2015 College Basketball Coaching Carousel
By Michael Schneid
Only half a dozen job openings remain in college basketball, none from the major conferences.
We wanted to take a look at the top jobs from this past year and analyze the hirings/firings that took place.
Texas:
Hired Shaka Smart; Fired Rick Barnes
Barnes was one thing for Texas - consistent. 17 years and 16 tournament appearances but only one Final Four and that was over 10 years ago. Shaka is a smart hire for Texas because while Barnes has a career track record of underachieving with too much talent, Smart has always overachieved. No knock against VCU or the talent on his team's but if you look at the Texas roster the last two years vs. VCU's roster, it's hard to compare the talent level. The one question with Smart is can he handle the pressure? He ran a specific system, known as Havoc, which involves fast paced offense and pressing defense. Will top recruits buy into that system? It worked with 2-3 star four-year players. What about 5 star one-and-done guys? Shaka is a smart coach and should be fine.
Tennessee
Hired Rick Barnes; Fired Donnie Tyndall
While Rick Barnes wore out his welcome at Texas, he should be a good fit for Tennessee, a school that has lacked consistency for many years, in both basketball and football. Barnes is a good recruit and a good enough coach to at least have the Vols in tourney contention every year. But can he take that next step? The one that he struggled for so long to take at Texas? Only time will tell...
St. John's
Hired Chris Mullin, Fired Steve Lavin
The Johnnies and Steve Lavin mutually parted ways after five years. I went to STJ vs Duke earlier this year and immediately began telling people Lavin should be fired. His team's have underacheived for five years and were often inconsistent and out of control. The most telling part of that Duke loss was how undisciplined the offense was. A lack of chemistry and rushed shots cost the Johnnies the game. Out is the well-dressed coach with the slicked back hair. And in is the Queens-native, former St. John's legend, Chris Mullin. Mullin has zero coaching experience. Even as an assistant. Only NBA front office experience. You know who else had a similar resume? Fred Hoiberg. And that's worked out pretty well for Iowa State. Who else would be as passionate about a school or a city than someone from there. Mullin will be able to attract NYC recruits but will he be able to coach? We think he'll be just fine.
Arizona State
Hired Bobby Hurley; Fired Herb Sendek
Herb Sendek was a quality coach whose teams never lived up to the potential. Bobby Hurley has only been a head coach (at Buffalo) for two years but people have long believed he has "it". The biggest uestion now surrounding Hurley is can he out-recruit and out-coach Sean Miller? History says no..
Mississippi State
Hired Ben Howland; Fired Rick Ray
Rick Ray got a raw deal. Coaches should get at least 5 years. That means coaching your first two recruiting classes as seniors, and really your second one is your first full class. Ray was fired after three years partly because of his team's struggles but more so likely due to the availability of Ben Howland. Howland is an experienced coach with three Final Four appearances in his career. That kind of experience will be welcomed and appreciated in Starkville, as well as the SEC as a whole.
Alabama
Hired Avery Johnson; Fired Anthony Grant
Grant led Alabama to just one tournament appearance in five years, so this move had to happen. The one that followed however, was pretty surprising. Avery Johnson has no college experience, only NBA and does not have any direct ties to Alabama. In fact, his only southern tie is that he grew up in New Orleans. Johnson was a good NBA coach and on the sidelines and in the ESPN studio has shown to be very passionate. Time will tell if this is a good move, but one thing is for sure regarding Johnson - he needs to surround himself with a strong staff for recruiting purposes. Johnson's resume will be well-respected by high schoolers. Despite his lack of experience recruiting, he should be just fine.
Only half a dozen job openings remain in college basketball, none from the major conferences.
We wanted to take a look at the top jobs from this past year and analyze the hirings/firings that took place.
Texas:
Hired Shaka Smart; Fired Rick Barnes
Barnes was one thing for Texas - consistent. 17 years and 16 tournament appearances but only one Final Four and that was over 10 years ago. Shaka is a smart hire for Texas because while Barnes has a career track record of underachieving with too much talent, Smart has always overachieved. No knock against VCU or the talent on his team's but if you look at the Texas roster the last two years vs. VCU's roster, it's hard to compare the talent level. The one question with Smart is can he handle the pressure? He ran a specific system, known as Havoc, which involves fast paced offense and pressing defense. Will top recruits buy into that system? It worked with 2-3 star four-year players. What about 5 star one-and-done guys? Shaka is a smart coach and should be fine.
Tennessee
Hired Rick Barnes; Fired Donnie Tyndall
While Rick Barnes wore out his welcome at Texas, he should be a good fit for Tennessee, a school that has lacked consistency for many years, in both basketball and football. Barnes is a good recruit and a good enough coach to at least have the Vols in tourney contention every year. But can he take that next step? The one that he struggled for so long to take at Texas? Only time will tell...
St. John's
Hired Chris Mullin, Fired Steve Lavin
The Johnnies and Steve Lavin mutually parted ways after five years. I went to STJ vs Duke earlier this year and immediately began telling people Lavin should be fired. His team's have underacheived for five years and were often inconsistent and out of control. The most telling part of that Duke loss was how undisciplined the offense was. A lack of chemistry and rushed shots cost the Johnnies the game. Out is the well-dressed coach with the slicked back hair. And in is the Queens-native, former St. John's legend, Chris Mullin. Mullin has zero coaching experience. Even as an assistant. Only NBA front office experience. You know who else had a similar resume? Fred Hoiberg. And that's worked out pretty well for Iowa State. Who else would be as passionate about a school or a city than someone from there. Mullin will be able to attract NYC recruits but will he be able to coach? We think he'll be just fine.
Arizona State
Hired Bobby Hurley; Fired Herb Sendek
Herb Sendek was a quality coach whose teams never lived up to the potential. Bobby Hurley has only been a head coach (at Buffalo) for two years but people have long believed he has "it". The biggest uestion now surrounding Hurley is can he out-recruit and out-coach Sean Miller? History says no..
Mississippi State
Hired Ben Howland; Fired Rick Ray
Rick Ray got a raw deal. Coaches should get at least 5 years. That means coaching your first two recruiting classes as seniors, and really your second one is your first full class. Ray was fired after three years partly because of his team's struggles but more so likely due to the availability of Ben Howland. Howland is an experienced coach with three Final Four appearances in his career. That kind of experience will be welcomed and appreciated in Starkville, as well as the SEC as a whole.
Alabama
Hired Avery Johnson; Fired Anthony Grant
Grant led Alabama to just one tournament appearance in five years, so this move had to happen. The one that followed however, was pretty surprising. Avery Johnson has no college experience, only NBA and does not have any direct ties to Alabama. In fact, his only southern tie is that he grew up in New Orleans. Johnson was a good NBA coach and on the sidelines and in the ESPN studio has shown to be very passionate. Time will tell if this is a good move, but one thing is for sure regarding Johnson - he needs to surround himself with a strong staff for recruiting purposes. Johnson's resume will be well-respected by high schoolers. Despite his lack of experience recruiting, he should be just fine.
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