National Coach of the Year?

[Buzzyboy]

Her team was a 1 seed last year. This year she expected to vie for a NC. Getting completely destroyed by UCONN indicates what a huge gap there is between UCONN and everyone else. If SC had beaten UCONN, I'd say she'd be right up there in the conversation. But the award is not given out because a "coach improved every year". It's "coach of the year", not "coach of the past few years"...

But heck, 1 "voter" felt SC was the #1 team in the nation so there's obviously no accounting for logic in the way the voters actually vote.

BTW I was wrong. SC was actually #2 preseason in both AP and Coaches. They were "expected" to be a great team this year. The fact that they have one loss while not really beating a top 10 team this season (unless you count Duke and Kentucky who are percolating around the top 10), it's not like they beat UCONN, ND, Baylor, Louisville, Maryland, Oregon State and FSU.

Note, I'm NOT saying they don't deserve to be ranked #2 - they totally do, BUT to imply that Dawn has done something "incredible" or "magically surprising" this year is just not correct. And IMHO NCOY should be for a coach who did way better than expected, or overcame serious obstacles (injuries, etc), to get their team near the top . Aside from getting crushed by UCONN, SC is about exactly what everyone expected of them this year (except maybe a tad less impressive - a 1 point miracle win over Duke is not exactly impressive)...

Preseason, FSU was ranked #37, and Oregon State wasn't even in the top 50. To me, it's amazing what those 2 schools have accomplished this season - far more than UCONN or SC or ND or any of those schools "expected" to be in the top 5 or 10. Princeton is another school, who, even tho they had an easy schedule, are undefeated and not ranked in the top 50 preseason. That's why I picked those 3 schools over a program like SC who was already expected to be there.

Coach of the year is supposed to be for this specific year and not "what she's done for the program over the past several years" type of thing. That's silly. Geno would have the perpetual Coach of the Year if that's what you voted on. Who had less than UConn when he arrived on campus. As you've mentioned, she's done a nice job and her team has performed pretty close to expectations but they were GIVEN that game against Duke earlier this year and absolutely did nothing to really win that game for 38 minutes and even in the last 30 seconds, Duke had to choke to death for them to win the game. I agree that there are at least a few coaches who are far more deserving and I think where FSU has come from says that their coach deserves serious consideration as does the Princeton coach and Oregon State coach. In big games over the last couple of years, SC has fallen short and that should mean something, as well.

 

[Intpseeker]

I vote, as always, for Coach P!!

It's the shoes, right?

 

[watanabe]

Coach McCallie. She never did anything wrong.

 

[UcMiami]

Coach McCallie. She never did anything wrong.

And we have her word for it!

 

[Striper69]

Should win: Banghart
Will win: Staley

Banghart has the same rules, scholarship constraints of the other Ivies and she has so outdistanced her program from that group. Her Margin of victory is third in the country and only behind UCONN and USC. Her overall execution of recruiting training and mentoring in an environment of obstacles that other Div 1 programs don't have is in a way, Genoesque.

Remember she's (Banghart) doing this with outstanding students who have to meet demanding academic standards. Unlike a lot of other programs whose students may take the easy road and mostly want to play basketball on scholarship.

She could've left her starters in and run up the score but she operates like Geno and starts putting reserves in when the team gets ahead.

 

[Orangutan]

Muffet McGraw should give Niele Ivey a raise and elevate her to associate head coach. Coach McGraw's teams just continue to impress with superstar guard after superstar guard. (As a side note, given Ms Ivey's recruiting prowess, why not put her on the fantasy short list of Coach Auriemma's successors?)
B

I'm all for Niele getting rewarded for her fantastic work, but Carol Owens already has the associate head coach title.

 

[VAUConnFan]

I'm all for Niele getting rewarded for her fantastic work, but Carol Owens already has the associate head coach title.

Ms Owens has done fantastic job at Notre Dame without question and is deserving of her position. Notre Dame has had some very good post players over the years for which Coach Owens is responsible. Timing being what it is, had Notre Dame's roster boasted an elite post player to go along with their elite guards, they might have pulled off a theft or two similar to 2001( I refer to 2001 as a theft because, despite Notre Dame's overwhelming victory earlier that season, UConn 2001, in my mind, will always be the better team that lost).

 

[RSHERMVIKES]

Ms Owens has done fantastic job at Notre Dame without question and is deserving of her position. Notre Dame has had some very good post players over the years for which Coach Owens is responsible. Timing being what it is, had Notre Dame's roster boasted an elite post player to go along with their elite guards, they might have pulled off a theft or two similar to 2001( I refer to 2001 as a theft because, despite Notre Dame's overwhelming victory earlier that season, UConn 2001, in my mind, will always be the better team that lost).

VAUConnFan- - - -So true! Geno has always maintained the 2000-2001 team that lost Svet & Shea was the best team ever in WCBB! ND ought to thank God on bended knee for the title UCONN gave them! Otherwise Muffett would be crying she doesn't get any respect!