Let's Admit it: Jeff Walz is One of WCBB's Best Coaches

[bballnut90]

Walz has only been a head coach for eleven years, including this one. Muffet and Tara have been at it for decades. Coach Geno didn't win the NC until a decade had passed. Compare first decades.

I put him ahead of Muffet and Tara now. Just like Summit did after Coach Geno showed up, Tara is fading. The jury is out on Rueck and Schaefer for the long-term.

If you compare Walz and Geno's first 10 years of coaching. Geno revitalized a struggling program and steadily turned them into a power. Walz inherited a team that went 27-8 the year before and had Angel McCoughtry on the roster. Very different circumstances.

Muffet did build up Notre Dame and has dominated Walz until this year. Keep in mind her team has just 7 scholarship players, and her PG and post are playing out of position. Some posters on this board love to rip on her for not being able to win the big one over UCONN, but you have to give her credit for at least proving she's able to beat Geno. Walz is 0-16 against Geno and has had just 1 game that was remotely competitive. Muffet has led Notre Dame to 7 straight #1 seeds, 5 (maybe 6 after tonight) Final Fours in the last 8 years, 5 straight ACC championships, and she won the last 2 Big East Championships outright over both Connecticut and Louisville. She owns Jeff Walz besides the 2 match ups this season.

Tara's recruiting hasn't been as strong in recent years but her teams consistently overachieve. She's been able to maintain consistent excellence and her results are not dissimilar to Muffet's. Anyone who puts Jeff over those 2 is incredibly short sighted.

And in regards to Schaefer and Rueck...I think their body of work shows more promise than Walz's, even if it has been less than 10 years. Like Geno, both have completely revitalized struggling programs and pump out consistent, overachieving teams. Players drastically improve under their tutelage and they frequently win games against more talented opponents. On the flip side, Walz never had to rebuild a program, he inherited a winning program. Players haven't consistently reached their potential under Walz and until this year, his teams were consistently underachievers or Cinderella-type teams. I'd pick Schaefer and Rueck over Jeff.

 

[Wally East]

@Wally East, where the hell you been?

Aww, thanks for noticing my absence

Busy with work and family-building stuff (no, not THAT kind of family-building stuff ) Also, school work. Working on getting a masters in Geographic Information Systems online.

 

[shizam]

Well I'll take Waltz over Muffet. Oh wait we're talking about coaching. Yeah Im not changing my mind

Walz teams from 2015-2017 finished below pre-season rankings 3 years straight

His *2014-2016 teams lost to lesser seeds in tourney. Lost to:
*2013-14 to Maryland Elite 8 (at Yum)
(This was a good team and well coached but MD was just better and red hot)
*2014-15 to Dayton Sweet 16
*2015-16 to DePaul 2nd Round (at Yum)
2017 lost to Baylor by 33 in Sweet 16. (Complete embarrassment )


Until this year Walz never won more than one game in the ACC tourney

 

[shizam]

In a nutshell Walz 2014-15, 2015-16, 2016-17 teams
+had no identity
+were inconsistent offensively
+couldn’t play perimeter defense
+did not look well coached

 

[shizam]

He didn't look so great last year.

Or the year before that, or the year before that

 

[shizam]

Geno, McGraw, Schaefer, Vanderveer are my top coaches in no particular order except Geno first...hard for me to even say his name, rubs me the wrong way as well. Hard to argue though, he led his 2009 squad to the nat’l championship game.

SN: Wonder how this team would be playing differently had Mariya Moore still been there?

If Mariya Moore were still on L’ville the team would be slower defensively and less consistent offensively. Her transfer opened up minutes for Jaz Jones development. Jones is the antithesis of Moore. Jones is the best individual defender on the team. Carter a close second. Mariya would need to sit verse athletic teams like Syracuse when they had Sykes and Peterson etc. Her first two years she was huge. Her game is choppy.

 

[shizam]

Here in Maryland people in the know argue that Brenda's best years were when Jeff was assisting.
I'm surprised no one mentioned how well prepared L'ville was today. At the outset the Cards took OSU out of its game and out of its comfort zone. The Beavers never recovered. All I could think was what an excellent plan and execution of a plan Walz had designed and his team delivered. Sagging in on Gulich not only prevented her from shooting, but she was often unable to pass the ball to the perimeter--and turned it over. Truly killed two birds with one stone.
You may remember that UConn did exactly the same to the Cards when we played them. In about one quarter the game was over. Perhaps Jeff got the message.

Great plan. He’s great with game prep. Forced Gulich to touch the ball further out than she normally does (thanks Sam Fuehring) then double her quick and that threw perimeter players off too. Knock on Walz was player development. Now that’s the difference from past years. Development this year is through the roof.
Jaz Jones
Sam Fuehring
Arica Carter
Gives them 5 scorers now

 

[BobbyJ]

I just like Walz and Graves because they don't dress like they're going to a wedding or to work at a bank. Just coaching basketball,

 

[Fairfield Fan]

Well, Walz is in the Final Four. Not Tara. Not Rueck. Muffet's in, but Walz has beaten ND this year, once blowing them out.

Pretty impressive.

 

[CardHack]

I'd guess Walz is like a lot of coaches in that it's less talent as it is fit. He's a hard ass, can be acerbic to his players but if he gets that right collection of players who sift through it and play like he coaches...results follow and the best example of that is Fuehring who plays like Walz coaches. Rugged and rough around the edges. Oddly enough he's doing it this year with a group a little different from the 09 and 13 squads which were helped along by a decent local recruiting pool to draw that provided roster depth (Monique Riggs, Tia Gibbs and Candice Bingham were Louisvillians on the 09 roster; Antonita Slaughter was a Louisvillian on the '13 roster with Kentuckian Hammond). This squad really doesn't have any local kids on it with scholarships and the talent in the City is in the underclasses; we're landing players out in the state in areas you'd consider to be UK turf in the Class of 2018 including the likely Ms. Basketball Saygain Robbins. Louisville is likely going to become very perimeter oriented the next two years.

 

[JavaMan]

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[wallman]

If Mariya Moore were still on L’ville the team would be slower defensively and less consistent offensively. Her transfer opened up minutes for Jaz Jones development. Jones is the antithesis of Moore. All Walz does now is talk about how he loves how this present team pulls for each other and gets along. Moore was drama though I liked her, she peaked big time by her soph year. She needed a new start. Mariya would need to sit verse athletic teams like Syracuse when they had Sykes and Peterson etc. she couldn’t keep up. Her first two years she was huge. Her game is choppy.

Sorry but thats not accurate. Moore was very intense on defense and used to get in players heads. She was also much better offensively than Jones.

 

[shizam]

Here in Maryland people in the know argue that Brenda's best years were when Jeff was assisting.
I'm surprised no one mentioned how well prepared L'ville was today. At the outset the Cards took OSU out of its game and out of its comfort zone. The Beavers never recovered. All I could think was what an excellent plan and execution of a plan Walz had designed and his team delivered. Sagging in on Gulich not only prevented her from shooting, but she was often unable to pass the ball to the perimeter--and turned it over. Truly killed two birds with one stone.
You may remember that UConn did exactly the same to the Cards when we played them. In about one quarter the game was over. Perhaps Jeff got the message.

I think you are right Brenda was better w Jeff.
However, Brenda is 3-1 verse Jeff

 

[shizam]

​

He is right. The other two teams would have beaten his most likely if UConn didn’t. But you never know for sure. I can’t “just appreciate how good UConn is” because the championship games are ALWAYS blowouts. I don’t blame UConn, I blame teams like L’ville and SC that can’t compete w UConn. Makes the championship game too predictable just like the UConn-S. Car game yesterday was. Teams are afraid of UConn. Ty Harris looked scared. SC backcourt was ill prepared. You see it over and over. Dawn looks overmatched every time. S. Carolina owes Miss St a share for that championship lol. No way SC beats UConn last year even with Davis and Gray.

 

[wallman]

Mariya is slow. Erratic outside shot and has a very low release so her drives are easier to block. She is physical and a good passer. She can see the floor well and should do ok finding the athletic players at USC. No way would any L’ville fan take Mariya over the development of Jaz Jones this year. Mariya was not good for team chemistry. She needed a change. Turned out to be addition by subtraction for L’ville. Her transfer will be a perfect win/win/win for everyone. Her, USC and L’ville.

Thats funny, Jeffy didn't think so when she was on his U19 USA team Or is this just sour grapes because she left, not a good side to show.

 

[shizam]

I'd guess Walz is like a lot of coaches in that it's less talent as it is fit. He's a hard ass, can be acerbic to his players but if he gets that right collection of players who sift through it and play like he coaches...results follow and the best example of that is Fuehring who plays like Walz coaches. Rugged and rough around the edges. Oddly enough he's doing it this year with a group a little different from the 09 and 13 squads which were helped along by a decent local recruiting pool to draw that provided roster depth (Monique Riggs, Tia Gibbs and Candice Bingham were Louisvillians on the 09 roster; Antonita Slaughter was a Louisvillian on the '13 roster with Kentuckian Hammond). This squad really doesn't have any local kids on it with scholarships and the talent in the City is in the underclasses; we're landing players out in the state in areas you'd consider to be UK turf in the Class of 2018 including the likely Ms. Basketball Saygain Robbins. Louisville is likely going to become very perimeter oriented the next two years.

Great assessment. Tia Gibbs was not on the ‘09 tea

Thats funny, Jeffy didn't think so when she was on his U19 USA team Or is this just sour grapes because she left, not a good side to show.

Mariya leaving HELPED everyone including her. She needed a change Good move for HER. No sour grapes. I was thrilled she was leaving and thought she made a great decision to play with her sister. I thought it was a great move getting out of L’viile. A few fans thought she let the team down by leaving but almost all wish her the best. She got lucky too when they hired the new coach. I will enjoy watching her on PAC 12 network

 

[wallman]

Great assessment. Tia Gibbs was not on the ‘09 tea

Mariya leaving HELPED everyone including her. She needed a change Good move for HER.[/QUOTE

Hmmm really. Then give details or are you just going to keep trashing her.

I may be a Bruin but I know Mark Trakh really well.

 

[shizam]

I may be a Bruin but I know Mark Trakh really well.

yup good coach and the players love him

 

[cardadistance]

yup good coach and the players love him

First time poster on this board although I have admired it for years. Best in the country on women's basketball and it certainly should be. From time to time , I have read some posts here poke fun at Walz who we in Louisville have come to revere. That is certainly OK as our fans do the same. We are certainly glad the Cards are in the final four this year and that UCONN is there as usual. We hope to get to play against you again in the finals but there is a small hurdle in front of us. I did want to bring to the attention of those who care that Walz is a great fan of of Geno. In the post game conference press conference following the regional final win, he really took to task the media who asked the question is "Connecticut's clear dominance of women's basketball good for the game". I invite all who care to watch what he said to the press in the attached youtube at about 17 minutes 30 seconds . There is a great camaraderie among coaches and i wish it extended to fans. I was in Columbus for the double header at the start of the season which featured UCONN and U of L and was in awe of your team and still am.

 

[shizam]

Bingo. To me, he’s definitely behind the following coaches:
-Geno
-Muffet
-Tara
-Schaefer
-Mulkey
-Rueck
-Staley

His results have been streaky at best. I may get flack for putting Rueck over him, but overall Rueck has done a lot more with less than Jeff has. Walz recruits well and can come up with some good game plans (usually centered around being extremely physical) but player development and molding good basketball teams hasn’t been a strength in recent years.

*edited to include Staley*

I would never take Staley over Walz. Call me crazy. Staley is head and shoulders better at recruiting transfers. That’s it.

 

[Gus Mahler]

Aww, thanks for noticing my absence

Busy with work and family-building stuff (no, not THAT kind of family-building stuff ) Also, school work. Working on getting a masters in Geographic Information Systems online.

Very cool. I took my first foray into mapping at the zipcode level last year and hope to get down to the block level this year.

 

[bballnut90]

I would never take Staley over Walz. Call me crazy. Staley is head and shoulders better at recruiting transfers. That’s it.

Kind of a toss up for me. Dawn’s teams play really ugly basketball but they win games. She had SC as a 1 seed in 2014, the year before A’ja arrived. I think Walz is a better strategist than Dawn, but in terms of building a good team that will have the best record and chance to advance in the tournament, I’d pick Dawn.

 

[j66kicker]

First time poster on this board although I have admired it for years. Best in the country on women's basketball and it certainly should be. From time to time , I have read some posts here poke fun at Walz who we in Louisville have come to revere. That is certainly OK as our fans do the same. We are certainly glad the Cards are in the final four this year and that UCONN is there as usual. We hope to get to play against you again in the finals but there is a small hurdle in front of us. I did want to bring to the attention of those who care that Walz is a great fan of of Geno. In the post game conference press conference following the regional final win, he really took to task the media who asked the question is "Connecticut's clear dominance of women's basketball good for the game". I invite all who care to watch what he said to the press in the attached youtube at about 17 minutes 30 seconds . There is a great camaraderie among coaches and i wish it extended to fans. I was in Columbus for the double header at the start of the season which featured UCONN and U of L and was in awe of your team and still am.

Welcome to the BY and thanks for your comments. Yeah, that press conference was posted here the night it happened, and Jeff's comments were appreciated here by those who watched it. We give him a hard time, but much respect (and much gratitude for taking out Baylor with Griner for us that year!). Good luck in your game with Mississippi State!

 

[DefenseBB]

Kind of a toss up for me. Dawn’s teams play really ugly basketball but they win games. She had SC as a 1 seed in 2014, the year before A’ja arrived. I think Walz is a better strategist than Dawn, but in terms of building a good team that will have the best record and chance to advance in the tournament, I’d pick Dawn.

I would never take Staley over Walz. Call me crazy. Staley is head and shoulders better at recruiting transfers. That’s it.

I happen to be a big Jeff fan, however, in 11 years, he’s won 1 regular season and 1 conference title, both this year. And while a great recruiter, he inherited a strong program from Tom Collet, which already had Angel McCoughtry on it and had been to 3 straight NCAA tournaments. After Angel graduated, Jeff missed the NCAA. My point is, he has done well with a running start where as Dawn has built 2 programs, Temple and SC. SC now leads the nation in attendance by 3,200 over #2 UConn. She’s won 4 A10 titles, with 5 straight NCAA tournaments with Temple and 4 SEC Reg season titles, 4 straight SEC Tournament titles and 7straight NCAA tournament appearances. She also has 4 #1 seeds while Jeff has earned his 1st this year.

Jeff is in the top 7 but not ahead of Dawn...yet

 

[shizam]

I happen to be a big Jeff fan, however, in 11 years, he’s won 1 regular season and 1 conference title, both this year. And while a great recruiter, he inherited a strong program from Tom Collet, which already had Angel McCoughtry on it and had been to 3 straight NCAA tournaments. After Angel graduated, Jeff missed the NCAA. My point is, he has done well with a running start where as Dawn has built 2 programs, Temple and SC. SC now leads the nation in attendance by 3,200 over #2 UConn. She’s won 4 A10 titles, with 5 straight NCAA tournaments with Temple and 4 SEC Reg season titles, 4 straight SEC Tournament titles and 7straight NCAA tournament appearances. She also has 4 #1 seeds while Jeff has earned his 1st this year.

Jeff is in the top 7 but not ahead of Dawn...yet

Boy you can’t argue with those stats. Most impressive building two programs. All I know is if all things equal and the game is on the line I want Walz in front of my players. I would have zero confidence in Dawn. How she does it is amazing because she looks clueless during a game. Does she have great asst’s and recruiting staff? Actually, she hasn’t recruited any great players (non transfers) outside S Carolina unless they are pg’s. It’s not easy for her

 

[Bronx23]

Bingo. To me, he’s definitely behind the following coaches:
-Geno
-Muffet
-Tara
-Schaefer
-Mulkey
-Rueck
-Staley

His results have been streaky at best. I may get flack for putting Rueck over him, but overall Rueck has done a lot more with less than Jeff has. Walz recruits well and can come up with some good game plans (usually centered around being extremely physical) but player development and molding good basketball teams hasn’t been a strength in recent years.

*edited to include Staley*

I'm ok with your first four. I don't think Mulkey is even in the top ten. Is it four years now she hasn't gotten past the Elite 8, with lots of talent. I'm also not super impressed with Dawn, who was a great player and is at best, maybe just shy of a very good coach.
Rueck, Walz and Graces might be the three up and coming coaches but they have to get to more FF and won some before I can fully buy in.
Your top three are spot on and then there's a gap.
Bronx23

 

[Bronx23]

Agree that it is inexcusable. But, she does have 2 titles to Walz’s 0 and regularly builds better teams than Jeff does, even if they underperform in March.

She had Griner! Winning with one great player surely doesn't make one a great coach!
Bronx23

 

[Bronx23]

Well I'll take Waltz over Muffet. Oh wait we're talking about coaching. Yeah Im not changing my mind

How can one even think he's close to Muffet! She's proven over many years to be amongst probably the top four coaches of all time. And she had a tremendous year coaching with so many injuries,
that is at least equal to the very fine job Walz has done this year!
Why are you and so many others overly impressed by the latest clash in the pan! Yes he's had some other very good teams and also some very good coaching jobs over the past 11 years, but also some significantly weaker ones!
I've read many of your posts and respect you and your opinions but this one is way out there!
Bronx23

 

[bballnut90]

She had Griner! Winning with one great player surely doesn't make one a great coach!
Bronx23

She won with no HS AAs in 2005, too. And yes she had Griner, but if you use that logic, you can discredit 9 of Geno's titles if you claim, "he won because he had Diana/Maya/Stewart"

Griner improved leaps and bounds at Baylor...her personal experience didn't sound like the most positive, but she improved a lot during her time there.

 

[CamrnCrz1974]

I'm ok with your first four. I don't think Mulkey is even in the top ten. Is it four years now she hasn't gotten past the Elite 8, with lots of talent.

She had Griner! Winning with one great player surely doesn't make one a great coach!

Not to pick on you @Bronx23 , but I thought it would be easier to respond to both of your comments in a single post.

Kim Mulkey only won one title with Griner. She made two Final Fours with Griner (including the year she won). Her team with Griner lost in the Elite Eight to eventual champion Texas A&M in 2011. And Baylor was upset by Louisville in 2013. These are all facts.

But if the standard is a coach who only wins one title while having a great player is used, then what does that say about Geno Auriemma, who only won one title with Rebecca Lobo (who was a transcendent player - the only college player to make the 1996 Olympic Team and one of three faces of the WNBA, with Leslie and Swoopes, when the league was founded).

There is a certain amount of luck or good fortune that goes into winning a national title - whether it is being injury-free, having a better draw, matching up better with opponents, etc. For example, does South Carolina win in 2017 if UConn beats Mississippi State? I would say no, as UConn matched up better with SC and beat SC handily earlier in the year (UConn led by 16 points with 2 minutes to go, before the final margin of 11). In 2012-13, Baylor beat UConn in Hartford, its second straight victory over UConn. But Baylor was upset by Louisville, and UConn defeated the Cardinals for the title. UConn did not match up all that well with Baylor, but it matched up great with Syracuse.

My point is looking at a great player and counting the number of titles does not paint a full picture of a coach, in terms of assessing whether that coach is "great."

@bballnut90