tweeterhawk
Well-Known Member
Fran's pic is the cover image for Forde's column on Yahoo Sports, which begins:
THE COACHING EDITION
Who Is Unexpectedly Killing It:
Fran McCaffery (1), Iowa. If The Minutes had to fill out a national Coach of the Year ballot today, he would be the choice. All the preseason talk in the Big Ten was about Maryland, Purdue, Michigan State and Indiana. The Hawkeyes were not in the preseason Top 25 rankings, and weren’t even in the top 40 among those receiving votes in the AP poll. Today, Iowa leads the conference, has been ranked in the top five for the past four weeks, and is a No. 1 seed in most NCAA tournament projections. With a four-senior nucleus led by potential All-American Jarrod Uthoff, Iowa could win the Big Ten for the first time since 1979....
Also:
Who Is Not Killing It:
Richard Pitino (12), Minnesota. He lost the nucleus of a team that won the NIT his first season, then slid to 18-15 last year. Now with an inexperienced roster, the bottom has fallen out in Year Three. The Gophers are 6-19 overall, 0-13 in the Big Ten, and two remaining games against Rutgers might be their only chances to win for the first time since mid-December. Minnesota still appears to be trying – five of their last seven losses are by six points or less – but cannot figure out how to finish a game.
Steve Prohm (15), Iowa State. Prohm got the upgrade from Murray State in the summer, when Fred Hoiberg left for the NBA. While he’s certainly not bombed at 18-7 overall, neither has he thrived with one of the most experienced teams in the nation. On some occasions you wonder whether the Cyclones are tuning out Prohm – which might have been why he suspended center Jameel McKay for two games for something that happened in practice. Prohm might be trying to overcome Substitute Teacher Syndrome with the outgoing senior class.
Which coaches are doing it right and which are doing it wrong
THE COACHING EDITION
Who Is Unexpectedly Killing It:
Fran McCaffery (1), Iowa. If The Minutes had to fill out a national Coach of the Year ballot today, he would be the choice. All the preseason talk in the Big Ten was about Maryland, Purdue, Michigan State and Indiana. The Hawkeyes were not in the preseason Top 25 rankings, and weren’t even in the top 40 among those receiving votes in the AP poll. Today, Iowa leads the conference, has been ranked in the top five for the past four weeks, and is a No. 1 seed in most NCAA tournament projections. With a four-senior nucleus led by potential All-American Jarrod Uthoff, Iowa could win the Big Ten for the first time since 1979....
Also:
Who Is Not Killing It:
Richard Pitino (12), Minnesota. He lost the nucleus of a team that won the NIT his first season, then slid to 18-15 last year. Now with an inexperienced roster, the bottom has fallen out in Year Three. The Gophers are 6-19 overall, 0-13 in the Big Ten, and two remaining games against Rutgers might be their only chances to win for the first time since mid-December. Minnesota still appears to be trying – five of their last seven losses are by six points or less – but cannot figure out how to finish a game.
Steve Prohm (15), Iowa State. Prohm got the upgrade from Murray State in the summer, when Fred Hoiberg left for the NBA. While he’s certainly not bombed at 18-7 overall, neither has he thrived with one of the most experienced teams in the nation. On some occasions you wonder whether the Cyclones are tuning out Prohm – which might have been why he suspended center Jameel McKay for two games for something that happened in practice. Prohm might be trying to overcome Substitute Teacher Syndrome with the outgoing senior class.
Which coaches are doing it right and which are doing it wrong
