shouldn't you be called fluffy blue contrarian? Many NFL coaches never played in the NFL...you are correct. But how many NFL coaches didn’t play HS and college ball? There’s even college football coaches that didn’t play beyond HS. But they played. Typically, HC’s played in the sport they are coaching. Agreed? That’s why I’m saying a female HC could work in basketball. You knew this, but felt that contrarian itch, right?
College basketball coaches that did not play in college ...
(This list definitely has a Wisconsin flavor)
https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/26292605/ranking-2019-ncaa-tournament-coaches-players-1-68Bruce Pearl, Auburn Tigers -- Pearl did not play basketball at Sharon (Massachusetts) High School, as an injury suffered playing football during his freshman year prevented him from pursuing athletics. Pearl's path to coaching came after he was hired as a student assistant at Boston College under Dr. Tom Davis, and was later added to Davis' coaching staff at Stanford.
Scott Drew, Baylor Bears -- Drew's playing days ended with the JV team at Valparaiso (Indiana) High School. Though his brother, Bryce, played in the NBA, Scott Drew was a tennis player (he played on the team but didn't letter) and basketball manager at Butler.
Richard Pitino, Minnesota Golden Gophers -- Pitino's playing career concluded at the high school level -- he served as a point guard for Saint Sebastian's School in Needham, Massachusetts, while his father, Rick, was coaching the Celtics. The younger Pitino did not play college basketball, serving as a student manager at Providence under then-coach Tim Welsh.
Bruce Weber, Kansas State Wildcats -- Weber played basketball through his senior year at John Marshall High School in Milwaukee but did not play sports as a collegian at Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Chris Beard, Texas Tech Red Raiders -- Beard was a regular for McCullough High School in The Woodlands, Texas, but did not play college basketball at Texas. Then-Longhorns coach Tom Penders gave Beard a managerial job, and he'd eventually become a student assistant at the school.
Craig Smith, Utah State Aggies -- Smith played at the high school level for Stephen-Argyle Central High School in Stephen, Minnesota, but did not play collegiately at the University of North Dakota. It was while still a student at UND that Smith met Tim Miles, then the coach at NAIA Mayville State (North Dakota), who helped launch Smith's coaching career by hiring him as an unpaid volunteer assistant.
John Becker, Vermont Catamounts -- Becker was a good high school player at Roger Ludlowe High School in Fairfield, Connecticut. Read here about his 35-point game as a senior. Though erroneous information abounds about his post-high school career, Becker did not play intercollegiate basketball at Catholic University, his alma mater.
Greg Gard, Wisconsin Badgers -- Gard was a three-sport athlete (including hoops) at Iowa-Grant High in rural Livingston, Wisconsin, but did not play basketball at Wisconsin-Platteville. He did play baseball at UW-Platteville in the 1990s but was cut before his sophomore year.
Tim Craft, Gardner-Webb Bulldogs -- Craft did not play basketball at his alma mater, the University of Florida, though he was a manager for the Gators' baseball team. Craft has been quoted as saying that he could have played Division III basketball out of North Florida Christian School in Tallahassee, but the partial scholarship he received for working with the baseball team won out over a continued playing career.
Mick Cronin, Cincinnati Bearcats -- Despite his diminutive stature (5-foot-7), Cronin was a good high school point guard under his father, Hep, at Cincinnati's La Salle High. A knee injury was a factor in Cronin's career ending before he reached college at Cincinnati.
Mark Few, Gonzaga Bulldogs -- Few led Creswell (Oregon) High to the state's AAA semifinals as a senior point guard. Shoulder problems prevented him from playing at Linfield College, where he intended to play basketball and baseball.
Buzz Williams, Virginia Tech Hokies -- Williams played at Van Alstyne (Texas) High School, and told ESPN in 2012 that he could've made the roster at various "Bible colleges" across the country. Williams ultimately did not play basketball at either of his collegiate stops -- Navarro Junior College (Texas) or Oklahoma City University -- but served as a student assistant at both places.
In addition to the above
https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/8011917/some-top-coaches-prove-play-high-level-coach-one-men-college-basketballTom Crean said he realizes how fortunate he is to have been surrounded by some of greatest minds in sports. Before taking over at Marquette in 1999, Crean was an assistant under accomplished coaches such as Jud Heathcoate, Ralph Willard and Tom Izzo. And his brothers-in-law -- Jim and John Harbaugh -- are NFL head coaches.
Long before he met any of them, though, Crean was certain he wanted to become a college head coach despite never playing the game beyond high school. At the same time he was attending classes as a 19-year-old sophomore at Central Michigan, Crean was working as an assistant coach at Division III Alma College (enrollment 1,400) and at Mount Pleasant (Mich.) High School.