At the end of every college basketball season, there is a question of which coaches will stay and which coaches will go. This offseason, there were some coaches who turned down bigger money, (ok, maybe only Bill Self). However, there were also many unexpected coaching hires. Which ones are they? James Watson has the answers.
THE WINNERS
The Best Coaching Hire
In my opinion, the best coaching hire this offseason was Indiana getting Tom Crean to replace Kelvin Sampson in the midst of a huge NCAA scandal. Tom Crean was 121-65 in C-USA at Marquette. He only missed the big dance once while in C-USA and led the Golden Eagles to the Final Four in 2003. He also produced big players such as Dwayne Wade and Steve Novak. Once the Golden Eagles entered the Big East, he had success in his three years coaching in that conference as well, going 69-31 overall and 31-19 in Big East play. He finished no lower than fifth in the Big East but did not get out of the second round of the big dance while coaching in the Big East. Tom Crean will have this program back to the top in four or five years.
The Coach with an Immediate Impact
Darrin Horn is definitely one of the best young coaches in the game of college basketball today. He will be a great coach at the University of South Carolina Although he only got the Hilltoppers of Western Kentucky to the NCAA tournament once, he made that appearance big. He took the Hilltoppers to the Sweet Sixteen by defeating #5 seed Drake as well as San Diego before losing to top seed UCLA. In five seasons at Western Kentucky, Horn led the Hilltoppers to a 111-48 record including going 29-7 in 008. Two key players that are expected to be selected in June’s NBA draft are Courtney Lee as well as Tyrone Brazelton both recruited and coached by Darrin Horn. I think that South Carolina will be back in the NCAA tournament possibly as early as 2010.
The best coach that moved up
Travis Ford made the best move as a coach this offseason making a move to Oklahoma State. Ford did a great job at his last two schools, Eastern Kentucky and Massachusetts. In five years at Eastern Kentucky, he led the Colonels to a 61-80 overall and appeared in the NCAA tournament in 2005 as a 15 seed before losing to Kentucky in the first round. Although he stayed just three seasons at Massachusetts, he compiled a 62-35 record in those three years. Last season, he led the Minutemen to a 25-11 and the NIT runner ups. He will need time to turn Oklahoma State's program around, but if the fans and the athletic director are patient, this school could rise one again to national prominence.
Honorable Mention
Trent Johnson of Stanford made one of the best coaching moves this offseason by going to LSU. Yes, he was building the Stanford program up to be a national contender every year. However, LSU has a great deal of players returning as well as a great recruiting class coming in. Stanford, on the other hand is going to be a young and inexperienced team next season as they lost their twin towers in Brook and Robin Lopez.
The Best Assistant to get a head coaching gig
Western Kentucky did great job of finding a replacement for head coach Darrin Horn. Ken McDonald was a great assistant for Rick Barnes and helped coach some of the premier players that came through Texas including Daniel Gibson, Kevin Durant, and of course most recently D.J Augustine. This guy has a great offensive mind set and is also a great recruiter. He will keep Western Kentucky just how Horn left it.
THE LOSERS
The coach that moved up too fast
Although I do think Keno Davis is a great coach, I think he was hired by Providence way too fast. Although he did go 28-5 at Drake last season, it was only his first year. These guys weren't even his. His father was the one who recruited them. He did not prove he could get it done in the tournament either, losing in the first round to twelfth seeded Western Kentucky. I think that Keno Davis needed time to grow and time to recruit his own guys. I also think that because he did move up so fast, the Friars will suffer in the next few seasons.
School that could have done better
In my opinion, California could have paid a little more money and gotten a better coach out there than Mike Montgomery. Although he did do very well at Stanford, he has not coached college hoops since 2004 and his mind has shifted toward that of an NBA coaches. I think it will take time for him to readjust to the college coaching scene and I don't know if California is willing to wait.
School that won, Coach that lost
John Brady was definitely the biggest loser from this season's coaching carousel. Arkansas State was the biggest winner. In 11 seasons at LSU, he led the Tigers to the postseason six times that included 4 trips to the big Dance. He recruited NBA players such as Brandon Bass, Tyrus Thomas, and Glen Davis. He also finished second or better in the West five times. In 2006, Brady led the Tigers to their first final four since 1986 and had them in the preseason top five heading into the nest season. The Tigers began the season 11-3 before falling apart in SEC play and suffering six straight losses that knocked them out of tournament contention. Arkansas State has gotten a wonderful coach to lead them.
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