I don't think there is any way UConn could surpass Cuse or Louisville as a coaching destination based on facilities or money. Facilities give those two a huge boost. UConn can't hope to match the sheer size of the Carrier Dome and the YUM is just amazing. I think take out facilities and those three are similar jobs with UConn having a slight advantage if the below is factored in.
The big bonus UConn has over those two schools are the current NBA players (only Melo truly stands out between UL and Cuse). This is also a drawback if those players don't support the next coach.
One way you might want to look at this is how do these schools/programs stack up if you take their current coach out of the equation? The other factor is the conference they're part of.
UL has a storied history, but fell into irrelevance for a while before joining the Big East. Regardless of their coach, as long as they are part of a big time conference, they'll score high marks due to their excellent fan base, sustained high level of play since joining the Big East and their facilities.
SU - I don't know much about their pre-BE history. But how much has Boeheim made Syracuse, Syracuse? Granted the Dome can fit a load of people, but I wouldn't say it's anything special as far as a hoops venue. With that said, and with so little to do way up there, SU hoops during the winter must be close to the only show in town. They too have an avid fan base. I'm always surprised that recruits want to go all the way in the middle of nowhere with a long way to go to get to somewhere, but JB does a great job of getting talented players who fit his system. But will that be the case with Hopkins whenever he takes over? Similar to UL, though even better, they have a sustained string of success and the perception of of being a successful program does go a long way in getting talented players assuming the right coach is there to coach them to greatness.
UConn - similar to SU, how much has JC made UConn, UConn? UConn was a regional power in hoops, pre-BE, but not considered a National power. As long as our Huskies are part of a major conference, our solid fan base (no
local major pro teams to compete with), the upcoming facilities upgrade and the highest sustained level of success than any other BE program makes it an attractive job. I do wonder what would happen if UConn goes into a downward spiral success wise and chooses poorly with their next Head Coach. Could UConn slip for a while like SJ and GT did after their long time HOF coaches retired? GT has returned from the ashes since JT III. SJ has really never recovered since they retire the sweater. UConn made a mistake, not building a slightly larger on-campus hoops venue. If my memory serves me the began building before the program blew up into a national power. Gampel is a nice cozy building. The HCC is a bit antiquated and I thought that there were some proposed plans to make some major renovations. I can't remember if that got shot down or not.
I believe perception and the coach itself has the biggest impact when it comes to sustained success. There are a handful of storied programs that also have desirable campuses/locations that will likely always succeed as long as they have a good head coach.
UNC,
UK and
UCLA come to mind. You can probably add
Arizona and
KU to that list. KU seems to be in the middle of nowhere, but their storied history in men's hoops seems to keep them up there. Zona took a downturn during the end of Lute's reign who seemed to come personally unraveled. Sean Miller has slowly built that program back up and I would not be shocked to see them have a solid run of success over the next decade or so. I'm a little surprised that UCLA hasn't been as successful as I would imagine. I think they've made a string of coaching mistakes. Howland never seemed like a great fit. He's had a couple okay runs, but might finally have the talent to make some noise over the next year or two. Lavin and the other coach who's name escapes me seemed to run their programs a tad on the shady side. I think that program could have exploded if they hired a coach like Roy Williams. Roy certainly has his faults. I'm not saying he would be a good fit for LA. I don't think he would be. But UCLA would benefit from a coach who's a good recruiter and plays a more uptempo style of play. It would be an interesting topic to ask what coach out there would be a good fit for UCLA. Some programs just have a certain personality. A program like Mich State, which I put in the next category, seems like a program that is best suited for a out-tough and out-will you type of coach we see in Izzo. Just using them as an example of having the right coach for the right school.
I think
UConn,
UL,
SU fit in some second category along with
MSU,
Ohio St,
Oklahoma,
Texas,
Washington,
UF, and I'm sure some others we could think of that probably need make sure they don't make a poor head coaching decision to stay where they are. All these teams are capable of regularly competing for their conference titles and -4.
I don't even know where to put Dook. How much has K made Dook, Dook? They've probably built such a huge reputation of winning that with the right replacement, they'd probably keep on winning. That program attracts a certain type of player that will always be looking for a place like Dook.
Bringing this full circle, what probably gives UL and SU a leg up is neither are state schools and can thus offer more money. UL would have another leg up with much better weather than the other two. Socially Storrs and CT as a whole is nothing exciting, but Boston & NYC are within driving distance. Not sure if that really is a big deal to a BB HC who doesn't exactly have a lot of personal time to wander too far from campus. I've never been to Lousiville, but it seems like a nice community with stuff happening. I'm assuming the Kentucky Derby is not that far away. SU...hum...I've been there and didn't exactly notice there was all that much to do up there?
If I were a coach wanting to put down my tent strings, UL would seem like a desirable place. I'd pick UConn over SU though.
