Ranking the Head Coaches in the Big East

[Tugg Speedman]

Ranking the Head Coaches in the Big East

http://www.bigeastcoastbias.com/2014/4/20/5634390/ranking-the-head-coaches-in-the-big-east

9. Steve Wojciechowski (Marquette)
Now, it's tough to rank Wojciechowski as a head coach, considering he has yet to actually coach a single college game as a head coach.  He is low in the rankings due to that, but due to the current situation that he is in at Marquette, that's why he currently sits above Miller. Before being hired as the coach of the Golden Eagles, Coach Woj had become a staple in the Duke University men's basketball program, as he worked his way up from an All-American point guard on the Dukies basketball to the associate coach.  Wojciechowski's main strength at Duke was coaching the guys inside, and if there's anything he's going to have to improve at Marquette, is inside the paint.  The Golden Eagles lost their two best big men from this past season (Davante Gardner and Jamil Wilson), and how well Woj develops the current big guys that he has will go a long way in determining how quickly the rebuilding process will progress in Milwaukee.

[77ncaachamps]

Purnell at 7?

Either Purnell is going to be gone in two years or Wojo will have passed him up!

[MarquetteDano]

The Big East is in serious trouble if Lavin is the third best coach.  Seeing that made my stomach turn.

[Tums Festival]

The Big East is in serious trouble if Lavin is the third best coach.  Seeing that made my stomach turn.

It's just some nobody writer's opinion, nothing more. Not worth getting getting an upset stomach over for sure.

[Dawson Rental]

Purnell at 7?

Either Purnell is going to be gone in two years or Wojo will have passed him up!

Yeah, I know, 2 spots ahead of Wojo and this is how he was summed up:

"he is just not a quality coach"

So, Wojo is just two spots below "not a quality coach".  Love it.

[TheBurrEffect]

Lavin is #3? Oh holy god.

[Galway Eagle]

The hell would they have put Buzz? I mean Mack belongs above McDermott and Lavin is wayyy over rated seeing as a monkey could've gotten that 2011 team to the ncaa tournament with all of that experience. 

[hoyasincebirth]

1a/1b JT3, Wright very close. Wright has slightly more post season success, but JT3 has more regular season success(including BET). Both have underachieved in the NCAAs since their final 4 runs.
3. Cooley
4. Mack
5. McDermott

6. Willard
7. Lavin
8. Miller
9. Purnell

NR: Wojo: 0 games coached so can't Rank yet.

Right now we have 5 good coaches in the league. It's too early to tell on Miller IMO. But the other 3 have been bad so far. 

[Galway Eagle]

1a/1b JT3, Wright very close. Wright has slightly more post season success, but JT3 has more regular season success(including BET). Both have underachieved in the NCAAs since their final 4 runs.
3. Cooley
4. Mack
5. McDermott

6. Willard
7. Lavin
8. Miller
9. Purnell

NR: Wojo: 0 games coached so can't Rank yet.

Right now we have 5 good coaches in the league. It's too early to tell on Miller IMO. But the other 3 have been bad so far. 

Please explain to me how McDermott belongs in that category.  We're talking about a guy who's claim to fame is his son was a super star.  He sucked at Iowa State and North Dakota State.  He basically was only good at Northern Iowa where he showed us he could coach a mid major and do nothing in the NCAA tournament. 

[MU82]

The only ranking Wojo should have is Incomplete.

[hoyasincebirth]

Please explain to me how McDermott belongs in that category.  We're talking about a guy who's claim to fame is his son was a super star.  He sucked at Iowa State and North Dakota State.  He basically was only good at Northern Iowa where he showed us he could coach a mid major and do nothing in the NCAA tournament. 

Just based on his one year in the BE that I watched. I thought he did a good job. I saw numerous in game adjustments and a well designed offense. I also know that he increased Crieghton's defensive efficiency 3 years in a row. What have you seen at Creighton to make you think he's a bad coach. Sure you could argue he should have gone farther in the tournament, but the tournament is a complete crap shoot. Losing a single game doesn't make you a bad coach. And there's no difference in a game in the tournament and a game during the regular season. People just give you more crap if you lose the former. But in reality there's no difference. It happens. Teams lose games and lose games to people they should beat. The NCAA tournament is very much about luck as well as skill.

[wadesworld]

Just based on his one year in the BE that I watched. I thought he did a good job. I saw numerous in game adjustments and a well designed offense. I also know that he increased Crieghton's defensive efficiency 3 years in a row. What have you seen at Creighton to make you think he's a bad coach. Sure you could argue he should have gone farther in the tournament, but the tournament is a complete crap shoot. Losing a single game doesn't make you a bad coach. And there's no difference in a game in the tournament and a game during the regular season. People just give you more crap if you lose the former. But in reality there's no difference. It happens. Teams lose games and lose games to people they should beat. The NCAA tournament is very much about luck as well as skill.

Chicos, you're now a Hoyas fan as well?  The list just keeps growing!

Wait, nevermind, that's just the excuse fans of schools that consistently underachieve in the NCAA Tournament use.

[hoyasincebirth]

The best team doesn't often win the tournament. Uconn was not the best team this year but they happened to win. In fact I'd say in the last 5 years only 2 of the winners were the best team(louisville and kentucky). The best team doesn't always win. That's what makes sports great.

[wadesworld]

The best team doesn't often win the tournament. Uconn was not the best team this year but they happened to win. In fact I'd say in the last 5 years only 2 of the winners were the best team(louisville and kentucky). The best team doesn't always win. That's what makes sports great.

The "best" team throughout a season doesn't win tournaments quite often.  It's the team that is the hottest.  Does it take some "luck" to win the NCAA Tournament?  Sure.  But does it take some "luck" to win the NBA Championship?  Yup.  Ask Ray Allen, he didn't even look down to make sure he was behind the 3 point line at the end of regulation in Game 6.  So why is the NCAA Tournament a crapshoot but the NBA Playoffs are not?  You could find examples of it in every single sport.

[JakeBarnes]

He's #1 in our hearts

[hoyasincebirth]

The "best" team throughout a season doesn't win tournaments quite often.  It's the team that is the hottest.  Does it take some "luck" to win the NCAA Tournament?  Sure.  But does it take some "luck" to win the NBA Championship?  Yup.  Ask Ray Allen, he didn't even look down to make sure he was behind the 3 point line at the end of regulation in Game 6.  So why is the NCAA Tournament a crapshoot but the NBA Playoffs are not?  You could find examples of it in every single sport.

because winning a best of 7 series inherently involves less luck than a single elimination tournament. Over a 7 game series more often than not the best team wins a multigame series, because the luck has a chance to balance out and you have chances to adjust to the opponent. If the NCAA tournament were not single elimination it would do a better job crowning the best team, but obviously it would take much longer and take some of the excitement away from the event.

[ChicosBailBonds]

The "best" team throughout a season doesn't win tournaments quite often.  It's the team that is the hottest.  Does it take some "luck" to win the NCAA Tournament?  Sure.  But does it take some "luck" to win the NBA Championship?  Yup.  Ask Ray Allen, he didn't even look down to make sure he was behind the 3 point line at the end of regulation in Game 6.  So why is the NCAA Tournament a crapshoot but the NBA Playoffs are not?  You could find examples of it in every single sport.

Simple, margin for error.  You have one bad game in the NCAA tournament, you are home.  You can have 12 bad playoff games in the NBA and still win the title since each series is a best of 7.  The crapshoot factor is vastly reduced and it's also why in the NBA the top teams almost always win the championship.  Over 85% of the time the top seeds win the title, in the NCAA that number is barely at 50%.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Chicos, you're now a Hoyas fan as well?  The list just keeps growing!

Wait, nevermind, that's just the excuse fans of schools that consistently underachieve in the NCAA Tournament use.

One username...Georgetown fans are just smarter than some MU fans.   

[bilsu]

No way to know how good a coach Wojo will be. However, if you comapre him to Buzz he has the pedigree to be a better coach. Wojo started at point guard at Duke. Point guard is probably the most important position in college basketball. I do not think Buzz played college basketball. Right away that gives Wojo a better understanding of running a team from the players' standpoint. Wojo was an assistant for the best coach in college basketball, while Buzz was a journeyman. Does Wojo's pedigree make him successful is the big question as Buzz was more successful than he should of been. I think Wojo will end up being a great coach, if taking the MU job does not kill his career.

[brandx]

No way to know how good a coach Wojo will be. However, if you comapre him to Buzz he has the pedigree to be a better coach. Wojo started at point guard at Duke. Point guard is probably the most important position in college basketball. I do not think Buzz played college basketball. Right away that gives Wojo a better understanding of running a team from the players' standpoint. Wojo was an assistant for the best coach in college basketball, while Buzz was a journeyman. Does Wojo's pedigree make him successful is the big question as Buzz was more successful than he should of been. I think Wojo will end up being a great coach, if taking the MU job does not kill his career.

Would be interesting to see where they would rank Buzz. Just read the following from Bill Simmons about the NBA, but what coach does he really sound like he is describing?

"The NBA isn't complicated — to blow a series when you have a more talented team, you'd need an offensive game plan that's two steps below rudimentary, a slew of head-scratching rotation decisions, an overall emphasis on aggressively sloppy play, a stubborn refusal to change anything that's not working, a lack of recognition for basic stuff like "That guy is headed for 40 points, maybe we try something different defensively," and the confidence to keep making terrible game-management choices in the final minute without learning from the previous game's terrible game-management choices."

[hoyasincebirth]

I just find it hilarious that before the start of the season Marquette fans thought Buzz was the best coach in the Big East and now that he's gone he was a Purnell Level disaster.

[keefe]

Ray Allen, he didn't even look down to make sure he was behind the 3 point line

The great don't have to look...they just know

[MU Buff]

I just find it hilarious that before the start of the season Marquette fans thought Buzz was the best coach in the Big East and now that he's gone he was a Purnell Level disaster.

That's just how most people work. I guarantee if JT3 left tomorrow plenty of Georgetown fans would be saying good riddance, he always underachieved in the tournament. We can get someone better.

[CTWarrior]

That's just how most people work. I guarantee if JT3 left tomorrow plenty of Georgetown fans would be saying good riddance, he always underachieved in the tournament. We can get someone better.

I think a lot of that attitude is that last year was the first year Buzz actually did a poor coaching job.  His unwillingness to change course based on his initial impression of the team's strengths may have served him well in the past, but failed him this past season as the horses he chose to ride didn't have the right stuff. 

So I think Buzz is a good coach who, for reasons I don't know, had a really bad coaching season.  For the first time in his tenure, the whole was much less than the sum of the parts.

I guess, knowing what we know now, you could look back at that first sweet 16 season (Butler's senior season, with Buycks, Crowder, DJO, Cadougan, Gardner, Otule, etc) and say that maybe Buzz could have gotten more out of that team during the regular season, but it sure didn't seem like it at the time.

At any rate, as always, thank him for his service, wish him well, and forget about him and support Wojo.

[Skatastrophy]

I just find it hilarious that before the start of the season Marquette fans thought Buzz was the best coach in the Big East and now that he's gone he was a Purnell Level disaster.

It's the ex-girlfriend syndrome most sports fans have.