I first want to say that this is an outstanding group of coaches. There
is no
one in the conference that I look at and say, “He needs to go.” Every
head coach in the ACC has achieved some level of success with a major program
and taken at least one school to the NCAA tournament.
I dare say this is the
highest quality of coaching the conference has seen since the mid ‘80’s.
Back then, Dean Smith, Bobby Cremins, Lefty Driesell, Jim Valvano, Terry Holland,
and a young Coach K roamed the ACC sidelines.
On with the rankings:
#9-Pete Gillen, Virginia—The fact that Gillen,
one of the most entertaining personalities in the ACC, falls here emphasizes
my point about the quality of
coaching in the conference. Gillen built the Xavier program in the late 1980’s
and early ‘90’s, winning 20 games there seven times and mentoring
future head coach Skip Prosser. He also led Providence on a surprising run
to the Elite Eight in 1997.
Gillen took over a dormant Virginia program in
1998 and led them to a 20-win season and a return to the NCAA tournament in
2000-01. It has been a bumpy
road for him in Charlottesville since then, however. Over the last two seasons,
the
Cavaliers have lost 28 games and missed the NCAA’s both years. He has
had discipline problems with players, resulting in the departure of Jermaine Harper
and Keith Jennifer last year. He has already lost Jason Clark (not Devin Smith
as I erroneously reported in my last column) for the fall semester.
Gillen still
has several years left on his contract, but is facing growing discontent of
restless fans and alumni along with the need to gear the program
up to fill
a new 15,000 seat arena in 2006. He’s not on the hot seat yet, but it
is starting to warm up.
#8-Oliver Purnell, Clemson—Purnell comes to Clemson
after a successful 15-year head coaching career during which he has rebuilt
three basketball programs.
Most recently, he took Dayton from a 20-loss season to four straight years
of 20 wins, an Atlantic 10 championship, and two NCAA appearances. Purnell
has also
enjoyed success as a coach with several USA national teams in international
competition. He will be an assistant for Larry Brown at the 2004 Olympics.
Purnell
is not in the Atlantic 10 anymore; he is playing with the big boys. I rate
him this low only because he is not familiar with the ACC and has never
been a head coach in one of the power conferences. He takes over a Clemson
team
that clearly has the least talent in the league, and it will take him some
time to
build his roster to a level where he can compete in the ACC. He was an outstanding
hire for the Tigers, and you can be sure his teams will be organized, disciplined,
and play very hard every night.
#7-Paul Hewitt, Georgia Tech—Hewitt is
a young, polished, sincere man who has brought life back into a stagnant Yellow
Jacket program. He was the
ACC Coach
of the Year in 2001 after leading Tech into the NCAA tournament in his first
season.
Hewitt has had strong recruiting success, landing blue chippers like
Chris Bosh and Jarrett Jack. Bosh and the less heralded Ed Nelson won the last
two
ACC Rookie
of the Year awards, but unfortunately for Hewitt, neither will be on campus
this year. Bosh is with the NBA Toronto Raptors, Nelson transferred to Connecticut.
He is left with a small team that will play the up-tempo game he enjoyed success
with at Siena College.
I rank Hewitt this low because, after three seasons,
he has yet to post a winning record in ACC competition (8-8, 7-9, 7-9). The
jury is still out on his long-term
success in Atlanta, but a coach of his ability usually finds a way to win.
#6-Herb
Sendek, NC State—I was one of the many that thought Sendek’s
job was on the line two seasons ago, when the Wolfpack broke through with a
23-11 record and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Sendek
has reached
the ACC tournament finals three times, the only active coach besides Coack
K to do so.
Sendek and assistant coach Larry Hunter have successfully implemented
their version of the “Princeton offense.” This is essentially a
motion offense that does not feature a strong low-post presence and emphasizes
good
outside
shooting. He has put together a team well suited for this style.
It appears
to me that much of Sendek’s recent success has been built around
two recruiting classes that, if Julius Hodge turns pro this summer, will be
gone after the season. His roster does not appear deep enough to sustain those
losses,
and I can easily see a return to the NIT for the Pack in 2004-05. That would
probably have the moving vans circling Sendek’s home again. For this
year, however, he can still ride Hodge and the momentum of two straight NCAA
appearances.
#5-Leonard Hamilton, Florida State—As I mentioned in my last
column, I think Hamilton is doing an amazing job of rebuilding the Seminole
basketball
program. Last year, in his first season at Tallahassee, he did not see improvement
in the won-loss column, but he did successfully implement his tough, defensive
style and began developing a winning attitude. He is quickly bringing in talented
players that give Florida State a shot at cracking the top four in the conference.
His
early recruiting success here is no fluke. He proved he could lure quality
players to a Miami program that did not have nearly as much going for it as
Florida State. The sparkling new practice facility in Tallahassee, along with
renovations
at Leon County Civic Center, have been good selling points, but the best thing
Hamilton can sell is himself. So far, he has found plenty of buyers.
#4-Skip
Prosser, Wake Forest—Prosser is another coach that put life back
into a stagnant program. The most important news for the Demon Deacons this
summer was the fact that Prosser turned down a tempting offer from Pittsburgh
and committed
to Wake for the long-term.
Prosser has seamlessly blended players recruited
by former coach Dave Odom and his new recruits, a task that has tripped up
many fine coaches. As he continues
to bring in strong recruiting classes geared more toward the faster pace he
likes
his teams to play, the foundation for success grows even stronger for the Deacons.
Prosser
is an engaging, eloquent man who has energized the fan base in Winston-Salem.
He should have Wake competing for the ACC championship well into the foreseeable
future.
#3-Roy Williams, North Carolina—I know, I know; how can I have
the man with the highest winning percentage among active coaches ranked third!
My primary
reason is the fact that he has been in Kansas for the past 15 years. I know
he kept up with the Tar Heels, but that’s a lot different than coaching
them and scouting their opponents. It will take ‘ol Roy some time to
relearn the ACC. The fact that he spent time coaching the USA National Team
this summer
didn’t help.
Williams is an outstanding coach, one of the best in the
nation. DUH! (Not DOH!) He still has to learn about and develop relationships
with his players
and learn
about his conference opponents. For this ranking, at this time, that is a significant
disadvantage, but one that he will quickly overcome and return “The Carolina
Way” to Chapel Hill.
#2-Gary Williams, Maryland—Just as Roy’s
status as a newcomer hurts him in this ranking, Gary’s 15 year tenure
at Maryland is a huge advantage. With a National Championship banner and a
new arena to hang it from, Williams
has built a rock-solid base for the Terrapin basketball program. Ten straight
NCAA appearances speak to its consistency, two Final Four’s in the last
three years speak to its excellence.
Williams has grown by leaps and bounds
as a coach during his time at Maryland. He has improved his recruiting and
established a strong track record in developing
players, two areas his critics pointed to as serious deficiencies a few years
ago.
By the time they wrap up their careers, both Williams’ will merit strong
consideration for the Basketball Hall of Fame.
#1-Coach K—I could spend
all day reciting his accomplishments, but the ones that jump out are: 3 national
championships, 9 Final Fours, 8 ACC championships,
a 60-16 record in the NCAA tournament, a 590-175 record in 23 seasons at Duke.
He is already in the Hall of Fame, and deservedly so. He continues to recruit
blue-chippers, play difficult schedules, and he has never been tagged with
an NCAA violation in the process. Coach K (I have a policy of not typing his
last
name, it keeps locking up my computer) is simply the most successful basketball
coach in the nation.
Question for the Jury—Do you think I was wrong in my ranking of your
favorite (or least favorite) coach? Let me know at thecourtmaster@aol.com.
In my last question, I asked how fans felt about the changing geography of
the ACC. Most of the responses I received viewed the conference as more mid-atlantic
than southern and weren’t all that upset about the northward expansion
to include Boston College.
CourtMaster Briefs
Earlier this week, Duke President Nan Keohane introduced “Professor
K”,
part of the university’s new Fuqua/Coach K Center of Leadership and Ethics.
Now wait just a cotton pickin’ minute here. What’s next for K,
Sainthood? Was he afraid he would get second billing to Mother Theresa when
she was beatified
this week?
Here are some issues I hope he discusses during his first ethics
lecture:
- Receiving large sums of money from an athletic apparel manufacturer
for outfitting his players in the company’s gear
- Using abusive profanity
in addressing players and coaches
- Allowing his players to taunt opponents
- Intimidation of referees during games
Most coaches of major college basketball
programs (including Coach K) do these things. Coach K, however, is the only
one who is considered such a paragon
of virtue that his name is attached to a Center of Ethics. Hearing him justify
these
practices, plus finally answering questions about issues colored in a shade
of gray (Corey Maggette, Pete Gaudet, for example) would be one college lecture
that would keep me awake. It is one no one is likely to ever hear.
Let me
know what you think on the message board or by e-mail at thecourtmaster@aol.com.
In my next column, I’ll identify my choices for each team’s Most
Indispensable Player. Until then, court is adjourned.