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Message: [QUOTE="BBallF, post: 3527019, member: 10435"] There definitely were. At Kentucky Tubby Smith won the NC in his first year, 1998, with Pitino's leftover team, but there were 14 years until the next one under Calipari. Of course, Bill Guthridge followed Dean Smith and made the FF two out of his three years but Matt Doherty was a disaster. Roy Williams has won 3 NCs since 2003. Perhaps the takeaway is that the new coach is the most important factor but the past basketball history of the school and its visibility as a brand name for the sport and what is has to offer recruits by way of facilities, administrative support, etc. is also very important. For example, Rick Pitino is not going to win a NC at Iona but if he were at a place that was all about basketball you would stay tuned. I just think that there is a serious lag in the recruiting trail at ND and that the resurgence, if it does come, is years away. Muffet was a Naismith HF coach with a proven track record of her players going to the WNBA, Europe and in some cases, the Olympics. Her players knew that she knew had to get them to the FF, the NC game( she had 9) and beyond in their careers after college. [/QUOTE]