OT: The best mid-major coaches to know about

[Matrim55]

Danny Hurley (Rhode Island – age 45): He's a turnaround artist. Took a Wagner team from single-digit wins to 25 wins in two years, then moved to URI and took them from 9 to 14 to 23. They've now won 20+ games in three of the last four years. He has them top 5 in the RPI, top 20 in the rankings and top 30 in Kenpom. He's been a head coach since 2001, first building up St. Benedicts in Jersey, then Wagner and now the Rams. Really excellent defensive coach whose players love him & don't transfer.

Pat Kelsey (Winthrop – age 42): Took a struggling team and in 2 years turned them into the class of the Big South. Played and assistant coached at Xavier, and assistant coached at Wake Forest as well, so he's got high-level recruiting cred in areas we care about. Memorably flipped UMass the bird last year after he'd agreed to coach them.

Pat Skerry (Towson - age 48): Has turned Towson, of all places, into a consistent winner. They're a good bet to post their third straight 20-win season, and fourth in five years. When he took over in 2011/12 they were the worst team in the world, going 1-31. They won 18 games the next season before starting on this current run of 20-win seasons. Has yet to make it to the NCAA tourney but he's resurrected the dead down there, and has Big East recruiting experience with both Providence and Pitt. He's a native of Medford.

Earl Grant (Charleston - age 41): Has rebuilt that program after Wojcik nearly ruined it. They went 9-24 in his first year, but have now posted three straight winning seasons including back-to-back 20+ win years. Seems like a real basketball intellect – his teams play smart – and has background as a high-level recruiter with both Wichita State and Clemson.

John Becker (Vermont - age 49): Took over in 2011/12 and has turned the Catamounts into the class of that league, with seven straight 20-win seasons. That includes two NCAA tourney trips (and one win) and two trips to the CBI semifinals. He's an elite offensive coach, as they net out at 20th overall in the Kenpom rankings. They're 11-0 in conference play this year and are prohibitive favorites to win the league. Only blemish is he's never recruited at a high level. He's from Fairfield.

Joe Dooley (FGCU - age 52): Failed with ECU back in the '90s when he was the youngest head coach in college hoops, but he's been awesome with FGCU. They've posted their 5th straight 20-win season, are unbeaten in conference play and are favorites to make a third straight NCAA tourney appearance. He's from the northeast and has deep recruiting ties here, including at the highest levels – he was an assistant at Kansas for a decade, including with their national championship team.

 

[Stainmaster]

Pat Kelsey (Winthrop – age 42): Took a struggling team and in 2 years turned them into the class of the Big South. Played and assistant coached at Xavier, and assistant coached at Wake Forest as well, so he's got high-level recruiting cred in areas we care about. Memorably flipped UMass the bird last year after he'd agreed to coach them.

Ah yes, the areas of Ohio and North Carolina that have long been UConn's bread and butter when it comes to recruiting.

 

[Mr. French]

I know Nate Oats is doing VERY well over here at UB, both on-court and on the recruiting trail.

 

[Stainmaster]

Earl Grant (Charleston - age 41): Has rebuilt that program after Wojcik nearly ruined it. They went 9-24 in his first year, but have now posted three straight winning seasons including back-to-back 20+ win years. Seems like a real basketball intellect – his teams play smart – and has background as a high-level recruiter with both Wichita State and Clemson.

247 ranked the five Clemson recruiting classes Grant was on staff for 280th, 40th, 44th, 78th, and 80th. I wouldn't call that "high-level recruiting."

Wichita was certainly not recruiting at a high level in the MVC pre-Final Four. If anyone wants numerical proof, 247 ranked Wichita's recruiting classes while Grant was on staff 115th, 89th, and 256th.

If this is the best we can do, than I'm not one to argue with some sort of divine punishment the college basketball gods are meting upon us. But don't feed me Salisbury steak and tell me it's Wagyu ribeye.

 

[Stainmaster]

I know Nate Oats is doing VERY well over here at UB, both on-court and on the recruiting trail.

Buffalo is the furthest east he's ever coached, and his only job outside of Wisconsin or Michigan.

His current roster has 0 recruits from New England, 2 from the Northeast - a JUCO from Brooklyn and a JUCO from Rochester (neither of which paths tends to produce players that meet the standards of the UConn fan base). I will give him credit for beating out some decent schools for the wing from Rochester via Prolific Prep, but do we really want to keep ceding the best local recruits in the NEPSAC and the rest of the region to Ed Cooley?

 

[Stainmaster]

Aside from Hurley, who should be everyone's number one choice, this is a decent of general candidates for upward moves this March. Yet I'm not sure who besides him could fully dig us out of this hole and recapture the interest of a fanbase starved for deep tourney runs, lottery picks, and the general magic of the legendary Calhoun teams.

 

[superjohn]

Aside from Hurley, who should be everyone's number one choice, this is a decent of general candidates for upward moves this March. Yet I'm not sure who besides him could fully dig us out of this hole and recapture the interest of a fanbase starved for deep tourney runs, lottery picks, and the general magic of the legendary Calhoun teams.

Staahp, we're just desperate to not be a laugingstock anymore, have a chance at making the tournament again.

 

[Stainmaster]

Staahp, we're just desperate to not be a laugingstock anymore, have a chance at making the tournament again.

That’ll win over 5-6 dozen Boneyard diehards. Beyond that? The casual fan’s bar is set much higher than that.

 

[JellyBean]

I am throwing my support behind Tom Crean.

 

[superjohn]

That’ll win over 5-6 dozen Boneyard diehards. Beyond that? The casual fan’s bar is set much higher than that.

You're all over the map. You went from Ollie can't be fired to he has to be fired to there is no way Hurley would ever come here to we need a guy with major northeast recruiting chops to we need to hire a coach as good as Calhoun to keep the fanbase happy which is impossible because Calhoun is the greatest coach ever.

 

[Stainmaster]

You're all over the map. You went from Ollie can't be fired to he has to be fired to there is no way Hurley would ever come here to we need a guy with major northeast recruiting chops to we need to hire a coach as good as Calhoun to keep the fanbase happy which is impossible because Calhoun is the greatest coach ever.

Complaining about me not wanting to fire Ollie in the past is pretty rich considering OP was wrapped pretty tightly around Ollie's jock until this past November himself.

Knowing what I know about you, I doubt that your inside info re. Hurley is legitimate, and every single poster I've engaged with on this topic either a) thinks we can continue paying our basketball coaches top-10 salaries regardless of revenue, budget cuts, TV deals, etc., or b) thinks "history and tradition" hold significant sway with anyone who isn't an alumnus. Hurley is my number 1 choice but to act like we'll have no competition for him is self-delusion by those who aren't emotionally equipped to handle the alternative.

No sheet we need someone with major northeast recruiting chops if the program is to be turned around. How can any sane person argue to the contrary?

UConn basketball does not even have a fanbase unless there are peak Calhoun levels of success.

I'm consistent. You're in denial.

 

[Matrim55]

Ah yes, the areas of Ohio and North Carolina that have long been UConn's bread and butter when it comes to recruiting.

Even by your standards the implication that teams recruit only their backyards is impossibly stupid.

1. Wake recruits the entire eastern seaboard. So do we. They also have two guys in particular (Moore & Brown) that we recruited hard as hell. They kill it in Florida and Georgia in particular.

2. Xavier does their best work in Indiana, not Ohio. Regardless, they've always gotten players from Chicago, Detroit and NYC as well. And guess what? Their best rebounder is literally from Connecticut – and, like Moore & Brown, is a guy we recruited.

247 ranked the five Clemson recruiting classes Grant was on staff for 280th, 40th, 44th, 78th, and 80th. I wouldn't call that "high-level recruiting."

Even by your standards the implication that ACC recruiting is not high-level is stupid. It's literally the best basketball conference in the country.

I'd like to ask the mods to look at how Stainmaker has * up and derailed another thread by spamming it with 6 (!!!) responses out of the first 11 posts, including four in 20 minutes. This is not normal behavior, nor is it conducive to good discussion for an engaged user base.

He obviously needs help and I feel for him on that level, but his compulsive behavior is making this a much worse place to try to talk about hoops.

 

[UConnStats]

I know Nate Oats is doing VERY well over here at UB, both on-court and on the recruiting trail.

Nate Oats is a star in the making. If I were Pitt, he’d be on my short list. He was under Chris Mack and really has a great offensive mind.

 

[TJT]

What about Ed Cooley at PC? I have heard rumblings that he is increasingly growing frustrated at PC as he feels he has maxed out there. Can't break into the top of the Big East. Lots of road losses in that conference. While he has brought PC to the tournament four straight years, his teams are always mid pack in the conference and get poor NCAA seeding. Had to actually participate in the play in game last year. As a consequence of tough early NCAA match-ups, his team has typically been bounced early.

 

[kobe]

I'd remove Pat Kelsey as a candidate for any major coaching job.

 

[Matrim55]

I'd remove Pat Kelsey as a candidate for any major coaching job.

Because of the UMass thing?

 

[kobe]

Because of the UMass thing?

Heard from some Xavier guys (he was an assistant there) that he's got some anxiety/stress issues. Don't think it's best for his mental health to be at a major program. I've heard he won't be a serious candidate for the Xavier job if Mack leaves for that reason.

 

[Matrim55]

What about Ed Cooley at PC? I have heard rumblings that he is increasingly growing frustrated at PC as he feels he has maxed out there. Can't break into the top of the Big East. Lots of road losses in that conference. While he has brought PC to the tournament four straight years, his teams are always mid pack in the conference and get poor NCAA seeding. Had to actually participate in the play in game last year. As a consequence of tough early NCAA match-ups, his team has typically been bounced early.

More a case of him maxing out as a coach than PC maxing out what they're capable of as a program.

He's got his third top 25 recruiting class in the last 5 years coming in next year, and has exactly one NCAA win to show for it. Dude's a clear upgrade over KO, but he doesn't have the upside of other options IMO. Providence should be making the 2nd weekend every now and again, you know?

 

[gtcam]

Heard from some Xavier guys (he was an assistant there) that he's got some anxiety/stress issues. Don't think it's best for his mental health to be at a major program. I've heard he won't be a serious candidate for the Xavier job if Mack leaves for that reason.

And the mental midget has no anxiety/stress issues????????????????????????
Trying to hang the rumor on some Xavier guys!!!??? (just josh'n about that)
I also heard that Kelsey is a real tense guy

 

[gtcam]

What about Ed Cooley at PC? I have heard rumblings that he is increasingly growing frustrated at PC as he feels he has maxed out there. Can't break into the top of the Big East. Lots of road losses in that conference. While he has brought PC to the tournament four straight years, his teams are always mid pack in the conference and get poor NCAA seeding. Had to actually participate in the play in game last year. As a consequence of tough early NCAA match-ups, his team has typically been bounced early.

He's another of doing less with more
He's had some awesome talent and not a heck of a lot of real success
A taller version of Mick Cronin with hair (well, sort of - I know - that was classless - but that's how I feel right now)

 

[Tex-Lager93]

Didn't see Steve Forbes on the list. Both he and Earl Grant have those Wichita roots during their career - and both appear to be great coaches. Can they recruit at a higher level? I don't know - but they definitely seem to be able to do more with less than most. I'd prefer Hurley - but there is something to be said about hiring from either the Pitino or Marshall tree.

 

[tcf15]

Good read: How Dan Hurley finally chilled out -- and Rhode Island roared louder than ever

 

[UConnStats]

Good read: How Dan Hurley finally chilled out -- and Rhode Island roared louder than ever

Read this yesterday. Pretty cool how candid he was. I refrained from posting it just because I can already picture certain posters claiming he has mental health issues.

 

[Edward Sargent]

Danny Hurley (Rhode Island – age 45): He's a turnaround artist. Took a Wagner team from single-digit wins to 25 wins in two years, then moved to URI and took them from 9 to 14 to 23. They've now won 20+ games in three of the last four years. He has them top 5 in the RPI, top 20 in the rankings and top 30 in Kenpom. He's been a head coach since 2001, first building up St. Benedicts in Jersey, then Wagner and now the Rams. Really excellent defensive coach whose players love him & don't transfer.

Pat Kelsey (Winthrop – age 42): Took a struggling team and in 2 years turned them into the class of the Big South. Played and assistant coached at Xavier, and assistant coached at Wake Forest as well, so he's got high-level recruiting cred in areas we care about. Memorably flipped UMass the bird last year after he'd agreed to coach them.

Pat Skerry (Towson - age 48): Has turned Towson, of all places, into a consistent winner. They're a good bet to post their third straight 20-win season, and fourth in five years. When he took over in 2011/12 they were the worst team in the world, going 1-31. They won 18 games the next season before starting on this current run of 20-win seasons. Has yet to make it to the NCAA tourney but he's resurrected the dead down there, and has Big East recruiting experience with both Providence and Pitt. He's a native of Medford.

Earl Grant (Charleston - age 41): Has rebuilt that program after Wojcik nearly ruined it. They went 9-24 in his first year, but have now posted three straight winning seasons including back-to-back 20+ win years. Seems like a real basketball intellect – his teams play smart – and has background as a high-level recruiter with both Wichita State and Clemson.

John Becker (Vermont - age 49): Took over in 2011/12 and has turned the Catamounts into the class of that league, with seven straight 20-win seasons. That includes two NCAA tourney trips (and one win) and two trips to the CBI semifinals. He's an elite offensive coach, as they net out at 20th overall in the Kenpom rankings. They're 11-0 in conference play this year and are prohibitive favorites to win the league. Only blemish is he's never recruited at a high level. He's from Fairfield.

Joe Dooley (FGCU - age 52): Failed with ECU back in the '90s when he was the youngest head coach in college hoops, but he's been awesome with FGCU. They've posted their 5th straight 20-win season, are unbeaten in conference play and are favorites to make a third straight NCAA tourney appearance. He's from the northeast and has deep recruiting ties here, including at the highest levels – he was an assistant at Kansas for a decade, including with their national championship team.

From a recruiting standpoint Danny is the only one on that list worthy of consideration

 

[Willy Gee]

"John Becker (Vermont - age 49): Took over in 2011/12 and has turned the Catamounts into the class of that league, with seven straight 20-win seasons. That includes two NCAA tourney trips (and one win) and two trips to the CBI semifinals. He's an elite offensive coach, as they net out at 20th overall in the Kenpom rankings. They're 11-0 in conference play this year and are prohibitive favorites to win the league. Only blemish is he's never recruited at a high level. He's from Fairfield."

I went to UConn (B.A. 1988) (J.D. 1994), and have lived in Burlington, VT for the past 12 or so years. I've seen many UVM games, including last night's win over New Hampshire. Becker is a great coach, and he has his players execute team basketball. Their unselfish play and energy on defense remind me of the UConn women.

That being said, I am not sure his brand of basketball will work at an elite basketball school, unless he can somehow convince great players to unequivocally subordinate their interests to the interests of the team. Can't argue with Becker's success or his coaching methods. Just don't know how it would translate at a better school in a better conference.

That's all for now.