Has anyone really looked at this man’s resume? Super impressive record and 4-5 NC’s. On paper, that’s THE guy IMO
Ben McCollum. Thoughts?
- Thread starter ThePunish-EER
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His numbers are crazy impressive. It 'appears' that he is no longer under consideration.
Impressive yes. Perhaps best Division 2 coach there is. Would that translate to Big 12 wins?
Out of all of the names people have thrown out, Mccollum and Jay Wright are the only ones I consider "moving on from Huggins". This other crap is ridiculous, especially Kennedy and Calhoun.
Don't know of his interest, but I don't think we had the interest most thought. I feel Wren probably loves him, but that's a huge jump from D2 to the Big 12.
Betting boards like him...
Very impressive. But I guess my question would be: Why has no other D-I team gone after him?
Because he has no DI experience of any kind as a coach or player. Most P5/6 basketball schools aren't willing to take that risk, and he's said no to some low- to mid-major jobs that he thought weren't any better than where he is. He also has recruited almost all of his players from a small regional area near Northwest Missouri State, so there are questions about his ability to recruit nationally and at a P5/6 level. But the fact that he's won big with those kinds of kids makes what he's done even more impressive.
Personally, from everything I've read about him I think he could do great things. He's supposed to be one of the top coaches of offense in the country, although he considers himself a defensive coach. (His offense, others say, is as difficult to prepare for and stop as Beilein's stuff was back in the day.) But most ADs aren't going to stick their neck out for a high-risk hire. I would want to at least interview him.
D2 is almost a different sport. There is no recruiting NIL circus, there are no serious demands from the alumni, and there is minimal management of the press. It’s pure Xs and Os and primarily recruiting from a regional talent pool of kids that are continuing to play in college because they like it without delusions of grandeur.
Texas Tech sortve went this route with Mark Adams who had mostly success at lower D2/Junior College levels as a head man and it blew up in their face 1 year after Beard’s players all left.
I would say risky is an understatement, the reason major conference programs rarely go this route is because the downside of the no name coach collapsing under the pressure of becoming an overnight celebrity to a college community far outweighs the upside of he will be a good coach because you never know.
Texas Tech sortve went this route with Mark Adams who had mostly success at lower D2/Junior College levels as a head man and it blew up in their face 1 year after Beard’s players all left.
I would say risky is an understatement, the reason major conference programs rarely go this route is because the downside of the no name coach collapsing under the pressure of becoming an overnight celebrity to a college community far outweighs the upside of he will be a good coach because you never know.