Also, look at how UK does coming out of timeouts and in the second half. That's coaching.

 

Now you sound like Jimmy Dykes lol

Look at how he has adjusted to take advantage of this teams strengths. They are playing a completely different style than last year. One of the marks of a great coach is adjusting his system to fit his talent.

 

Also, look at how UK does coming out of timeouts and in the second half. That's coaching.

Excellent points.

In today's college basketball world, the name of the game is recruiting and getting kids to buy into and play within your philosophy. There is no one better than Cal at this. Before Cal came to UK, I had my doubts, mostly because I only saw his teams play 2-3 times a year. I have been more than pleasantly suprised out how Cal is able to motivate and get the most out if his players. He is a top 5 College basketball coach right now IMO.

 

Tubby was a great bench coach, but he couldn't get nor motivate high level talent. Bobby Knight is considered one of the most Brilliant basketball minds out there, but he is no longer in the game.

 

Right now Coach K seems to have the field covered in the Coaching ranks, but only 2 years ago a lot of people thought Coach K was on the decline. Why? He didn't have the studs. All of a sudden he coaches the Olympic team, gets praise from Kolby and Lebron, recruiting picks up and there you go!

How deep in the tourney did Cal go at UMass without Camby on his team?

 

Sweet 16 in '92. Lost to . . .

 

Wait for it . . .

 

Kentucky!!!

How deep in the tourney did Cal go at UMass without Camby on his team?

 

It was a great accomplishment merely getting UMASS back to the NCAA tourney. I don't understand, even the great X's and O's man Orlando Smith has missed the big tourney 2 out of 4 years. I happen to think Cal's coaching abilities are "misunderestimated."

Sweet 16 in '92. Lost to . . .

 

Wait for it . . .

 

Kentucky!!!

 

 

 

:lol::lol:

It was a great accomplishment merely getting UMASS back to the NCAA tourney. I don't understand, even the great X's and O's man Orlando Smith has missed the big tourney 2 out of 4 years. I happen to think Cal's coaching abilities are "misunderestimated."

 

 

 

To each his own...I think Cal's coaching abilities are spot on by most people. He can prove me wrong any day now.......waiting......

 

 

You really have top let Tubby go though. He has no bearing in this conversation. We know what Tubby is.

It was a great accomplishment merely getting UMASS back to the NCAA tourney. I don't understand, even the great X's and O's man Orlando Smith has missed the big tourney 2 out of 4 years. I happen to think Cal's coaching abilities are "misunderestimated."

 

A lot of experts (myself included ) agree with this.

^People are forgetting maybe his most talented player at UMass....Lou Roe.

 

Harper Williams was pretty darned good as well.

OR, you could say that about every coach that has been at U.K.. Goes with the job.

 

 

 

:thumb: Cal has been and is a great fit for U.K., no question about that.Tubby imo was a good fit untill all the in state press and the unrealistic fans started on him and kept getting worse untill it made it impossible for him to coach at U.K.. There are not many better than OTS when it comes to in game/bench coaching.

 

 

Coach K or even Tom Izzo, if Tubby could have recruited like Izzo he would have hung many banners up. Cal is a good coach, I wish he had a couple of bench coach guru's on the bench with him. Most of his bench coaches are recruiting aces. Cal reminds me of Nick Nolte off of Blue Chips after he got that dynamic recruiting class, even when he tried to coach them, he just sat down and watched the show because they were so good. That's how it was with last years class and probably next years. This team has grown at the very end of the year Cal deserves credit for that.

Someone please tell me what makes a great college coach? Drawing up plays? Calling timeouts at the right time? Adjustments? Recruiting? Selling your program? Motivating players? Developing players?

 

I think Cal's track record is pretty darn good. UMass was nothing before he got there and hasn't been much since he left. Memphis was down for years before his arrival and I think they have taken a step backward the past two years. UK, I don't think anyone needs reminded of where the program was when he was hired.

 

We are never gonna know how well ge coaches mediocre or bad players because he doesn't recruit them.

 

Everyone who doesn't want to give him credit keeps ignoring how much this team has changed since the first of the year. Cal has adjusted his style dramatically since last year. That's adapting to fit your personel. To me that is the epitome of coaching.

if Tubby could have recruited like Izzo he would have hung many banners up.

 

The problem is: recruiting is the backbone of a college program. Your can't polish a turd.

Someone please tell me what makes a great college coach? Drawing up plays? Calling timeouts at the right time? Adjustments? Recruiting? Selling your program? Motivating players? Developing players?

 

I think Cal's track record is pretty darn good. UMass was nothing before he got there and hasn't been much since he left. Memphis was down for years before his arrival and I think they have taken a step backward the past two years. UK, I don't think anyone needs reminded of where the program was when he was hired.

 

We are never gonna know how well ge coaches mediocre or bad players because he doesn't recruit them.

 

Everyone who doesn't want to give him credit keeps ignoring how much this team has changed since the first of the year. Cal has adjusted his style dramatically since last year. That's adapting to fit your personel. To me that is the epitome of coaching.

 

From reading this thread, there are a lot of people who, like me, draw distinctions between "coaching" and "recruiting."

 

For example, Bill Frieder and Lou Henson were some of the best recruiters in college hoops history, but awful bench coaches. Bobby Knight was an average recruiter but a great bench coach who regularly made the aforementioned Frieder and Henson look like middle-school coaches.

 

As far as Calipari goes, he's a solid bench coach whose motivational prowess helps him overcome most shortcomings in the x/o dept. The fact that he's the best recruiter in the biz means he's able to overwhelm opposing teams with talent, in most cases. I may not care for him personally, but would gladly replace Pitino with him in a New York minute.

From reading this thread, there are a lot of people who, like me, draw distinctions between "coaching" and "recruiting."

 

For example, Bill Frieder and Lou Henson were some of the best recruiters in college hoops history, but awful bench coaches. Bobby Knight was an average recruiter but a great bench coach who regularly made the aforementioned Frieder and Henson look like middle-school coaches.

 

As far as Calipari goes, he's a solid bench coach whose motivational prowess helps him overcome most shortcomings in the x/o dept. The fact that he's the best recruiter in the biz means he's able to overwhelm opposing teams with talent, in most cases. I may not care for him personally, but would gladly replace Pitino with him in a New York minute.

 

Jim, I understand where you and others are coming from and respect that but I think Cal is a much better x and o guy than being give credit for. I think the reason for that is he always has great talent. To me he has be stereotyped. There is no way a coach can lose basically his entire roster and do what he has done, basically 2 years in a row, if he did have a firm grasp of the x's and o's.

Jim, I understand where you and others are coming from and respect that but I think Cal is a much better x and o guy than being give credit for. I think the reason for that is he always has great talent. To me he has be stereotyped. There is no way a coach can lose basically his entire roster and do what he has done, basically 2 years in a row, if he did have a firm grasp of the x's and o's.

 

I certainly don't equate him as being on the same putrid level as Henson/Frieder and others like them (*cough* Wade Houston). Could just be that Calipari's greatest coaching strengths are on display in practice/pre-game prep moreso than they are in a tie game with 35 seconds to play.