years old, Wade is in his second season as the head coach at VCU and fourth overall as a Division One head coach. He’s never finished worse than second in regular season conference play and made the NCAA Tournament during his first season at VCU. He's on target to make it again this year. He’s energetic, known as a great recruiter and is generally considered one of the top young coaches in America.