I think you guys actually agree on Izzo…it sounds like you would both have him in at least the top 15, as would I.

I’d bet he’s less bright than any of the lightbulbs in his house, dumber than the doorknobs, and less sharp than the butterknifes and the dullest tools in his shed.
That would definitely leave him out of the top 25, out of the Tourney, and an NIT bubble-team.

…that he was talking about this year. But I still feel that CBH has done a great job and deserves some credit. I think we are overrated (in the polls), and I think it is a great accomplishment that we are in the running for a share of the Pac-10 title. Not very many teams have won a conference title nearly 4 years in a row…which says something about the coaching job of Howland THIS YEAR. The high expectations will always be upon a program like UCLA, but this is not the 70’s…the game is very different now. It’s nearly impossible to keep great players for a full 4 years, which means that a great season is usually followed by a less than stellar one. 2nd place in the Pac-10 is nothing to sneeze at (if that’s where we end up).

I agree with your assessment of the other Pac-10 coaches, but Pennell is a hack. UA has plenty of TALENT (2 lottery picks, 1 second rounder) to compete…coaching has nothing to do with it.

Lastly, how many times have we seen coaches who have 1 great year, then fall off the face of the planet? That, to me, is not good coaching. That’s usually a combination of luck, scheduling, and decent talent/experience on the roster. But hey, I’m sure Penn State will be great in 2010.

I feel sorry for Pennel and the horrible situation he inherited this year. That said, he isn’t a good coach. He looks so stressed out on the sidelines that he makes Timmeh look relaxed. His brilliant coaching is pretty much to play his 2 lottery picks (or top 20 at least) along with Wise and hope that their talent alone can carry them to a win. I agree with Hicalliber, Pennel has not done anything to develop their younger players. Of course, you really can’t blame him for that seeing how he wont be there next year and neither will Budinger/Wise/Hill and with no recruits coming in, the bench warmers this year will get a ton of playing time next year while the standard falls apart.

“Coach of the Year” is often he (she) who delivers the most in light of expectations, but that can also be the “best coach”.

Particularly in the college game, a coach’s ability to lead a team to NCAA glory depends greatly on the circumstances surrounding the team. For instance, looking back at Davidson’s run last March, the high regard which is paid to Bob McKillup (?) within the game came to the forefront; however good of a coach he is, unless his ambition leads him to seek a major conference/high profile job, the chance of delivering the best results is exceedingly difficult. In contrast, the best coach may also be one who delivers upon exceedingly high expectations (see Coach Wooden in the Alcindor/Walton years).

In terms of the Pac-10 in this season, I see Montgomery and Robinson as having done the best job with their teams, given the talent and lack of expectation given them, I am not entirely sure how to take Romar’s performance this year – his team has performed quite well, but my perception of a below-average job in the prior 2 seasons in which his top-3 talent teams missed the NCAA’s causes me to wonder if his performance is objectively great, or great in comparison, but not as impressive as compared to a conference (and nation) of coaches.

I totally agree. The creation of this list was definitely motivated by pageviews. He knows that if he excludes Howland, Coach K, and the coach of the current #1 team (Calhoun-UConn), then he’ll get a little bit of buzz. Don’t give him the satisfaction.

that’s basically what the award means unfortunately…so now that we’re expected to be one of the nation’s best teams every year we’re unlikely to see CBH ever win one of these….

Like I said, Big 12 minion. Graduated from Baylor, if I’m not mistaken.