Rate the Coaches

[HoopDreams]

The Preseason poll has pretty much run it's course. So how about a little controversy. Rate the Big East Coaches, 1-10. Who would you like on your bench, and who gives you pause for a smile when you see the opposing coach on the other bench.

As Bum Phillips said. "He can take his'n and beat your'n and take your'n and beat his'n" Who is that coach in the Big East?

Here is my list and my reason:
1) Wright, 13 NCAA appearances and a .663 career winning percentage.
2) Cooley, .589 winning percentage with 3 NCAA's. I like his style, but this year will be his biggest test. Next year he likely won't be #2.
3) Mack, 6 NCAA's count a lot. .678 winning percentage is tops in the league.
4) Holtmann, 2 NCAA's and a .539 winner. This falls in the category of getting the most out of the talent he has. He took a bad situation with Miller and made out pretty well.
5) McDermott, 6 NCAA's (but without Doug McD how many?) and a .612 winning percentage. See how well he does this year.
6) JT III, 9 NCAA's and .655. I don't know, the numbers are good but his teams always seem to underachieve. Don't think he could be his'n with your'n.
7) Wojo 0 NCAA, .508 winner. Hasn't done much. Had a lottery pick last season but didn't parlay that into an NCAA.
8) Willard, 1 NCAA and .526. Hall fans were ready to run him out of town after 2015. Then Whitehead literally saved his job. See what this year brings.
9) Mullins, .333 winner and 0 NCAA. Didn't see much coaching last year - let his assistants handle TO's. TBD.
10) Leitao, .502 and 2 NCAA. Wasn't very good his first trip to Chitown and not seeing much of an upside this time.

OK, take your pot shots. I'm sure I have offended most of the posters. That is fine. This is my list. There has to be a #1 and there has to be a #10. No top range, middle range, bottom range cop outs.

Doug's Dad ahead of JTIII? It's not even a conversation until he can get to the round of 16. Even then its a stretch.

Depends on what the criteria is. If we are talking about this year who would you rather have coach your team, I'd say there is certainly room for debate.

I'd be interested in hearing why? McDermott is only 2 years removed from a 9th place finish (even DePaul finished ahead of them in the 2014-2015 season). JTIII has never finished worse than 8th. Even when he had Doug and arguably his best team at CU he couldn't get to the round of 16. JTIII has achieved way more to date than McDermott.

[TrueBlueJay]

I think the McD vs. JTIII is debatable because McD has not had the Big East name to be able to recruit the same type of players that G'Town has. We now have access to bring in the same caliber of player that Georgetown does. Prior to CU joining the BE, McD couldn't get many of these players to even visit the campus. Different story now. I also say it is debatable because because some might say McD has done well with a little, while JTIII has done not very well with a lot (at least since CU has been in the league). I'm not advocating one over the other, but the next 3-4 year will tell the story for sure. Stay tuned.

[cu blujs]

I think the jury is out on where McDermott fits. I think you throw out the IA State years, as he will readily admit he made some big mistakes in his time there. He was a giant slayer at UNI, beating several storied programs with a rag tag bunch of lunch-bucket type players. This will be the first season McDermott has had a roster made up primarily of players with BE caliber size and athleticism. He doesn't have the pedigree of most BE coaches. He started at DII Wayne State College in a little Northeast Nebraska town, moved on to North Dakota State one year and then UNI, where he got into the NCAA 3 of his 5 seasons (including 2 as an at large, which is no small feat from a mid-major conference). Creighton was a mid-major program dropped into the BE and it took a few years (as expected by most rational fans) to ramp up recruiting to the level needed to compete in the BE. Yet, even finishing 9th and 6th, he had those teams competitive with long time, more athletically gifted BE teams - even though finishing ninth, CU had the lead in the last minute in 8 of its 14 league losses that year. At CU, McDermott's teams have generally outplayed expectations. We will see this year what he can do with BE level athletes and depth.

Rated on accomplishments to date, I'd probably place him in the middle of the pack also. Hopefully, that changes after this season.

[SJHooper]

1) Wright (Consensus...obvious choice)
2) Mack (X has been playing at a very high level for a while)
3) Cooley (Took a struggling program and turned it into a dangerous team that now recruits well)
4) JTIII (Had previous success but really fell off recently or he would be #2...underachievement's definition has G'Town's logo next to it in the dictionary)
5) Holtmann (Has done a very nice job at Butler, getting them ranked, getting most from players)
6) Willard (Maybe it was just Whitehead and he will go back to being bad, but SH is suddenly relevant again)
7) McDermott (Successful with the best player in the country and guys who shot 50% from 3 but not so good when you don't hit lotto on recruits, opposite of Holtmann)
8) Wojo (Still a mystery, could have done more with a team with 2 studs Fischer and Ellenson)
9) Mullin (New to coaching, but players played with purpose, still beat Syracuse with worst team in history, very solid recruiting has to get some credit for that)
10) Leitao (DePaul is DePaul...this was such a DePaul hire...zero energy, zero hype, zero excitement, just...DePaul)

[aughnanure]

I think the jury is out on where McDermott fits. I think you throw out the IA State years, as he will readily admit he made some big mistakes in his time there. He was a giant slayer at UNI, beating several storied programs with a rag tag bunch of lunch-bucket type players. This will be the first season McDermott has had a roster made up primarily of players with BE caliber size and athleticism. He doesn't have the pedigree of most BE coaches. He started at DII Wayne State College in a little Northeast Nebraska town, moved on to North Dakota State one year and then UNI, where he got into the NCAA 3 of his 5 seasons (including 2 as an at large, which is no small feat from a mid-major conference). Creighton was a mid-major program dropped into the BE and it took a few years (as expected by most rational fans) to ramp up recruiting to the level needed to compete in the BE. Yet, even finishing 9th and 6th, he had those teams competitive with long time, more athletically gifted BE teams - even though finishing ninth, CU had the lead in the last minute in 8 of its 14 league losses that year. At CU, McDermott's teams have generally outplayed expectations. We will see this year what he can do with BE level athletes and depth.

Rated on accomplishments to date, I'd probably place him in the middle of the pack also. Hopefully, that changes after this season.

If McDermott gets a pass on Iowa St (which he shouldn't) then Wojo gets a MAJOR pass on year 1 with his Buzz-depleted roster of 8 schollie players. McDermott had been a head coach before and his run there should not be ignored or "thrown out." Hopefully he learned from it (I think he did), but let's not go too far to paint an already favorable image of McD even brighter.

[HoosierPal]

OK, I let this run for a while. Here are the results of this highly scientific poll, rating the Big East Coaches. Low score wins.

1) Wright - 11 points He can take his'n and beat your'n and then take your'n and beat his'n
2) Mack - 28
3) Cooley - 34
4) JT III - 53
5) McDermott - 61
6) Holtmann - 62
7) Willard - 75
8) Wojo - 84
9) Leitao - 97
10) Mullin - 104 Guess he can't beat your'n with his'n or his'n with your'n?

So the board has spoken. For those who criticized lists, but didn't supply your own, I call a three shot foul.

[SJHooper]

OK, I let this run for a while. Here are the results of this highly scientific poll, rating the Big East Coaches. Low score wins.

1) Wright - 11 points He can take his'n and beat your'n and then take your'n and beat his'n
2) Mack - 28
3) Cooler - 34
4) JT III - 53
5) McDermott - 61
6) Holtmann - 62
7) Willard - 75
8) Wojo - 84
9) Leitao - 97
10) Mullin - 104 Guess he can't beat your'n with his'n or his'n with your'n?

So the board has spoken. For those who criticized lists, but didn't supply your own, I call a three shot foul.

It really depends what the criteria is if you want an accurate list. Is it wins? Is it hype? Is it potential? Is it the past? Is it strictly present? Mullin has quietly helped to build a very very deep team complete with bangers down low (Sima, Clark, Brown, Ahmed), 3 PT threats (Mussini, Freudenberg, Ponds, LoVett, Amar, etc.), quick guards who can drive and shoot (Ponds, Simon, LoVett), and big guys who can rebound and block/alter shots (Sima, Yakwe, Brown) plus solid guys off the bench (Owens, Ellison, Amar, etc.). The talent is there. We have the horses now...the rest is up to this coaching staff. Forget in-game schemes and plays...the key question will be, can this staff get the most out of the players and help to forge chemistry among the team? After getting the recruits, they need to have their potential maximized. Recruiting has not been the issue for us...player development has. All the Lavin teams had terrific athletes, but lower skill. Most of the players still appeared quite raw even by their senior year save for a few exceptions. You look at the great programs like Villanova, Duke, etc. and everyone knows their role. Their players get better and better and become more refined. If our coaching staff can do even a decent job doing this, there's no reason SJ shouldn't be in the top 25 very soon. Also kind of random, but as much as I loved Greene and Harrison, they were not quick. They could not change direction on a dime or outrun players on some of the better teams. Enter Ponds and LoVett (especially). They are different types of guards. Not only can they shoot, but they can run and change direction breaking ankles and creating lanes for themselves. When I see the agility of LoVett I think of Jackson (think it was Pierre Jackson) the PG from Baylor several years ago. He was under 6 ft like LoVett, but he would just weave in and out of the big men on the other teams and use his smaller stature and lower center of gravity to his advantage. This is similar to the new slot WR craze. Instead of getting the 6'5 WR's to match up against 5'10 defensive backs, many teams are now getting 5'9/5'10 WR's who will burn you and change direction. The speed, agility, and ability to change direction absolutely kills when used properly. I'm so excited for this season and I try to have no expectations as I'm used to underachievement and failure, but something just feels different about this new regime.

[gtmoBlue]

Geezzzz...

Okay, take a DEEP breath - now Hold It, for a count of 10. Slowly let the air out completely!
Repeat x's 3. Feel better now?

[HoosierPal]

OK, I let this run for a while. Here are the results of this highly scientific poll, rating the Big East Coaches. Low score wins.

1) Wright - 11 points He can take his'n and beat your'n and then take your'n and beat his'n
2) Mack - 28
3) Cooler - 34
4) JT III - 53
5) McDermott - 61
6) Holtmann - 62
7) Willard - 75
8) Wojo - 84
9) Leitao - 97
10) Mullin - 104 Guess he can't beat your'n with his'n or his'n with your'n?

So the board has spoken. For those who criticized lists, but didn't supply your own, I call a three shot foul.

It really depends what the criteria is if you want an accurate list. Is it wins? Is it hype? Is it potential? Is it the past? Is it strictly present? Mullin has quietly helped to build a very very deep team complete with bangers down low (Sima, Clark, Brown, Ahmed), 3 PT threats (Mussini, Freudenberg, Ponds, LoVett, Amar, etc.), quick guards who can drive and shoot (Ponds, Simon, LoVett), and big guys who can rebound and block/alter shots (Sima, Yakwe, Brown) plus solid guys off the bench (Owens, Ellison, Amar, etc.). The talent is there. We have the horses now...the rest is up to this coaching staff. Forget in-game schemes and plays...the key question will be, can this staff get the most out of the players and help to forge chemistry among the team? After getting the recruits, they need to have their potential maximized. Recruiting has not been the issue for us...player development has. All the Lavin teams had terrific athletes, but lower skill. Most of the players still appeared quite raw even by their senior year save for a few exceptions. You look at the great programs like Villanova, Duke, etc. and everyone knows their role. Their players get better and better and become more refined. If our coaching staff can do even a decent job doing this, there's no reason SJ shouldn't be in the top 25 very soon. Also kind of random, but as much as I loved Greene and Harrison, they were not quick. They could not change direction on a dime or outrun players on some of the better teams. Enter Ponds and LoVett (especially). They are different types of guards. Not only can they shoot, but they can run and change direction breaking ankles and creating lanes for themselves. When I see the agility of LoVett I think of Jackson (think it was Pierre Jackson) the PG from Baylor several years ago. He was under 6 ft like LoVett, but he would just weave in and out of the big men on the other teams and use his smaller stature and lower center of gravity to his advantage. This is similar to the new slot WR craze. Instead of getting the 6'5 WR's to match up against 5'10 defensive backs, many teams are now getting 5'9/5'10 WR's who will burn you and change direction. The speed, agility, and ability to change direction absolutely kills when used properly. I'm so excited for this season and I try to have no expectations as I'm used to underachievement and failure, but something just feels different about this new regime.

It's a fricking pole on an internet message board. Whatever criteria the MBM's wanted to use, they used. You missed how well they dress and hair style as important criteria. The Board has spoken, and Mullin (no s) is last.

[stever20]

There's a difference in building a team and coaching said team. Some guys can get all the pieces in the world- but couldn't coach a pee wee team to a .500 season. Think Pastner at Memphis a prime example.