To directly address your comment, I agree that Nova does not have the same level of historical success as UNC, Kentucky and Kansas.
Or Providence after Rick Pitino and Rick Barns, or St John's after Lou Carnesecca, Georgetown after John Thompson Sr. Big East is dieing a slow death.
As far as an overall conference, the there is a parallel to the coaches in the Big East today and the coaches of the 80s. The Big East is more of a destination than a stepping stone and is being defined by coaches with strong ties to their programs. Wright, Cooley, McDermott, and Mack are at a high level and are tied to their programs beyond their current contract. Ewing and Mullin obviously have their alumni ties and we shall see how effective they are at rebuilding. Willard is at a high level, but might not be tied to SH so much.
If I may dare to make a comparison between Kansas and Nova, Nova also has not converted high seedings into more NCs. Nova has a dominant regular season run for 5 years running but only one NC, and that being its only FF in the run.
You're forgetting one thing, in the 80's almost half the teams in the sweet sixteen were from the Big East, and three made it to the FF one year. This year the Big East will be lucky to get one to the sweet 16 or regional final. Comparing Lou Carnesecca, PJ, John Thompson, Rollie, Pitino, Barns, Calhoun, Boeheim, Jamie Dixon, Bill Raftery, and Dave Gavitt, to the guys you mentioned is like comparing NFL HOF's to AAC football all stars.
Dave Gavitt never coached in the Big East. Dixon didn't coach in the Big East in the 80s or even the 90s. Raftery's contribution to the conference is as an announcer, he coached like a year in the conference. Jay Wright compares well to all of the coaches mentioned already. The other current coaches may compare well to your listed coaches in the 80s. Calhoun's legendary success was more after the 80s.
You can argue about who coached in what decade all you want, but your main point about almost all the present day BE coaches comparing well with the ones I named, some of whom founded the conference, Dave Gavitt included, is a joke. Jay Wright, and he's the only one presently coaching in the BE I'll give you this on, compares well with Dixon and Barns, but the rest of them I would say you're off by light years. The Big East conference is dieing a slow death, and Jay Wright knows it. If a coaching position opens up in the ACC or the Big Ten or PAC 12, at one of the bigger programs, I'm not so sure Wright would stay at Villanova if offered a lucrative P5 position.
I think the joke is you not knowing Big East coaches in the 80s, and talking about it.
That's foolish. Jay turned down Texas and Kentucky.
I know he did, not so sure though he will do it next time. The Big East doesn't recruit nearly as many top players as it used to, and Villanova is finding it's conference schedule now is a liability.
C'mon, you're just talkin' bout stuff you don't know about. Nova lands great talent.
Yes I do, and they were much better coaches that the Big East fields now, they were better recruiters and better teachers of the game. Even though the BE attracted many top highly recruited players out of high school, those founding coaches could mold lesser talented kids into BE stars as well. The year Rollie won it all, his best player IMO might of been Dwayne McClain who was not a big recruit at all. Rollie could teach and coach up less highly recruited kids, as could John Thompson, Boeheim (Moton, Stevie Thompson, Red Bruin, Seikaly) Calhoun (Cliff, Ray Allen, Rip), Carnesecca (Mullin, Wennington).
I'm not talking about Nova, I'm talking about who they play against in the conference. Besides Villanova, name the last Big East team that landed a top 5 recruit, and how long ago it was. Their schedule is becoming a cake walk. You came to the Big East party as a fan 20 or 30 years too late my friend.
That's just dumb. Top 5? We have never pulled in top 5 recruits. When was the last time Nova or UConn landed a Top 5? Who is KO's highest rated recruit?
Oh really, hmmm....Patrick Ewing, Billy Owens, Charles Smith, Alonzo Mourning, Carmelo Anthony, Dikembe Motumbo, Reggie Williams, Donyell Marshall, not sure what Ed Pinckney was ranked coming out of high school, maybe not top 5 but he was up there...... players like that won't touch the Big East anymore, even a top 50 recruit is an eye opener and a rarity these days.
Yes, he was Mr Basketball but was not a top 10 recruit, and many basketball pundits thought he was too slow for the college game. IIRC he almost went to Villanova. Lol. Carnesecca was the perfect coach for him.
I'd guess Tim Thomas was Nova's highest ranked recruit.
The kid from Trumbull coming out of high school was highly ranked, don't think he was top 5 though. Signed with Rollie. Think he was on Rollie's National Championship team also.
Harold Jensen. I don't think he was near a top 5 or 10.
???
I have to admit I forgot he went to UConn, and I'm surprised he was the #1 recruit.
He was a McDonald's All American, not sure what his ranking was.
How about Rudy Gay, did you forget he went to UConn too? Not sure what his ranking was but he was up there. Donyell was ranked #5 right behind Webber.
Rudy played a couple of years and I think of him more of a UConn player than Drummond.