Is Jim Beoheim The Most Overrated Coach in Sports?

[OkaForPrez]

Last Bracket Standing

So, we can all agree that he is a good coach – most school would love to have the numbers above. But Boeheim seems to have been given “All-Time Great” status by fans and media. And this for a guy that only wins the conference regular season twice a decade, and wins the conference tournament one out of every 10 years? Misses the tournament in 1 out of 3 seasons? Has only 1 national title in that many seasons? Honestly, I think Rick Barnes could have put up those numbers at Texas if you gave him 39 years.

 

[alexd]

Tyler Olander 2, Jim Boeheim 1

 

[Husky25]

He is definitely overrated, but what might put him over the top in terms of the most overrated active coach in sports, is that he has held his post for almost 40 years. Good for the Powers-that-be in Upstate NY to recognize that with Boeheim, they are at least also-rans. Once Boeheim bows out in 3 years (or if he had at any point over the last 20), Syracuse vanishes from the national conversation. He wins just enough for the school to stay relevant.

The question is, can Hopkins maintain the lofty level of mediocrity that Boeheim has established? If he continues with the 2-3 zone, potentially, but time will tell.

 

[August_West]

I pray he never retires

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

I don't care about Boeheim, he seems like a pr i ck but people who don't know Calhoun behind the scenes could say the same thing about him. I will say that I can't think of a single program where the gap between the arrogance of the fans and the actual success of the basketball program is larger than with Syracuse.

 

[James]

Well this made me grin

 

[huskiesNhoos]

Is he a good coach? sure. Is he a great coach? meh...it could be argued either way.

I did laugh at this assessment of a "great" coach in the article:

For a coach given “great” status, you’d expect at least 3 or 4 more national titles

So by the account the only coaches that are "great" (only looking at mens NCAA) have won at least 4 NC's...makes a list of : Wooden, Rupp, and K (with Knight and Calhoun just missing the cut)
I might broaden the definition of great by just a bit, but makes for quite an exclusive group

 

[SubbaBub]

Take his record outside the State of NY and then reassess. Completely overrated but still a HoF'r.

 

[Husky25]

Take his record outside the State of NY and then reassess. Completely overrated but still a HoF'r.

That's easy. It's basically his conference record.

Syracuse plays 95% of their OOC games in the Carrier Dome vs. cupcakes or in tournaments based in NYC.

 

[CL82]

Tyler Olander 2, Jim Boeheim 1

That would be Tyler Olander 2, Jim Boeheim 1*

 

[Rico444]

I don't care about Boeheim, he seems like a pr i ck but people who don't know Calhoun behind the scenes could say the same thing about him. I will say that I can't think of a single program where the gap between the arrogance of the fans and the actual success of the basketball program is larger than with Syracuse.

Calhoun definitely went off at times in his postgame pressers, but they seemed few and far between. The last few years, it seems like every time Syracuse lost Boeheim would take out his anger on a reporter.

 

[August_West]

I don't care about Boeheim, he seems like a pr i ck but people who don't know Calhoun behind the scenes could say the same thing about him. I will say that I can't think of a single program where the gap between the arrogance of the fans and the actual success of the basketball program is larger than with Syracuse.

They may be similar in their prickliness but there is one glaring difference.

Calhoun won titles .

 

[Waquoit]

Boeheim has a long tradition of existence.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

I didn't say anything about their respective merits as coaches. They're not even close on that front.

 

[August_West]

I didn't say anything about their respective merits as coaches. They're not even close on that front.

Never hurts to reiterate for our learning disabled orange visitors.

 

[champs99and04]

It looks like my opinion will be unpopular, but I think the guy is a great coach. He's not Calhoun, but hardly anybody is. As much as I hate zone defense...he's really good at both teaching it and recruiting for it. And when you look at the kids he gets, he doesn't exactly have his pick of the crop. The program is more similar to UConn than it is Duke or UNC.

In my opinion the most overrated coach in the country is Tom Izzo. And that doesn't mean I think he's anything less than great. He's a sure-fire Hall of Famer.

But the divide between the way people view Boeheim and the way they view Izzo is way, way bigger than it should be. They're close to equals, IMO, and one is celebrated while the other is often a punch line. And I say all this as somebody who hates Syracuse hoops.

 

[Yankees32123]

In my opinion the most overrated coach in the country is Tom Izzo. And that doesn't mean I think he's anything less than great. He's a sure-fire Hall of Famer.

But the divide between the way people view Boeheim and the way they view Izzo is way, way bigger than it should be. They're close to equals, IMO, and one is celebrated while the other is often a punch line. And I say all this as somebody who hates Syracuse hoops.

No. Tom Izzo has been at Michigan State half the time that Boeheim has been at Cuse and he has 7 Final Fours, compared to Boeheim's 4. 7 B1G regular season championships, 4 B1G tourney championships compared to Boeheim's 3 Big East tourney championships and 8 regular season championships. Izzo has a better resume in half the time it took Boeheim to get his resume. Not even close. Izzo is, in my opinion, the second best coach on the country after K.

 

[OkaForPrez]

To be fair to JB, he had to go up against us in the 00's. And that would hurt anyone's numbers.

 

[nomar]

No. Tom Izzo has been at Michigan State half the time that Boeheim has been at Cuse and he has 7 Final Fours, compared to Boeheim's 4. 7 B1G regular season championships, 4 B1G tourney championships compared to Boeheim's 3 Big East tourney championships and 8 regular season championships. Izzo has a better resume in half the time it took Boeheim to get his resume. Not even close. Izzo is, in my opinion, the second best coach on the country after K.

I'm pretty shocked that you had to explain this. Seven Final 4's. Seven. IIRC, when we won the title a couple years ago, the seniors on that MSU team were the first seniors to not have played in a Final Four under Izzo this millenium.

 

[Yankees32123]

I'm pretty shocked that you had to explain this. Seven Final 4's. Seven. IIRC, when we won the title a couple years ago, the seniors on that MSU team were the first seniors to not have played in a Final Four under Izzo this millenium.

Also puts in perspective how impressive UConn has been and how hard it is to win a championship, even at the Final Four. Izzo's Spartans are 1/7 while UConn is 4/5 in terms of championships/final four appearances.

 

[UConn9604]

Last Bracket Standing

Yes. What do I win?

 

[BoatShow]

This girl at my school was wearing a Syracuse sweatshirt the other day. Despite the obvious knee-jerk reaction of berating the 9 year old for her poor choice in apparel I decided to take step back and assess the situation. Maybe a relative goes/went there. Maybe it was on the 50% off rack at the dollar tree where it belongs and her family couldn't afford a different sweatshirt. So I ask her "Oh do you know someone who went to Syracuse?" Her heartbreaking reply: "My brother says Carmelo Anthony went there." All I could do in response was walk away.

Long story short yes Jim Boeheim is the most overrated coach in sports.

 

[Husky25]

Also puts in perspective how impressive UConn has been and how hard it is to win a championship, even at the Final Four. Izzo's Spartans are 1/7 while UConn is 4/5 in terms of championships/final four appearances.

And Ironically? The only Final 4 game that UConn lost was played in Detroit vs. Michigan State.

 

[UConn9604]

This girl at my school was wearing a Syracuse sweatshirt the other day. Despite the obvious knee-jerk reaction of berating the 9 year old for her poor choice in apparel I decided to take step back and assess the situation. Maybe a relative goes/went there. Maybe it was on the 50% off rack at the dollar tree where it belongs and her family couldn't afford a different sweatshirt. So I ask her "Oh do you know someone who went to Syracuse?" Her heartbreaking reply: "My brother says Carmelo Anthony went there." All I could do in response was walk away.

Long story short yes Jim Boeheim is the most overrated coach in sports.

"Did your brother tell you Carmelo got blown out twice by UConn?"

 

[CL82]

"Did your brother tell you Carmelo got blown out twice by UConn?"

Yeah, when you find yourself about sport taunt a nine year old, it's time to leave the playground.