Coach of the Year

[Willcampbell]

Bennett over Calipari? What do y'all think? Any other candidates you can think of, maybe?
OFC

 

[CRAZIE4LIFE]

I think it depends on the outcome of the tournament possibly, maybe even Mark Few

 

[DiehardDukeFan4Life]

I don't think it will be Calipari because with the caliber of recruits that he brings in year after year he's expected to win. Kind of like with Coach K, there have been times when Duke had a great season and a lot of people thought Coach K would/should win coach of the year but because Coach K is expected to be successful year in and year out he's rarily in consideration for coach of the year. That's Just my opinion though.

This post was edited on 3/23 8:21 PM by DiehardDukeFan4Life

 

[Willcampbell]

Maybe you missed it...USBWA already named Bennett. I was looking for reactions.
OFC

This post was edited on 3/23 8:33 PM by Willcampbell

 

[CRAZIE4LIFE]

Been out of the sports loop today

 

[denniden]

I think Calipari deserved(s) the award. He has led his team to a remarkable season.

 

[CRAZIE4LIFE]

I don't like calipari and yes he has a ton of talent, but it still takes coaching to make all that talent mesh and buy into what he wants done without all the ego's taking over

 

[OldasdirtDevil]

Originally posted by denniden:
I think Calipari deserved(s) the award. He has led his team to a remarkable season.

I agree.

OFC

 

[DukeDenver]

I'd give ut to Izzo. The man has 4 good players and a crap bench and he's still playing.

 

[gottagonow]

I don't care for him either and feel he's a bit slimy but for what he had done this year Cal has my vote.

 

[Xzandernm]

Originally posted by Willcampbell:
Maybe you missed it...USBWA already named Bennett. I was looking for reactions.
OFC

This post was edited on 3/23 8:33 PM by Willcampbell

Easy reaction. Those guys don't know **** about Cbb, sports, or coaching.

Did you know Coach Cal, Rick Pitino, Jim Calhoun, Billy Donovan and Mike Krzzewskiywski have a combined zero USBWA Coach of the Year awards?

HOW do none of those guys ever win that award? I know I am a UK fan but if Duke,UNC,Ku,heck even UL were 34-0(36-0 now but the votes were probably done before this weekend) I wouldn't care what talent they had to get 18-20 year old kids to come and win every night while getting the other teams best shot is deserving of coach of the year. Maybe they should rename the award "We picked you to do bad but we suck and you did good award"

 

[dbav]

I may be saying this because I don't care for UK, but I don't think he deserves it. You look at that roster and there are at least 8 NBA players on it, maybe more. I think you give that kind of talent to a Bennett or a Marshall, or most other top tier coaches and they do the same or something similar.

I would like to see Bennett win the award. I think Marshall could be deserving. I also think Brey would be deserving. Hoiberg also had a good year despite laying an egg in the tournament. I think there are a lot of candidate and I think those candidates would have done even better with the talent UK has.

 

[denniden]

Originally posted by Xzandernm:

Originally posted by Willcampbell:
Maybe you missed it...USBWA already named Bennett. I was looking for reactions.
OFC

This post was edited on 3/23 8:33 PM by Willcampbell

Did you know Coach Cal, Rick Pitino, Jim Calhoun, Billy Donovan and Mike Krzzewskiywski have a combined zero USBWA Coach of the Year awards?

HOW do none of those guys ever win that award?

The reason they never win it is because they are expected to win at a high rate. When they win like they do, it is because they are suppose too. When they lose however, they are the first coaches to be criticized. I hate the way these votes go down. Guys like K, Calipari, Roy, Pitino, ect are in a no win situation for thee awards. They go to the lesser known guys who don't have as lofty expectations.

IMO winning when you are suppose to (with all the pressure on you) is a better accomplishment than winning a couple more games than it looked like you might. Virginia, as good as they were this year, really had no pressure outside of Charlottesville to win. If you put Bennett and UVA and switched towns they played in to Durham or Lexington, the coach doesn't sniff that award this year.

 

[Jhmoss1812]

First of all, the USBWA is a regular season coaching award so tournament success doesn't factor in. With that said, it should go to Calipari. I don't care how much talent you have or what kind of expectations you have, going undefeated in a major conference warrants COY. I hope he gets AP COY. I'm happy for Bennett and I think he's deserving. I just don't think was more deserving than Calipari.

 

[BlueDevil72]

Bennet doing more with less. Would have gotten it last year if not for Marshall (I think). Calipari manages a lot of talent/ego well, and that is not easy. But lets not kid ourselves, it is not his coaching that is impressive. If they gave a recruiter of the year award he would get it almost every year. Coach of the year should go to someone who achieves at a high level where it may not be as expected. Bennet had a much tougher schedule and lost his leading scorer from last year. They were arguable the best team in the ACC until Anderson went down, even though we beat them. I think this was well deserved.

 

[HuffyJB]

In general, I'm not crazy about awards and things that are completely dictated by the media. Can't some actual basketball people be involved in the selection (former coaches, players, etc.)? It is, in essence, like baseball writers deciding who gets into the Hall of Fame. It shouldn't be dictated by pencil pushers, but instead by people who were actually involved in the game in some capacity.

Bobby Knight: "All of us learn to write in the second grade. Most of us go on to greater things."

 

[Ioliva]

Originally posted by denniden:
I think Calipari deserved(s) the award. He has led his team to a remarkable season.

I agree however the argument for Bennett is also very good. As impressive as UK has been over the season look at what they have. Every player besides WCS is a high 5 star guy. Every player on that roster was a top 5 player at his position with most being in the top 2-3. He's got the most talented team of all time ever if you really think about it. He's got 10 5 star players while bennett has had an amazing season with 3-4 star guys. Cal deserves it but so does Bennett

 

[crazyduke3]

lol some of you guys are just going to continue to pretend that Recruiting isn't a part of being a head coach?

He has brought in the very best talent, has assembled a defensive terror to be reckoned with, he has them undefeated.... and no he doesn't do that much as a coach cuz he's got NBA talent.

 

[denniden]

Originally posted by ioliva:

Originally posted by denniden:
I think Calipari deserved(s) the award. He has led his team to a remarkable season.

I agree however the argument for Bennett is also very good. As impressive as UK has been over the season look at what they have. Every player besides WCS is a high 5 star guy. Every player on that roster was a top 5 player at his position with most being in the top 2-3. He's got the most talented team of all time ever if you really think about it. He's got 10 5 star players while bennett has had an amazing season with 3-4 star guys. Cal deserves it but so does Bennett

I see no argument for Bennett nationally. You have a coach in a power conference (who plays a solid OCC schedule) that went undefeated in the regular season. That is RARE. Can you name the last time that was done?

I could care less how much talent there is there. Last year Duke had 2 lottery picks in the starting line up and lost to a 14 seed in the first round of the big dance. Managing egos and getting guys to buy into a platoon system of sorts is hard to do. Not only did Calipari do that, he hasn't lost a game yet doing so.

Winning when you are suppose to is hard to do. Especially every single game on the schedule.

Any argument for another coach not named Calipari at this point is a bad one IMO.

 

[dbav]

Originally posted by denniden:

Originally posted by ioliva:

Originally posted by denniden:
I think Calipari deserved(s) the award. He has led his team to a remarkable season.

I agree however the argument for Bennett is also very good. As impressive as UK has been over the season look at what they have. Every player besides WCS is a high 5 star guy. Every player on that roster was a top 5 player at his position with most being in the top 2-3. He's got the most talented team of all time ever if you really think about it. He's got 10 5 star players while bennett has had an amazing season with 3-4 star guys. Cal deserves it but so does Bennett

I see no argument for Bennett nationally. You have a coach in a power conference (who plays a solid OCC schedule) that went undefeated in the regular season. That is RARE. Can you name the last time that was done?

I could care less how much talent there is there. Last year Duke had 2 lottery picks in the starting line up and lost to a 14 seed in the first round of the big dance. Managing egos and getting guys to buy into a platoon system of sorts is hard to do. Not only did Calipari do that, he hasn't lost a game yet doing so.

Winning when you are suppose to is hard to do. Especially every single game on the schedule.

Any argument for another coach not named Calipari at this point is a bad one IMO.

While I do not agree with the first sentence, I do find the rest of your argument to be more than reasonable and it may end up swaying my thinking on this matter.

 

[denniden]

dbav,

I am sure an argument can be made, but not all arguments are good ones. : )

Bennett did a great job, no doubt. I am not trying to take anything away from him. Calipari just did a better job.

 

[dukedevilz]

Originally posted by denniden:

I see no argument for Bennett nationally. You have a coach in a power conference (who plays a solid OCC schedule) that went undefeated in the regular season. That is RARE. Can you name the last time that was done?



I'm guessing it was Indiana in 1976. Stanford could have done it in 2004, but they lost the very last regular season game to Washington.... only ones I remember since the expansion of 64 teams were Wichita State (2014), St.Joseph's (2004, albeit a loss in conf. tourney), and UNLV (1991). Obviously none of those schools were a part of a power conference, so a heck of an accomplishment for Kentucky.

 

[dbav]

Originally posted by denniden:
dbav,

I am sure an argument can be made, but not all arguments are good ones. : )

Bennett did a great job, no doubt. I am not trying to take anything away from him. Calipari just did a better job.

I get what you're saying. After my original post in this thread I started to think about the ego aspect of it and I think that was a good point. It's funny though, I've always tried to distinguish between a manager and a coach. I just feel like Bennett coaches his kids better while Cal is much more of a manager. Obviously, both of those viewpoints have their merits.

Either way, it's a tough choice for me, haha.

 

[JCColsCane]

I really don't have a problem with Tony Bennett winning the Coach of the Year this year. He is a great guy and does an exceptional job with his teams. Had they of not lost Anderson, this discussion might not be taking place.
His team defense principles and togetherness are to me what it's all about. They will always be competitive, as long as he is there.
Go Duke!!


JC-OFC

 

[jnastasi]

For as much as I hate to admit it, it's hard to argue against Cal after he runs the table. Even as Duke fans you have to give it up for the guy. Hell of a job managing that many egos, mananging their time, and getting them to gel the way they have. If they lose though, I give it Bennett.

 

[skysdad]

If Calipari were coaching UVA this year what kind of record would they have? If Bennett were coaching UK this year what kind of record would they have. I know this is an objective question and we will never know but with the talent both teams have and considering their schedules I think it's Bennett. OFC

 

[zoid1]

how could you not give it too the coach who has a 0 beside the L column going into the 2nd weekend of the NCAA T? its not like he did this playing a bunch of cupcakes in the OOC and playing in the sun belt.

 

[HeLooks2MuchLikeDave]

Originally posted by skysdad:
If Calipari were coaching UVA this year what kind of record would they have? If Bennett were coaching UK this year what kind of record would they have. I know this is an objective question and we will never know but with the talent both teams have and considering their schedules I think it's Bennett. OFC

If Cal was coaching UVA, there is a chance he could still be playing in the tournament, there is a chance he could have made it farther in the ACCT, and there is a chance he could have lost less than 2 games in the regular season. Certainly. But if Bennett was coaching UK, there is no possible way he could have done better than Cal did at 36-0, except I guess, win by more points.

Regardless of what you think about the SEC (I think its crap), you have to give the award to Calipari. He didn't lose! (yet)

 

[dukiejay]

Yeah, I think Calipari should have got it and IMO it isn't even close.

That's not a knock on Bennett or any other coach for that matter. We're talking about a guy who led his team to a perfect regular season. And while the SEC isn't a great basketball conference it is respectable. Plus, UK did play a pretty good out-of-conference slate. In addition, those UK kids completely bought in. Their top nine players would all be playing more minutes at any other school in the country. Managing egos and recruiting are very much a part of being the head coach.

I can guarantee you that if Duke had went 31-0 this season our board would be up in arms if K wasn't named coach of the year....and rightly so.

 

[Showenuff]

Coach of the year, Player of the Year, Rookie of the year, I could care less. Get our *** in the Final Four ! That's what I'm looking for baby.

 

[Showenuff]

We knock down #5 this year, we have Coach of the Millennium.

 

[GAAP_rivals]

Originally posted by dukedevilz:

Originally posted by denniden:

I see no argument for Bennett nationally. You have a coach in a power conference (who plays a solid OCC schedule) that went undefeated in the regular season. That is RARE. Can you name the last time that was done?



I'm guessing it was Indiana in 1976.

Johnny Orr won it in 1976, not Knight. So there is precedent for Cal not getting it this year.

 

[UK CAT in FL]

Originally posted by GAAP:

Originally posted by dukedevilz:

Originally posted by denniden:

I see no argument for Bennett nationally. You have a coach in a power conference (who plays a solid OCC schedule) that went undefeated in the regular season. That is RARE. Can you name the last time that was done?


I'm guessing it was Indiana in 1976.

Johnny Orr won it in 1976, not Knight. So there is precedent for Cal not getting it this year.

Orr was the losing coach in '76.
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1975-76_Indiana_Hoosiers_men%27s_basketball_team