ESPN Preseason Top 25

[Stainmaster]

lol pump the brakes

I'm super happy Hurley is our coach. I think that in the long run, he will achieve what should be viewed as a great success here. But I fear people are going to end up pretty disappointed if they're expecting "all-time great." No matter how good a guy looks coming in, the true greats are so rare that the numbers are almost always against it.

Would it be great if he became the next Calhoun/Coach K/Wooden/whomever? Of course. I don't think anyone should hold it against him if he doesn't quite reach that plateau.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Among the greats in college basketball history? I mean, it's possible, but I think this is more a case of overreacting to things like promise, energy, and competence when we haven't had that in a couple years. My gut tells me he's a good coach who won't necessarily always stand out nationally - which is fine.

I agree with your first point, and @Stainmaster in saying it's way too soon to put that kind of label or pressure on him. All time great? That's not a long list.

On the other hand "good coach who won't stand out nationally" is underselling him. He was able to stand out nationally at URI, which should be very difficult. I think we also discount what he learned from his dad, who "stood out nationally", even as a HS coach. I think Dan Hurley can be one of the top 20 coaches in the country, and I don't think that's a stretch. In our league, Marshall is already there at a program with fewer resources. So is Mark Few. Williams and K are retiring soon, so is Boeheim. Izzo won't last much longer either. Pitino is gone.

So who are the stand out coaches of the next decade or so? Donovan and Stevens are gone to the NBA. Self and Cal will be around for awhile. Marshall, Few, Beilein, Bo Ryan, Tony Bennett, who else do you have? Holtmann looks good. Sean Miller? Huggins?

 

[champs99and04]

I agree with your first point, and @Stainmaster in saying it's way too soon to put that kind of label or pressure on him. All time great? That's not a long list.

On the other hand "good coach who won't stand out nationally" is underselling him. He was able to stand out nationally at URI, which should be very difficult. I think we also discount what he learned from his dad, who "stood out nationally", even as a HS coach. I think Dan Hurley can be one of the top 20 coaches in the country, and I don't think that's a stretch. In our league, Marshall is already there at a program with fewer resources. So is Mark Few. Williams and K are retiring soon, so is Boeheim. Izzo won't last much longer either. Pitino is gone.

So who are the stand out coaches of the next decade or so? Donovan and Stevens are gone to the NBA. Self and Cal will be around for awhile. Marshall, Few, Beilein, Bo Ryan, Tony Bennett, who else do you have? Holtmann looks good. Sean Miller? Huggins?

He'll stand out nationally to people who are paying attention. I'm just not sure that when Bleacher Report or whatever comes out with their list of top ten coaches that he is going to be included. I think he will end up accomplishing about what Ollie was supposed to accomplish, which, in this conference, will be good enough to be in the mix. That's all I can really ask for.

In addition to the coaches you named (Bo Ryan retired), I'd offer Jay Wright, Chris Mack, Archie Miller, Buzz Williams, Mike Brey, Mike White, Bobby Hurley, Chris Beard, Kevin Willard, Billy Kennedy, Matt Painter, Kevin Keatts, Eric Musselman, etc. And that's not including guys like Ed Cooley, Mick Cronin, Kelvin Sampson, Chris Collins, Tim Jankovich, Jamie Dixon, and Shaka Smart, nor is it accounting for the possibility of someone like Fred Hoiberg dropping back into the college ranks with one more bad season in Chicago.

Point being, the numbers crunch is more intense than you think once you start going through team by team. The NCAA Tournament causes people to forget a lot of the great work coaches do, and inevitably, if Hurley's a good one, he'll suffer the same fate. How many reputations have been shaped with one or two tournament loss? My projection accounts for how unfair this can be as much as it does anything else.

 

[Balker]

He'll stand out nationally to people who are paying attention. I'm just not sure that when Bleacher Report or whatever comes out with their list of top ten coaches that he is going to be included. I think he will end up accomplishing about what Ollie was supposed to accomplish, which, in this conference, will be good enough to be in the mix. That's all I can really ask for.

Hall. Of. Fame.

 

[BLUEDOGHOUSE]

NCAAB 2018/19 All-Conference Team Predictions