Rawkhawk73
Banned
My first inclination is to say, "If we want to sit at the big boy table we've got to hire a big boy coach." However, I'm not sure that's the correct answer, in and of itself. Guys like Lute Olson back in the day and Bo Ryan currently had killer success and they didn't come from a "major" conference. Same with KF on the football side. Plus, I think the answer is probably different for different programs (i.e. does the program reside in a natural recruiting hot bed, etc). So what should we really be looking for, besides names. I almost wonder what it would look like to do a "blind" assessment....meaning, give a list of 5 or 6 coaches, but no names, just stats. If that were the case, what would be important? Here is my list:
1. Natural ties. I think it's important that the next coach have either ties to Iowa or to the Big 10. If they had both, that would be even better. To understand the Big 10, it's schools, it's recruiting spots, etc plus understanding Iowa and it's culture and strengths and challenges gives you a leg up when building the program.
2. Proven success over time. This is important as it separates those with "one hit wonders" from those with consistent results. It also shows success at getting the right recruits in on a regular basis. A lot of people can hit a home run with one class and have that carry over a few years later into conference and NCAA tourney success. Those that do it consistently show an ability to get good kids on a regular basis and coach them up.
3. Career progression. I think it's important that a coach has "paid his dues" so to speak, rather than being born on 3rd base and thinking they hit a triple (Quinn Snyder, Tommy Amaker, Steve Alford, etc). Guys like Bo Ryan or Bruce Pearl or Kirk Ferentz have seen it all and done it all. I think that makes for a better, more well-rounded coach
4. Good eye for assistants. This is important as assistants spend more time recruiting, working with players and game planning than the head coach does. A great coach is often times only as good as the men he surrounds himself with (see Kirk Ferentz on one end and Steve Alford/Tood Lickliter on the other end).
5. NCAA Tourney success. In this day and age of ESPN, bracketology, Road to the Final Four, etc, a program is no longer really judged in the public by how many conference titles they've won, but how well they've done in the NCAA Tournament. Most people probably can't tell you how many conference titles Gonzaga has won or probably even what conference they're in. But EVERYONE that even casually follows college basketball knows about Gonzaga because they've performed when the world was watching. That, in turn, leads to recruiting successes that you may not have had otherwise, if not for great showings in the Big Dance.
1. Natural ties. I think it's important that the next coach have either ties to Iowa or to the Big 10. If they had both, that would be even better. To understand the Big 10, it's schools, it's recruiting spots, etc plus understanding Iowa and it's culture and strengths and challenges gives you a leg up when building the program.
2. Proven success over time. This is important as it separates those with "one hit wonders" from those with consistent results. It also shows success at getting the right recruits in on a regular basis. A lot of people can hit a home run with one class and have that carry over a few years later into conference and NCAA tourney success. Those that do it consistently show an ability to get good kids on a regular basis and coach them up.
3. Career progression. I think it's important that a coach has "paid his dues" so to speak, rather than being born on 3rd base and thinking they hit a triple (Quinn Snyder, Tommy Amaker, Steve Alford, etc). Guys like Bo Ryan or Bruce Pearl or Kirk Ferentz have seen it all and done it all. I think that makes for a better, more well-rounded coach
4. Good eye for assistants. This is important as assistants spend more time recruiting, working with players and game planning than the head coach does. A great coach is often times only as good as the men he surrounds himself with (see Kirk Ferentz on one end and Steve Alford/Tood Lickliter on the other end).
5. NCAA Tourney success. In this day and age of ESPN, bracketology, Road to the Final Four, etc, a program is no longer really judged in the public by how many conference titles they've won, but how well they've done in the NCAA Tournament. Most people probably can't tell you how many conference titles Gonzaga has won or probably even what conference they're in. But EVERYONE that even casually follows college basketball knows about Gonzaga because they've performed when the world was watching. That, in turn, leads to recruiting successes that you may not have had otherwise, if not for great showings in the Big Dance.
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