Coach K

[tzznandrew]

God this thread is a tough look for the board.

This board has been embarrassing itself for a while, and this thread is just peak Boneyard.

 

[temery]

This thread has a chance to be an all-timer.

I wonder what Coach Ks favorite pizza is?

 

[McLovin]

In his time at Duke (1980-81):

He has:

over 1000 games
5 titles
12 Final Fours
16 E8s (12-4 in the E8!!!)
25 S16
12 Regular Season titles
15 Conference Tournament Titles

The only program that's on par with what he alone has done is UNC over that period. And they started as the destination school in the state with a HOF coach and a prior coach that had won titles. It gave UNC a head start of over 6 years (where they collected a title another Final Fours).

And when K went there, his program was #3 in North Carolina.

I'm not going to count wins, but

UNC

5 titles
13 Final Fours
20 E8s
27 S16
18 regular season conference titles
10 Conference Tournament titles

Kentucky

3 titles
9 Final Fours
19 E8s
24 S16
17 regular season conference titles
19 Conference Tournament titles

Kansas

2 titles
9 Final Fours
15 E8s
23 S16
24 regular season conference titles
15 Conference Tournament titles

He puts Kentucky and Kansas to shame. Put up by comparison.

UConn

4 titles
5 Final Fours
10 E8s
14 S16
10 regular season conference titles
8 Conference Tournament titles

His record is unbelievable. Single game elimination means teams are going to lose flukey games. But the best programs in the country couldn't win more titles than him in his time. So, that's gotta tell you something, right?

Yeah but when you have the LeBron James of college basketball, what is the excuse for losing? Team squeaked out 2 wins (not to mention they were losing at half time against the 16 seed) and then finally lost. I agree single elimination allows for "fluky" events. But hey, Bellichick seems to have no problem wining single elimination tournaments...

 

[Ts5034]

Bottom line...Its hard to win, simple as that. Do I like Coach K and Duke? No, Do I respect Coach K? Yes. The guy has won 5 National Championships and over 1,100 games. You cant make the argument that Coach K is in any way shape or form over rated, and that goes for a lot of other coaches as well. Other fanbases may say Jim Calhoun is not a great coach. Well, Calhoun has won 3 National Championships (1 of only 6 coaches to do so) and won almost 900 games in his career. So when people say things like that about the all time greats, what are they basing that off of?

 

[McLovin]

Let's see what he does as a 19 year old against the pros, first, maybe? Since he's neither 19 nor playing against pros.

Also, I mean, why is it that he's either LeBron or he's not "a great basketball player"? You get that that's crazy, right?

Because the media hype machine (which fuels future recruits into the coach K funnel) anointed him as so. Coach K gets put on a pedestal and this was his crown jewel. And he flopped.

 

[tzznandrew]

Yeah but when you have the LeBron James of college basketball, what is the excuse for losing? Team squeaked out 2 wins (not to mention they were losing at half time against the 16 seed) and then finally lost. I agree single elimination allows for "fluky" events. But hey, Bellichick seems to have no problem wining single elimination tournaments...

Belichick didn't win anything with the Browns. Now, sure, he's won 6 titles, but he's also been upset a number of times.

Remember, there are far fewer teams in football, much greater continuity, and the playoffs are much shorter. Get home field, and you have to win two games at home before you're in the Superbowl. That's much different than a 64 team tournament.

You also have a week to prepare. And have played most of these teams. It's not a great comparison.

Further, it's not like LeBron has won the title every year.

 

[intlzncster]

Remember 20 years ago? Midway during the first period. Calhoun puts in Antrim Klaiber for several minutes. Tells K, we can beat you with our second string. K is a great recruiter helped enormously by the name DUKE and Dookie V. Calhoun was really a better recruiter and head and shoulders a better bench coach. We still have more NC in the last 30 years than K does.

I'll favor just about any JC over K argument--because I'm biased--but how exactly is JC a better recruiter when K ends up with every other AA?

 

[Kenny11]

The truth is that most college coaches are not great x’s and o’s guys. Those type of coaches are in the nba, especially as assistants. Coach K recruits great talent and gets his teams to play hard and generally play together. He’s no genius.

 

[McLovin]

Belichick didn't win anything with the Browns. Now, sure, he's won 6 titles, but he's also been upset a number of times.

Remember, there are far fewer teams in football, much greater continuity, and the playoffs are much shorter. Get home field, and you have to win two games at home before you're in the Superbowl. That's much different than a 64 team tournament.

You also have a week to prepare. And have played most of these teams. It's not a great comparison.

Further, it's not like LeBron has won the title every year.

Well I guess that's why they play the tournament. ESPN basically gave Zion and Coach K the trophy before the year. Nice to see someone ripped it from their hands.

 

[tzznandrew]

Well I guess that's why they play the tournament. ESPN basically gave Zion and Coach K the trophy before the year. Nice to see someone ripped it from their hands.

I mean, let's be clear. I'm happy they lost.

But the 2015 Kentucky team not winning is a much crazier outcome than this.

And losing to another potential 1 seed in the E8 doesn't diminish his legacy.

His performance relative to seed and relative to KenPom hasn't been great since 2000 (though he has 4 Final Fours and 3 titles in that range), but keep in mind most of his overperforming relative to seeds was in the 80s and 90s. His teams had a knack for getting to the Final Four from about 1986-1994.

Tourney Stats, PASE (Performance Against Seed Expectations) and PAKE

 

[Purple Stein]

He's won more games then anyone ever.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. But what's his xFIP?

 

[Palatine]

K doesn't even do his own recruiting. Vital has put kids on a platter for him for decades.

I have often said and still believe that if Dickie V recruited for UConn instead of Duke, Calhoun would have won 10 national championships.

 

[RayIsTheGOAT]

Coach K dyes his hair with the soul of the devil change my mind

 

[Horatio]

This board has been embarrassing itself for a while, and this thread is just peak Boneyard.

I really don’t understand what you expect? Maturity, Sportsmanship, Full respect for Coach K? OUR program is rock bottom right now and this is a Coach K thread on the Boneyard. SMH. He’s ok, I guess

 

[Hankster]

we lost to George Friggin Mason with 6 players that went to the NBA

On a bogus call that should never have been called. Is that ref still living in the US?

 

[temery]

I'll favor just about any JC over K argument--because I'm biased--but how exactly is JC a better recruiter when K ends up with every other AA?

Calhoun had a great eye for talent, and he was able to convince many talented players to want to come to UConn.

It's kind of the reverse for programs like Duke, UNC, and Kentucky. Talent comes to them.

 

[tzznandrew]

I really don’t understand what you expect? Maturity, Sportsmanship, Full respect for Coach K? OUR program is rock bottom right now and this is a Coach K thread. SMH.

I don't give a crap about sportsmanship or respect for Coach K.

But what I would expect are people having actual informed opinions that take into consideration something beyond our own deranged prejudices. It's a basketball board: it'd be nice to actually have a reasonable discussion about basketball.

But when threads are irrationally calling K and Calipari failures when we'd be lucky as hell to be where they are now, or when every single game thread gets overrun by people complaining about the refs and insinuating there's some cabal preordaining the Final Four? Yeah, it gets annoying.

Because it actually drowns out what could be a good discussion.

 

[Horatio]

I don't give a crap about sportsmanship or respect for Coach K.

But what I would expect are people having actual informed opinions that take into consideration something beyond our own deranged prejudices. It's a basketball board: it'd be nice to actually have a reasonable discussion about basketball.

But when threads are irrationally calling K and Calipari failures when we'd be lucky as hell to be where they are now, or when every single game thread gets overrun by people complaining about the refs and insinuating there's some cabal preordaining the Final Four? Yeah, it gets annoying.

Because it actually drowns out what could be a good discussion.

Yeah I understand your point. Coach K is ok.
You can not discount the ridiculous amount of ringers he and Calipari get.

 

[Hankster]

Calhoun had a great eye for talent, and he was able to convince many talented players to want to come to UConn.

It's kind of the reverse for programs like Duke, UNC, and Kentucky. Talent comes to them.

Great point. AND developed them.

 

[tzznandrew]

Yeah I understand your point. Coach K is ok

Yeah, he's one of the best coaches of all time. Also true: the last 20 years of his career, though he has as many titles as Calhoun's whole career in them, are less impressive than the first 20. He's had more talent (by and large) and bigger flameouts.

 

[Lynyrd]

 

[8893]

Let's see what he does as a 19 year old against the pros, first, maybe? Since he's neither 19 nor playing against pros.

Also, I mean, why is it that he's either LeBron or he's not "a great basketball player"? You get that that's crazy, right?

This x1000. The story is still being written. I saw him play live this season in the St. John’s game and it was like he was a different species than the other players. I have no idea what the future holds for him as a pro but he was so obviously on a different plane than the other players that it was almost freakish.

 

[RayIsTheGOAT]

Let's remember the kind of target Duke basketball has on their back every time they step out on the floor.
If there's anything to criticize K for, it would be for buying into the Calimari 1-and-done method too much as it has proven to not be a great formula for March+April success.
He just lost to a very hot and very good veteran Michigan State team by 1 point in the elite 8.

He's a great coach and a solid dude. Shoot me.

 

[Palatine]

K has done less with more than almost any coach in history.

 

[RayIsTheGOAT]

K has done less with more than almost any coach in history.

He's also done more than almost any coach in history.