Furious Fashion: NCAA Coaches Dress for Success

Why such sartorial splendor? College basketball coaches are important role models for the young men they lead, and for aspiring high school players. With games nationally televised, coaches are in the spotlight and act as a representative for their schools.

"When a coach is well groomed and looks put together, he sends a message to the players and to the opposing team that he takes this business seriously," says Hill Stockton, owner of Norman Stockton Menswear in Chapel Hill, and frequented by U.N.C. coach Roy Williams. "He always wears a pocket square in his jacket pocket and that shows that he pays attention to details, something that translates to his basketball program and how he treats his players."

Chic coaches like Williams have even prompted CollegeInsider.com to run a version of March Madness--"Runway to the Fashionable 4"--in which coaches are judged on their courtside looks before making it to the next round. The 2007 tied winners were Drexel coach Bruiser Flint and Villanova's Jay Wright.

Sadly, while the suit might look savvy, it's not necessarily the most functional courtside attire. But sometimes the image you project is often more important than function.

"Hey, I wear a coat and tie in the store every day while I wrestle with boxes and deliveries," says George Newton, manager of Patrick James in Palo Alto, who frequently sells Hickey Freeman suits to Stanford coach Trent Johnson. "And I do just fine."