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HCs with no experience

Vowelguy

Vowelguy

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Thinking about head coaches who had NO experience when they started - not as a HC, nor an assistant, nor a HC at another level.

Can only think of
  • Jen Rizzotti @ Harford
  • Lindsay Whalen @ Minnesota
  • Dawn Staley @ Temple
Are there others?
 
vowelguy said:
Thinking about head coaches who had NO experience when they started - not as a HC, nor an assistant, nor a HC at another level.

Can only think of
  • Jen Rizzotti @ Harford
  • Lindsay Whalen @ Minnesota
  • Dawn Staley @ Temple
Are there others?
Expand ...

If my memory holds, Pat Summit was initially hired as a grad assistant at Tennessee, but almost immediately became head coach after the person hired for that job quit. She was barely a year older than a lot of her players that first year.

In the non-WCBB world, two names come to mind:
- Pat Riley, from color commentator to coach of the LA Lakers.
- Aaron Boone, from color commentator to manager of the NY Yankees.
 
Pat Head @ Tennessee
 
The faithful BY has again found loopholes, so my revised question:

Thinking about US WOMENS BASKETBALL head coaches in the last 30 YEARS who had NO experience when they started - not as a HC, nor an assistant, nor a HC at another level.

Can only think of
  • Jen Rizzotti @ Harford
  • Lindsay Whalen @ Minnesota
  • Dawn Staley @ Temple
Are there others?
 
vowelguy said:
The faithful BY has again found loopholes, so my revised question:

Thinking about US WOMENS BASKETBALL head coaches in the last 30 YEARS who had NO experience when they started - not as a HC, nor an assistant, nor a HC at another level.

Can only think of
  • Jen Rizzotti @ Harford
  • Lindsay Whalen @ Minnesota
  • Dawn Staley @ Temple
Are there others?
Expand ...
College WBB coaches?
 
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I know this is outside of the guidelines given in the OP, but Sherri Coale spent just 6 years as the HC at Norman HS prior to landing the HC job at OK, based largely on the recommendation of a short Italian guy from CT.
 
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Plebe said:
She's worked as an assistant coach at a high school prior to that, I think.
Expand ...
Yup for one year. I was hoping that would qualify as yet another loophole.
 
Jennifer Azzi @ the west coast USF
 
CocoHusky said:
Yup for one year. I was hoping that would qualify as yet another loophole.
Expand ...
Ha, the man did only say "HC at another level," but not "assistant at another level"! :)
 
Last edited:
CocoHusky said:
Bill Lamebeer and he was way too proud of it!
Expand ...
And before him, Nancy Lieberman. Pretty sure she had no coaching experience when she was hired as head coach of the Shock.
 
This is yet another potential loophole but prior to taking the WBB HC job at Arkansas Jimmy Dykes had never coached women before at any level.
 
Last edited:
vowelguy said:
The faithful BY has again found loopholes, so my revised question:

Thinking about US WOMENS BASKETBALL head coaches in the last 30 YEARS who had NO experience when they started - not as a HC, nor an assistant, nor a HC at another level.

Can only think of
  • Jen Rizzotti @ Harford
  • Lindsay Whalen @ Minnesota
  • Dawn Staley @ Temple
Are there others?
Expand ...
We are a very pedantic group, especially when you post...Head bang

This is a very fair and logical question given the various proposals being bandied about. I could care less about 40, 30 or even 20 years ago. Given the higher profile of WCBB and especially P5 programs, have there been people given the HC role without any previous coaching experience?
Staley, Rizzotti and Whelan are noteworthy but have we missed anyone else?
The point being would a Kara Lawson, Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi really be considered for this type of role based on others success/failure.
Marisa Mosley put in her time as an assistant at the best program in history (as a main contributor), yet earned a HC at a mid-major so is it logical to think anyone without this working knowledge or experience could take over an elite program and be successful from day 1?
 
.-.
DefenseBB said:
We are a very pedantic group, especially when you post...Head bang

This is a very fair and logical question given the various proposals being bandied about. I could care less about 40, 30 or even 20 years ago. Given the higher profile of WCBB and especially P5 programs, have there been people given the HC role without any previous coaching experience?
Staley, Rizzotti and Whelan are noteworthy but have we missed anyone else?
The point being would a Kara Lawson, Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi really be considered for this type of role based on others success/failure.
Marisa Mosley put in her time as an assistant at the best program in history (as a main contributor), yet earned a HC at a mid-major so is it logical to think anyone without this working knowledge or experience could take over an elite program and be successful from day 1?
Expand ...
While conventional wisdom justifiably proposes Shea or Jen as Geno’s replacement when he finally decides to hang up his whistle, for some time now I’ve been fascinated with the possibility that Sue, DT or even Rebecca should be considered as UConn’s next HC.

All 3 are WBB royalty that would hopefully be able to sustain UConn’s recruiting lifeline to top national talent. Obviously, they all know basketball.

As the starting pg on the national team for more than a decade, and 3 time WNBA champion, Sue’s understanding of the game is unparalleled. Beyond being the GOAT, I have become increasingly intrigued by the news that while Dawn is now the HC of the National team, DT is the one drawing up the plays during timeouts and at halftime. Finally, no one has been closer to UConn’s program over the past 10 years as Rebecca with her ESPN gig.

My fantasy would be to hire one of these 3 luminaries as UConn’s next HC and then promote Shea to Ast HC to replace CD.
 
DefenseBB said:
The point being would a Kara Lawson, Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi really be considered for this type of role based on others success/failure.
Expand ...

If Diana ever wanted to coach, I would hope it's the pros. I cannot see her being a college coach AT ALL.
 
vowelguy said:
If Diana ever wanted to coach, I would hope it's the pros. I cannot see her being a college coach AT ALL.
Expand ...
I suspect that DT and her family are very happy in AZ. But if she is flexible on location, consider a scenario where Geno gives her a call to let her know he is stepping down and would like her to consider replacing him as HC of the UConn Huskies. I don't know what her answer would be, but she would certainly have to give it some serious consideration.
 
oldude said:
While conventional wisdom justifiably proposes Shea or Jen as Geno’s replacement when he finally decides to hang up his whistle, for some time now I’ve been fascinated with the possibility that Sue, DT or even Rebecca should be considered as UConn’s next HC.

All 3 are WBB royalty that would hopefully be able to sustain UConn’s recruiting lifeline to top national talent. Obviously, they all know basketball.

As the starting pg on the national team for more than a decade, and 3 time WNBA champion, Sue’s understanding of the game is unparalleled. Beyond being the GOAT, I have become increasingly intrigued by the news that while Dawn is now the HC of the National team, DT is the one drawing up the plays during timeouts and at halftime. Finally, no one has been closer to UConn’s program over the past 10 years as Rebecca with her ESPN gig.

My fantasy would be to hire one of these 3 luminaries as UConn’s next HC and then promote Shea to Ast HC to replace CD.
Expand ...
I just don't see Taurasi having the patience and temperament to be a college coach. Bird has those but I don't see either one wanting to live in CT. And with Lobo, who knows, but she has a good job and seems to enjoy being fully involved in her family life. If she were interested I'd swap them. Ralph as the HC and Lobo as her Asst. HC. I think Ralph is going to be a really good one.
 
BobbyJ said:
I just don't see Taurasi having the patience and temperament to be a college coach. Bird has those but I don't see either one wanting to live in CT. And with Lobo, who knows, but she has a good job and seems to enjoy being fully involved in her family life. If she were interested I'd swap them. Ralph as the HC and Lobo as her Asst. HC. I think Ralph is going to be a really good one.
Expand ...
Agree with you on a younger DT not having the patience, but raising an infant brings change that requires patience or you will go out of your mind.
 
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oldude said:
Agree with you on a younger DT not having the patience, but raising an infant brings change that requires patience or you will go out of your mind.
Expand ...
Yeah, I know about that. Also, like C. Dailey, Lobo seems like she'd be a great behind the scenes communicator for the players if she were in that job.
 
oldude said:
I suspect that DT and her family are very happy in AZ. But if she is flexible on location, consider a scenario where Geno gives her a call to let her know he is stepping down and would like her to consider replacing him as HC of the UConn Huskies. I don't know what her answer would be, but she would certainly have to give it some serious consideration.
Expand ...

He would not make that call bc I think he agrees she’s not a good fit for college.

Part of the sale to a prospect is the education, especially in every sport except FB & MCBB. Not sure how good an ambassador D would be given that she was among the least academic students in Geno's career.
 
vowelguy said:
He would not make that call bc I think he agrees she’s not a good fit for college.

Part of the sale to a prospect is the education, especially in every sport except FB & MCBB. Not sure how good an ambassador D would be given that she was among the least academic students in Geno's career.
Expand ...
I don't disagree with your reasoning. My thought is purely about recruiting. DT would have star power as a recruiter. It might mean bringing in a slightly different kind of recruit, and UConn would have to decide if that's a change the school wants to support going forward.
 
oldude said:
I suspect that DT and her family are very happy in AZ. But if she is flexible on location, consider a scenario where Geno gives her a call to let her know he is stepping down and would like her to consider replacing him as HC of the UConn Huskies. I don't know what her answer would be, but she would certainly have to give it some serious consideration.
Expand ...
Diana et al. live in So. Cal. when she is not playing in the WNBA. She told me that in Tenerife.
 
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