Which 5, Current Head Coaches Would Be Your Top Picks to Succeed JC?

[ddooky]

Lifelong UConn fan and occasional reader of this board. This is my first post. Like everyone, I am very curious as to who JC's successor will be and also surprised there is not more sentiment for Moore. I feel he is the best assistant, total package, that we've had here and he has done a solid job at QU. I love KO like the rest, but if JC wants it to come from "in the family" and everyone is afraid of KO not having head coaching experience, why not Moore? The guy was the x/o guy from 94-01, then gets on the road in 02 and comes out of the gate as the lead recruiter for Rashad, Denham, and Hilton. He follows that as the lead guy on Rudy, AJ, Charlie V, Andrew Bynum, Jeff Adrian, etc.
How has he "had a lot more trouble than he signed up for" at QU? Because one of his kids got in a fight over his five years there? Did some research on their website, he's 93-65 overall, 59-31 in NEC, averaged 21 wins per year over last 3, and they've been in NIT, CIT, and CBI over last three. He lost in the championship by 2 in 2010, semis by 2 in 2011, and semis by 3 in 2012. They had a huge APR issue when he got there and he was noted by FoxSports to have the highest APR increase in the COUNTRY in his first three years. I've seen them play a few times. He has started 5-10, 5-11, 6-2, 6-6, and 6-8 and was 1st or 2nd in the COUNTRY in three rebounding stats (behind only North Carolina) this year and his team was first in the NEC in FG% defense.
It bothers me that he hasn't gotten over the hump and made the NCAAs and I'm not saying he should definitely be the guy, but I'm surprised by the lack of respect he seems to get when this topic comes up.

 

[HuskyFan32]

I have no problem with the idea of Ollie succeeding JC. The only in-house candidate I would want at the moment however is Ollie. There was a time when I was convinced that Leitao was going to be JC's replacement but I also felt that Hobbs would have been a far better choice. I no longer believe that Leitao is in anywhere near as good standing in JC's eyes as he had been (he would be on this staff if he were) and I no longer see Hobbs as a great candidate as a head coach (but I do believe he is an excellent assistant).
So your saying that Stevens is a much better coach than Calhoun? Our bad years have been nowhere near 25 wins lately In fact we've only gotten that many wins once in the regular season since 06

If we were to assume that we will not take someone for JC's tree, my list is very sghort:

1) Shaka Smart - He teams remind me so much of our early 1990's teams its scary.

2) Brad Stevens - In a setting like UConn he'll win 25 games in a bad year, be a threat to win it all in a good year and have more good years than bad over any time span.

 

[HuskyFan32]

1.Shaka Smart
2.Gregg Marshall
3.Fran Franshilla
4.Anthony Grant
5.Kevin Ollie

Wait I really really really hope Fran Frachilla is a joke.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

Huskyfan32,

It would be easier to figure out what you are saying if you knew how to use the quote function but I believe I have it.

When did I say regular season when projecting what Stevens could do?

I am not about to claim that Jamie Dixon has been a better head coach than JC nor am I going to claim that he has had more success over the past near decade that he was running the show at Pitt. He has however been far more consistent in his results from November to (very) early March than JC has been.

The above (with an enormous assist coming from what JC will have established the program as over the prior nearly three decades) is why I believe Stevens could hit 25 wins a year (after all is said and done) on a regular basis and on better years make a run for the title (whether he could pull one off is a discussion in itself as there are many quality coaches who haven't been able to pull this off).

Hopefully I spelled this out to a level that is not the challenge of quoting a post as I do want you to understand this.

 

[NHUConnfan]

Shaka Smart being pursued by Illinois. If he leaves VCU for THAT job...

 

[1999.2004.2011]

SHAKAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

 

[Matt (Chicago)]

Izzo, please.

not exactly reasonable, but heck yeah i'd take him.

 

[Matt (Chicago)]

I think miller would definitely be interested and you have to give the guy an interview... east coast guy...he's a heck of a recruiter, his assistants have NYC ties...

I would love to see Tom Moore get a shot at it... but do most people think that he wouldnt be able to due to the Nate Miles fallout? I know he was cleared, but wasn't he Calhoun's #1 choice before all that?

Ollie of course will be in the picture. It's a gamble of sorts but you have to give the guy a look.

Smart probably ends up at UI.

Stevens... popular choice sure but UConn is LIGHTYEARS away from Butler in terms of visibility, pressure, media etc. Him taking Butler as far as he did was a great story, but part of that was because it was so unexpected. Bad year this year, I guess we'd have to see how the do next yr and the yr after?

Haith - NO WAY. Dirty, and anyone who thinks he should be here needs to do some reading.

Scott Drew - see above.

DARKHORSE - HUSKYMAGIC - he clearly has a high basketball IQ, and would likely spend all the schools recruiting budget paying a European scientist to clone Roscoe Smith 13 times...

 

[ZenConn]

Drew and Haith are dirty. I'd stay away from them.

I'd like to see:

1. Frank Martin - Fiery, tough, "wear his emotions on his sleeve" coach. Reminds me of JC years ago.
2. Ollie - Stay in the family
3. Mark Few - Does wonders @ Gonzaga
3. Brad Stevens - Two Championship games in a row with a mid major.
4. Smart - How will he do with big time players?
5. Hurley - Jury is still out. We didn't land any of his players @ St. Benedict's or his father's players @ St. Anthony's. Will that affect where he wants to go?

 

[aceboon]

Shaka Smart being pursued by Illinois. If he leaves VCU for THAT job...

Wait...are you saying Illinois isn't a good job??? Big Ten school with history, has Chicago/Ill and the rest of the midwest to play with as far as recruiting grounds, that's a great job.

 

[Tenspro2002]

I would take Frank Martin. He's on the young side (turns 46 this week; we hired Calhoun when he was 43) and has proven success in a power conference (no fewer than 21 wins in each of his 5 seasons, including 4 NCAAT appearances and an Elite Eight in 2010).

 

[NHUConnfan]

Wait...are you saying Illinois isn't a good job??? Big Ten school with history, has Chicago/Ill and the rest of the midwest to play with as far as recruiting grounds, that's a great job.

Shaka Smart has the choice of any school. Going to one with zero championships would probably not be preferable. Also, Illinois is in the midst of a huge huge scandal (as an institution...not the athletic department).

 

[UConn5]

Shaka Smart has the choice of any school. Going to one with zero championships would probably not be preferable. Also, Illinois is in the midst of a huge huge scandal (as an institution...not the athletic department).

Are you referring to the law school scandal? While that is definitely a black eye for the school I don't think it will have much of an impact. Villanova's law school went through the exact same thing a year or two ago and outside of the legal community very little was made of it.

 

[NHUConnfan]

Are you referring to the law school scandal? While that is definitely a black eye for the school I don't think it will have much of an impact. Villanova's law school went through the exact same thing a year or two ago and outside of the legal community very little was made of it.

First, there is this... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Illinois_clout_scandal

which resulted in the hiring of President Hogan...

which resulted in this... http://www.pjstar.com/free/x1907514236/U-of-I-faculty-letter-Trustees-should-fire-Hogan

because of this... http://www.news-gazette.com/news/education/2012-03-10/hogan-may-recuse-himself-troyer-case.html

The University of Illinois has only created bad press for itself in the last 7 years. There isn't much good coming out of that corrupt institution. It's the only school in the Big 10 that has lost numbers in applications. This is only one reason why the law school has plummeted. But the entire university is tanked unless someone fixes it...and fixes it fast.

 

[John Fryer]

Wow! It appears like I took the wrong turn. Again!

I thought that a major reason for Ollie being even considered as a possible successor to coach C was his NBA experience.

I remember him as being an undrafted success in a very tough and competitive environment.

That experience is likely to be very attractive to high school AA athletes with visions of playing in the NBA.

Ollie has been there and done that!

Peace,

John Fryer

 

[UconnFanInNYC]

In any order, or no particular order. I'm curious as to how much agreement there will be.

Thanks

Mike Brey
Kevin Ollie
Tom Moore
Obama's brother in Law at Oregon State
Jimmy Patsos (Loyola coach)