Thursday, April 26, 2012
Reaction to Virginia Tech Letting Go of Greenberg
Leave it to Virginia Tech to find a way to screw up a move that I actually support.
The other day, Virginia Tech fired their coach of the past nine season, Seth Greenberg. This came as a surprise to many, particularly after Tech's AD had been giving a strong vote of confidence towards Greenberg as recently as early March.
Personally, I was in favor of Tech letting Greenberg go, simply on lack of results. In the past five seasons, Tech has made it to four NITs and zero NCAA Tournament appearances. For a team in a major conference, particularly when that conference has had a few down years over the past five seasons, that can't be considered a successful tenure.
But only Virginia Tech could make what I think was the right move and still find a way to muck it up.
First off, the last person to hear about Seth Greenberg's firing was Seth Greenberg. Apparently the AD had decided to fire his coach about a week and a half before he told Greenberg. Why wait the week and a half? And if you were going to do it, at least give the guy a head's up so he knows what to say when the media starts asking questions.
The other problem I have with how the firing went down is when it happened. Tech waited until April 23rd to fire Greenberg, as opposed to say March 23rd, or heck, even early April.
The effects of the lateness of the firing are twofold.
On the one hand, you have how it affects Greenberg. Say what you will about the guy, but he was the coach of the Hokies for nine seasons and because an integral part of the Blacksburg society. He has a daughter who goes to Tech and is a cheerleader, and another daughter who is in the school system in Blacksburg.
It would only have been right to let him go early enough so that he could start looking at the other major coaching vacancies out there, say Illinois, SMU, or Kansas State. Instead, Greenberg is really on the outside looking in for next season, and it will be tough for him to score a job unless there is another late firing out there.
As for Tech, by waiting this long, they have hurt their own search for a new coach. Many of their assistants who wanted head coaching jobs have gone to other universities, and many of the high profile coaches out there, like Bruce Weber or even Barry Hinson, have already gotten jobs.
Tech's next move is going to either be trying to pry away a mid major coach such as Shaka Smart or Brad Stevens, which is unlikely for a whole host of reasons, or try to bring in an assistant from somewhere looking to make the jump to head coach.
Regardless, this has become a tough situation for all parties involved and could have been avoided by using a little common sense and a lot better timing.
Monday, April 23, 2012
Why the Early Speculations?
One of the common things you will see during college basketball's postseason is all of the analysts who are already speculating who will be the top teams next season
In the past two weeks alone, ESPN has featured two editions of Andy Katz's Top 25, Eammon Brennan's snubs from this pretend Top 25, Dick Vitale's Top 40, and even a full Bracketology, featuring 68 teams, from Joe Lunardi.
Am I the only one who thinks that this is all insane?
Honestly, it's near impossible to pick who will be the 10 best teams in a given NFL football season in March, much less trying to pick the top 25 teams out of 340+ possibilities. Half the fun of college basketball is having no idea who will be good and who will not.
Particularly in college, where things are in such flux. Last year, George Mason was a consensus Top 25 pick in all of these "way to early" polls. The offseason saw transfers and coaching changes, and what do you know, George Mason was barely getting votes, much less in the Top 25.
I get it, these guys need to write about something, but please, can we stop pretending like their word actually means something?
In 2010, UConn was not even in the official Preseason Top 25. You may remember that they ended up winning the Big East and NCAA Tournament that year.
This season, Pittsburgh was slated #11 in the Preseason Top 25. They made the CBI Tournament
Those are just a couple of a million examples that I could have picked from, and it goes to show that nobody knows what's going to happen next season. To me, it is just silly to speculate on things that you cannot and have no possibility of knowing.
But hey, I end up reading all of them anyway, so I guess they're at least getting views out of em.
Larry Brown to Coach SMU
Last week, Larry Brown agreed to be the head coach of the SMU Mustangs for this next season. I found this deal to be surprising for a few reasons.
For one, I'm just shocked that Brown is still coaching. The man is 71 years old, and his last job was in 2008, which led many people to believe that Brown would stay retired, or at least be waiting for a prime time coaching job.
That brings me to my next point. Larry Brown is back in the NCAA. I never thought in a million years, outside of say Kentucky, that Larry Brown would coach college ball again.
Brown says that his style has always been a college style and that he is comfortable coaching in the NCAA, but I just find it amazing that he would accept a deal that wasn't from an NBA team.
His last coaching gig in college was with Kansas in 1988. Although Brown had great success with Kansas, winning a national championship, he also left amid a major recruiting scandal that led to the defending champion Jayhawks being banned from the 1989 NCAA Tournament.
Clearly, time heals all wounds, as these recruiting scandals have not even been mentioned by any major news outlets, particularly ESPN, in regards to his latest hiring.
The last part of this that interests me is how far SMU has climbed in the college basketball worly without even having major success.
The Mustangs have not even made the NCAA Tournament since 1993, and haven't won an NCAA Tournament game since 1988, when Brown last coached in the NCAA.
Last season alone, the Mustangs went 13-19, including going 4-12 in Conference USA play, including a downright embarrassing 47-28 loss to UAB.
Despite all of this lack of success, in one season, SMU has joined the Big East, one of the top conferences in NCAA basketball, and landed a Hall of Fame caliber coach. It truly is staggering to me how quickly this program is turning around.
Just goes to show what this drive for football can do. We'll see if all of this change involves in a turnaround for the SMU basketball program, or just lead to further debacle and embarrassment.
Monday, April 16, 2012
The First Domino in the CAA Falls
The offseason of the college basketball season is usually marked by three big things: the coaching carousel, the NBA Draft, and lately, conference realignment.
The CAA, who has produced two Final Four teams since 2006, George Mason and VCU, has been recognized as one of the top mid major conferences in the country. Yet even this illustrious distinction has not been enough to spare the conference from rumors and actual realignment issues.
It all started with rumors of Mason and VCU jumping ship to the A-10. It has been well established that, especially after the departure of Temple to the Big East, that the A-10 has been considering inviting various mid majors to join them. The three teams who have been mentioned the most for this expansion have been Butler, George Mason, and VCU.
The rumors particularly picked up about a month ago, when word came out from CBS that both Mason and VCU were in talks with A-10 officials about a possible move. Those rumors have been denied by both the A-10, CAA, Mason, and VCU.
Yet, the general theory is, where there is smoke, there is fire, so this issue will not be resolved fully until the summer is over most likely.
Meanwhile, a move has been made by another team in the CAA. Earlier in the week, it was made official that Georgia State, the CAA's youngest member, would be joining the Sun Belt Conference as of July 1st, 2013.
What I find particularly intriguing about this move is that rumors of this move were being refuted as soon as a week before it was made official, furthering the thought that what the conferences say has to be taken with a grain of salt.
So now, the CAA is looking at an 11 team conference in 2013. The question now becomes, will the CAA bring in one team to fill a slot, go the route of the A-10 and try to bring in multiple teams, or will Georgia State's departure spark more teams leaving the conference.
Honestly, I think that it all depends on what move Mason and VCU make. If these two teams leave for the A-10, then the conference is in deep trouble, having lost three teams, including their two most publicly known. If the two teams stay, then the CAA still looks like a big step up for a strong mid major team in an average league, and the conference will go on as strong as ever.
Unfortunately for the CAA, it looks like nothing will be known until after July 1st. Neither VCU nor Mason seems to be willing to make a move before the fiscal year ends and they get a huge check for the last five years of NCAA Tournament performances, featuring Final Four money.
This is going to be an interesting situation going forward, as it's rare to see the fate of a conference decided by one move. We'll just have to wait and see what happens in this battle for mid major superiority.
The CAA, who has produced two Final Four teams since 2006, George Mason and VCU, has been recognized as one of the top mid major conferences in the country. Yet even this illustrious distinction has not been enough to spare the conference from rumors and actual realignment issues.
It all started with rumors of Mason and VCU jumping ship to the A-10. It has been well established that, especially after the departure of Temple to the Big East, that the A-10 has been considering inviting various mid majors to join them. The three teams who have been mentioned the most for this expansion have been Butler, George Mason, and VCU.
The rumors particularly picked up about a month ago, when word came out from CBS that both Mason and VCU were in talks with A-10 officials about a possible move. Those rumors have been denied by both the A-10, CAA, Mason, and VCU.
Yet, the general theory is, where there is smoke, there is fire, so this issue will not be resolved fully until the summer is over most likely.
Meanwhile, a move has been made by another team in the CAA. Earlier in the week, it was made official that Georgia State, the CAA's youngest member, would be joining the Sun Belt Conference as of July 1st, 2013.
What I find particularly intriguing about this move is that rumors of this move were being refuted as soon as a week before it was made official, furthering the thought that what the conferences say has to be taken with a grain of salt.
So now, the CAA is looking at an 11 team conference in 2013. The question now becomes, will the CAA bring in one team to fill a slot, go the route of the A-10 and try to bring in multiple teams, or will Georgia State's departure spark more teams leaving the conference.
Honestly, I think that it all depends on what move Mason and VCU make. If these two teams leave for the A-10, then the conference is in deep trouble, having lost three teams, including their two most publicly known. If the two teams stay, then the CAA still looks like a big step up for a strong mid major team in an average league, and the conference will go on as strong as ever.
Unfortunately for the CAA, it looks like nothing will be known until after July 1st. Neither VCU nor Mason seems to be willing to make a move before the fiscal year ends and they get a huge check for the last five years of NCAA Tournament performances, featuring Final Four money.
This is going to be an interesting situation going forward, as it's rare to see the fate of a conference decided by one move. We'll just have to wait and see what happens in this battle for mid major superiority.
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Noel to Kentucky
Today, Nerlen Noel, who has been rated #1 by ESPN in terms of high school recruits, has committed to the University of Kentucky, joining the reigning national champions. The signing also has given Kentucky the #1 recruiting class in the nation, again, as ranked by ESPN.
The signing is huge for the Wildcats. The champs are most likely losing their biggest weapons from this past season, Anthony Davis and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, to the NBA, and this commit is a major get to ensure that the program remains a national championship contender.
For me though, U can't help but feel skeptical. Honestly, I'm always skeptical whenever it comes to John Calipari and his penchant for landing major recruits.
To be fair, I don't think that my skepticism is unwarranted. Yes, the guy has won everywhere that he has been, but look at the trail of destruction that he has left in his wake. He took UMass to the Sweet Sixteen before leaving the program. The year after he left, it was revealed that there were some illegal recruiting going on, and penalties were handed down to the program, as well as the vacation of their Sweet Sixteen.
Then, Calipari moved on to Memphis, where he took that team to the National Championship game, losing in an absolute classic to Kansas. Once again, Calipari moved on to bigger and better things, and soon after he left, word that the star player of that Memphis team, Derrick Rose, was illegally recruited, and again, penalties were handed down and wins were vacated.
So here is John Calipari at Kentucky, and it has gotten to the point where it is almost a foregone conclusion that he will recruit the best players in the country every year. First is was John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins. Then it was Anthony Davis and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. Now it is Nerlen Noel.
The fear that I have is that the story of Kentucky will be the same as UMass and Memphis. Everything is going well until Calipari feels the feds bearing down on him, which will lead him to made the jump into the NBA and leave Kentucky to take the fall. Wins and now championships will be vacated, and off goes Calipari with almost no repercussions.
Now, I may be completely wrong on this and maybe Calipari is just a masterful recruiter the likes of which the NCAA has rarely, if ever, seen before. But then again, maybe I'm not. I guess only time will tell.
The signing is huge for the Wildcats. The champs are most likely losing their biggest weapons from this past season, Anthony Davis and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, to the NBA, and this commit is a major get to ensure that the program remains a national championship contender.
For me though, U can't help but feel skeptical. Honestly, I'm always skeptical whenever it comes to John Calipari and his penchant for landing major recruits.
To be fair, I don't think that my skepticism is unwarranted. Yes, the guy has won everywhere that he has been, but look at the trail of destruction that he has left in his wake. He took UMass to the Sweet Sixteen before leaving the program. The year after he left, it was revealed that there were some illegal recruiting going on, and penalties were handed down to the program, as well as the vacation of their Sweet Sixteen.
Then, Calipari moved on to Memphis, where he took that team to the National Championship game, losing in an absolute classic to Kansas. Once again, Calipari moved on to bigger and better things, and soon after he left, word that the star player of that Memphis team, Derrick Rose, was illegally recruited, and again, penalties were handed down and wins were vacated.
So here is John Calipari at Kentucky, and it has gotten to the point where it is almost a foregone conclusion that he will recruit the best players in the country every year. First is was John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins. Then it was Anthony Davis and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. Now it is Nerlen Noel.
The fear that I have is that the story of Kentucky will be the same as UMass and Memphis. Everything is going well until Calipari feels the feds bearing down on him, which will lead him to made the jump into the NBA and leave Kentucky to take the fall. Wins and now championships will be vacated, and off goes Calipari with almost no repercussions.
Now, I may be completely wrong on this and maybe Calipari is just a masterful recruiter the likes of which the NCAA has rarely, if ever, seen before. But then again, maybe I'm not. I guess only time will tell.
Monday, April 9, 2012
UConn is in Trouble
The other day, UConn's appeal of their issues with the APR, Academic Progress Rate, and will officially not be allowed to participate in the 2013 NCAA Tournament.
This decision is huge for a number of reasons. The first obvious reason is that UConn, who won the National Championship last season and always is a national championship contender, will not be in the tournament. I can't remember the last time a team of this stature was banned from the postseason, particularly for academic reasons.
Then the question of what happens to the program starts to come into questions. Will they be able to recruit? In this age of "one and dones," no big time high school player who only intends on spending one year in the NCAA will waste that year with UConn. Even further than that, who does want to go to the Huskies right now? Who is to say that these issues will be resolved?
With guys who are on the team already, particularly those with only one year of eligibility left, do they want to spend that year at UConn where they can't win a national title? You have to imagine that there will be numerous transfers and decommittals over the next few weeks.
Then there's Jim Calhoun. The legendary coach missed a lot of this past season with medical issues, and his team struggled without him. The Huskies lost 9 of 12 at one point this season, and there were rumblings that the defending national champs may not even make the tournament.
The Huskies only started to get hot once Calhoun came back, leading to a nice run in the Big East tournament before falling in their first tournament game to Iowa State.
Clearly Calhoun is a major part of this program, but with the coach's health declining and his age getting up there, will he even return for next season? It appears that he will, as he has mentioning his goal of winning the Big East regular title.
Just because Calhoun returns next year though means nothing. Jim Calhoun may retire after next season, again, citing health concerns. The legendary Jim Calhoun may have already coached in his last NCAA Tournament game thanks to this ruling.
In the end, it will be fascinating to see how this one year postseason ban will affect the UConn program. Personally, I think they'll be ok, just because I can't see UConn falling off the face of the Earth, but you never know. One year of recruiting hell and the loss of a coach can do programs in, so it will be a situation to watch over these next few years.
This decision is huge for a number of reasons. The first obvious reason is that UConn, who won the National Championship last season and always is a national championship contender, will not be in the tournament. I can't remember the last time a team of this stature was banned from the postseason, particularly for academic reasons.
Then the question of what happens to the program starts to come into questions. Will they be able to recruit? In this age of "one and dones," no big time high school player who only intends on spending one year in the NCAA will waste that year with UConn. Even further than that, who does want to go to the Huskies right now? Who is to say that these issues will be resolved?
With guys who are on the team already, particularly those with only one year of eligibility left, do they want to spend that year at UConn where they can't win a national title? You have to imagine that there will be numerous transfers and decommittals over the next few weeks.
Then there's Jim Calhoun. The legendary coach missed a lot of this past season with medical issues, and his team struggled without him. The Huskies lost 9 of 12 at one point this season, and there were rumblings that the defending national champs may not even make the tournament.
The Huskies only started to get hot once Calhoun came back, leading to a nice run in the Big East tournament before falling in their first tournament game to Iowa State.
Clearly Calhoun is a major part of this program, but with the coach's health declining and his age getting up there, will he even return for next season? It appears that he will, as he has mentioning his goal of winning the Big East regular title.
Just because Calhoun returns next year though means nothing. Jim Calhoun may retire after next season, again, citing health concerns. The legendary Jim Calhoun may have already coached in his last NCAA Tournament game thanks to this ruling.
In the end, it will be fascinating to see how this one year postseason ban will affect the UConn program. Personally, I think they'll be ok, just because I can't see UConn falling off the face of the Earth, but you never know. One year of recruiting hell and the loss of a coach can do programs in, so it will be a situation to watch over these next few years.
Thoughts on the Championship Game
So a week later, I have had some time to diagnose and think about the Kentucky-Kansas final and have a few thoughts on it.
Real time, I was disappointed with the final. For much of the game, it was really a lopsided affair. Kentucky just dominated the game, going up by double digits early and really just cruising to a national championship.
Kansas made it mildly interesting down the stretch, cutting the lead to five, but it was far too late and Kentucky turned on the offense one last time to officially bury the Jayhawks and win the title.
When I think of a championship game, I think of a great battle between the two best teams in the country. I think of a nailbiting finish, with a memorable last minute that fans can recall fondly and watch on the highlight reel for years to come. And honestly, it just didn't feel like we got that this year.
Now, looking back on it though, I've come to appreciate the game, not for score or the game itself, but for Kentucky. This team ran through the tournament unlike any team we have seen in years. They dominated every opponent they saw, no matter how weak or elite they were. There were no cheap wins or close escapes. This was sheer and utter domination, with freshmen no less.
The question now gets raised: Was this the best team ever? The question certainly has a right to be asked. Kentucky only lost twice all season: once on the road at the buzzer at Indiana and once in the SEC Championship game to a desperate Vanderbilt team, in a game where the Wildcats, honestly, seemed disinterested.
Of course now it is hard to answer that question. It just happened and we need to see how this team can hold up in the test of time. Five or 10 years from now though, I think you can revisit this team and truly see how great they were.
So in the end, the championship game was lackluster, although it was miles better than last year's disaster. However, the game will be memorable for one reason: it featured what may have been the greatest college basketball team of all time. Only time will tell.
Real time, I was disappointed with the final. For much of the game, it was really a lopsided affair. Kentucky just dominated the game, going up by double digits early and really just cruising to a national championship.
Kansas made it mildly interesting down the stretch, cutting the lead to five, but it was far too late and Kentucky turned on the offense one last time to officially bury the Jayhawks and win the title.
When I think of a championship game, I think of a great battle between the two best teams in the country. I think of a nailbiting finish, with a memorable last minute that fans can recall fondly and watch on the highlight reel for years to come. And honestly, it just didn't feel like we got that this year.
Now, looking back on it though, I've come to appreciate the game, not for score or the game itself, but for Kentucky. This team ran through the tournament unlike any team we have seen in years. They dominated every opponent they saw, no matter how weak or elite they were. There were no cheap wins or close escapes. This was sheer and utter domination, with freshmen no less.
The question now gets raised: Was this the best team ever? The question certainly has a right to be asked. Kentucky only lost twice all season: once on the road at the buzzer at Indiana and once in the SEC Championship game to a desperate Vanderbilt team, in a game where the Wildcats, honestly, seemed disinterested.
Of course now it is hard to answer that question. It just happened and we need to see how this team can hold up in the test of time. Five or 10 years from now though, I think you can revisit this team and truly see how great they were.
So in the end, the championship game was lackluster, although it was miles better than last year's disaster. However, the game will be memorable for one reason: it featured what may have been the greatest college basketball team of all time. Only time will tell.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)