A few years ago, I wrote a column entitled, "Six Coaches You Should Know", in which I attempted to identify a half dozen fine coaches who were relatively unknown. In the seasons since, each coach on the list has gone on to become very well known in the game.

Now, it didn't take a genius to spot guys like Mike Brey when he was at Delaware; Skip Prosser in his days at Xavier; or Richmond's John Bielein. So, as we reprise the list, and alert you, the college basketball cognoscenti, to another six-pack of really solid coaches to keep your eye on, some of these names shouldn't come as as surprise.

But, in case you haven't heard of these gentlemen, don't forget these names when the coaching carousel heats up in late March.

Ray Giacoletti, Eastern Washington: Giacoletti was an assistant under Bob Bender at Illinois State and Washington, and is in his third season at Eastern Washington, where he has created a Big Sky contender and one of the top mid-major teams in the country. Giacoletti is an excellent strategist, teacher and recruiter, who understands the game and the way it should be taught and played. While others may have fancier pedigrees and prance the sidelines looking good, Giacoletti's got the goods.

	Did you know? Dana Altman coached Kansas State before turning Creighton into a top 25 team.

Dana Altman, Creighton: Altman has moved up in the game the hard way and can really coach. He was the head coach at Moberly Junior College, where he once coached Mitch Richmond. He hooked on as an assistant to Lon Kruger at Kansas State, then took over the K-State program when Kruger left for Florida. Altman is a Nebraska native, and is happy at Creighton, but his knowledge, talent and ability as a coach strongly suggest that he could be plucked out of Omaha for a "big time" job. Altman reminds me of Brey, in that he is completely content where he is, and could be for years, but has the ability level to go anywhere he wants and be successful. Creighton may not seem like a "big time" job to some, but it is a job held by a big-time coach in Altman.

Ralph Willard, Holy Cross: Willard has been very successful head coach at Western Kentucky and Pittsburgh, so his ability level is hardly a surprise. What is a surprise is that his coaching facility is not more widely recognized and celebrated. Willard is sharp, tough-minded and a great instructor. He knows the game and how to teach it to players of any level. He had a couple of tough years at the end of his tenure at Pitt, but to lose out on a coach of Willard's caliber is next to criminal. He may be happy at Holy Cross, and may want to stay, but if were I an athletic director, Willard would be on my speed dial.

Dennis Felton, Western Kentucky: What does this guy have to do to get noticed nationally? Felton has built a strong program at Western Kentucky, has guided the Hilltoppers into the NCAA Tournament, and has consistently developed players. He has taken a team devastated by injuries this year and has positioned it for another NCAA Tournament run by adjusting the way it plays according to the personnel available. Felton has a great feel for the game, and is an excellent teacher and communicator. Felton can coach, and needs to be recognized as more than just an outstanding prospect, but a fine coach.

Bobby Gonzalez, Manhattan: Gonzalez was heavily relied upon by Gillen at Xavier, Providence and Virginia, and he is an energetic go-getter who has willed Manhattan into arguably the top college team in New York this season. Manhattan was mired in last place when Gonzalez took over, but through hard work, solid recruiting and teaching, Gonzalez has made the Jasper program a winner again. Gonzalez was a high school coach in the New York area and understands kids. Gonzalez is a solid coach who can get players and coach them once he has them.

Gregg Marshall, Winthrop: Marshall is one smart coach and he has done a marvelous job with the Winthrop program. It is hard to believe that Marshall has not gotten more recognition as a coach in this age of believing that the NCAA Tournament is the be all and end all. Marshall has taken the Eagles to the Big Dance in every single one of his four years at Winthrop, but since he is not a nightclub comic at press conferences, he has gone woefully unappreciated. Marshall was an assistant to John Kresse at the College of Charleston for eight seasons, where he learned the game from one of the best. Give Marshall's team a watch. It is disciplined and well drilled, because Marshall is a good coach.

Head Coaches In Waiting
There are many terrific assistant coaches out there. They spend countless hours recruiting, teaching and supporting their bosses and the players they bring them. Here are a few to keep on your radar screen. Each will be a head coach sooner rather than later.

Sean Sutton, Oklahoma State: Sutton may wind up taking over for his father in Stillwater. And like his father, he has an excellent basketball mind. The younger Sutton can recruit, and he can coach.

Pat Knight, Texas Tech: Another son of a Big 12 coach, there are those who would let his association with his father cloud their judgment as to the younger Knight's ability as a coach. But Pat Knight is a fine young coaching prospect. Knight knows the game, and is an excellent evaluator of talent. He is an astute teacher and authority on motion offense and man-to-man defense. He will, like his father, be an excellent head coach.

Doug Wojcik, North Carolina: There are few coaches out there who work as hard and are as disciplined as Wojcik. He played for Skip Prosser in high school, Paul Evans at Navy, and coached under Don DeVoe before Matt Doherty. Wojcik is an excellent head coaching prospect, one with impeccable integrity and reliability.

Rodney Tention, Arizona: Tention is an outstanding recruiter and does a great job in practice and on the sidelines. He has been an integral part of an outstanding staff at Arizona, and is ready to take over his own program. Tention is not the type to call attention to himself, but deserves attention because of his ability level.

Dave Dickerson, Maryland: A former player at Maryland, Dickerson is smart, mature and understated. He is a competitor who is always under control and he does things the right way. Dickerson has been a fine assistant and very selective with his opportunities. He will make some school a very good head coach.

Brian Gregory, Michigan State: Gregory is a terrific prospect and has a great future ahead of him as a head coach. He is very bright, energetic and works hard. Gregory has a very good mind for the game and has learned at Northwestern, as well as during his days in East Lansing under Tom Izzo. Gregory has been a key cog in the Michigan State success story, and is fully prepared to take over his own program.

Vince Taylor, Louisville: Most recently, Taylor has been an assistant at Pittsburgh, and at Louisville under Denny Crum and Rick Pitino. Taylor is a very good recruiter, an excellent bench coach, and he understands the game. Taylor was an outstanding player in the ACC for Bill Foster and Mike Krzyzewski. It's clear, he has learned under some of the very best minds in the game.

Johnny Dawkins, Duke: Dawkins is one of the most understated and humble basketball stars I have ever been around, and he is a man of great integrity and ability. He has a great knowledge and aptitude for the game, and is universally respected by those that have had the privilege of being around him. As a former teammate of Dawkins, one can call me a biased observer, or acknowledge that I may simply know better because of the 20 years that I have known him. There is no question in my mind that Johnny Dawkins is a fine assistant, and will be a truly outstanding head coach.

Billy Grier, Gonzaga: Grier is an excellent teacher and strategist, a coach who has a firm grasp of who he is and the way he wants to do things. He has learned the game thoroughly and does a wonderful job of recruiting and scouting. If Mark Few ever leaves Spokane, Grier will be the next coach at Gonzaga.

Jim Saia, UCLA: Don't let the Bruins' current record distract you from seeing a good prospect. Saia had been in coaching for several years before he hooked on at UCLA with Steve Lavin and he has learned from some outstanding coaches, including Tates Locke and Gary Colson. Saia has been close to landing jobs in the past couple of years, and will be a solid head coach.

Bilas Bytes
My Last Word on the RPI: Everyone has his or her own opinion on the RPI, which is fine and the way it should be. However, I think that there are many who have missed the point.

The goal of the NCAA Selection Committee is to put the 34 best teams into the tournament after the automatic qualifiers. The RPI is not a reliable guage of how good a team is on Selection Sunday, rather, it is an accurate gauge of how good the committee will determine the teams are on Selection Sunday. There is a distinct difference.

	“	In March Madness, there are no numbers, just teams playing on the floor. We can only hope that the RPI, as flawed as it is, gets us the right teams playing in the right spots. ... The good news is, the committee has never given us a bad field or a bad NCAA Tournament. And this one will be no exception. I can't wait. ”
		— Jay Bilas

To me, the RPI and its use in the selection process is like democracy -- it is the worst possible system, except for everything else. I believe that the committee does a great job year after year, and the process is a difficult and agonizing one irrespective of the criteria. I have no problem with the current system or the use of the RPI, even though I might disagree with some of the decisions.

However, the RPI is clearly a flawed formula, and it has little or no direct relationship to how good a team is on Selection Sunday.

Number-crunching mathematicians can spend hour upon hour going over just numbers on paper and predict with a high degree of accuracy the decisions of the committee. You don't have to know anything about basketball to predict the tournament selection process, you just have to read and understand the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee's process and crunch the numbers.

Respected Hall of Fame writer Bill Brill has had extraordinary success annually predicting the field, and has done it for many years. Brill is certainly not alone. Our own Joe Lunardi does it, as does Jerry Palm of collegerpi.com. Each of them, and many others, do a great job of sifting through the numbers, and their findings are nearly identical.

Those who engage in these weekly brackets don't have to pay any attention to game tape or analysis of why and how teams are good, or the likelihood of a team's winning, and may or may not be able to anyway. The fact that so many can accurately predict the process without having to watch games is some evidence that the process is painfully formulaic, and relies far more upon numbers than on anything else.

In glancing at the many weekly "predictions" on the web, all are virtually the same, and all are meaningless because they change from week to week. The predictions don't change because the experts' views have changed about a team because of the defense or offense it employs; or because of the manner in which a team is playing (win or lose), but simply because the RPI numbers change. All of the "predictions" have a disclaimer that states that they are done as if today were Selection Sunday, which it is not.

The truth is, all of these guys could start the process just days before Selection Sunday and come up with the same analysis and predictions as if they had been doing it every week. The weekly offerings change because the numbers change, and it is a numbers driven process.

Well, in March Madness, there are no numbers, just teams playing on the floor. We can only hope that the RPI, as flawed as it is, gets us the right teams playing in the right spots. Remember, the RPI is not a predictor of how good a team is, it is a predictor of what the committee will do with particular teams. But, changing the system would be complicated, and everyone wants to go with the devil they know.

The good news is, the committee has never given us a bad field or a bad NCAA Tournament. And this one will be no exception. I can't wait.

Q & A with Jay Bilas

Send in college basketball questions to ESPN's Jay Bilas, who will answer a few each week as the season continues.

Jay Bilas is a college basketball analyst at ESPN and a regular contributor to ESPN.com.