Who is the best coach in the country*?

[ochoopsfan]

Russ Davis/Vanguard NAIA
Jarrod Olson/Cal Baptist
Mark Kellogg/Stephen F Austin
Jen Gross/UC Davis

 

[Mdoggie]

Beyond Coach Jumper???

I mean is there really any question?

Agreed. You’ll find none finer than Doug Elrod! Trainer, Coach and scout.

 

[SqueaksFan]

Given the slow news cycle of the offseason, I thought this might be a fun way to keep discussion alive. Who would you nominate as the best coach in the country? I'm going to make a major caveat here and ask that we exclude Geno and Dawn from the conversation since this board already has coalitions of fans from each program that feel strongly about their leader. Let's look a little more broadly with the understanding that UConn and South Carolina are the elite of the elite right now.

Here are my contenders:

• Vic Schaefer: Love or hate his style, Vic still might be the most underrated coach in the country despite being generally regarded as one of the top 5. He's quietly made it to each of the last five Elite Eights, with at least two teams that on paper had no business being there. He's built a middling Texas program into a crown contender heading into his third year after transforming bottom-dweller Mississippi State (which has not fared well since his departure).
• Kim Mulkey: Much has been made about the incredible job she did elevating LSU to 26 wins, but what has impressed me most was that she went from winning with defense at Baylor to winning with offense at LSU. Kim has long been known as a defensive coach, but this LSU team struggled guarding the perimeter and yet overachieved based on offensive sets and schemes. Kim's ability to adapt was somewhat questioned prior to last year, but she seems to have figured it out and has LSU primed as an SEC title threat in her second year.

What do you think?

I think you're spot-on with your post. I read all the other responses and I'm really surprised that others don't see Vic Schaefer in the same light as you do. I definitely do.

 

[Urshurak]

I feel like this is a trick question?

Geno, Pat, Tara, C.VS come to mind, but tons of others also.

 

[BBallF]

In my opinion the second best women's coach in the country is Kim Mulkey, not Dawn Staley. Mulkey has 3 Tiltles, 4 FFs, and 10 Elite 8s. She took a 9-13 LSU team and made it a 26-6 team in one year. Another point guard like Dawn, she has a great understanding of the game and how to motivate players. Yes, my whole family roots against her like the villain in professional wrestling when we play them. Yes, she looks crazed on the sidelines, whines like hell, and seems on the verge of tears all the time but she is a great winner and will go down as one of the greatest women's coaches of all time, especially when she gets another ring which I don't doubt will happen at LSU.

 

[MSSportsGuy]

In my opinion the second best women's coach in the country is Kim Mulkey, not Dawn Staley. Mulkey has 3 Tiltles, 4 FFs, and 10 Elite 8s. She took a 9-13 LSU team and made it a 26-6 team in one year. Another point guard like Dawn, she has a great understanding of the game and how to motivate players. Yes, my whole family roots against her like the villain in professional wrestling when we play them. Yes, she looks crazed on the sidelines, whines like hell, and seems on the verge of tears all the time but she is a great winner and will go down as one of the greatest women's coaches of all time, especially when she gets another ring which I don't doubt will happen at LSU.

I too am inclined to put Mulkey, and maybe Tara, above Dawn. What Dawn has done at SC is incredible. She's recruited outstanding players to her program, generated tremendous fan support, and has proven to be a winner. I wouldn't put her any lower than 4 but Mulkey and Tara are a little above her in my brain.

Vic is probably the best coach without a title right now. Waltz isn't far behind. Both will have their teams in contention again but defeating SC and Stanford will be a tall order given their talent levels.

There are plenty of terrific coaches who will never sniff a NC or even FF because their programs don't recruit at a high level to break through. The WCBB talent has generally been concentrated in a few powerhouse programs. It's tough to get a sleeper team to get there even if they have a terrific coach.

 

[KY Card Fan]

Vic is probably the best coach without a title right now. Waltz isn't far behind.

Vic and Walz both victims of horrid end-of-game officiating in 2018 Final Four in Columbus.

 

[BBallF]

I too am inclined to put Mulkey, and maybe Tara, above Dawn. What Dawn has done at SC is incredible. She's recruited outstanding players to her program, generated tremendous fan support, and has proven to be a winner. I wouldn't put her any lower than 4 but Mulkey and Tara are a little above her in my brain.

Vic is probably the best coach without a title right now. Waltz isn't far behind. Both will have their teams in contention again but defeating SC and Stanford will be a tall order given their talent levels.

There are plenty of terrific coaches who will never sniff a NC or even FF because their programs don't recruit at a high level to break through. The WCBB talent has generally been concentrated in a few powerhouse programs. It's tough to get a sleeper team to get there even if they have a terrific coach.

Exactly. That is why the 2 titles by Villanova are so remarkable also. Jay Wright basically reinvented the wheel in mens hoops by taking usually second echelon players who would stay the 3 or 4 years, although there were clearly exceptions even there. However, all of them were ready to go when they did, not one and done. With NIL and the transfer portal, that approach was made obsolete also with bidding for college players the reality and the so called lack of interference by boosters, coaches, sponsors and monied interests a fiction for all the fans whose viewership and allegiance makes the wheel turn. The real impact of this double barrel shotgun approach will become evident in years to come, with its most pronounced and obvious effects being in football and also draining the mid majors of those cultivated athletes who will leave for greener pastures lined with NIL dollars. The NCAA in my view basically gave up the notion of enforcement and oversight and just gave the fox the keys to the henhouse.

 

[MSSportsGuy]

Exactly. That is why the 2 titles by Villanova are so remarkable also. Jay Wright basically reinvented the wheel in mens hoops by taking usually second echelon players who would stay the 3 or 4 years, although there were clearly exceptions even there. However, all of them were ready to go when they did, not one and done. With NIL and the transfer portal, that approach was made obsolete also with bidding for college players the reality and the so called lack of interference by boosters, coaches, sponsors and monied interests a fiction for all the fans whose viewership and allegiance makes the wheel turn. The real impact of this double barrel shotgun approach will become evident in years to come, with its most pronounced and obvious effects being in football and also draining the mid majors of those cultivated athletes who will leave for greener pastures lined with NIL dollars. The NCAA in my view basically gave up the notion of enforcement and oversight and just gave the fox the keys to the henhouse.

I stopped caring as much for men's college basketball when we entered the 1 and done era. I still watch but it's not the same. I've posted here repeatedly I disagree strongly with the 1 time transfer/play immediately rule. However the genie it ouf the bottle and won't get back in.

 

[Stymie]

I truly believe that’s it’s only a matter of time until Shea Ralph starts to get some recognition.
She’s found a great spot to build a program.
Played for the best coach.
Assisted for the best coach.
At a university that seems to have made a commitment.
Her team stepped up in last years N.I.T.
Give her a few recruiting cycles.

 

[cgshuskie]

My vote is Jeff Walz and the wbb coach at North Carolina. Exceptional Also Cory Close
at UCLA

 

[bballnut90]

Schaefer, Mulkey, Tara are probably my top 3 excluding Dawn/Geno. Walz is consistently very good and does well in the tournament. Frese never gets enough love....she's won a title and made 3 Final Fours. It's wild how many transfers she has but her teams are almost always quite good, they play great basketball and she develops the heck out of her kids. Theyve dominated the Big Ten for a long time.

Banghart is a very strong up and comer. Wes Moore is a fantastic coach too. Kim Barnes-Arico is another consistently good coach who doesn't get enough recognition.

 

[SECbbfan24]

Frese never gets enough love....she's won a title and made 3 Final Fours. It's wild how many transfers she has but her teams are almost always quite good, they play great basketball and she develops the heck out of her kids. Theyve dominated the Big Ten for a long time.

Frese is very good. It would be nice to see them hold onto some of their star players but it doesn't hold Brenda back from landing elite talent annually.

 

[gold2323]

Geno…hands down and hands up “If you don’t know than you don’t know”

 

[Billineckz]

No particular order:
Dawn, Tara, Vic, Geno, Kim

 

[TeamFirst!]

I like Vic a lot also. I would play my heart out if I played for him. You can tell he really cares for his players. Can’t argue with Geno’s track record so he’s really got to win this poll but my vote goes to Adia Barnes. I think we are going to be seeing her in the FF going forward.

 

[Jingo]

If we don't count recruiting, the two best WBB couches are Courtney Banghart and Carla Berube, both staunch disciples of Pete Carril and his famous "Princeton Offense".
For example, last season, without scholarship players, Berube led Princeton to a 25-5 record and an opening round victory over mighty Kentucky [who had just beaten #1 South Carolina] in the women's NCAA tourney and then lost a heartbreaker [56-55] to powerful #3 Indiana in the 2nd round.
Carril is arguably the best coach on the men's side, having won more than 500 NCAA Division I basketball games without the benefit of athletic scholarships!
Sadly, Pete passed away less than two weeks ago [Aug 15] without much fanfare nor recognition, eh?
UConn incorporates many elements of the Princeton Offense in their own so-called 'motion offense'.

 

[GEAinAustin]

Geno and Dawn were to be excluded from this list as the original post states.