Who is the next coach to win their 1st title? | The Boneyard

Who is the next coach to win their 1st title?

Who is the next coach to win their 1st title?

  • Vic Schaefer

  • Shea Ralph

  • Kara Lawson

  • Lindsay Gottlieb

  • Jeff Walz

  • Kim Barnes-Arico

  • Jan Jensen

  • Mark Campbell

  • Other

Results are only viewable after voting.
This is an interesting question. Before the transfer portal I think I would have said Vic. Famous coach, southern climate, interesting city that is an emerging tech center, in short many ingredients to be a consistent major contender. But losing three key players in the portal raises questions about the program too.

Shea could be there soon too, and clearly is a program on the up-swing, but has the potential disadvantage of being the Northwestern of the SEC, namely having to sometimes take a pass on a top player because of academics. Of course Stanford was a national power for years despite having the same issue.

Kara has the national team status to add to her resume, is a well known personality and in a hotbed of basketball interest, so she deserves to be on this list. Lindsay is a puzzlement to me. I get the appeal of LA to young athletes, and her ability to recruit is proven, but I'm not sure if she is that good a coach, and at least it seems to me she just tries to get the most talent, regardless of how it goes together or fits into a team concept.

Jeff has been in the discussion for years, but always seems to be the next tier of national contenders, just below the top dogs. Kim has that great sophomore class to add to, and if she is ever going to get there, it is probably with that group. Jan inherited a great program built on Clark's exceptional popularity, but I think she needs to achieve high level success on her own for a few years before she will be a top threat. And finally I wonder if Mark can just buy a championship with short term portal rentals, but he too needs a few more years pf success, and demonstrate an ability to recruit HS recruits as well.

This is a great list of potential candidates, a case can be made for all of them, but if I had to pick one, it would be between Vic, Shea and Kara and I can't decide between those three.
 
I picked Jan because she builds the same way Lisa did before her. I may be wrong, but that’s a model of team play I recognize.
 
GamecockFam said:
Gottlieb is an interesting candidate. She has all the talent in the world and her team should be capable of winning it all but if she cannot win it in the next few years, I doubt she keeps striking gold. She seems like a good short-term bet but a bad long-term one.
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All that talent and all that money to throw at talent...

I think this take is spot on. Next year is going to be really interesting in Galen. If the team doesn't produce, does the money dry up? L.A. isn't the most patient town to operate in.
 
GamecockFam said:
Gottlieb is an interesting candidate. She has all the talent in the world and her team should be capable of winning it all but if she cannot win it in the next few years, I doubt she keeps striking gold. She seems like a good short-term bet but a bad long-term one.
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I feel similarly about Texas/Vic in terms of longevity. He’s 65 and running out of time. Came painfully close in 2018 and a bad shooting game by Booker likely kept them from winning in 2026. They have strong lineups going forward but he doesn’t strike me as the type of person who wants to coach well into his 70s either.
 
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Interesting topic and interesting list of potentials. It could be just as likely the next first timer is someone not even on this list...although I can't think of anyone obvious that has been left out.
 
I went with "Other". Great list of names and very capable candidates but I just got a feeling that someone that is not in the "In Group" is going to win before anyone on that list wins one.
 
Vic obviously has been recruiting better than ever and we need to see what this Texas re-tool looks like.

But the exodus of players makes you wonder if that window just closed?

Gottlieb has an obvious immediate opportunity and possible can continue to lock down a lot of Cali talent and get more opportunities.

But if this core doesn't get it will another?


Lawson just seems line it will eventually happen.

Ralph not impossible at Vandy but could also be in line for UConn. What if that happened next year and there was Strong and she brought Blake's and Galvin?
 
Gamecockfan77 said:
Vic obviously has been recruiting better than ever and we need to see what this Texas re-tool looks like.

But the exodus of players makes you wonder if that window just closed?

Gottlieb has an obvious immediate opportunity and possible can continue to lock down a lot of Cali talent and get more opportunities.

But if this core doesn't get it will another?


Lawson just seems line it will eventually happen.

Ralph not impossible at Vandy but could also be in line for UConn. What if that happened next year and there was Strong and she brought Blake's and Galvin?
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Ralph I could see pulling it off at Vandy if she keeps recruiting well, but I think it'd be a tougher sell at UCONN. I might be in the minority here, but I think she stays at Vandy even if Geno retires. Those who've followed in the footsteps of legends have struggled mightily and I think UCONN loses its allure to recruits once Geno leaves. I also can't imagine that Geno retires before Sarah Strong graduates or that Blakes would leave Vanderbilt.
 
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triaddukefan said:
Not biased, but I voted for Coach Lawson. If she brings a title to West Durham, I look forward to getting her name tattooed across my chest... The day after I go looting through the streets in celebration.
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How would you respond if it was coach Banghart
 
nwhoopfan said:
Interesting topic and interesting list of potentials. It could be just as likely the next first timer is someone not even on this list...although I can't think of anyone obvious that has been left out.
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Others I considered adding in were Niele Ivey and Kenny Brooks. In hindsight I probably would've put Ivey on this list over the likes of Campbell and Jensen since she's been able to land elite players straight out of high school. Plus in 2024-25 Notre Dame looked like the odds on favorite to win it all mid season with Hidalgo/Citron/Miles all playing well together.
 
USC is really intriguing with so many players who can create and score. Across the top teams, I think they actually have the largest question mark though as Gottlieb hasn’t shown to be a strong offensive coach and they’re going to need players to defer. Their top two current players haven’t played together before and neither has been particularly efficient. The potential is sky-high though and if it comes together they could be one of the most electric teams we’ve seen in several years
 
bballnut90 said:
I feel similarly about Texas/Vic in terms of longevity. He’s 65 and running out of time. Came painfully close in 2018 and a bad shooting game by Booker likely kept them from winning in 2026. They have strong lineups going forward but he doesn’t strike me as the type of person who wants to coach well into his 70s either.
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Exactly. That is why I didn't pick Vic. Anything is possible but I just think his window on winning a title is shut or closing quickly. Now if Texas lands a 6'9" type player who can do it all over the next few years, that changes things.
 
GoChips20 said:
USC is really intriguing with so many players who can create and score. Across the top teams, I think they actually have the largest question mark though as Gottlieb hasn’t shown to be a strong offensive coach and they’re going to need players to defer. Their top two current players haven’t played together before and neither has been particularly efficient. The potential is sky-high though and if it comes together they could be one of the most electric teams we’ve seen in several years
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USC, like South Carolina, are two pretty lethal teams, on paper. With that type of talent they (USC) has added and if Juju is 100% healthy, they have a nice chance. But alot just depends on the players and how they develop that chemistry on/off the court.

Coach Gottlieb is an excellent offensive coach. Check out her Cal Bears when she was there. Coach did a solid job there. Same with her first year at USC. Decent offensive game planning and she didn't have the type of talent that she has now. Coach is good.
 
2026: Cori Close

2017: Dawn Staley*

2011: Gary Blair

2006: Brenda Friese

2005: Kim Mulkey*

2001: Muffet McGraw*

So, about one out of about 5 years in this Century a new coach wins one.
 
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GoChips20 said:
USC is really intriguing with so many players who can create and score. Across the top teams, I think they actually have the largest question mark though as Gottlieb hasn’t shown to be a strong offensive coach and they’re going to need players to defer. Their top two current players haven’t played together before and neither has been particularly efficient. The potential is sky-high though and if it comes together they could be one of the most electric teams we’ve seen in several years
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That was my thinking too, and also why I voted for Gottlieb. Next season feels like a make it or break it one for her. I think Kara is the only other coach with enough of an arsenal to reasonably make it happen, but it feels like USC, SCAR, and UConn are still heads and tails above the rest of the country in terms of total talent.
 
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