It is time for the best time of the year in my opinion, college basketball conference play. I really enjoy the regular season because you are really help to see who is well-coached, who is over/underachieving, and there are always plenty of surprises along the way.
There are three keys to winning the regular season conference championship. First you have to avoid injuries. Typically by the start of conference play, coaches have trimmed their rotation down to 8 or 9 guys. So an injury to anyone, especially a starter or leader among the team can really hurt the team. The second key to winning a conference championship is to get pleasant surprise from one of your players that you had not counted on being a major contributor. The third and final key to winning is protecting your home court. It is so tough to win on the road, especially in conferences such as the Big Ten and the Big East that anytime you are at home, you have to help yourself out and get wins. If you can win all of your conference games at home and then go at least .500 on the road, you should be in contention for a championship.
So overall, I picked 10 conference winners and if I get 5 or 6 correct, I will be impressed. Here are my predictions for the regular season champions:
A10
Xavier
(Should be able to grind out a 13-3 conference record as their talent and coaching is far superior to anyone else in the conference. Dayton and Temple will compete as well)
ACC
North Carolina
(This has to be the easiest pick of the year. North Carolina's talent is head and shoulders above anyone else's in the conference)
Big 12
Oklahoma
(This is a tough call between Texas and Oklahoma, both very good teams that are well-coached and have a star player...AJ Abrams and Blake Griffin. However, I give the edge to OU because of Griffin, the best player in the conference and possible number 1 pick in the NBA draft next year)
Big East
Pittsburgh
(This is the toughest conference to pick a winner from. There are easily 6-8 teams that could win the conference. I am taking Pitt because of their defensive toughness and rebounding ability. Plus they have two very good seniors in Levance Fields and Sam Young and to be able to compete in this conference you are going to need leadership and experience and Pitt has that)
Big Ten
Michigan State
(This is a tough call between Purdue and Michigan State but I give the edge to State because of their talent and Tom Izzo. Did anyone realize that MSU has not won a Big Ten regular season title since the 2000-2001 season? It is time for them to reclaim their rightful spot on top of the Big Ten)
MAC
Buffalo
(Several very capable teams of winning the MAC this year; Akron, Kent State, Buffalo, Miami. I am going to go with Buffalo as my winner. They have played a very solid non-conference schedule, beating Temple, Pepperdine, and Colorado so far, and should be battle tested and ready to roll going into conference play)
Missouri Valley
Creighton
(Illinois State is the trendy pick and rightfully so as they are currently 12-0. But I think that Dana Altman is a tremendous coach and will always have his guys ready to go. The final game of the regular season schedule is Illinois State at Creighton...could be a possible conference championship game)
Mountain West
BYU
(A really solid conference from top to bottom. UNLV should push BYU for the regular season conference championship; but I think in the end BYU wins out because they have the best player in the conference, Lee Cummard, and the best home court advantage, currently riding a 54 game home winning streak)
Pac 10
UCLA
(A very down year for the conference as compared to recent years. UCLA's talent is far superior to anyone else in the conference; add in the fact that Ben Howland is a terrific coach and I just don't see how anyone else can knock off the Bruins who are competing for their 4th consecutive Pac 10 Championship)
SEC
Tennessee
(Tennessee kind of wins by default. A very average year for the SEC as no one really stands out above the rest. Tennessee has some decent talent and should be able to prevail over the course of the season. Keep an eye on Florida and Arkansas as well)
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
College Basketball Coaches on the Hot Seat
Here is a list of coaches to keep an eye on this season. Some may be obvoiusly on the hot seat, others may just be starting to feel their seat getting warm.
A10
Bobby Lutz-Charlotte
Dereck Whittenburg-Fordham
ACC
Leonard Hamilton-Florida State
Gary Williams-Maryland
Sidney Lowe-North Carolina State
Big 12
Frank Martin-Kansas State
Pat Knight-Texas Tech
(Both of these guys are secure for the next year or two but I feel like they both are on short leashes)
Big East
Jerry Wainwright-DePaul
Bobby Gonzalez-Seton Hall
Big Ten
Bill Carmody-Northwestern
Ed DeChellis-Penn State
Pac 10
Arizona
Ernie Kent-Oregon
Lorenzo Romar-Washington
SEC
Mark Gottfried-Alabama
Dennis Felton-Georgia
Jeff Lebo-Auburn (In 10 years as a head coach has only made the post-season once, and that was only the NIT. How in the world does this guy have a job?!?!)
A10
Bobby Lutz-Charlotte
Dereck Whittenburg-Fordham
ACC
Leonard Hamilton-Florida State
Gary Williams-Maryland
Sidney Lowe-North Carolina State
Big 12
Frank Martin-Kansas State
Pat Knight-Texas Tech
(Both of these guys are secure for the next year or two but I feel like they both are on short leashes)
Big East
Jerry Wainwright-DePaul
Bobby Gonzalez-Seton Hall
Big Ten
Bill Carmody-Northwestern
Ed DeChellis-Penn State
Pac 10
Arizona
Ernie Kent-Oregon
Lorenzo Romar-Washington
SEC
Mark Gottfried-Alabama
Dennis Felton-Georgia
Jeff Lebo-Auburn (In 10 years as a head coach has only made the post-season once, and that was only the NIT. How in the world does this guy have a job?!?!)
Kirk Ferentz
Can someone please explain to me what the fascination with Kirk Ferentz as a football coach is? I just don't get it. The man is 69-53 and 43-37 in Big Ten play in 10 years at Iowa University. Anybody for mediocrity?
For Iowa that record is most likely acceptable and is nothing to scoff at, expect for one thing; Ferentz made 2.8 million dollars in 2006 and 3.0 million dollars in 2007.
The seven highest paid coaches in the NCAA in 2006 where Bob Stoops, Kirk Ferentz, Pete Carroll, Mack Brown, Tommy Tuberville, Phillip Fulmer, and Jim Tressel. Five of those seven coaches have a national championship on their resume and Tubberville, who has not won a national championship, had a perfect 13-0 season. Guess who does not have a national championship to their name, that's right, Ferentz. In fact, in 2006 when he was the second highest paid coach in the country, his Iowa team finished 6-7, tied for 8th in the Big Ten conference with a 2-6 conference record, and lost to Texas in the Alamo Bowl.
So you say, hey maybe 2006 was a down year and we should not be so hard on him. Well 2007 was just as bad. Ferentz was again in the top seven in highest paid coaches in the country making 3.0 million dollars a year. The top seven are as follows: Bob Stoops, Nick Saban, Urban Meyer, Kirk Ferentz, Pete Carroll, Mack Brown, Tommy Tuberville, and Jim Tressel. Ferentz lead his team to a 6-6 finish and 4-4 in the Big Ten and the team did not even get invited to a bowl game. Does that sound like someone that should be the 4th highest paid coach in the country?
Besides being grossly overpaid as a slightly above average coach, Ferentz also hasNFL teams showing an interest in him as well. After the 2006 season, the Pittsburgh Steelers contacted Ferentz about their head coaching vacancy. How in the world did his name even get brought up for that job? The Steelers had just won the Super Bowl and Bill Cowher, one of the best and most consistent coaches over the past 15 years was retiring. Really, you thought hey Kirk Ferentz just finished 6-7 and tied for 8th in the Big Ten, we should interview him. Now he is being mentioned as a possible candidate for the Cleveland Browns job, unbelievable!
Ferentz must be one helluva salesman to earn that kind of money and garner that type of attention from NFL teams when it is clear that he is a slightly above average coach with an average resume.
For Iowa that record is most likely acceptable and is nothing to scoff at, expect for one thing; Ferentz made 2.8 million dollars in 2006 and 3.0 million dollars in 2007.
The seven highest paid coaches in the NCAA in 2006 where Bob Stoops, Kirk Ferentz, Pete Carroll, Mack Brown, Tommy Tuberville, Phillip Fulmer, and Jim Tressel. Five of those seven coaches have a national championship on their resume and Tubberville, who has not won a national championship, had a perfect 13-0 season. Guess who does not have a national championship to their name, that's right, Ferentz. In fact, in 2006 when he was the second highest paid coach in the country, his Iowa team finished 6-7, tied for 8th in the Big Ten conference with a 2-6 conference record, and lost to Texas in the Alamo Bowl.
So you say, hey maybe 2006 was a down year and we should not be so hard on him. Well 2007 was just as bad. Ferentz was again in the top seven in highest paid coaches in the country making 3.0 million dollars a year. The top seven are as follows: Bob Stoops, Nick Saban, Urban Meyer, Kirk Ferentz, Pete Carroll, Mack Brown, Tommy Tuberville, and Jim Tressel. Ferentz lead his team to a 6-6 finish and 4-4 in the Big Ten and the team did not even get invited to a bowl game. Does that sound like someone that should be the 4th highest paid coach in the country?
Besides being grossly overpaid as a slightly above average coach, Ferentz also hasNFL teams showing an interest in him as well. After the 2006 season, the Pittsburgh Steelers contacted Ferentz about their head coaching vacancy. How in the world did his name even get brought up for that job? The Steelers had just won the Super Bowl and Bill Cowher, one of the best and most consistent coaches over the past 15 years was retiring. Really, you thought hey Kirk Ferentz just finished 6-7 and tied for 8th in the Big Ten, we should interview him. Now he is being mentioned as a possible candidate for the Cleveland Browns job, unbelievable!
Ferentz must be one helluva salesman to earn that kind of money and garner that type of attention from NFL teams when it is clear that he is a slightly above average coach with an average resume.
Friday, October 17, 2008
What does it take to be a successful college coach?
I think that there are 4 different skills, abilities, and traits that every college coach must possess to be successful. It takes a unique individual to run a college program and manage all of the things that come with it. A coach is no longer expected to just teach X’s and O’s; he is now expected to be a promoter of the program, a fundraiser for the university, and someone who wins games and championships all while graduating his players and making sure that they stay out of trouble off the court. The main goal for any coach is to win championships; they all go about it in a different way and all possess a diverse skill set that makes them successful.
In my mind, the number one way for a coach to be successful is to surround himself with good people. The better that the assistant coaches, administrators, and Athletic Director are, the better the head coach is going to be. The best example of someone who clearly abides by this philosophy is Rick Pitino. Pitino is currently the extremely accomplished coach of the Louisville Cardinals and has also coached the Boston Terriers, the Providence Friars, the New York Knicks, the Kentucky Wildcats, and the Boston Celtics. Pitino’s career numbers are staggering; over 500 career victories, 5 Final Four appearance at 3 different schools, 9 conference championships, and a national title. Pitino has been able to surround himself with very good assistants throughout the years that have lead to his great success. The list of coaches that have worked for Pitino and gone on to be head coaches is very impressive to say the least, some of which include Billy Donovan (Florida), Ralph Willard (Holy Cross), Tubby Smith (Minnesota), Herb Sendek (Arizona State), Jim O'Brien (Indiana Pacers), Reggie Theus (Sacramento Kings). Pitino has not only been able to get the most out of his players throughout his career, he has often been good at surrounding himself with the right people who have gone onto have successful careers of their own.
The second skill that a coach must possess to be successful is the ability to adjust. In the hyper-competitive world of college basketball, things are constantly changing and shifting. Whether it is with recruiting rules or changes to the game such as the 3-point line a coach must always be prepared. Mike Krzyzewski is a coach who embraces change and thrives on being able to adjust his program to it. Coach K has been in coaching for the past 30 years and has been successful almost all of them. The reason for this I believe is because of his ability to be flexible. Krzyzewski constantly says that he will recruit the best kids and best athletes for his university. He will then build his system to tailor towards his players strengths. This is something that he does a little bit differently from other college coaches. Most coaches will try and recruit players that fit into their system instead of trying to fit the system to their players. Krzyzewski has been able to stay on top of the college athletics world for so long because of his unique ability to adjust and transform.
The third skill or ability that a coach must have to be successful is the ability to motivate. On the surface this seems like a fairly obvious and simple thing to do. However, it takes a special understanding of what makes each player tick, how they operate, and the best way to motivate and inspire them. Thad Matta is someone who is a master motivator and his accomplishments speak for themselves. Over 200 wins in 8 years, 5 conference championships, an elite eight appearance, and a national championship runner-up. Matta has used several unique tricks to motivate his players; such as showing movie clips of Gladiator before games, turning a two game road trip against inferior conference opponents into a “2 game tournament”, and before rivalry games handing out items such as headbands that represent the other team and how to beat them. I truly believe that the reason Matta is so successful in coaching and in recruiting is because of his ability to relate with kids and gain an understanding of how to motivate that player.
The final thing that coaches need to be able to do to become a successful coach is be able to create a family environment within your team and within the program. Players want to know that if they play hard for you and do as they are told that they will have someone whom they have trust in and can always count on. A prime example of this is Bobby Knight. You constantly hear former players talking about the tremendous relationship that they have with Coach Knight after they graduated and how he is almost like a father figure to them. Knight has over 900 career coaching wins and nearly that many former players who would do anything for their former coach. Another example of a coach being able to create a family environment is Dean Smith. Players, coaches, managers, trainers, and administrators still talk about the North Carolina family and how special it is. Everyone associated with the program still looks up to Coach Smith because of what he has created and how he went about doing it. The bottom line is that if you are able to get your players to trust in you and believe in what you are doing and how you are doing it, than success will surely follow.
Every coach takes a different approach to the game and has a different idea of what makes a successful team and program. There is no one best way to run a program but many of the successful programs share several qualities. To be successful I believe that you have to be able to surround yourself with great people, you have to be able and willing to adjust and change with the times, you have to have the ability to relate to and motivate your players, and you have to be able to create a family environment within your program.
In my mind, the number one way for a coach to be successful is to surround himself with good people. The better that the assistant coaches, administrators, and Athletic Director are, the better the head coach is going to be. The best example of someone who clearly abides by this philosophy is Rick Pitino. Pitino is currently the extremely accomplished coach of the Louisville Cardinals and has also coached the Boston Terriers, the Providence Friars, the New York Knicks, the Kentucky Wildcats, and the Boston Celtics. Pitino’s career numbers are staggering; over 500 career victories, 5 Final Four appearance at 3 different schools, 9 conference championships, and a national title. Pitino has been able to surround himself with very good assistants throughout the years that have lead to his great success. The list of coaches that have worked for Pitino and gone on to be head coaches is very impressive to say the least, some of which include Billy Donovan (Florida), Ralph Willard (Holy Cross), Tubby Smith (Minnesota), Herb Sendek (Arizona State), Jim O'Brien (Indiana Pacers), Reggie Theus (Sacramento Kings). Pitino has not only been able to get the most out of his players throughout his career, he has often been good at surrounding himself with the right people who have gone onto have successful careers of their own.
The second skill that a coach must possess to be successful is the ability to adjust. In the hyper-competitive world of college basketball, things are constantly changing and shifting. Whether it is with recruiting rules or changes to the game such as the 3-point line a coach must always be prepared. Mike Krzyzewski is a coach who embraces change and thrives on being able to adjust his program to it. Coach K has been in coaching for the past 30 years and has been successful almost all of them. The reason for this I believe is because of his ability to be flexible. Krzyzewski constantly says that he will recruit the best kids and best athletes for his university. He will then build his system to tailor towards his players strengths. This is something that he does a little bit differently from other college coaches. Most coaches will try and recruit players that fit into their system instead of trying to fit the system to their players. Krzyzewski has been able to stay on top of the college athletics world for so long because of his unique ability to adjust and transform.
The third skill or ability that a coach must have to be successful is the ability to motivate. On the surface this seems like a fairly obvious and simple thing to do. However, it takes a special understanding of what makes each player tick, how they operate, and the best way to motivate and inspire them. Thad Matta is someone who is a master motivator and his accomplishments speak for themselves. Over 200 wins in 8 years, 5 conference championships, an elite eight appearance, and a national championship runner-up. Matta has used several unique tricks to motivate his players; such as showing movie clips of Gladiator before games, turning a two game road trip against inferior conference opponents into a “2 game tournament”, and before rivalry games handing out items such as headbands that represent the other team and how to beat them. I truly believe that the reason Matta is so successful in coaching and in recruiting is because of his ability to relate with kids and gain an understanding of how to motivate that player.
The final thing that coaches need to be able to do to become a successful coach is be able to create a family environment within your team and within the program. Players want to know that if they play hard for you and do as they are told that they will have someone whom they have trust in and can always count on. A prime example of this is Bobby Knight. You constantly hear former players talking about the tremendous relationship that they have with Coach Knight after they graduated and how he is almost like a father figure to them. Knight has over 900 career coaching wins and nearly that many former players who would do anything for their former coach. Another example of a coach being able to create a family environment is Dean Smith. Players, coaches, managers, trainers, and administrators still talk about the North Carolina family and how special it is. Everyone associated with the program still looks up to Coach Smith because of what he has created and how he went about doing it. The bottom line is that if you are able to get your players to trust in you and believe in what you are doing and how you are doing it, than success will surely follow.Every coach takes a different approach to the game and has a different idea of what makes a successful team and program. There is no one best way to run a program but many of the successful programs share several qualities. To be successful I believe that you have to be able to surround yourself with great people, you have to be able and willing to adjust and change with the times, you have to have the ability to relate to and motivate your players, and you have to be able to create a family environment within your program.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Media Relations and Tom Izzo
Izzo is one of the best at dealing with the media and when he holds events like this, it is easy to see why he is so successful.
Why is this coach screaming?
Because he knows that he has BJ Raymond in the game and that he is probably going to get beat on defense.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Welcome
Welcome to The Coaching Carousel. A blog that will comment on all sports and related topics but will specialize in analysis of college athletics and college coaching changes.
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