Who are the top 5 college coaches?

dlb · 04-01-2007, 09:27 PM

I'm thinking here of "at the present time, looking out at the next five years." In order I'd put them like this:

1. Billy Donovan, FL: the first coach in 14 years to have the defending National Champs in the final game.

2. Hank Bowden, UCLA (I think that's his name): two straight Final Four appearances.

3. Roy Williams, NC: Only two years removed from a National Championship, taking a young team to the Elite Eight and loaded for next year, even if his starting five all jump to the NBA.

4. John Thompson III, Georgetown: Rising with a bullet, a cerebral coach who gets the most from his players - and gets very talented players.

5. Thad Motta, OSU: turned around a decimated program at a football school, and looking to come back for more.

aCutb · 04-01-2007, 09:49 PM

It's Ben Howland, not Hank Bowden.

Some coaches that could be up there are Coach K, Mark Fyre, Billy Gillespe, Rick Barnes, and Tom Izzo.

dlb · 04-02-2007, 06:25 AM

Thanks for the correction; I was pretty sure I had it wrong, but figured what the heck, he's just a basketball coach.

As for your other nominees, Krzyzewski would have been an entrant 5 years ago; today, he's a has-been. Izzo is a very good coach, but he's struggling to remain relevant. Mark Frye's accomplishments at Gonzaga don't match what JTIII has done at Georgetown - a similarly sized school - in less time. Rich Barnes belongs in the top 10, but doesn't have the resume for top 5 status, and I can't remember who Billy Gillespie is.

bedir than average · 04-03-2007, 07:57 PM

A lot of people also tend to forget that Mark Few wasn't even the founder of the 'Zags mini-dynasty. Monson was. Few continued a legacy of good.

JT III will need a few more years to be considered great. Right now he has just regained Georgetown's legacy, not created his own.

Calipari might belong in the top five, due to both recent performance and history.

JoseA · 04-06-2007, 08:33 PM

1. Roy Williams
2. Billy Donovan
3. Thad Motta
4. Rick Caliparri
5. Bruce Pearl

Zen653 · 04-28-2007, 03:14 PM

I think Thad Motta is among the worst college basketball coaches. He had one of the best big men of the last 10 years, and yet he emphasized outside shooting over the inside game where he had a decisive advantage. Instead of drawing up plays for Oden in the paint, he had his guards fire away from behind the arc. That's a very poor use of roster talent. Plus Motta got lucky in the game against Xavier, where the Xavier coach suffered from temporary insanity in failing to foul with a 3 point lead and a few seconds left in regulation. Motta almost lost to a mediocre Tennessee team as well.

twentyseven · 07-05-2007, 10:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bedir than average

A lot of people also tend to forget that Mark Few wasn't even the founder of the 'Zags mini-dynasty. Monson was. Few continued a legacy of good.

JT III will need a few more years to be considered great. Right now he has just regained Georgetown's legacy, not created his own.

Calipari might belong in the top five, due to both recent performance and history.

I think JT III is an OK coach but his strength has been his ability to cash in on Georgetown's history and bring in some very solid recruits. Also it doesn't hurt to have papa JT still hoovering over the program.

Calipari gets a bad rap because he is viewed as a dirty recruiter, atleast thats the reputation he made for himself while at UMass.

twentyseven · 07-05-2007, 10:57 PM

sorry

04-01-2007, 09:27 PM	#1 (permalink)
dlb Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 4,397	Who are the top 5 college coaches? I'm thinking here of "at the present time, looking out at the next five years." In order I'd put them like this: 1. Billy Donovan, FL: the first coach in 14 years to have the defending National Champs in the final game. 2. Hank Bowden, UCLA (I think that's his name): two straight Final Four appearances. 3. Roy Williams, NC: Only two years removed from a National Championship, taking a young team to the Elite Eight and loaded for next year, even if his starting five all jump to the NBA. 4. John Thompson III, Georgetown: Rising with a bullet, a cerebral coach who gets the most from his players - and gets very talented players. 5. Thad Motta, OSU: turned around a decimated program at a football school, and looking to come back for more.

04-03-2007, 07:57 PM	#4 (permalink)
bedir than average Administrator Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Starbucks Posts: 8,256	A lot of people also tend to forget that Mark Few wasn't even the founder of the 'Zags mini-dynasty. Monson was. Few continued a legacy of good. JT III will need a few more years to be considered great. Right now he has just regained Georgetown's legacy, not created his own. Calipari might belong in the top five, due to both recent performance and history. __________________ US Men's National Team World Cup Qualifying \| Democracy in Sports Meets My First Campaign "You're only so sure you're right because they're so sure you're wrong." Orson Scott Card in Xenocide

04-06-2007, 08:33 PM	#5 (permalink)
JoseA Moderator Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: USA Posts: 2,097	1. Roy Williams 2. Billy Donovan 3. Thad Motta 4. Rick Caliparri 5. Bruce Pearl __________________ Register here and join the discussion

07-05-2007, 10:57 PM	#8 (permalink)
twentyseven Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 24	sorry Last edited by twentyseven; 07-05-2007 at 10:57 PM. Reason: double post

04-02-2007, 06:25 AM	#3 (permalink)
dlb Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 4,397	Thanks for the correction; I was pretty sure I had it wrong, but figured what the heck, he's just a basketball coach. As for your other nominees, Krzyzewski would have been an entrant 5 years ago; today, he's a has-been. Izzo is a very good coach, but he's struggling to remain relevant. Mark Frye's accomplishments at Gonzaga don't match what JTIII has done at Georgetown - a similarly sized school - in less time. Rich Barnes belongs in the top 10, but doesn't have the resume for top 5 status, and I can't remember who Billy Gillespie is.

04-28-2007, 03:14 PM	#6 (permalink)
Zen653 Hall of Famer Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 6,635	I think Thad Motta is among the worst college basketball coaches. He had one of the best big men of the last 10 years, and yet he emphasized outside shooting over the inside game where he had a decisive advantage. Instead of drawing up plays for Oden in the paint, he had his guards fire away from behind the arc. That's a very poor use of roster talent. Plus Motta got lucky in the game against Xavier, where the Xavier coach suffered from temporary insanity in failing to foul with a 3 point lead and a few seconds left in regulation. Motta almost lost to a mediocre Tennessee team as well.