Coaches

Ivy League: Coach Ranking

Jon Teitel — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 12:16:43 -0800

Ranking the 8 Ivy League coaches is no easy task: One of them has never been a head coach before, two others coached their 1^st Ivy games last year, and none have served a full decade as an Ivy head coach. As we get ready for another college basketball season, here is a look at who is doing the best job of keeping up with the Joneses...literally.

1. Glen Miller - Penn

(223-184 record in 17 years as head coach at Connecticut College/Brown/Penn)

Career highlights: Went 13-1 in conference play during his 1^st year at Penn en route to winning the school's 3^rd straight Ivy title. As coach at Brown for 9 years, had most consecutive wins in school history since the 1930s, in addition to 1 NIT bid. As coach at Connecticut College for 6 years, he went 24-0 in regular season in 1998-1999. As assistant at Connecticut for 7 years, worked for team that won 1988 NIT title.

Prediction for 2008-09: Having lost only 1 starter from last year, he will have a decent chance to unseat Cornell from the top of the standings.

2. Steve Donahue - Cornell

(96-123 record in 8 years as head coach)

Career highlights: Went 14-0 in conference play last year en route to winning the school's 2^nd Ivy title ever and being named NABC district Coach of the Year. As assistant at Penn for 10 years, he helped recruit 5 of the top 20 scorers in school history for teams that won 6 conference titles in 8 years.

Prediction for 2008-09: With most of last year's NCAA Tournament team back, a repeat of last year's success will put him further down the long path towards Dunphy/Carril territory.

3. James Jones - Yale

(117-134 record in 9 years as head coach)

Career highlights: During his 9 years at Yale, he has become the longest-tenured coach in the league and given the school its only postseason tournament win in over a century of basketball. During his 9 years as an assistant at Albany, Yale, and Ohio, he worked for teams that made the postseason twice.

Prediction for 2008-09: He has a great track record, but not sure if he will ever get over the hump to get a career winning record.

4. Joe Jones - Columbia

(63-75 record in 5 years as head coach)

Career highlights: As assistant at Villanova for 6 years, he worked for teams that went to the postseason 5 times. During his 5 years at Columbia, he has won more games than any Columbia coach in almost 3 decades.

Prediction for 2008-09: His young team will have to grow up fast to avoid its 5^th losing season in 6 years.

5. Tommy Amaker - Harvard

(184-57 record in 11 years as head coach at Seton Hall/Michigan/Harvard)

Career highlights: As head coach at Seton Hall/Michigan, for 10 years, he only had a losing record twice, and won 2004 NIT title. He was also an assistant for 9 years at Duke, getting to the Final Four 5 times in 6 years, including back-to-back NCAA titles in 1991 and 1992. During his 1^st year at Harvard, his team went 8-22.

Prediction for 2008-09: After an investigation cleared him of any improper recruiting violations earlier this year, his 4 returning double-digit scorers will try to put the media's focus back on wins and losses.

6. Terry Dunn - Dartmouth

(34-71 record in 4 years as head coach)

Career highlights: As assistant at several schools for 15 years, he worked for teams that went to the postseason 6 times. During his 4 years at Dartmouth, his team has not won more than 10 games in any season.

Prediction for 2008-09: If he cannot turn the program around soon, he will probably not be around for long.

7. Sydney Johnson - Princeton

(6-23 record in 1 year as head coach)

Career highlights: As assistant at Georgetown for 3 years, he worked for team that reached the Final Four in 2007. During his 1^st year at Princeton, his team had 1 of the worst seasons in the school's storied history.

Prediction for 2008-09: As the only 3-time captain in school history from his playing days in the 90s, the administration will probably cut him some slack as he tries to return to the glory days, but it will take awhile to do so.

8. Jesse Agel - Brown

(1^st year as head coach)

Career highlights: As assistant at Vermont for 17 years, he helped recruit Taylor Coppenrath and won several conference titles. During his 2 years as an assistant at Brown, his team set a school record for most wins in a season.

Prediction for 2008-09: A rebuilding year, but if he can recruit anyone half as good as Coppenrath, he might get the Bears their 1^st 20-win season ever at some point in the near future.

Pac-10 Coach Raking: Big Ben

Jeff Fox — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 09:33:40 -0800

Take a wild guess who is ranked as the top coach in the Pac 10? You got it, that guy.

1) Ben Howland – UCLA

Ben Howland is truly the king of the Pac 10. He has the Bruins on course for a fourth-straight Final Four.

2) Mike Montgomery – California

A great hire for Cal – Mike Montgomery has the coaching pedigree to lead the Golden Bears back to their 1990s Jason Kidd-led level.

3) Tim Floyd – USC

There’s a new player in L.A. hoops. Tim Floyd seems to have the recruiting touch and the Trojans are ready to fight back against neighborhood bully UCLA.

4) Herb Sendek – Arizona State

Herb Sendek has the Sun Devils headed towards the upper echelon of the Pac 10 and is now the top coach in the Land of McCain.

5) Tony Bennett – Washington State

There is no way that Washington State should be a player in the Pac 10 every year, yet Tony Bennett has them doing just that.

6) Lorenzo Romar – Washington

The back-to-back Sweet Sixteen appearances in ’05 and ’06 seem ages ago. At least Lorenzo Romar has Jon Brockman around for his senior season.

7) Ernie Kent – Oregon

Ernie Kent’s Ducks appear to have peaked in 2007 with their appearance in the Elite 8. Don’t expect a repeat performance this season.

8) Johnny Dawkins – Stanford

It should be a long season for first year coach Johnny Dawkins. Couldn’t at least one of those Lopez twins have stuck around for another season?

9) Craig Robinson – Oregon State

It’s debatable who has the tougher task ahead of him – Craig Robinson or his brother-in-law Barack Obama.

10) Russ Pennell – Arizona

Its always hard to follow a legend, but being thrown into the head coaching position at the last minute (and thrown into the middle of a soap opera to boot) makes Russ Pennell’s job even harder.

Big Ten Coach Ranking: Tom Terrific

Jeff Fox — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 09:44:24 -0800

It doesn't appear that too many Big Ten teams are going to light the college hoops world on fire this season. However, more than likely this will only be a temporary slump. With the level of coaching talent roaming the sidelines in the league, its teams are sure to be competing for national championships again sooner rather than later.

1) Tom Izzo - Michigan State

Tom Izzo is untouchable at the top of this list. Why? A national championship, four trips to the Final Four, four regular-season Big Ten titles, four National Coach of the Year awards. That's why.

2) Thad Matta - Ohio State

The trip to the 2007 title game was nice, but Thad Matta has built the Buckeyes program into more than just a one-year powerhouse. A serious bidder for all the top recruits in the country every year, Matta has also led the squad to 37 conference wins over the past three years, second best over this period behind Wisconsin.

3) Bo Ryan - Wisconsin

Speaking of the Badgers, Bo Ryan has led Wisconsin to a conference best 38 wins over the past three seasons. Despite always being overlooked and underrated, Ryan's squads get the job down year in, year out.

4) Tubby Smith - Minnesota

The much-maligned Tubby Smith has done nothing but win at every stop he has made in his coaching career. Minnesota shouldn't be any different.

5) Bruce Weber - Illinois

A few years back Bruce Weber probably could have given Izzo a tough run for his money for top spot on this list. However, his program has been in a steady decline since its 2005 peak.

6) Tom Crean - Indiana

It's going to take awhile to fix the mess Tom Crean inherited, but if he could recruit and win big time at Marquette, doing the same at Indiana shouldn't be a problem.

7) Matt Painter - Purdue

Matt Painter definitely has the Boilermakers back at the level the program was used to under his mentor Gene Keady. They should be at or near the top of the Big Ten at season's end and are poised to make some noise in the NCAA tournament.

8) John Beilein - Michigan

John Beilein is another coach who inherited a mess of a program. It'll probably take a few more years before he gets the Blue up to the level of success he enjoyed at West Virginia.

9) Todd Lickliter - Iowa

Todd Lickliter proved he could win big at a small-time school (Butler). Can he win in the Big Bad Big Ten though?

10) Ed DeChellis - Penn State

After posting seven conference wins last season, maybe Ed DeChellis has Penn State headed in the right direction.

11) Bill Carmody - Northwestern

The Wildcats won one conference game last season and two the year before. Enough said.

Big 12 Coach Ranking: Self-Esteem

Kevin McNeill — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 07:08:14 -0800

Continuing this week's Coach Ranking series: The Big 12

#1) Bill Self, Kansas

Being the head basketball coach at Kansas can be a little intimidating. One must not only excel in the midst of almost implausible fan expectations and media saturation year in and year out, but must coach in the constant shadow of the likes of Hall of Famers Phog Allen, Larry Brown, Roy Williams, and some guy named Dr. James Naismith. For Bill Self, however, those were the least of his worries.

Arriving in Lawrence after taking Tulsa and Illinois to the Elite Eight, Self had to fill the shoes of a beloved coach in Williams, who stunned fans with his departure to North Carolina soon after losing the national title game to Syracuse. He also had to work overtime to convince Williams’ recruits not to follow him.

While Self’s first season saw the Jayhawks come within a hair of returning to the Final Four in an overtime loss to Georgia Tech, he had to overcome constant distractions, not the least of which included reports of Williams contacting his former players during the season. Adding insult to injury, the following year Williams went on to win the national championship against Self’s former team, while KU lost in the first round in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1978. The Jawhawks again bowed out in the first round the next season – the first year in which Self was mostly playing his own recruits - leading the simmering “fire Self!” KU message board posts to rise to a dull roar.

Well, they’re pretty quiet now. Bill Self stands right alongside those great coaches in Kansas lore, sporting a national championship (just the third in KU’s history) and a ridiculous .816 winning percentage since arriving on campus. He is widely regarded as one of the top recruiters in the nation, so much so that his Jawhawk team is currently ranked in the Top 25 despite losing five players to the NBA, and eight overall from last year.

He also turns all of 47 in December, which means he will be on the sideline and winning games for a long time to come.

# 2) Scott Drew, Baylor

It may be considered a stretch to label such a young coach as the second best coach in the conference, but the program he has built up from the smoldering rubble of the Dave Bliss fiasco is nothing less than astonishing.

To recap, after it was revealed Bliss committed some minor infractions, such as framing a murder victim to cover his illegal payments, the Bears were forced to play a half season in 2005-06, lost scholarships, and had paid recruiting visits reduced from twelve to nine for the 2006-07 season. Oh, and the program was placed on probation until June 22, 2010.

Despite all this, Drew has assembled top notch recruiting classes year in and year out, and last season carried Baylor to 21 wins and a NCAA Tournament berth, only their second appearance since 1950 (the other being 1988).

Seriously, how many coaches in America could have led a team to the Big Dance five years after the NCAA leveled the most severe penalties on a basketball program since the Southwestern Louisiana point shaving scandal? With a school with little to zero winning basketball tradition (unlike say Kentucky, who was able to rebound not long after the Eddie Sutton affair)? How many could talk a blue-chip recruit like LaceDarius Dunn, and others, into coming to Waco, despite the fact the school won’t be off probation until he’s a senior?

Going out on a limb, I’d say very few, which is why Baylor very wisely signed Drew to a 10 year contract extension after last season.

#3) Rick Barnes, Texas

In a conference that sports no less than nine coaches with two seasons or less under their belts with their respective teams, Barnes stands out for his consistency.

He is a three-time Big 12 coach of the year. In his ten years at the helm, the Longhorns have not missed a NCAA Tournament, with two Elite Eight appearances in the last three years, five Sweet Sixteen runs in the past seven, and a Final Four in 2003. Barnes also has three regular season titles to his credit, although he has not yet won the Big 12 Tournament.

#4) Jeff Capel, Oklahoma

Jeff Capel, as with some other relatively new coaches in the Big 12, have to be rated more for their potential than their achievements, due to their youth and experience. Still, after just two seasons, it is starting to look like the former Dukie could well be one of the best hires in school history.

After taking over for Kelvin Sampson, and subsequently losing blue chip-recruits Scottie Reynolds and Damion James to other programs, Capel has done an outstanding job of bringing in top notch talent to Norman, led by future stars Blake Griffin and now Willie Warren. He also engineered a remarkable turnaround last season, winning 23 games and advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament after finishing 7^th in the conference a year earlier.

Capel should stick around long enough to build the Sooners into a perennial conference contender…so long as Coach K doesn’t retire anytime soon.

#5) Mark Turgeon, Texas A&M

The Aggies got off to a great start in Turgeon’s first season, finishing with a 25–11 record and advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The 25 wins matched a Big 12 record for the most wins by a first-year coach.

While they lost DeAndre Jordan to an ill-advised decision to enter the NBA Draft, the Aggies still look like they could build on that success this year. Turgeon, like so many new coaches in the Big 12, is an outstanding recruiter and is building the foundation for long term success, starting with incoming freshman David Loubeau and what is so far an outstanding 2009 class.

#6) Travis Ford, Oklahoma State

Ford arrives at Oklahoma State as one of the hottest coaching prospects in the country, having turned down an offer from Providence, and taking himself out of consideration at LSU before accepting the job in Stillwater. He led UMass to 49 combined wins in the past two seasons, and before that memorably led Eastern Kentucky to the NCAA Tournament where they gave his alma mater, Kentucky, all they could handle in the first round.

Ford is aggressive on the recruiting trail, likes to constantly push his players, and likes to score – a lot. With the three point line moving back, Oklahoma State fans may not see the Cowboys throw up as many threes as UMass did last year (they attempted over 900), but they will definitely see a far more up-tempo style than they are used to.

#7) Jeff Bzdelik, Colorado

Coach Bzdelik came to Boulder having just overseen the most successful season in the history of the Air Force Academy, with a 26-9 record and a NIT semifinal run. He led the Falcons to only their second NCAA Tournament appearance in over 40 years in his first season.

Not to belabor the point, but if you can coach and recruit at a US military academy – where sky-high SAT scores and academic requirements for admission all but disqualify 85% of applicants – you can coach and recruit anywhere. Colorado is very young and in the process of rebuilding, but they should begin to show signs of growth under Bzdelik in his second season.

#8) Doc Sadler, Nebraska

The Nebraska Cornhusker basketball team opened their first practice on October 17^th… in full view of about “30-40 Husker fans,” according to the school. By contrast, the Nebraska Spring football game drew a record crowd of more than 80,000 back in April.

Such is the life of college basketball at a football school. Still, having recorded a 20 win season last year, and an NIT berth, in just his second season, Doc Sadler looks like he has the program headed in the right direction. Losing Aleks Maric will hurt, but the Huskers could sneak up on some teams this year.

#9) Mike Anderson, Missouri

Mike Anderson showed glimpses of his potential after taking over for Quin Synder, going a respectable 18-12 in his first season. But the following year, just as Mizzou fans were starting to move on from the Ricky Clemons fiasco, off-court issues tripped up their season once again.

Right at the start of conference play, five players were involved in a bar fight that led to their suspension, and, eventually, the dismissal of leading scorer Stefhon Hannah – forcing the team to finish the year short-handed. Even before the season started, leading rebounder Kalen Grimes was dismissed from the team for smashing someone’s face with the butt of a shotgun, Darryl Butterfield – who was later one of the players involved in the bar fight - was arrested for punching an ex-girlfriend, transfer DeMarre Carroll was shot in the ankle, and Mike Anderson, Jr. – the coach’s son, had a DUI.

The Tigers have a lot of potential this season, especially with the arrival of transfer Zaire Taylor. But Coach Anderson will be judged not only by his ability to get his team back to the Big Dance after a five year hiatus, but also whether his strict new team rules can finally get this program under control.

#10) Greg McDermott, Iowa State

When Greg McDermott first began coaching, at Division II Wayne State, he compiled a losing record over his first two years at the helm. He then guided them to four straight 20 win seasons. At Northern Iowa, he endured a losing record in each of his first two seasons, then rattled off three straight 20 win seasons and NCAA Tournament appearances before heading to Ames.

Iowa State has gone 29-34 under Coach McDermott in his first two seasons. Cyclones fans are anxiously awaiting his third.

#11) Frank Martin, Kansas State

It’s no secret that Coach Martin at least in part owes his job to his close relationship with Michael Beasley, specifically his ability to keep Beasley on campus after the shocking departure of Bob Huggins to West Virginia. Now that Beasley is gone, Martin has a lot to prove.

#12) Pat Knight, Texas Tech

Texas Tech fans are still stewing over the surprise mid-season resignation of Bob Knight, and the quick transfer of coaching duties to his son, whose only head coaching experience was a very brief stint in the USBL and IBA, with teams that folded soon after he arrived.

After taking over, the Red Raiders lost 7 of their last 11 games. Inconsistency was the main concern, evidenced by a great win at home against Texas followed up by a 58 point drubbing by Kansas.

Big East Coach Ranking: Sweet Sixteen

Dan Daitchman — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 09:17:50 -0800

The 2008-09 Big East season should bring as much excitement as any. Commonly regarded as the toughest conference in college basketball, it has the potential to put 9+ teams into the NCAA tournament come March.

At the backbone of a great team comes a great coach, and the Big East has plenty of great coaches. But which coaches are the best? Let's just say that a well-padded résumé is not enough to give a coach top honors in this conference.

1. John Thompson III (Georgetown) - Like father like son, JT III has brought Georgetown back to national attention. His teams display great hustle regardless of score, and perennially sport a top-5 defense. The other mark of a great coach? Winning close games. Last year, Georgetown won six Big East games by 3 points or less.

2. Jim Calhoun (UConn) - Truly one of the elite coaches in college basketball. He's got the hardware to support his hall-of-fame status, and puts impact players in the NBA (See the careers of Ray Allen, Ben Gordon, and Emeka Okafor for further details).

3. Jim Boeheim (Syracuse) - When your signature is a decal of the court you coach on, you know you've done well. Nobody runs a better 2-3 zone defense than Jim Boeheim. He recruits great talent and has never missed the NCAA tournament 3 years in a row.

4. Rick Pitino (Louisville) - Not enough can be said about the Godfather. He's the only coach to take 3 teams to the Final Four. His squad always plays well as a team, and nobody mixes zone and man-to-man defense better then the Cardinals.

5. Bob Huggins (West Virginia) - Regardless of his off-the-court antics, this guy can flat out coach. He brought the 21^st century version of phi slamma jamma to Cincinnati, a perennial top-15 team. He gave K-State a great run at the NCAA tourney in his short term there, and left a full cupboard of talent in Michael Beasley and Bill Walker. Huggins silenced a lot of critics last year when the 7^th-seed Mountaineers knocked off 2^nd-seed Duke to reach the Sweet 16.

6. Jamie Dixon (Pitt) - Pitt has become a familiar name in the NCAA tournament thanks to this guy. He's moved up a rung in the recruiting latter by getting big-time local talent in Dejuan Blair, who grew up a mile from the Petersen Events Center. Dixon is an Elite-8 away from becoming a premier coach in college basketball.

7. Jay Wright (Villanova) - He's the classiest coach in basketball. He's brought Villanova back to playing their best basketball since the '85 championship. Some of the best guards in the country have stopped through Philadelphia as of late. The future holds similar high hopes, as Villanova's 2009 class is ranked in the top 5 by Scouts Inc.

8. Mike Brey (Notre Dame) - As Dick Vitale once said, nobody fits a program better than Mike Brey at Notre Dame. He's created a very balanced attack that will continue to give a lot of teams fits this year.

9. Keno Davis (Providence) - Out with the old, in with the new. Davis led the Drake Bulldogs on a magical run to the NCAA tournament last year and was a buzzer-beater away from making the second round. Keno inherits a program full of disappointment from last year and hopes to turn things around.

10. Mick Cronin (Cincinnati) - Cincy hasn't been the same since Huggins left, but Cronin has been steadily building his alma mater into a contender once again.

11. Jerry Wainwright (DePaul) - One quality about all of Wainwright's teams: they play tough. The Blue Demons have knocked off a ranked team each year for the past three years.

12. Buzz Williams (Marquette) - Buzz hasn't had much time as head coach yet, and will try to remove the sour taste Tom Crean left in fans' mouths. One thing is true: he's a great recruiter. Three of his recruiting classes in the last 8 years have been in the top 50, all at mid-major or high-major schools. He helped Texas A&M in becoming a top-tier program, and his 2009 class for Marquette is ranked 5^th by Scouts Inc.

13. Stan Heath (South Florida) - Football gets more hype than basketball these days in Tampa, but Heath's Bulls have shown they're a sleeper team. Last year featured wins over Syracuse and Florida State, and a 1-point loss in overtime to 17^th-ranked UConn.

14. Fred Hill (Rutgers) - Hill has done nothing but lose games since he's shown up in New Brunswick, but he's brought in two top-tier recruits in Mike Rosario and Gregory Echenique, who he hopes will help the Scarlet Knights climb out of last place.

15. Norm Roberts (St. John's) - This is not Lou Carnesecca's Redmen of the 80s. Norm needs to quickly rebuild a team that's in danger of losing court time at Madison Square Garden.

16. Bobby Gonzalez (Seton Hall) - This is a team that's won 3 Big East road games in the last 2 seasons. That won't cut it anywhere, especially in the toughest conference in college basketball.

Rick Barnes Honored as John Wooden "Legends of Coaching" Recipient

Press Release — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 07:37:50 -0700

LOS ANGELES, Calif. - University of Texas head men's basketball coach Rick Barnes will receive the John R. Wooden Award's "Legends of Coaching" honor this year, Award Chairman Duke Llewellyn announced Wednesday. Barnes will be honored along with the 2009 Men's and Women's Wooden Award winners and the Wooden Award All-American teams at the Los Angeles Athletic Club in April of 2009.

The "Legends of Coaching" award was adopted by the Wooden Award Committee in 1999, with the first honor going to Dean Smith of North Carolina.

"I'm humbled to receive this honor," Barnes said. "I was seriously shocked when Duke Llewellyn called me to inform me about the award. As I've tried to explain to our players who have made the trip to Los Angeles for the Wooden Award event in the past, to be associated with Coach Wooden is truly a special honor. This award should be shared by all the players, coaches and administrators who I have been fortunate to work with over the years."

In a career that includes four years at Clemson, six years at Providence and one season at George Mason, Barnes boasts a 449-227 (.664) career record in 21 seasons as a collegiate head coach. He has led teams to 13 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, tied for the third-longest string nationally among active coaches, and trailing only former Wooden Legends honorees Lute Olson (23) and Roy Williams (19).

In his first 10 years at the helm of the Longhorns, the 54-year-old Barnes has guided Texas to a school-record 10 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances and a school-best nine straight 20-win seasons entering the 2008-09 campaign. Barnes became the all-time winningest coach in Texas history during the 2006-07 season. The Horns have registered a 247-93 (.726) mark in Barnes' 10 seasons, an average of nearly 25 victories per year. UT is one of just eight programs to have advanced to each of the last 10 NCAA Tournaments, joining Arizona, Duke, Gonzaga, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan State and Wisconsin.

In the last seven seasons, Barnes has moved the Texas program into one of the nation's elite. UT is one of only three programs to have advanced to at least the "Sweet 16" of the NCAA Tournament in five of the last seven seasons, joining Duke and Kansas. Included in this seven-year stretch was a trip to the 2003 Final Four, marking the third time in school history and first since 1947 (a span of 56 years) that UT had advanced to the Final Four. Texas advanced to the "Elite Eight" in 2006 and 2008 and the "Sweet 16" in 2002 and 2004.

Texas has produced 10 NBA picks under Barnes, including 2008 Wooden Award All-American D.J. Augustin, 2007 Wooden Award winner Kevin Durant and 2003 Wooden Award winner T.J. Ford. Texas is the only school in the nation with two Wooden Award winners in the last six years.

Wooden Award "Legends of Coaching" Honorees

Year____________ Coach, School

2009____________ Rick Barnes, Texas

2008____________ Pat Summitt, Tennessee

2007____________ Gene Keady, Purdue

2006____________ Jim Boeheim, Syracuse

2005____________ Jim Calhoun, Connecticut

2004____________ Mike Montgomery, Stanford

2003____________ Roy Williams, Kansas

2002____________ Denny Crum, Louisville

2001____________ Lute Olson, Arizona

2000____________ Mike Krzyzewski, Duke

1999____________ Dean Smith, North Carolina