Rank the Big East Coaches

[Silent Verbal]

It’s just Wright and then the rest.  Like Goose, I wouldn’t want any of these other guys coaching MU.  Cooley seems like a good coach but doesn’t excite me.  McDermott is a big lummox who hasn’t really won anything at Creighton, though they do seem to get some good players (Creighton seems to be popping up in the FBI stuff, though.)

Now, if Mack and Holtmann were still in the conference?  You’d better believe I’d take them over Wojo. 

[Billy Hoyle]

Wright
Wojo
Cooley, Willard, McDermott interchangeable
"Incompletes" for Jordan, Ewing, Steele
Leitao
Mullin

I'd put Cooley and Willard over Wojo.  What Cooley has been able to do at PC is very impressive.  The job Willard did this year was amazing. I had SH pegged for last after losing 4 starters of that caliber.

I concur with the incompletes. We don't know enough about those guys yet to rank them.

[HutchwasClutch]

Wright
McDermott
Cooley
Willard
Steele
Jordan
Wojo
Leitao 
Mullin
Ewing

[Pakuni]

Wright
McDermott
Cooley
Willard
Steele
Jordan
Wojo
Leitao 
Mullin
Ewing

What did Travis Steele accomplish in his one thoroughly mediocre season to deserve a ranking above three guys who've led teams to 20+ win seasons andthe NCAA tournament?

[MU82]

I'd put Cooley and Willard over Wojo.  What Cooley has been able to do at PC is very impressive.  The job Willard did this year was amazing. I had SH pegged for last after losing 4 starters of that caliber.

Cooley has won 1 NCAA tournament game in 13 seasons as a college coach, including the last 8 at Providence. He had some NBA talent, too. His best team lost twice to Wojo's Ellenson team that didn't even go to the NIT. I believe PC also was expected to do better than a tie for last place this season. I think Cooley is good coach but I have seen no evidence that would make me trade Wojo for him. It's OK if we disagree.

Agree about SH this season, and I begrudgingly have to give Willard props for that. His first 5 years were significantly worse than Wojo's first 5 years, though.

[CTWarrior]

Cooley has won 1 NCAA tournament game in 13 seasons as a college coach, including the last 8 at Providence. He had some NBA talent, too. His best team lost twice to Wojo's Ellenson team that didn't even go to the NIT. I believe PC also was expected to do better than a tie for last place this season. I think Cooley is good coach but I have seen no evidence that would make me trade Wojo for him. It's OK if we disagree.

Agree about SH this season, and I begrudgingly have to give Willard props for that. His first 5 years were significantly worse than Wojo's first 5 years, though.

I admit I probably have a higher opinion of Cooley than most, because he won at Fairfield.  Nobody wins at Fairfield.  I think he's an excellent coach.  He needs to bring in more talent than he has at PC, though.

[Cheeks]

Recruiting is a huge part of coaching, and that has to be factored in.  Cannot separate the two.

Cooley appears to be a good coach, but not sure on recruiting.  Willard gets a lot out of his players and they have a “brand” of style, even though I hate how they play.  Creighton has a style.

In my view Wojo wants to run a style, but hasn’t landed the full compliment of players to deliver on it.  That falls on him, of course.  But I also think we are closer to that vision now than we were, PG is big, an athletic 4. 

[MU82]

I admit I probably have a higher opinion of Cooley than most, because he won at Fairfield.  Nobody wins at Fairfield.

My high school coach was a star at Fairfield in the 60s and is in their sports HOF.

[MUBurrow]

It sounds like a copout, but ranking coaches is really hard because their current job has to be factored in. The "would I take coach x over coach y" question depends on where I'm the hypothetical AD.  Some coaches are good at keeping a middling program punching above their weight class, but if you hired them at a higher level school, wouldn't see an equal uptick in performance. For me, that's Cooley. Providence should probably be pretty happy to have him, and if I were hiring at a smallish east coast school, I'd prefer him to someone like Wojo. But at a place with more resources, I'd take Wojo's upside whereas I think Cooley sort of is what he is at this point.

[NickelDimer]

Couple = 2
Few = 3
Several = 4+

I’ve never heard someone use several to represent two regardless of what Webster’s says

[Cheeks]

Couple = 2
Few = 3
Several = 4+

I’ve never heard someone use several to represent two regardless of what Webster’s says

You heard me use it that way, so you can strike never.  😀  and definition to back it up. 

By the way, definition of few is more than one, but not starting at three. 

[Frenns Liquor Depot]

What did Travis Steele accomplish in his one thoroughly mediocre season to deserve a ranking above three guys who've led teams to 20+ win seasons andthe NCAA tournament?

It's not my ranking, but personally I was impressed with the stark change his team exhibited exiting the year vs. entering.  They were better and it is an encouraging sign if evaluating a new coach or a new coach with a young team.  So much needs to happen for him to be considered a success or 'top-coach', but it's one green shoot in my eyes.

[NickelDimer]

You heard me use it that way, so you can strike never.  😀  and sedition to back it up. 

By the way, definition of few is more than one, but not starting at three.

I don’t know whether to admire or pity this mentality of your cheeks

[Pakuni]

It's not my ranking, but personally I was impressed with the stark change his team exhibited exiting the year vs. entering.  They were better and it is an encouraging sign if evaluating a new coach or a new coach with a young team.  So much needs to happen for him to be considered a success or 'top-coach', but it's one green shoot in my eyes.

They did get better as the year went on, but were they a young team?
They started a senior, two juniors and two sophomores. The first two guys off the bench were seniors. They obviously lost some key players from the previous season, but they weren't especially young or inexperienced.

Regardless, Steele at best deserves an incomplete grade, not to be ranked above three coaches who had 20-win seasons and led teams to the tourney (IMO).

[Frenns Liquor Depot]

They did get better as the year went on, but were they a young team?
They started a senior, two juniors and two sophomores. The first two guys off the bench were seniors. They obviously lost some key players from the previous season, but they weren't especially young or inexperienced.

Regardless, Steele at best deserves an incomplete grade, not to be ranked above three coaches who had 20-win seasons and led teams to the tourney (IMO).

I don't disagree with your last line depending on what you are ranking (this year's results, ability to be a sustained good coach, etc, etc).  I was trying to communicate that it is a useful metric for a coach with a young team or new coach...the latter being Steele

[MU82]

Steele did impress me as the year went on ... or at least his team did.

X developed into a dangerous, competitive team, and we were fortunate to have played them twice before they figured things out.

Hankins will be hard to replace, but otherwise most important players are underclassmen. Four 4-stars coming in for next season (per ESPN).

BEast will be tougher next season, and X will be a reason for it.

Steele stepped into the shoes of a very good coach; I give him an "incomplete" right now, but he looks like he might be a good one.

[Cheeks]

I don’t know whether to admire or pity this mentality of your cheeks

I'm a pitbull, a grinder, it's what I'm paid to do.  Battle, battle, battle.  Of course in real life I am sweet, and do it with honey rather than vinegar.

[🏀]

You people ranking McDermott higher than 9th are despicable.

[HutchwasClutch]

What did Travis Steele accomplish in his one thoroughly mediocre season to deserve a ranking above three guys who've led teams to 20+ win seasons andthe NCAA tournament?

Their record isn't anywhere close to an indicator of what they had to overcome to even look mediocre on paper.  He had I would contend the league's most difficult job this year replacing a fairly long term and highly successful coach and two of the conference's best players in Bluiett and Macura.  They were picked for 6th in the preseason poll, tied for 3rd, and was the 4 seed for the conference tournament.  They took Villanova to OT in BE tourney and Texas to OT on the road in the NIT before falling by two. 

I admit it's basically projection, an incomplete as MU82 gave him is fair I think.  They came on strong and played their best basketball late in the year- a hallmark of well coached teams.

And please, don't act like I put him ahead of a murderer's row of coaches.  The jury is definitely out on Jordan at Butler.  Then Wojo, Leitao, Ewing, and Mullin- Ewing yet to be in NCAA in two seasons and NIT loss at home to Harvard, Wojo two NCAA embarrassments and choking away what should have been a conference title, Mullin one NCAA bid as one of last at large in and then embarrassed in that game, along with a losing conference record in a down year overall, and finally, Leitao, 2 NCAA's in 11 years. 

[HutchwasClutch]

I contend no other major school would even hire Mullin or Ewing.  They both got their jobs only because of their legend status at their schools, along with their name recognition in hoping to bring in recruits.  Period.

[Herman Cain]

Their record isn't anywhere close to an indicator of what they had to overcome to even look mediocre on paper.  He had I would contend the league's most difficult job this year replacing a fairly long term and highly successful coach and two of the conference's best players in Bluiett and Macura.  They were picked for 6th in the preseason poll, tied for 3rd, and was the 4 seed for the conference tournament.  They took Villanova to OT in BE tourney and Texas to OT on the road in the NIT before falling by two. 

I admit it's basically projection, an incomplete as MU82 gave him is fair I think.  They came on strong and played their best basketball late in the year- a hallmark of well coached teams.

And please, don't act like I put him ahead of a murderer's row of coaches.  The jury is definitely out on Jordan at Butler.  Then Wojo, Leitao, Ewing, and Mullin- Ewing yet to be in NCAA in two seasons and NIT loss at home to Harvard, Wojo two NCAA embarrassments and choking away what should have been a conference title, Mullin one NCAA bid as one of last at large in and then embarrassed in that game, along with a losing conference record in a down year overall, and finally, Leitao, 2 NCAA's in 11 years.

To amplify the pint on Coach Steele. He hustled and did two very impressive things at the onset. First he recruited 3 solid grad transfers all who ended up being contributors. Second he closed the deal on a five man incoming class composed of 3 bigs and 2 guards ( one of which we went after hard)

As pointed out he had the team performing very well by the end of the season. Bottom line is Steele reloaded and didn’t have to rebuild. The team is very well positioned for next year.

I just noticed he picked a very solid transfer immediately available to further the point.

[HutchwasClutch]

It’s just Wright and then the rest. 

Sure is.  He's got the field by a mile and then some.

[MU82]

And yet it took Wright 5 years as a college head coach to get to his first NCAA tournament and 11 years to post his first NCAA tournament victory.

[HutchwasClutch]

And yet it took Wright 5 years as a college head coach to get to his first NCAA tournament and 11 years to post his first NCAA tournament victory.

After trudging the lowly ranks of lifting Hofstra out of the ash bin.

Year 4 at Villanova...S16
Year 5.. Elite 8

Definitely apples to apples of Wojo's tenure here 

[HutchwasClutch]

Wright showed his coaching chops at a low major D1 program and quickly took Villanova to national prominence.  Hardly a trajectory to what is unfolding here, nor a background to prove patience has been earned already.