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Worst Coaches to Reach the Final Four
Posted on 3/27/16 at 10:01 am
Posted on 3/27/16 at 10:01 am
I'm limiting the discussion to the Magic/Bird era and beyond because it's a much more familiar period.
Ranking them top ten IMO:
1. Bill Hodges (Indiana State)
2. Richard Williams (Miss State)
3. John Brady (LSU)
4. Dick Bennett (Wisconsin)
5. Bob Weinhauer (Penn)
6. Jim O'Brien (Ohio State--only Final Four vacated)
7. Dana Kirk (Memphis State--only Final Four vacated)
8. Clem Haskins (Minnesota--only Final Four vacated)
9. Mike Davis (Indiana)
10. Paul Hewitt (GA Tech)
Other considerations:
Kelvin Sampson (Oklahoma)
Bill Guthridge (North Carolina)
Bobby Cremins (GA Tech)
Mike Montgomery (Stanford)
Bruce Weber (Illinois)
John Thompson III (Georgetown)
Tom Crean (Marquette)
The only reasons I didn't put the "vacated" coaches at the top was because I thought that they were decent coaches with some prolonged success. The top guys were journeyman coaches who basically got lucky once.
Ranking them top ten IMO:
1. Bill Hodges (Indiana State)
2. Richard Williams (Miss State)
3. John Brady (LSU)
4. Dick Bennett (Wisconsin)
5. Bob Weinhauer (Penn)
6. Jim O'Brien (Ohio State--only Final Four vacated)
7. Dana Kirk (Memphis State--only Final Four vacated)
8. Clem Haskins (Minnesota--only Final Four vacated)
9. Mike Davis (Indiana)
10. Paul Hewitt (GA Tech)
Other considerations:
Kelvin Sampson (Oklahoma)
Bill Guthridge (North Carolina)
Bobby Cremins (GA Tech)
Mike Montgomery (Stanford)
Bruce Weber (Illinois)
John Thompson III (Georgetown)
Tom Crean (Marquette)
The only reasons I didn't put the "vacated" coaches at the top was because I thought that they were decent coaches with some prolonged success. The top guys were journeyman coaches who basically got lucky once.
16
Posted on 3/27/16 at 10:03 am to lsutigers1992
John Calipari
Posted on 3/27/16 at 10:04 am to lsutigers1992
Rick Barnes and Bob Huggins come to mind
Posted on 3/27/16 at 10:07 am to lsutigers1992
Paul Hewitt is top 3, minimum
This post was edited on 3/27/16 at 10:10 am
Posted on 3/27/16 at 10:11 am to VermilionTiger
quote:
John Calipari
:kige:
Posted on 3/27/16 at 10:15 am to Sevendust912
I eliminated Barnes because he took 3 teams to the Tournament and made every tournament from 1996 to 2012. This year was the second year he missed the NCAA Tournament since 1996.
I eliminated Huggins because he took two teams to the Final Four.
I eliminated Calipari because he has a championship.
I recognize the argument that these three coaches should have won A LOT MORE, but they still had prolonged success.
But, for example, ask LSU fans if they'd rather have had any of these three guys over Brady.
I eliminated Huggins because he took two teams to the Final Four.
I eliminated Calipari because he has a championship.
I recognize the argument that these three coaches should have won A LOT MORE, but they still had prolonged success.
But, for example, ask LSU fans if they'd rather have had any of these three guys over Brady.
Posted on 3/27/16 at 10:16 am to 13SaintTiger
lol, Mike Montgomery is a bad coach???
In his his college career, his worst winning % was at Cal, .640 w%.
Some of you need to do leg work before claiming some one sucks
LINK
In his his college career, his worst winning % was at Cal, .640 w%.
Some of you need to do leg work before claiming some one sucks
LINK
Posted on 3/27/16 at 10:16 am to lsutigers1992
What you find is most of these coaches had at least one really talented player that elevated their statuses for a short time. If you're a coach on a mid-tier team, you have to ride that wave to a bigger gig or a bigger contract.
Posted on 3/27/16 at 10:18 am to VADawg
quote:
Paul Hewitt is top 3, minimum
Hewitt and Davis both reached the championship, so I put them on the low end. And those top 3 are pretty abysmal.
Look up the Indiana State guy. The Bird year was his first year, and he was hot garbage for the rest of his career. He's in a league all his own.
Posted on 3/27/16 at 10:21 am to emoney
Top 3 are solid. Hewitt needs to be higher.
Didn't Dick Bennett take over a trash program at Wisky? I'd take him off the list. Great coach without the resources of the heavyweights.
Didn't Dick Bennett take over a trash program at Wisky? I'd take him off the list. Great coach without the resources of the heavyweights.
Posted on 3/27/16 at 10:24 am to lsutigers1992
quote:
I eliminated Calipari because he has a championship.
Or because it would be fricking stupid to have him even in consideration for this list
Posted on 3/27/16 at 10:24 am to VermilionTiger
Which one, he's been there 6 times? 
Posted on 3/27/16 at 10:25 am to TexasTiger08
Take Bennett off and add John Thompson III
Posted on 3/27/16 at 10:26 am to stlslick
quote:
Some of you need to do leg work before claiming some one sucks
Where did I say Mike Montgomery sucked? Is he even in the top ten?
Mike Montgomery screwed himself leaving Stanford going to the NBA. He only made it past the first weekend 3 times in nearly a quarter-century of NCAA coaching. His best team ever was his last Stanford team, and they lost the 8-1 game in round 2.
Look at the Final Four coaches from 1979-2016 and tell me the people not listed who should have been.
I don't think Cremins and Montgomery are bad coaches for sure, but their resumes among other Final Four coaches are in the lower tiers.
Posted on 3/27/16 at 10:27 am to VADawg
Guthridge is another interesting one. His HC career wasn't too lengthy and he succeeded a legend. There isn't too much to judge him on.
Posted on 3/27/16 at 10:30 am to TexasTiger08
Guthridge made 2 Final Fours (1998 and 2000) and I don't think he was at UNC for longer than 4 years. Not a bad percentage.
Posted on 3/27/16 at 10:31 am to TexasTiger08
quote:
Didn't Dick Bennett take over a trash program at Wisky? I'd take him off the list. Great coach without the resources of the heavyweights.
I think Bennett is a great coach who got to the top level too late in his career. He's almost an outlier. His son is proof that he is a great teacher. He took an 8 seed to the Final Four. He frustrated the shite out of some good teams.
Posted on 3/27/16 at 10:32 am to VADawg
Dick Bennett belongs nowhere on that list. He was a great coach.
Posted on 3/27/16 at 10:34 am to lsutigers1992
Just to be devil's advocate, some coaches who made multiple Final Fours are products of a great program while some who made 1 may be a much better coach at a lesser school.
Who is to say Roy Williams is better than Jim Larranaga or something like that?
Who is to say Roy Williams is better than Jim Larranaga or something like that?
Posted on 3/27/16 at 10:40 am to TexasTiger08
quote:
Who is to say Roy Williams is better than Jim Larranaga or something like that?
Larranaga is winning at Miami in the best conference in the country. He's good.
Roy Williams is not a good example, but point taken. Kansas and North Carolina are legacy programs. He took over Kansas after Larry Brown got them on probation, and Brown's last team wasn't very good outside of Manning. And at North Carolina, people forget that Guthridge and Doherty were so bad they almost wrecked the program.
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