“If Your Son Played College Basketball… Who Would You Trust With His Future? The Results Will Surprise You

“If Your Son Played College Basketball… Who Would You Trust With His Future? The Results Will Surprise You 👀”

In the ever-chaotic, ego-driven world of college basketball  where NIL deals rule the headlines and the transfer portal spins like a carousel  one question cuts through the noise:
If your son played college basketball, which coach would you actually trust with his future?

CBS Sports set out to answer that question in their Candid Coaches series, polling nearly 100 college basketball coaches across the country. What they found wasn’t just a list of the game’s best tacticians  it was a revelation of who the most respected, most trusted, and most genuine men in college basketball truly are.

The Results: Who Coaches Trust With Their Sons

The responses weren’t even close. The runaway winner?
Purdue’s Matt Painter, who claimed a commanding 30% of the votes.

Behind him came some of the sport’s biggest legends and rising leaders:

• 🏆 Tom Izzo (Michigan State) — 16%
• 🔥 Kelvin Sampson (Houston) — 6%
• 💪 Rick Barnes (Tennessee) — 5%
• ✍️ Mark Few (Gonzaga) — 4%
• 🧠 Dusty May (Michigan) — 4%
• 💙 Mark Pope (Kentucky) — 4%
• 🌵 Tommy Lloyd (Arizona) — 3%
• ⚡ Shaka Smart (Marquette) — 3%
• 🐻 Scott Drew (Baylor) — 2%
• 🐊 Todd Golden (Florida) — 2%

Another dozen coaches made up the remaining 21%, but one thing was clear: Matt Painter and Tom Izzo have earned something you can’t fake  the genuine trust of their peers.

Why Coaches Chose Matt Painter

Painter’s name came up again and again, and the words used to describe him were telling: integrity, honesty, empathy, compassion, brotherhood.

“He’s like a brother to me,” one coach said. “One of the most genuine, well-spoken, compassionate, empathetic people in the game. He’s an elite thinker and coach who develops players and keeps them grounded.”

“Excellent coach. Better person,” another added. “He tells players what they need to hear, not what they want to hear. His guys stay, they grow, and they leave better men than they came in.”

Painter has built Purdue into a model of consistency  a team that develops players rather than just collecting stars. Coaches admire how his players stick around, buy in, and grow up in the program. In an era where loyalty feels like a lost concept, Painter’s Purdue is an exception.

Why Coaches Still Believe in Tom Izzo

While Izzo finished second, the Michigan State legend remains one of the sport’s most universally respected figures. He embodies what “old school” means  and for many coaches, that’s exactly what they’d want for their own sons.

“Izzo embraces old school and new school. He teaches the game the right way  and his players have the ultimate respect for him,” one coach said.

“He’s old school in a good way,” another added. “His players don’t just develop on the court  they become family for life.”

Even as college basketball evolves rapidly, Izzo’s approach  discipline, accountability, and loyalty  still resonates deeply across the sport.

The Takeaway: Respect Earned, Not Given

When CBS Sports analyzed the results, one truth stood out: Matt Painter had one of the most impressive summers of any coach in the nation.

Coaches already voted Purdue as the best team heading into 2025, called point guard Braden Smith the best player, and even said Painter is the best X’s and O’s coach in the sport. Now, they’re saying he’s the coach they’d trust most with their own sons.

That’s not just a reputation  that’s reverence.

“In more than 20 years of covering college basketball,” CBS’ Gary Parrish wrote, “I don’t think I’ve ever heard another coach say anything negative about Matt Painter.”

Painter isn’t flashy. He doesn’t chase headlines. But behind closed doors, in a sport full of outsized personalities, he’s the coach other coaches quietly admire most.

“Good Coaches” vs. “Good Men”

Every fan can name the winningest coaches. But not every coach can make parents  and fellow coaches  feel comfortable entrusting them with something far more important than a basketball career: a young man’s future.

This poll didn’t just celebrate the sport’s strategic minds it reminded fans that college basketball, at its heart, is still about people. It’s about trust. About mentorship. About who you’d want to help your child grow when you’re not in the room.

So, the next time you watch Purdue’s Matt Painter pacing the sideline, or Tom Izzo barking encouragement from the huddle, remember  these are the men other coaches believe in most.

And that might just be the highest compliment of all.

🔥 Related Candid Coaches Topics:

• Who will be the best team in men’s college basketball this season?
• Which coach will win his first national championship next?
• Who’s the best X’s and O’s mind in the game?
• And  which hire was the best of 2025?

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