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5 coaches to keep on the radar

uncleter

Benchwarmer
Jul 10, 2003
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And I'm sure there are plenty more. I'll start with these:
Joe Pasternack - UCSB
Bob Richey - Furman
Ben McCollom - Drake
Todd Simon - Bowling Green
Chris Victor - Seattle
 
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And I'm sure there are plenty more. I'll start with these:
Joe Pasternack - UCSB
Bob Richey - Furman
Darien DeVries - Drake
Todd Simon - Bowling Green
Chris Victor - Seattle
I would take a hard look at ANY coach that fits the following criteria

1. Has won at a high level versus his peers. Conference championships, success in national tournaments...they need to have shown both of these things.

2. Has recruited well versus his peers. There are quite a lot of fairly easy ways to evaluate this. If you're evaluating a D2/NAIA/D3 coach, do some research on offers their players had coming out of high school, what level of transfer players did they get, etc... If its D1, who did they beat out for their recruits. And then for a coach at any level, were they able to find "diamonds in the rough" type kids?

3. Runs a more up tempo, perimeter focused, offense. This is the style that will attract the most talent. Obviously you can win playing slower paced stuff... Tony Bennett proves that. The current Drake coach was very successful at the D2 level, and appears like he will be at Drake as well, but he runs a fairly methodical and slow offense. I think IU should actively look for something different, that appeals to basically ALL potential recruits. Again, criteria number 1 will have had to have been established, so I'm not asking for style OVER substance...I'm asking for style AND substance.

4. Has a personality that will fit the job. IU coach should be able to navigate all the media, speaking gigs, etc... that being an IU coach involves.

Basically...proven good basketball coach, dynamic personality, good recruiter, stylistically appeals to the masses.
 
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I would take a hard look at ANY coach that fits the following criteria

1. Has won at a high level versus his peers. Conference championships, success in national tournaments...they need to have shown both of these things.

2. Has recruited well versus his peers. There are quite a lot of fairly easy ways to evaluate this. If you're evaluating a D2/NAIA/D3 coach, do some research on offers their players had coming out of high school, what level of transfer players did they get, etc... If its D1, who did they beat out for their recruits. And then for a coach at any level, were they able to find "diamonds in the rough" type kids?

3. Runs a more up tempo, perimeter focused, offense. This is the style that will attract the most talent. Obviously you can win playing slower paced stuff... Tony Bennett proves that. The current Drake coach was very successful at the D2 level, and appears like he will be at Drake as well, but he runs a fairly methodical and slow offense. I think IU should actively look for something different, that appeals to basically ALL potential recruits. Again, criteria number 1 will have had to have been established, so I'm not asking for style OVER substance...I'm asking for style AND substance.

4. Has a personality that will fit the job. IU coach should be able to navigate all the media, speaking gigs, etc... that being an IU coach involves.

Basically...proven good basketball coach, dynamic personality, good recruiter, stylistically appeals to the masses.
Yeah, I've seen so many good coaches not make it at high major D1 because I'm guessing it's just tough to balance all the demands with recruits and their families/advisors, boosters, NCAA, as well as the athletic department, academics, etc... It's one of the things I love about Cignetti. He seems much more like a CEO than a rah-rah coach. I think that approach, while still having some charisma and personality would be wise to seek out too.
 
Just to think outside the box, would asking Cignetti if he knows a guy be of any value?
Honestly, I don't think there'd be anything "wrong" with Dolson picking Cignetti's brain. But Head Basketball Coach is a very different job than Head Football Coach. Its MUCH more personal, much more of a direct coach to player position than football is. Football coaches, more than bball, are like CEO's. They have to manage their coordinators as much as anything.
 
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Just to think outside the box, would asking Cignetti if he knows a guy be of any value?
Yes, but he might have said the former JMU bball coach that took the Vandy job, Byington.
JMU really had it going on the last couple of years!
 
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Yeah, I've seen so many good coaches not make it at high major D1 because I'm guessing it's just tough to balance all the demands with recruits and their families/advisors, boosters, NCAA, as well as the athletic department, academics, etc... It's one of the things I love about Cignetti. He seems much more like a CEO than a rah-rah coach. I think that approach, while still having some charisma and personality would be wise to seek out too.
Per my other post...BBall coaches HAVE to be much more personal than FBall coaches do. The CEO approach is fine, as long as it isn't a hands off approach with the players. Cignetti is a detail and processes guy, so I'm sure he's very involved down at the field level with many of the players. But a Fball coach has too big of staffs, too many players, to dig in and be involved with all his players. BBall, they basically have to be.
 
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What is the current feeling about the ISU/St.Louie coach re IU?
What's his name, Josh Schertz? I really liked what I read about him last year. Surprised he would go to St Louis from ISU but know they have $$, so they decided to pay up I guess. Still, definitely a name I'd keep an eye on. Checked their schedule and they're 4-2, basically beating the teams they should and losing to who you'd expect. Be a better indicator when they get in conference.
 
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