I think it is a good hire - she isn't a rock star, but definitely solid with a decent success at Delaware (.621 winning record.)
CTT is 488-294 at AZ (.624) with 14 NCAAs and 2 E8 and 3 S16 appearances - within the Pac she is 247-190 for .565 And overall she is 528-334 for .613. That is certainly good, but not great for a P5 coach - she has 2 Pac regular season crowns and 6 2nd place finishes but she also had 9 .500 seasons or worse in the Pac in her 25 seasons. Her average season across her 28 year history is 19-12 - to me fairly successful, above average,
Appreciate your thoughts. We both agree that CTT is successful which probably could end the discussion.
Successful coaching is successful coaching. A great teacher at the high school d3, d2 d1 level all work in a profession in which the results are reflected the character of their teams as well as the results on the court.
As you originally pointed out you considered various degrees of success with fairly perhaps being below average success? Obviously as a long time Sun Devil fan I'm biased although I think there's a firm foundation in my assessment of Coach Turner Thorne as successful.
Clearly not as successful as the pillars of the profession and not in the same category as Geno, Tara, Pat or those other great coaches who could be referred to by their first name only. I guess I would argue she's in that next category right beneath that who can be referred to by initials a la CTT.
Thoughtful and interesting analysis. I think your historical scope provides an interesting point for discussion. Setting aside for a second the tiny number of women's basketball coaches who achieve 500 victories which reflects the rarity of a long time coaching career I wondered if you considered the beginning of that career.
After a turnaround at NAU bringing success to a program that struggled for 15 years prior to her arrival she moved down i-17 to an equally daunting situation as ASU had suffered mightily in the 10 years before she came.
CTT winning per cent .613
Fairly successful coaches
Diane Nolan 570 wins. . 530 per cent
Wanda Waktins 549 . 553
Brenda Paul 507. 519
Jane Albright. 512. 519
I would point to the turnaround at two programs, competing at a high level in a power five conference, maintaining an overall winter percentage above .600 as clearly a notch above the fairly successful category exemplified by the fairly successful coaches above.
But we're knit picking aren't we. 500 wins in coaching is an achievement by less than 100 coaches over 50 plus years signifies an exclusive club.
As a fan of the U I suspect that you would have assessments about the successful coaches in the past whether it's on the hardwood or on the gridiron that might be tempered by your geographic location and admiration for the program.
Likewise as a lifelong Sun Devil (78, 80) and a long time fan of admirer of the work that CTT has invested in our program, I'm quite comfortable in recognizing her success as a coach. The Five-Year graduation rate of her players over the years is very close to 100%. In her final semester as a coach her team achieved a GPA of 3.74 which is consistent with the prior academic success of her student athletes over the years.
Coaches Nolan, Watkins, Albright and Paul, are fairly successful coaches. On this I'm confident we can agree.
CTT is a successful coach. I feel very grateful to have had the opportunity to watch the results of her work over the years here in Tempe. She will not easily be replaced. Coach Adair appears to be a wonderful coach and I'm confident she'll fill the big shoes left behind by CTT.
Appreciate the opportunity to disagree agreeably on the BY. I really find the commitment to women's basketball on this board to be truly inspiring and gives me hope that broader appeal, greater visibility, and greater rewards lay ahead for all the participants in WBB.