Coach of the Year by Conference

[Vowelguy]

Some thoughts with a month to go...

Big East: Muffet, HarryP, or Quentin
ACC: Frese for handling the small roster, Sylvia for a (so far) better than expected performance, JPM if Duke goes undefeated
SEC: Warlick or Staley
B10: Kim Barnes-Arico for turning Michigan into a top25 team in one season, or Coquese if PSU goes undefeated
B12: Okla St's Littel (1 yr removed from the horrible tragedy) or KMR
PAC: Cal's Lindsay Gottleib, UCLA's Cori Close, Washington's McGuff, Colorado's Lappe

 

[EricLA]

Can't argue with those suggestions. I'd like to see Harry or Quinten win it...

 

[ThisJustIn]

Ivy: Courtney Banghart -- I am surprised no ones has snatched her up.

American East: Katie Abrahamson-Henderson, Albany/Kelly Greenberg, Boston University. ln the three years KAH has been there, the Danes have established something, outpacing Hartford. Ditto with BU -- lordy, has Greenberg REALLY been their nine years? It's a dogfight.

A-10: Jim Jabir gets all the attention, and rightly so, but at Fordham, Stephanie Gaitley has more victories this season that the Rams have complied in a decade of games (or so it seems). I was skeered for her when she left Monmouth, but she seems to thrive when challenged.

Horizon: Youngstown State, Bob Boldon. The Penguins have been the laughingstock of the league for years. They're still no Green Bay, but they're much improved under this second year coach.

MAC: Central Michigan: Sue Guevara seems to have found her home at Central Michigan, and she's done a great job (especially now that the shady dealings at EMU have been exposed).
NEC: Quinnipiac -Longtime coach Tricia Fabbri has the Bobcats on their longest winning streak in program history.

MW: Fresno State, Raegan Pebely: The Bulldogs lost their coach lost their coach (and we know how THAT turned out), replaced late, and are still nipping at last year's surprise, San Diego State. Shouldn't actually be a surprise, Pebely has earned COY honors before.

Southern:Wes Moore and Chattanooga have reestablished the "natural" order, but under Charlotte Smith (yes, THAT Charlotte Smith) Elon has surprised the heck outta folks.

SWAC: Cynthia Cooper returned to the SWAC and has made an immediate impact on Texas Southern. Last year they won a total of 2 conference games . This year, they're second in the Conference (with the only overall winning record -- which ain't sayin' much, but it is a winning record.)

Sun Belt: Western Kentucky, Michelle Clark-Heard. Mel's already mentioned this coach as a Maggie Dixon Rookie Coach of the Year. (Though, considering the record of honorees post-award, you might wanna miss being tapped.)

 

[MilfordHusky]

No major disagreements, though I would not rule our Geno or Tara yet. Stanford has had to replace Nneka. Geno has loads of talent, but we are a KML three from being undefeated. And he has 6 underclassmen getting lots of action.

 

[Vowelguy]

Sun Belt: Western Kentucky, Michelle Clark-Heard. Mel's already mentioned this coach as a Maggie Dixon Rookie Coach of the Year. (Though, considering the record of honorees post-award, you might wanna miss being tapped.)

What's the Dixon criteria? I assumed that Warlick would win easily.

 

[ThisJustIn]

What's the Dixon criteria? I assumed that Warlick would win easily.

First year Division I. Yah, I guess, but everyone looked at the choice of Glance as a "Really?" because of her past experience. Also, compare last year's record to this year's, also "good" history v. "sucky, no one cares, fallen in to disrepair" history.

 

[Frodo]

I would certainly agree that Frese would deserve kudos for the way that she's handled that team with all the injuries, but I have to take exception to any mention of Hatchell, who I think is one of the worst head coaches in the country at a to Div I program. Despite a roster loaded with high school AA's virtually every year her teams perennially look like 5 girls running around a gym. Yeah, I know they're 19-2, but they've played a mediocre schedule...much like Duke...and they've been hammered by the only two teams they played that would be considered top teams. Yes, I know they beat Maryland at home, but anyone who watched the rematch last week in Maryland got a much more representative view of the kind of ball that UNC plays. Hatchell's team never seem to play any defense and are so disorganized and undisciplined on offense it makes me cringe to watch.

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

I don't care how she does it, and no, I'm no fan, but Hatchell is not one of the worst head coaches at a D1 program. She competes with the top teams in her conference and has that darn NC and close to 900 wins. Is she a great basketball mind - no idea - but she has a formula that works more often than not, no?

My quibble with the OP is that Michigan wasn't "that" bad previously and I think CW at Penn State wins in a landslide, barring an on-court disaster.