2022 college basketball coaching carousel of progress

Eh. I think a dirty little secret of college basketball is that there is less evidence of guys "improving" year over year than you'd think. Coaches are brought in to win, not to develop players. And understandably, players want to play, and it's hard to get better if you're not playing regular minutes in games. Your average player is probably improving himself more by just getting to any program where he can play 20+ MPG, ASAP, vs. riding the pine for three years. (For the life of me, I can't remember if it was Hollinger or Kevin Pelton, but a similar trend exists in the NBA. Namely, it's better to just play a guy and see what they have, vs. assuming they'll just improve on their own or via practices.)

 

I’m not so sure. KU just won a championship with seniors in Agbaji, McCormack, Lightfoot, and Braun was a junior. At Kentucky, the national POY is going to return and make maybe $2 million on his NIL. Villanova always had players stick around.

If coaches can enter their own transfer portal to accept higher paying and more prestigious jobs elsewhere, I’m not sure why kids following their elders’ example should be frowned upon. Kids switch high schools and travel teams all the time before they got to college, in an effort to maximize their potential. I don’t hear college coaches ever complain about that.

 

Try rooting for a mid-major right now. It’s like being the Kansas City Athletics in the 1950’s Just waiting for the Yankees of college basketball to poach your point guard.

 

Since no one really knows the players, and they aren’t there long enough to develop a brand, it’s the school that fans identify with. The only thing shie companies buy with college kids is a futures contract if they make it.

 

I talked to a D3 hoops coach yesterday, who told me the transfer portal has turned things upside down. In February, every team member was returning for 2022-23, including "seniors" who were granted an extra year by the NCAA because of COVID. As of yesterday, he said he hasn't scheduled any off-season interviews with players because he doesn't know who's coming back. And that's without the serious NIL money they're dealing with in D1.

 

Back to school, kid. And take your editor (yeah, right!) with you ...

Some of the biggest names in college basketball have left the sport over the last couple of years and another appears ready to joing them.

Two-time national champion Villanova head coach Jay Wright is reportedly on the verge of retiring.

Wright’s apparent decision to step away at the age of 60 was a bit of a shock to the college football landscape.

Posted 15 hours ago and still not fixed. Also: a BIT of a shock?

https://fansided.com/2022/04/20/jay-wright-retirement-villanova/

 

Uh... Wouldn't an off-season interview be the perfect platform to discuss whether a player is coming back? Or, you know, to actually show interest in them as a person, even if they aren't?

 

A lot of that depends on the coach and the program. Andy Kennedy is building his third team with parts from the portal, and he's 49-15 after two seasons. He's a master of Portal Kombat.

He also develops players that fit his scheme, although he's pretty open with the guys who are not meeting the standard. If they're not getting it done, he lets them know that playing time will be sparse. Generally they get the message and hit the portal themselves.

 

You know, good for Jay Wright. He's going out on his own terms, young enough to enjoy the rest of his life. He's set for money. We'll see if he's able to stay away from the game, but it's a smart decision.

 

This was the point I was making, I think. I'm not frowning upon athletes going into the portal. It's just part of the game. I'm just saying that if you're a fan of a mid-major, root for laundry and not players because they're probably going to be around for long.

 

Good point, but that's what he said. Maybe he meant only the seniors who might or might not come back. The guy has a career winning percentage of .675 so I assume he's got a better idea of the landscape than he's letting on.

 

It's not just the mid-majors. There are a lot of high major players that are making moves down in order to get playing time or after someone they see is better portals into their program and they read the room and move on.