It is impossible to argue with the job Mark Few has done in
Spokane this year. Even with a loss in
the WCC tourney, they could easily be the number one overall seed out of a
non-power conference. The reason that I
am not putting him on the top of my Coach of the Year short list is because he
is basically doing the same thing he has done every year, and the Bulldogs
continue to get results. He is not
necessarily exceeding expectations given the resources and competition faced.
1.
Andy Enfield, USC: Funny story. When I was contemplating Enfield as a
candidate, I was floored to realize that he is now in his fourth year at USC
(not second- man FGCU seems like it was yesterday) and that he inherited the
program from years of Kevin O’Neill damage, not just Tim Floyd fallout. Holy crap!
Has USC been that anonymous for this long that the last 10 years are a
total blur? Was Mayo/Young the last time
they really had any hope? I pegged them
to finish 5th again, but this is the 3rd best team in the
conference, except in those rare instance UCLA decides to play both ways.
2.
Mike White, Florida: Billy Donovan left the
program in decent shape, but this was expected to be a down year for Florida,
likely sitting on the fringes of NCAA contention. They are the best team in the SEC this
year. Maybe not the most talented team,
but certainly the most effective team.
The Egbunu injury may take away any Final Four prospects, but this will
remain a Top 15 team despite playing just 8 home games to date.
3.
Grant McCasland, Arkansas State: Remember when
ASU was good? Me either. They scheduled
ambitiously and were rewarded with a 2-3 mark against the Top 100
non-conference… they would love another shot at Arlington.
4.
Scott Drew, Baylor: Like, literally spitting in
the face of adversity. He has kept a
talented, but certainly not elite, team focused amid a brutal schedule and
negative publicity… many people want to see Baylor fail, but certainly not the
basketball team.
5.
Kermit Davis, MTSU: The Blue Raiders encore to
throttling Michigan State last year has been to go 5-1 against the Top 100
(kenpom) and look like the best mid-major program nobody talks about. It would be a travesty for a 5 loss MTSU team
to miss out on the Dance if they get upset by decent ODU, Rice or LaTech teams.
6.
Mark Few, Gonzaga
7.
Bob Huggins, West Virginia: Just when you think
the game has passed him by, Huggy Bear grabs a drink and takes you to
school. The shorter shot clock
encourages teams to press more to prevent teams from getting into their
offense. However, most teams that press
run standard configurations that can be exploited for 3 on 2 breaks, or pick up
fouls taking poor angles. The
Mountaineers broke many a weak-willed teams with disciplined reaching and
shifting to force horizontal movement, limiting the ball handler’s vision to
take the next pass. Players rotate
quickly and everyone plays free safety when it’s their turn. Huggins doesn’t have a deep lineup, but gets
top seed performance when it clicks.
8.
John Becker, Vermont: The Cats brought back a
solid 3rd place squad, but wasn’t expected to run the table like
this. Unfortunately, they missed all 4
opportunities to take a Top 50 win to secure their at large spot, but Becker’s
name will be at the top of many coaching short lists.
Honorable Mentions: Cuonzo Martin, Rick Pitinos (both), Brad
Underwood, Frank Martin, Dana Altman
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