I learned something today that I did not know about the FGCU coach. He's a self-made millionaire who left Wall Street to coach basketball.
:shock: :shock: Wow! Never heard of a guy doing that before! That's pretty good! His wife is a model. He's living a charmed life... http://www.usatoday.com/story/gameon/2013/03/25/fgcu-coach-andy-enfield-took-his-model-wife-to-taco-bell-on-first-date/2016775/
Interesting story on Ben Howland and some factors that might have led to his firing: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/-c.../20130325/ucla-ben-howland/?xid=si_topstories
That was a very good read Sid. It also highlighted some of the things in basketball that have changed. The rise of the power of AAU coaches and the elite players wanting mainly to have an opportunity to showcase themselves for the NBA. I think we need to go back to allowing high school kids to be available for the NBA draft or if they go to college be ineligible for 3 years just like baseball. This 1 and done is just crazy and really not good for anybody.
That's a good read, but it's one half of the story and I don't really buy that article. At a minimum, it's wrong. The changing point for Howland (I've seen this written about but can't find it now) was the Kevin Love fiasco. Howland was NOT a 1 and done guy. He wouldn't chase the 'sexy' AAU spoiled brats that lead to NCAA probation. Everyone knew this about the guy and no one had a problem with this. The Bruins don't want to be Kentucky, which proved their cesspool status with the hiring of Coach Cal. (just in case anyone forgot).. Love is a kid when prompted by Howland insisted that he was coming back. He insisted that he wasn't leaving. He swore that he was staying at least 3 years. UCLA did not recruit a replacement for the kid.. and then the kid bolted to the NBA. And you know what? No one blamed him. No one felt sorry for Howland. The AAU coaches weren't offering up replacement players. They weren't making any extra effort to serve this UCLA program (which this article almost jokingly suggests). Nope, instead Howland was told 'too bad, this is how it's done'.. and he immediately began trying to play the game 'that way' and it was his undoing. He chased the kids who the AAU pimps whored out. He chased the kids the fan boys read about and openly talked about on message boards with certainty that was based on nothing but air. The type of kids the fans all cry for. The kids that coach Cal makes his name whoring out and has since he was at UMass. The problem is, that's not Howland's game. He tried that for a few seasons.. they were awful and he was returning to 'his way' of doing things..Where I think he really screwed himself was with this past recruiting class, he tried to be both and that doesn't work. Still, the Howland way of doing things works. The problem is, UCLA fans seem to have forgotten that... They've forgotten who they are... if they aren't careful, they'll wind up becoming USC.. or worse, Kentucky
I know this is about the men's tourney but I have to say Britney Griner went out with an awesome game in her last appearance at home last night. 33 pts, 22 rebounds and 3 dunks. She has more dunks now than all the other women who have dunked combined. Barring something weird nobody will stop Baylor from winning the womens tourney. The Irish can't match up with Griner, but they aren't a 1 woman team either.
And Tennessee, if they get by Oklahoma, gets the honor of being a warm up for the rest of the tourney.
OK, time to get back to the basics here with today's action for the Sweet 16. Good luck to everyone. I am confident some of us may be disappointed. I just hope it is now my Buckeyes!
I see that Shaka Smart told both UCLA and Minnesota to pound sand when they made him their top choice for basketball coach. I wonder if Shaka is going to be the East Coast version of Mark Few. Few has been very successful at Gonzaga and his name was/is always hot when it comes to bigger jobs. But he seems to be very happy where he is and not eager to move to that bigger job/stage. I can't say I blame either of them, they have jobs making a cool million a year and a much lower profile. Life is good.
I would be shocked if Brad Stevens goes to UCLA, assuming of course that they contact him. The culture shock of moving from Indy to Westwood would be overwhelming, regardless of the $. Even Minnesota would be a challenge, not to mention the weather, where summer is two weeks long.
Considering that UCLA's reputation in basketball was built by a Purdue alum, I would not be totally stunned if another outstanding coach from the Hoosier state decided to pack his bags and head west. Stephens does seem to have some Wooden like qualities i.e. his composure during games and the discipline and intelligence displayed by his teams. But, considering that he has turned Butler's program into a national power with the school moving in a brief span of time from the Horizon conference to the new Big East, it would seem, IMHO, that the best move would be to stay at Butler rather than deal with the perhaps unrealistic expectations of a LA media and fan base who have been waiting for 40 years for another John Wooden to arrive at Westwood. I would be totally shocked if he went to Minnesota as Butler probably provides more resources for their program than Minnesota does for theirs.
You will never see me more combative than I am with fellow Bruins on this subject. Why would we ever want to hire someone so stupid to take our offer? If Shaka is smart, and it appears he is, why move? People seem to forget, despite the hype and ********.. Shaka didn't put VaComm on the map. It's a neat story and it sells well, but the guy who laid the foundation slab at VaComm was current Alabama head coach Anthony Grant. Grant spent 10 years under Donovan at Florida and became the head coach at VaComm. He led them to the 2nd round and an upset of Duke. He stayed there 2 more years with reasonable success. He had solid teams that made post-season showings and decided he wanted to be a big fish.. So he took the open Alabama job. (a hire most die hard Bama hoops fans loved.) Now, he's got everyone 2nd guessing him because they aren't Kentucky. (mind you, the Tide just got eliminated in the NIT by Maryland whereas Kentucky has been done for a while now) He's doing a good job there but it's thankless unless he's going to the final 4 or winning titles.. that's at Alabama!! That's not UCLA basketball. No offense intended but at Alabama, if he could turn that into a regular Sweet 16 team.. they'd keep him well until his old age. If you do that at UCLA, you're Steve Lavin and you're fired. Why would Shaka ever went to leave? The guy hasn't won a GD thing and the media hype machine puts him in that high end category like Cal, or Coach K, or 'droopy' Boeheim. Hoops is all about selling to a certain extent and at VaComm, he's got a prime location to maximize profits with little, to no, overhead. We might as well try to talk about hiring Phil Jackson.. at least he's available.
Nice writeup Corey. I imagine you know this but some others may not. When Billy Donovan decided to go to the Orlando Magic and signed a contract Anthony Grant was the choice to take his place. Our AD Foley had flown to Virginia to bring Grant back to Florida to be announced. While still at the airport Foley got a call from Donovan saying he wanted to stay at Florida. Which he ended up doing and Grant went to Alabama. Grant and Donovan are still very close friends I believe.
These last second treys by Ohio State to win the last two tournament games has worn me down to a frazzle! :lol:
Bill, I was actually unaware of that. Grant is a hell of a coach. Winning at a school that is so football first has to be tough. As we've seen at some of the football schools, it can be done but there have to be a few breaks going your way. If Grant can land just that extra super star, I think they'll be onto something there. That team is well coached.
Survive and advance.......this is a gritty group that has taken on the mental toughness of their leader in Craft. They have had the benefit of several players stepping up to complement Thomas on the offensive end and for the most part are playing lockdown defense......just win baby, style points don't count for nothing
I agree Corey. The Gator Nation was stunned when Donovan decided to go to the NBA and of course really down. However when word got out that Grant was going to be the guy most Gator fans were very happy. Then word got out that Foley had flown there to bring him back, then the plane is just sitting on the tarmac and nothing happening, then it flies back with no Grant. Confusion reigned. Then the word got out that Donovan had changed his mind, euphoria reigned. Ironically though the first few years after our two NCAA Championships the Gators were not all that good and missed the NCAA tournament. Gator fans had become spoiled like under Spurrier and a lot of them were questioning if Donovan could win again after leaving and then coming back, would he still have the fire and be able to get the recruits. I think the last three years he has answered that. Winning has a way of spoiling the fan base and we have evolved into a culture where only the one team that wins it all is any good, all other 100+ teams are just losers. That is sad. But obviously I agree with you that Grant is a great coach, I have tried to convince kp, but he isn't buying.