Big Ten Basketball Coaches: Where do We Stand?

[Norm Peterson]

When we joined the league, one of the comments I remember hearing about the quality of the coaching in this league was that there were really solid basketball coaches up and down the Big Ten and you weren't going to gain any ground against the field by hoping to out-coach anyone. You'd have to out-recruit them. Or at least match them on the recruiting trail.

 

Well. Asking Nebraska to out-recruit conference foes in basketball would have been asking a lot. That said, the coaching landscape around here has certainly changed in the last dozen years.

 

The Big Ten conference when we entered the league had a group of coaches that included a Tom Izzo at the top of his game, John Beilein at Michigan, Thad Matta at Ohio State, and so on and so forth. I mean, certainly some luminaries in that group. But only three Big Ten teams have the same head basketball coach now that they had when we joined and, let's be honest, a couple of those guys are getting a bit long in the tooth. Maybe a bit past their sell-by date.

 

This year, the Big Ten was noteworthy for coaches on the hot seat. Ohio State has already yanked their guy. I can't see Juwan Howard surviving this season at Michigan. And Mike Woodsen can hardly feel safe at Indiana. Ben Johnson probably saved his job this year. But there's a plethora of Big Ten coaches whose teams really underperformed, and they could find themselves on the hot seat in the not-so-distant future.

 

We're set to finish pretty well against the league this year. Maybe even a double-bye. But I don't think we're exceptionally talented. I don't think we have top 5 or 6 talent in the league. I think we have decent pieces that complement each other very well and suit our system. I think that's why we either win or we get blown out.

 

But I've been mulling this question and I'm very curious what the collective wisdom of this board has to say: After seeing this staff go to work the last two years (ignore those first three seasons; it was a different group), how do you think Fred & Co. stack up? Be honest. Where would you rank him as a Big Ten head coach?

[Huskerpapa]

Our coaching staff seems to be well respected.  Our group is certainly in the upper half of the league.  In fact, I would say we are in the top quartile.  I refuse to put Collins and company ahead of us; I also can't believe  the Wisconsin crew is in front of us; but given their history, maybe they are.  Izzo gets a pass as he is a demigod, blah, blah, blah.  So no question, top quartile. 

Edited February 26, 2024 by Huskerpapa

[Nighthawk]

If Coach H doesn't get the coach of the year, something is wrong with the Big 10. 

[NUtball]

1 hour ago, Nighthawk said:

If Coach H doesn't get the coach of the year, something is wrong with the Big 10. 

They'll probably give it to Painter.  Quite often, if the team that is expected to dominate actually dominates, that coach will get the accolades, which I will never understand.  They were picked to be the best and did exactly what almost everyone expected them to do - there's nothing really extraordinary about that, unless you put all the weight of the award on how the team was put together.  Sure, that's part of it, but making lemonade out of perceived lemons is much more impressive to me.

 

IMO, what a coach such as Hoiberg or Johnson has done this year when picked to finish at the bottom of the barrel should far outshine a team living up to expectations.  Kudos to Painter for having a dominant player and a great team, but there's nothing overly special about what he's done.  Honestly, his coaching prowess could probably be questioned a bit for having a great team and losing some games that they probably shouldn't have.

[Cazzie22]

Painter is excellent and Pikell at Rutgers is a good one.  I would rank Fred in the Top Third at least.  

[lang]

What Norm said “ I don’t think we have top 5 or 6 talent in the league.  I think we have decent pieces that compliment each other well…” etc.   And I’d agree, so what our staff has done in the last 12-13 months is pretty remarkable.

[tcp]

to me the race should be hoiberg and johnson...

 

at the 6 week mark, many of us (myself included) were already fitting Fred with his burial tuxedo and discussing open versus closed casket. 

 

not sure even Johnson had that big of a hole to dig out of. 

 

And in some way, I've always seen CoY awards as acknowledging which coach did the best job digging out of a ajam. 

[cipsucks]

I'm going to punt on the final conclusion until the next 3 games are in the bag.  Here's what I'll say today:  as far as what every team player wise and coaching staff has returning next year, we are top 3-4, right now .  Depending on what happens the rest of this season with both the Huskers and the rest of the conference, the needle will probably move one way or the other. I agree with most on this board:  we're top quarter, for sure.

 

I could care less about coach of the year awards.  It means nothing.  

[AuroranHusker]

I'm not even sure the Huskers have a top half of the Big Ten as far as talent quotient, just strictly on recruitment accolades. Nebraska does have a really good 'fit' together such that the sum is greater than the parts. And I'd lump Fred Hoiberg into that discussion in that he finally has a complete roster with veteran and younger players who have played together for 2-3 years. He never had that in his 1st 3 seasons, like, at all. I'd probably put Hoiberg safely in the top half right now, but ask me in a month... he and this entire Nebrasketball program could go to new heights in that "deluxe apartment in the sky." Let's see how it plays out. GBR Always.

 

[Chuck Taylor]

Fred looks like a million bucks at this very moment, but is the current success sustainable? That has to be proven. I don't think you can apply his Iowa State success to what he's done here, because that wasn't worth much his first three years here.

Here are my tiers:

 

Coaches who have sustained high-level programs, in no particular order:

Painter

Underwood

McCaffery (I had to force my fingers to type that)

Izzo

Gard

Pikell

 

Solid job:

Collins

 

Down year, but past success:

Willard

 

Big turnarounds after looking like complete flops:

Fred

Johnson at Minnesota

 

Flops:

Howard

Woodson

 

Too soon to tell:

Rhoades

Ohio State's new guy

 

[Cookie Miller Wasn't Dirty]

14 hours ago, NUtball said:

They'll probably give it to Painter.  Quite often, if the team that is expected to dominate actually dominates, that coach will get the accolades, which I will never understand.  They were picked to be the best and did exactly what almost everyone expected them to do - there's nothing really extraordinary about that, unless you put all the weight of the award on how the team was put together. 

I don’t agree with this. I actually think COY in all sports has too often become the award for the team that exceeded expectations.

 

The high expectations for Purdue were set because Painter has been a great coach in the past. This year he continued to be a great coach. If he’s unworthy of COY it’s basically saying no coach can ever be the best coach two years in a row. We don’t apply that logic to MVP awards, why should it apply to COY awards?

 

Not to mention Purdue doesn’t recruit crazy good talent. Every year he does what Fred’s doing this year. By the end of his career he deserves a handful of awards. Both he and Fred should be seriously considered for the award this year.