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Who is the best current college basketball coach other than Coach K.?

Discussion in 'Sports and News' started by Mizzougrad96, Mar 30, 2009.

  1. kingcreole

    kingcreole Active Member

    Not saying he's top five, but the guy can coach. I mean, if we're going to include Bob Huggins ...
     
  2. PopeDirkBenedict

    PopeDirkBenedict Active Member

    How about you call us when Mark Few leads Gonzaga to the Final Four. Or beats a clearly superior team in the tournament.
     
  3. Lester Bangs

    Lester Bangs Active Member

    See, that's the thing about these discussions ... they are totally subjective and based on nebulous criteria. The best basketball coaches in America RIGHT NOW are not necessarily the guys who have built monsters over the years and now reap the benefits. The best basketball coaches may well be the guys like Jamie Dixon, Sean Miller or Mark Few who are doing the dirty work right now, building a legacy as opposed to enjoying the view. Saying it's "he who has the most Final Fours or national titles" ignores the fact that some coaches have to do a lot more than others to get their teams to the point where they can win it all.

    In some ways what Stew Morrill has done at Utah State is more impressive than what Ben Howland has done at UCLA ... and what Randy Bennett has done at Saint Mary's is bigger than what Bill Self has done at Kansas.
     
  4. BYH

    BYH Active Member

    Coach K is not even in the top 10.

    Overrated at a hilarious level.
     
  5. Oz

    Oz Well-Known Member

    Key word in this thread -- "current." Currently, Coach K has resembled Jamie Dixon (Sweet 16 exits annually) far more than Roy or Izzo.
     
  6. Jake_Taylor

    Jake_Taylor Well-Known Member

    I say this as a Kansas grad, which probably clouds my vision, but stepping into a place such as Kansas or North Carolina or Kentucky presents its own challenges. There are high expectations every year, no matter how many players you lose. Fans don't want to hear why you aren't landing recruits, they just want them to sign on the dotted line and a lot of times you are replacing a legend. It took UCLA decades to really move past the Wooden era and I'll be pretty surprised if the guy that replaces K at Duke is successful, unless maybe its Capel.

    Ask Billy Gillispie, Matt Doherty and Tubby Smith just how easy it is to coach at a program like that.

    For Self to coach another guy's players to the Elite Eight, coach his own players to a national title and then win the Big 12 and go to the Sweet 16 after losing all those pros is damn impressive to me.
     
  7. mustangj17

    mustangj17 Active Member

    And he does it the right way.

    Also, Ben Howland does not belong on this list. If you're going to mention him then you have to talk John Beilein. Howland can't beat him.

    I would say Bo Ryan over Howland. Honestly. Does more with less. Even the Gonzaga coach and I don't know his name.
     
  8. forever_town

    forever_town Well-Known Member

    Tom Izzo.
     
  9. dreunc1542

    dreunc1542 Active Member

    Howland led UCLA to three straight final fours after resurrecting a Pitt program that was terrible before he got there. To even suggest that Beilein and Ryan are anywhere near him right now is patently ridiculous. It's not just about getting the most out of your talent, it's also very important to be able to get top tier players who want to play for you.
     
  10. Starman

    Starman Well-Known Member

    Minor Iowajack: What the hell is going on there?

    Players are hightailing it out of town like CHA is on fire.

    The Kelly story is understandable (mom died, wants to play closer to home) and out of Lickliter's control, but all the other defections, it looks like a stampede.
     
  11. albert77

    albert77 Well-Known Member

    Tom Izzo is a pretty fair coach, but people are forgetting that he inherited a solid program from Jud Heathcote.
     
  12. 93Devil

    93Devil Well-Known Member

    Solid, but outside of Magic, did they ever make the Final Four?

    Duke was not chicken shit either back in the day.
     
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