But when one looks at which Coach has done the most with the least...Who's the Best Coach in KY? Poynter is a very good pick. Beatty, Mueller, Morris (dad and son) the guys from Russell and Belfry...yep. GREAT picks. I'm sticking with Coach Smart at Grayson County.

 

I'm throwing this out there and you can tell me if I'm wrong, but I feel like you keep lobbing Coach Smart's name out there so you can watch people bash it. Coach Smart has done a very good job in tough places. That in itself, is commendable.

You've got me wrong. I have nothing but the ultimate respect for Coach Smart and I'm just giving him his due respect. Promise.

You've got me wrong. I have nothing but the ultimate respect for Coach Smart and I'm just giving him his due respect. Promise.

 

Then surely you can make the case you've presented. I've known some very good coaches that have been in awful situations, that have mixed a few very good seasons between the blah ones. I would have a hard time arguing for any of them as best ever despite having the utmost respect for each of them.

Top Young Coaches:

Kuehn- Bullitt Central

Haddix- Corbin

LeFors- CAL

Eviston- CovCath

Abell- Fern Creek

Billing- North Bullitt

Larkey- North Laurel

Chirico- Paintsville (once again young as Head Coach, not as age)

Engler- Ryle (Same thing..long time assistant, new as Head Coach)

Reed- South Oldham

Smith- South Warren

 

 

I think Mike Sizemore ends up on this list after a few years at Clay. Had Bracken headed the right way, and I believe will do the same at Clay.

You could argue it, but you'd be wrong.

Let's say, it's not a valid argument. How many wins would have Mueller had if he was the coach in the same frame? How many wins would Haywood have had? Chuck Smith? Wallace?...............

How many wins would those guys have at Jenkins, Phelps, etc? Its a multitude of things and one could never say this guy or that guy is absolutely the best.

How many wins would those guys have at Jenkins, Phelps, etc? Its a multitude of things and one could never say this guy or that guy is absolutely the best.

Well, shut the internet down, no speculation allowed, Legacy said so. lol

 

It's a valid point, how well would those guys have done at Jenkins and Phelps? Would they have won championships? Probably not, but could they have done better then most? If we are going to base our decision on the topic based solely on championships, the answer would be easy to determine.

Coach Smart, I'm sure is a good coach but to say he is the best coach in the State of Kentucky is ridiculous. He has lost more games than he has won and the same for his playoff tally. Not bashing him but the numbers are all we got to go on.

I am sure Poynter is a great coach as he is surely respected by his peers, but I cannot put him in the same breathe as Beatty, Haywood, Wallace, Matney, etc

 

Poynter has bounced around from different schools but I am not sure I recall seeing one of his teams reach a Semi-Finals.

 

Poynter is a good coach at rebuilding a program and making them competitive. He got the ball rolling at Bourbon County before Hodge took them the next step. He got the ball rolling at Pike Central before Chris McNamee took them a step further. Now he is helping Bath County get off the mat.

 

With that said, you have to have some sustained post-season success IMHO to be considered among the best.

 

Just looking at Poynter's stops:

Pike Central from 2002 thru 2004, no playoff wins

Trimble County 2005 thru 2008, one playoff win

Bourbon County from 2009 thru 2011, one playoff win

Bellevue 2013 and 2014, two playoff wins (one per year)

Bath County 2015 to Present, no playoff wins

 

So excluding 2012 that is 14 seasons and 4 playoff wins. Those are all tough jobs he took on and should be commended for achieving what he did, but let's agree that a coach needs at least a couple Semi-Finals appearances for us to proper consider them amongst the "best".

 

Don't recall making comparisons to anyone. I said give me the guys who can get their teams to compete to win vs their schedule every year. I mentioned 3 I am familiar with but there 2 dozen more around the state that others could and would say the same about I am sure of.

 

If this thread is best coaches by wins, titles, etc then that's another subject all together and would be a very small group.

The two things I learned MOST from Coach Smart...1)Why? He asked that question a lot. 2)Carry a pen!

Gregory - Graves County

Peach - Anderson County

Larkey - PCC

See; Now there's three FANTASTIC picks. Has nothing to do with wins and losses. OH wait...Isn't that how coaches are judged? HAH!

I think Mike Sizemore ends up on this list after a few years at Clay. Had Bracken headed the right way, and I believe will do the same at Clay.

 

I could see this coming to fruition. Mike is a great leader and a top notch guy!

Well, shut the internet down, no speculation allowed, Legacy said so. lol

 

It's a valid point, how well would those guys have done at Jenkins and Phelps? Would they have won championships? Probably not, but could they have done better then most? If we are going to base our decision on the topic based solely on championships, the answer would be easy to determine.

 

What would be the +/- each of the top level coaches is worth to one of those bottom tier teams? Just purely as part of their coaching prowess and such, what could that be set at?

 

Is Haywood a +3? Wallace a +3?

What would be the +/- each of the top level coaches is worth to one of those bottom tier teams? Just purely as part of their coaching prowess and such, what could that be set at?

 

Is Haywood a +3? Wallace a +3?

 

I would say +3 is fair, maybe even +4

 

Look what David Jones did at Phelps with some positive momentum and creative scheduling.

 

I also don't think asking "What would they do at Phelps and Jenkins" is a good metric.

 

Let's be honest, some jobs are not conducive to sustained winning. In the case of Phelps and Jenkins (or for that matter Fulton City, Berea, etc) you have limited resources at your disposal, a very finite and small talent pool that will severely ebb and flow with one or two players, and in most cases geographical or socio-economic barriers.

 

A better question to ask is how would these coaches fare at schools like Louisville Southern, Ohio County, or Butler County. Or how they would fare starting up a program like Spencer County.

 

These are the great middle ground jobs that differentiate coaches. You have the population base and talent base to be successful, but it's not going to be easy. You have to cultivate a program and cultivate your talent to make something out of an area that has not enjoyed sustained success.

 

How would Beatty and Haywood do at Southern? How would X Coach do at Southern?