Would UCLA under Alford be as good as UCLA under Cronin

[Kat burglar]

All of the top players on UCLA were recruited by Alford. He got fired in the middle of the 18-19 season. He had a monster recruiting class in 2018 but was fired before they developed. So was this year's team, recruited by Alford but coached by Cronin a result of mostly recruiting or coaching? Obviously both but I wonder is it 75-25 recruiting, coaching or 50-50?

As it relates to NU is success more recruiting or coaching?

 

[GatoLouco]

Answer is no. At least 70% of college coaching success is recruiting. But... It’s an eggs and omelette thing. Can’t make an omelette without eggs. But if you’re a bad cook you’ll mess up something not so complicated as an omelette

 

[TheC]

I’d say that UCLA team played with a toughness I was used to seeing from Cronin’s Cincinnati teams. I think he got something extra out of them.

 

[techtim72]

You could see a strategy to Cronin's coaching that would vary at times. Sometimes he would isolate one or two players to play one on one. At other times the focus was on Riley and post play. For awhile their point guard would be left to create. I don't know enough about basketball strategy to explain this clearly but it was like he had five different instruments with five different sounds and he focused on each at different times. Quite impressive. Of course he had five players who had a lot of skill sets.

 

[pawildcat_rivals209725]

No. Alford's teams tended to underachieve. That was the scrappiest UCLA team I've see in a long time. Reminded me of Wooden's first championship team before Kareem and Walton came along.

 

[catcrazy]

We need a coach like Cronin. His teams are scrappy. He has good talent on his team but this is how we can compete in the big ten. Scrappy team with some scorers

 

[TheC]

We need a coach like Cronin. His teams are scrappy. He has good talent on his team but this is how we can compete in the big ten. Scrappy team with some scorers

I really thought that was Collins when he first arrived here. His first teams were scrappy and it was exciting to watch. Either I was wrong, or Collins has changed, or that act wears off after a while or he has recruited entirely wrong for the style of play/personality he wants to have.

 

[Kelly_32_rivals]

I think that Alford is a really good coach. The Indiana job has always been the best job for him but the Knight haters were determined to keep him out of there. IU should’ve hired Alford when they fired Mike Davis.

 

[julescat]

I think that Alford is a really good coach. The Indiana job has always been the best job for him but the Knight haters were determined to keep him out of there. IU should’ve hired Alford when they fired Mike Davis.

Alford at Iowa makes him unhireable for any school that has even a tiny bit of integrity. A good example of a very poor human being.

 

[EvanstonCat]

Who recruited Johnny Juzang? That kid is gonna be a lottery pick.

 

[lou v]

Who recruited Johnny Juzang? That kid is gonna be a lottery pick.

John Calipari. (He transferred to UCLA.)

 

[Kelly_32_rivals]

Alford at Iowa makes him unhireable for any school that has even a tiny bit of integrity. A good example of a very poor human being.

I totally disagree. Did he handle the Pierce Pierce situation poorly? Yes, he did. That doesn’t make him a bad person.