Big Ten Rankings: Top 5 highest paid basketball coaches

Feb 5, 2015; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Michigan Wolverines head coach John Beilein reacts to a call in the first half against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Crisler Center. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

I would consider John Beilein to be one of the top-three coaches in the Big Ten. Heck, maybe after Ryan’s retirement, he will become the No. 2 coach in the conference. Beilein has brought Michigan out of the Big Ten cellar since taking over in 2007 and has turned the Wolverines into a solid NCAA Tournament team almost every season.

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Beilein has literally gone through all the ranks to get where he is today, earning that impressive $2.5 million annual salary by climbing through Division III, to Division II before finally getting hired with Division I’s Richmond Spiders.

Michigan has been the luckiest program to get the coach at such a bargain to begin with and he has eventually worked his way into getting a larger paycheck. It only took two years for Beilein to get the Wolverines to the NCAA Tournament in 2008-09.

Although he only made one tourney in his first three seasons in Ann Arbor, the head coach had improved the program drastically, eventually leading the Wolverines to the national title game in 2012-13 and the Elite Eight in 2013-14.

Coming off a year in which Michigan underachieved a bit because of injuries to key starters such as Derrick Walton and Caris LeVert, Beilein knows he has his core back for 2015-16 and the Wolverines will be chasing a Big Ten title once again.

Next: 3. Tom Crean, Indiana