Best NCAA coach in the game right now?

[BubbleKnuts 569]

Who and why? :) There are a lot that come to mind. Obviously Coach K has the most championships and will be a popular answer. <br /><br /><br />Sent from my iPhone using BtownBanners

[mdn82 25,546]

Question is pretty subjective to preference.  Mine being Coach K or Billy Donovan.  Coach K because of knowledge and ability to adapt to rule changes over different eras.  Donovan due to the level of toughness and basic skills his players consistently play with. 

[Chips&Dipo 1,464]

My only thing about Coach K is that 2 out of the last 3 years his teams have been knocked out of the first round despite being extremely heavy favorites and having arguably the best basketball players in the country. 

 

Billy Donovan is a good one. Every year I assume his teams won't do well in the tournament because they play in the SEC, and every year his teams go deep into the tournament.

 

I'll just go with Bo Ryan. He does the most without getting top ten recruits every year. He has a game plan, recruits around that game plan, and wins. . . . . .

 

I now realize Bo doesn't have any championships, which opens me up to criticism. So I change my answer to Izzo for similar reasons to Bo (except he gets better talent). I am sure to change my answer many times again.

[Happydaze 232]

Rick Pitino

 

Tom Izzo

[Hovadipo 57,290]

Calipari wins games. And until he gets busted for "cheating" at UK, I will hear no arguments about it. All he's done is win there. How he turned around this last team in such a short time is beyond me. I'll throw in the obvious Izzo and Pitino too. Sent from my iPhone using BtownBanners

[Dalton26 16,892]

Cal
Coach k
Izzo
Billy Donavon
Pitino

I don't think any of those are a bad choice.



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[Walking Boot of Doom 18,170]

I hate it, but Cal. He's the bests recruiter, a good in game coach, and he wins. I don't know if it's even that close right now. Maybe Pitino is the closest second for me. Sent from my place of advanced, analytical thinking: the toilet.

[WayneFleekHoosier 48,968]

1. Billy Donovan
2. Coach K
3. Slimy Calipari


Others

Ryan
Izzo
Matta
Boeheim
Bennett
Few
Miller
Marshall
Pitino
Smart

[JSHoosier 20,661]

I'd have to give it to either Izzo or K, Donovan is up there too though.

 

As much as I hate to admit it, Cal is a good coach in his own right.  

[Josh 12,743]

Calipari is a great recruiter, perhaps the best I've seen.  But with all that talent, who couldn't win games?  I don't think he's a great coach, he just has great talent in a poor conference.

 

My choice would be Coach K, maybe Bo Ryan, maybe Billy Donovan.

[shortspacequickness 1,034]

Rick Pitino.

[Hovadipo 57,290]

[quote name="Josh" post="76155" timestamp="1406924705"]Calipari is a great recruiter, perhaps the best I've seen. But with all that talent, who couldn't win games? I don't think he's a great coach, he just has great talent in a poor conference.

My choice would be Coach K, maybe Bo Ryan, maybe Billy Donovan.[/quote]

Cal is incredible at managing egos. Bringing in 6 or 7 of the top 75 players in the country each year actually has its downfalls. Guys don't get the PT that they would get anywhere else and I'm sure it stirs some trouble on that team. But it seems most years he pulls everyone together at the right time, especially last year.


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[Josh 12,743]

Cal is incredible at managing egos. Bringing in 6 or 7 of the top 75 players in the country each year actually has its downfalls. Guys don't get the PT that they would get anywhere else and I'm sure it stirs some trouble on that team. But it seems most years he pulls everyone together at the right time, especially last year.


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So does he coach....or manage egos?  I guess I like to think of great coaches as somebody who wins despite not being talented.  Somebody like Bob Knight or Bo Ryan.  That's coaching.

[NoahW35 459]

As much as I hate to say it, Calipari can absolutely coach. He and John Beilein are at the top for me.

Billy Donovan
Rick Pitino
Fred Hoiberg
Tony Bennett
Coach K... Up there as well

[JSHoosier 20,661]

So does he coach....or manage egos?  I guess I like to think of great coaches as somebody who wins despite not being talented.  Somebody like Bob Knight or Bo Ryan.  That's coaching.

He manages egos and coaches.  Last year's team didn't play like the typical Cal/UK team, he adapted his system to best fit the players he had and that is part of coaching.  They also improved over the course of the year, that's part of coaching too.

 

Not even a deity could comprehend how much I utterly despise both Cal and UK, but even I have to give credit where it's due. 

[Hovadipo 57,290]

[quote name="Josh" post="76160" timestamp="1406925115"]So does he coach....or manage egos? I guess I like to think of great coaches as somebody who wins despite not being talented. Somebody like Bob Knight or Bo Ryan. That's coaching.[/quote]

So you're going to knock Cal for being a great recruiter? Knight and Ryan obviously are great at exactly what you said. Cal recruits, brings his guys together, and guides them to wins on a fairly consistent basis.


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[Josh 12,743]

So you're going to knock Cal for being a great recruiter? Knight and Ryan obviously are great at exactly what you said. Cal recruits, brings his guys together, and guides them to wins on a fairly consistent basis.


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I'm not knocking him for being a great recruiter.   I praised him for it.  It takes more than that to be a great coach though.

[Hutch89 2,946]

here we go!...

[Hovadipo 57,290]

[quote name="Josh" post="76166" timestamp="1406926143"]I'm not knocking him for being a great recruiter. I praised him for it. It takes more than that to be a great coach though.[/quote]

I think that he is a good coach in the strategic sense too, though. Not just a sculpter of huge egos and a recruiter. I thought JS layed it out pretty nicely above on how he worked the X's in O's in UK's favor en route to the ship last year. Not a whole lot of guys could've turned things around strategically and morale wise in my opinion.


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[BubbleKnuts 569]

Cal <br />Coach k <br />Izzo <br />Billy Donavon <br />Pitino <br /><br />I don't think any of those are a bad choice. <br /><br /><br /><br />Sent from my iPhone using BtownBanners mobile app

<br /><br />Nope, not at all sir. I'd put Boeheim up there too. <br /><br /><br />Sent from my iPhone using BtownBanners