Best Jobs In College Hoops

[swerb]

Spinoff of the Thad to UK thread.

What do you feel are the elite jobs in college basketball? Two tiers I want from everyone.

Here's what I got ...

Top Tier - Duke, North Carolina, Kansas, Arizona

Second Tier - Ohio State, Michigan State, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisville, UCLA, Florida, Maryland, Texas, Illinois, Syracuse

[jdrake10]

I - Duke, NC, UCLA
II - UConn, Kansas, AZ, Indiana, Kentucky
III or less - Michigan State, Ohio State, Louisville, Florida, Maryland, Texas, Illinois, Syracuse

You forgot UConn (due to them having a tough year no doubt).

[swerb]

Yes, UConn was an omission.

[furls]

Tier I:

UNC, Duke, UCLA, UCONN.

Tier II:

Ohio State, Texas, Kansas, Louisville, Florida

Tier III:

Kentucky, Arizona, Maryland, Indiana, Illinois, MSU

I based my criteria as much as I could on the current (within 3 years or so) state of the program, Athletic department, conference, national coverage, facilities, and general momentum. While history is important to some extent with it often comes unrealistic expectations, so you have to consider that. This is why I think the IU job sucks ass. They are about 4th or 5th in the Big Ten pecking order, but people still think of it as a great hoops school although it hasnt been in a while.

What is interesting to note is that I think a lot of the football schools (big budget ADs) are really gaining steam in hoops. Ohio State, Texas, and Florida are now pretty elite programs and they are improving rapidly.

[jdrake10]

Furls, I like UConn in Tier 1. I almost did that. I had them as a bubble team!

Obviously, both long-term and short-term history is important. In football I would agree with you that recent history is more important. But in basketball I think long-term history is more important in making a position a dream job. Thus I have completely different teams than you in Tier 2. Indiana is tough because they have a wacky variable that most don’t have. Their athletic department is a big thorn in that program right now.

[furls]

I would argue the opposite about history. Since NCAA football is a popularity contest (poll driven) history is more important. That is why every year you still see FSU, UofMiami, and ND highly ranked. Moreover these high early rankings give these teams a leg up on teams with the same record at the end of the season, directly impacting bowls, final rankings, recruiting.

History in NCAA hoops is much less important because of the tournament format and the fact that a large portion of "fans" are only part time watchers (specifically the tournament). Therefore, I think that a programs momentum is more "results" based than history based. Here is an example, few people care that OSU was 25-5 last year and entered the tournament as a number 2 and were in the top 8. Nope, what sticks out is that they were ousted in the second round.

THere is a lot more potential to build a new, powerful college hoops program than to build a new, powerful college football team.

[pup]

THere is a lot more potential to build a new, powerful college hoops program than to build a new, powerful college football team.

I agree with this, but for a slightly different reason. 1 recruit can turn a basketball program around. That one player can begin a ripple effect in hoops much more than football. One great season can turn a program into a fixture for a decade.

[jdrake10]

Furls, I think you make some good points. The polls are many things but I don’t think they are a reflection of a job being a dream job though. There are too many other variables that go into the polls.

My thinking was that in football, a storied program like Penn State or Alabama hardly seems like a dream job anymore. Coaches showed they are willing to stay put at schools with recent success like Rutgers and West Virginia rather than bolt for Bama, (who could not find anyone until they threw so much money at Nick Saban that he could not refuse). I will be curious to see how much interest the Michigan job attracts once Ohio State whoops them again next year.

[jdrake10]

Pups, I cannot think of a basketball program that grew powerful by having one great recruit or one great season? I can think of many teams that had success for one year and then went back to normal though. Kent State, George Mason, St Joseph, Miami Ohio (Szerbiak).

[furls]

Apparently UK is no longer the "dream job" that it was supposed to be. THey are now down to their third choice now that Barnes and Donovan have turned it down.

Like I said, being a football school does not preclude you from being a good hoops school. If you have passionate fans they will get passionate about hoops too.

Who wouldve thought (10-20 years ago) that the basketball coaches at Florida and Texas would have told UK to piss up a rope.

[swerb]

Guy I do business with is a big time Wildcat guy down in KY.

He's swearing up and down to me that Travis Ford would not only be the right hire, but there's a good chance of it happening.

IMO, Calipari should be the choice for UK. I'd back up the Brinks Truck for him if I was UK. He's one of the best college coaches in the country, hands down ... putting together Final Four caliber teams in short order at the University of Massachusets and the University of Memphis.

[pup]

My Kentucky peeps are still calling for Thad.

[leadpipe]

I would agree with many of Furls' rankings, however, a place like Kentucky has greater potential to return to tier one status as a basketball program than an OSU or Florida. While being a football power doesn't deter a basketball power, these programs will never consume the whole state like Kentucky basketball. With all Florida's hype even this year, the state paid them little attention until January. A mediocre University of Kentucky basketball team, with a coach under fie, drew 24,000 people for midnight madness.

[furls]

Calipari should be the choice for UK. I'd back up the Brinks Truck for him if I was UK. He's one of the best college coaches in the country, hands down ... putting together Final Four caliber teams in short order at the University of Massachusets and the University of Memphis

Calipari has a reputation in college athletic inner circles as a shady guy that thrives in NCAA rules gray areas. I don't think a top tier program would touch him after the mess he left at UMass.

[yargs7]

Here is the criterium that I feel makes a coaching position a "DREAM JOB"...

#1-Money (salary, athletic dept revenue, alumnus support, etc)
#2-Facilities (stadiums, arenas, campus location, practice facilities, weight rooms, etc)
#3-Exposure (tv coverage based on conference, bowl games, tourney appereances, former players in the pros, etc)

Based on that (Basketball Wise) I think you have to put Ohio St, Florida, and Texas in the top tier along with UNC, Kansas, UCLA, and Kentucky.

Puke, Arizona, Syracuse, and UConn do not have as much to offer a coach as the schools above. They are great programs NOW because of the coaches who run them. Look at Indiana since Knight left. That was supposed to be a "dream job". That place sucks! Storrs, Connecticut will suck for the next coach NOT named Jim Calhoun.

Exception to the rule...Alumni. e.i. Bob Huggins