ESPN NCAAM Conversation

Matt Carter

Bryce Drew Coach of the Year? #ValpoGameDay http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/blog/_/name/katz_andy/id/7571247/player-year-coach-year-bracketbusters-more-college-basketball
123 Days ago

Ellie Lange

RT @matthewbcarter: Bryce Drew Coach of the Year? #ValpoGameDay http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/blog/_/name/katz_andy/id/7571247/player-year-coach-year-bracketbusters-more-college-basketball
123 Days ago

Safrin

NWISportsConsultants

RT @HLHoops: @ESPNAndyKatz: #Valpo's Bryce Drew should be Horizon League Coach of the Year http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/blog/_/name/katz_andy/id/7571247/player-year-coach-year-bracketbusters-more-college-basketball
125 Days ago

syceda

why would Cal get COY, He should win.
123 Days ago

DclarkDaBeast44

How do you not have Tom Crean in contention for Coach of the Year? He's going to win 20+ with the same team that went 12-20 and 10-22 the previous 2 years with only Cody Zeller added! No love man, no love.
125 Days ago

jimmyboborino

Tom Crean is one coach that I left out of my analysis below. I agree that Tom Crean has done a wonderful coaching job, and probably should be in consideration. However, he will have a hard case to make unless his team moves up in their conference rankings. It is unlikely that a coach of a team that is 5th in it's own conference will get serious COY consideration, especially when another coach higher in the conf rankings (izzo) is a candidate as well. while i do not completely agree with this approach (i think crean may have the best actual turnaround in recent memory), this is the way these awards usually work.
125 Days ago

jimmyboborino

Izzo for COY, and here is why: 1. Lost 4 major contributors from prior year (2 that were expected to be major contributors this year), and another lesser contributor from last year that was expected to be a major contributor this year. 2. Has only 1 senior on this team that contributes major stats (draymond). Other senior that contributes minutes was a walk-on when he came to MSU. 3. Unranked at beginning of season to ranked in top ten with several key wins, while playing top 10 SOS. 4. Doing so with lower level recruits than the one-and-dones that are recruited by calipari/boheim. Other coaches I believe should be strongly considered are Gtown's Thompson, ND's Brey, and Mizzou's Haith, but at the end of the day Izzo's resume is better, IMO. COY should go to coach who best exceeds expectations based on the players that are available to them at the time. Under this assumption I believe Calapari/Boheim should not be given the consideration of these coaches. Please keep in mind that these other teams would never be able to recruit the level of talent as say a Calipari at UK (one of most storied programs in NCAAB)
125 Days ago

jimmyboborino

i would say they have a much harder case to make than coaches that weren't ranked high nationally preseason or didn't have highly ranked recruiting classes. impossible? probably not. very unlikely? yes.
125 Days ago

justafish2002

So it is impossible for any coach ranked high nationally, before the season starts, or collected a recruiting class that "experts" rank highly, to win COY?
125 Days ago

jimmyboborino

yeah, but the recruiting field is not even, which is what i alluded to above. particularly in UK's case, it is much easier for UK to get those high caliber of recruits than it is for the other programs. unless they are having a HUGE turnaround (which is not the case for either UK or Cuse, who were both highly ranked both at the end of last year and beginning of this year), then they should not be given the strong consideration. Kentucky and Cuse were both top 5 preseason ranked...in other words, those coaches have done exactly what they were expected to do, no more.
125 Days ago

justafish2002

but isn't a large part of being a college coach recruiting? I don't think a coach should be penalized for getting top recruits like you seem to suggest.
125 Days ago

bwc108282

When considering coach of the year I think you need to take into account improvement of players from the previous year. If that is the case Melo, Waiters,Fair make for an awesome trio of super sophs who have show great improvement from last year.......just another piece of the coaching evaluation pie.
125 Days ago

bwc108282

When Kentucky has to vacate all these wins will Calipari have to give up his COY trophy as well? Dude looks like Pigpen, he is so dirty.
125 Days ago

Rossmuncy

hasn't happend at kentucky yet
125 Days ago

justafish2002

COY should be Calipari, plain and simple. Half of being a college coach is recruiting, and no one has been better than Cal. Second, the improvements this team has made in both FT% and defense since the beginning of the year are a direct result of coaching. Throw in that he coaches the nearly undisputed #1 team in the country and it should be an easy choice. Davis should also be POY, as he has a bigger effect on the game than any other college player this season. His tendency to block shots keeps teams out of the paint, but what is more impressive is that he rarely fouls while doing this. Not to mention that Davis hung 14 points and got 7 blocks in Kentucky's win over Kansas where Robinson was held to 11 pts and fouled out of the game
125 Days ago

syceda

Take Davis off UK and I bet they are still a top 5 team, Hard to dispute KU needs Robinson more that UK needs Davis.
123 Days ago

East1991

Comparing Randy Moss to Jeff Withey might be the worst comparison ever thought of. Withey is just another product of continued development with the help of KU coaches Bill Self and Danny Manning. Finally point all the pieces together. Couldn't be at a better time for KU either. With a currently unstoppable front court in Thomas Robinson and Jeff Withey, and a point guard that is playing at the highest level of any point guard in the country, KU looks to again be very dangerous going into march.
125 Days ago

thjhawk

That was before Withey got pissed. Davis' numbers look pedestrian compared to Withey's the pst three games. Look for this trend to continue. No more double / triple teams for Robinson....POY.
125 Days ago

kap1047

Withey didn't have to do as much because Robinson just blasted through teams. Now that Robinson's being double- and triple-teamed, Withey's killin' it, so of course Robinson's numbers have dropped slightly. He doesn't need to put up 18 points for KU to win when both Taylor and Withey are doing 15+ apiece. I'd say that speaks volumes to Robinson's overall value. If Kentucky and KU played again in the near future, it would be a much different game. Kentucky may still win, certainly, but this is a very different KU team than at the beginning of the season. Which, again, speaks volumes to Bill Self's ability to coach a team that wasn't expected to do much this year.
125 Days ago

vusani

Withey, finally motivated? Wow, so he just plays when he wants to? Sounds like the Randy Moss of basketball.
125 Days ago

East1991

Its got to be Bill Self for coach of the year. This is arguably Bil Self's best coaching job out of the years he's been at Kansas. Kansas looked to be the better team in Columbia controlling the game until the final minutes. When they play again in Lawrence I think the outcome will be different. KU is in control of its own destiny in regards to capturing its 8th straight Big 12 championship. With this squad that Bill Self has coached up to be a Final Four team.... Bill Self is the clear favorite for COY
125 Days ago

syceda

Look, MU was the better team because they won, Don't get to high and mighty about a 3 point win on your home court. I'm not going to say MU can't win in Lawrence because as much as I hate MU they have heart.
123 Days ago

East1991

Do you really feel as if KU left Columbia thinking that Missouri was the better team? Missouri ended the game on a 11-0 run in which KU was called for charges on back to back possessions in the final minute. Both of the calls were assessed by the neutral standing commentators as "blown calls". Two missed free throws also cost Kansas the game. I don't expect the game in Lawrence to be close.
125 Days ago

vusani

That was funny. Looked to be the better team, huh? Are we still playing 40 minutes? I was also wondering about the weird set of numbers that they seem to use at the end of the game to see who played better....you know, the score.
125 Days ago

jcmufan

Frank Haith for COY, hands down.
125 Days ago

CursesAreForLosers

....and the amazing thing about Haith is that he just learned to coach this year. Seven years in the ACC and never a winning conference record (43-69). Wait, maybe that means winning games in the Big 12 isn't too tough.........
125 Days ago

anyoung9

He had everything laid out for him by Mike Anderson. You can't win COY with another coaches players. We'll see what he can do once he has his own guys.
125 Days ago

vusani

My definition of a good coach is one who can make underachievers into overachievers...CMA, under...FH, over.
125 Days ago

thornb31

DayDay Green for POY. He has a great skill set(not the best in the country), but he is the best leader in the country, and can takeover games and lead his young team.
125 Days ago

jakeakabigdub2

Which is why TRob is the POY. He has maybe the best skill set. He is most important to his team. Where is KU if TRob isnt on the squad?
125 Days ago

bingold555

What about Larry Schyatt from Wyoming for a COY candidate?? He has turned a team that could not win a conference game to save their lives last year into a solid team that is on the bubble and easily going to get 20 wins. Last years record with coach Heath Schroyer: 8-21. This year with coach Schyatt: 18-6. Schyatt should definitely be in the conversation.
125 Days ago

John52237

unlv dave rice....the new offense clicking and sting defense...the city is buzzing like years ago...krueger was a huge importance factor but Rice has to be considered for sure....
125 Days ago