Who should we hire?

[JB20]

A friend of mine played on the practice squad at Michigan State and told us that Richardson was voted off of the team there. Why? Because he got Kelvin Torbert's (MSU G/F) girlfriend pregnant. No one on the team wanted him back after that and they went ahead and voted him off of the team. Izzo tried to talk the team into having him back, but a few guys threatened to transfer, so Richardson declared. The plan was for him to stay one more season, but since there was a little draft hype behind him, he left.

[sturt]

I'm not advocating here... I'm *asking*... how would you feel about Tom Izzo, two coaches removed from his flirtation with the Hawks?

[Weez]

we shoulda had this thread before this weekend and I coulda backed up the story. Law school graduated this weekend and one of my best friend's cousin was there...along with another cousin who was on the afformentioned teams at MSU. I might check this out, just out of curiousity.

[sturt]

...on Izzo. Maybe the Kruger experiment was too much, and we can't even fathom hiring a college coach now (???).

[Diesel]

Because College coaches get to do their own recruiting they get to build the team that they want. And they don't have to worry about a league not being for them.... So College coaches don't make good coaches.

As for Izzo personally. When he lost Zach Randolph and Jason Richardson, what happened to MSU?

They sucked.

I don't think Izzo or any college coach is the answer. I think that a person who understands the lifestyle of the pro player is the right way to go.

[Traceman]

I wouldn't be thrilled with an Izzo hiring. The only college coaches I would get excited about are Tubby Smith and Mike Kryzeweski and that is as much for the buzz they would create as it is for how well I think either would do. I'd rather see us go with someone with NBA exeperience, either as a caoch or player. I'd get more excited about Avery Johnson or Kenny Smith than I would about Izzo.

[sturt]

I don't necessarily agree or disagree... I just wanted to hear what the consensus is.

FWIW, I think the theories like Diesel's might be sound, but because of the relative sparce number of college hirings through the years compared to the number of hirings otherwise, they remain unproven... simply not enough data to be scientifically valid.

(I recall attempting some semblance of an analysis back when Kruger got hired, but it soon became evident that it wasn't going to be meaningful... the only comparison one really could make was between assistant-coach-hires and former-head-coach-hires.)

Another "fact" of life in _sturt_'s world is that coaching college hoops and coaching pro hoops seems to be the equivalent of coaching college wrestling and coaching pro wrestling. One is ballet, the other is bronco-busting. One normally attempts officiating within reason, the other tilts the floor 51% or more according to TV ratings.

Still, if college players can make the transition, you'd think college coaches eventually could. But wait... the case can be made that college players usually get a whole lot more time to prove themselves than college coaches do... right?

[KB21]

A couple of college to pro head coaches have succeeded. Jack Ramsey and John MacLeod.

Even Chuck Daly was a college to pro coach, though he did spend a couple of years as an assistant in the NBA. Mike Fratello is the same way.

[sturt]

Quote:

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A couple of college to pro head coaches have succeeded. Jack Ramsey and John MacLeod.

Even Chuck Daly was a college to pro coach, though he did spend a couple of years as an assistant in the NBA. Mike Fratello is the same way.

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The number of coaches jumping from an NCAA head coach job to the NBA is almost extraordinarily slim compared to those who achieve a position from an assistant job or even just a past HC job. And given that situation, it can't be said that "it's a bad idea" with any validity.

[Diesel]

Many coaches of the old era were able to make that transition because:

1. They had been introduced to the game already.

2. Getting the right players was easier.

Since Stern took over, he has had a vice grip on what teams got what players.

But to examine the examples you sited...

Dr. Jack actually became the GM of the 76ers after his college stint. Then he got into pro coaching.

Chuck Daly started his pro coaching stint as an assistant for Billy Cunningham.

Mike Fratello was an assistant and his first coaching stint with the Hawks was short and he went back to assisting before getting the full time job.

Here's a name you left off:

Larry Brown.

Brown was a successful pro coach that went back to the college ranks with UCLA came back to NJ then went to University of Kansas.

If all college coaches could learn from Larry Brown... I think it would work.

However, I believe that the system is against the college coach in the pros these days. I think they have to serve as an assistant before becoming a full time head coach just to see how to run the game on this level. I think what Kruger did in going to NY was a good thing for him... Maybe one day, he will come back as a better coach.