Why is Smart a better coach than Howland?

[mechaghidorah]

I know he's a glamorous hire, but what makes him a better coach than Howland, for example?  Was not impressed in the least with the job he did in the NCAA this year.

[Hards Alumni]

We know.  Its all you've been saying since you showed up here.

[NersEllenson]

Are you Ben Howland?  Seriously?!

[mechaghidorah]

I just want to know what is so great about the guy substance wise compared to the other top candidates?  I could care less about a flashy personality. Give me a guy that has fundamentally sound players and can actually excel at the in game X's and O's.  Marshall would have been the far superior choice, IMO, and Howland is a better game coach, too. 

[Wisco]

I just want to know what is so great about the guy substance wise compared to the other top candidates?  I could care less about a flashy personality. Give me a guy that has fundamentally sound players and can actually excel at the in game X's and O's.  Marshall would have been the far superior choice, IMO, and Howland is a better game coach, too. 

At the risk of sounding like a VCU homer...again...

1)There has been no announcement
2)You have been posting the same substance-lacking argument over and over again, with little in the way of specific examples
3)I think they'd both be equally fine choices
4)Shaka does not have a "flashy personality"

[jesmu84]

I just want to know what is so great about the guy substance wise compared to the other top candidates?  I could care less about a flashy personality. Give me a guy that has fundamentally sound players and can actually excel at the in game X's and O's.  Marshall would have been the far superior choice, IMO, and Howland is a better game coach, too.  

check out the cracked sidewalks post about the potential sources. Now give Shaka Top 100 recruits.

Edit: I actually preferred howland

[BCHoopster]

I know he's a glamorous hire, but what makes him a better coach than Howland, for example?  Was not impressed in the least with the job he did in the NCAA this year.

May not be a better coach than Howland, but Shaka won at a small school vs. UCLA, who has almost every advantage over VCU.  More importantly, he runs an exciting brand of basketball,
pressing, running, fun to watch.  Howland, boring defensive coach.  UCLA hated it, the fans did as well.  Howland is 56 old school, Shaka is 20 years younger than Howland.  I think every recruit that Buzz recruited will listen to Shaka, not sure they would be excited about Holland.  I would not.

[NersEllenson]

I just want to know what is so great about the guy substance wise compared to the other top candidates?  I could care less about a flashy personality. Give me a guy that has fundamentally sound players and can actually excel at the in game X's and O's.  Marshall would have been the far superior choice, IMO, and Howland is a better game coach, too. 

Those guys also have about 20 more years of coaching experience to draw from...yet....Shaka has the benefit of being young, and able to relate FAR better than either Howland or Marshall to the majority of kids who make it to playing high major ball...

Perhaps you should just call yourself a fan of Wisconsin (which you likely are and the notion of MU getting Smart is really threatening), as you can get the brand of basketball you reference above there...and there is nothing wrong with that brand of basketball as proven by Bo Ryan...it certainly can win....yet I believe Bo Ryan has never made a Final Four...Shaka has made as many as Gregg Marshall...Howland...did it a blueblood in UCLA and at Pitt....those are big steps up from VCU.

[GooooMarquette]

I think they're both great coaches, and I'd be thrilled to have either.

IMHO - Howland is the "safer" option. He's won at plenty of places, proven that he can recruit and coach high major kids, and is at a point in his career where we'd be less likely to hear "Howland to _____" rumors every time a job opens up.  I think the loss of control toward the end of his UCLA tenure was more a matter of giving in to UCLA boosters' unrealistic expectations (recruiting kids he didn't want), and I suspect he has learned from that experience.

Smart has done amazing things in his time at VCU and is clearly a great bench coach.  And if things work out at MU, he could be our guy for a LOOOONG time.  But we haven't yet seen him win at a high level nearly as long as Howland.  And if we hire him and he does continue his success, we will be dealing with "Shaka to _____" rumors for many years to come.

There is no bad option among those two.