Championship Coaches Question

[saxonburgcat]

Watching Bruce Pearl give his pre-game hype speech caused me to ask a question: Do championship coaches tend to have a certain personality type? Pitino was Type A. Dean Smith and Jay Wright seemed more reserved.

Over the years I've grown more and more skeptical of the coaches who tend to be engage is overly emotional hype. They do seem to win a lot but never seem to win the big one. I guess it all started when Notre Dame hired Gerry Faust, who was called "Rah Rah" by a friend of mine. Despite hype in South Bend of him winning the next 5 national titles (yeah, that was actually said), he flopped.

So, just curious what you think about personalities and coaching and which personalities have what it takes to win it all?

 

[BBNinSC]

I believe the Bruce Pearl yelling wears thin after a while and become less effective. It’s not the personality, IMO, as many different types have been successful. Are the players buying the message? Do the players trust the coach?

I believe team chemistry is just as important. One negative voice in the locker room can derail the entire team.
Cal doesn’t get enough credit for recruiting good guys into the program. In 15 years, he’s not had any knuckleheads and has only had high character players.

 

[AGEE11]

Saban, Bellicheck, Phil Jackson, Pat Riley, Spolestra, Kerr, Pops

None of them have to act over the top to get their teams to follow them or win.

Cal, Pitino, K, Smith, Self - same thing.

I can't think of an over-the-top coach like that who has ever won

 

[bthaunert]

Saban, Bellicheck, Phil Jackson, Pat Riley, Spolestra, Kerr, Pops

None of them have to act over the top to get their teams to follow them or win.

Cal, Pitino, K, Smith, Self - same thing.

I can't think of an over-the-top coach like that who has ever won

Two that come to mind are Massimino and Valvano

 

[saxonburgcat]

Two that come to mind are Massimino and Valvano

I thought about Valvano but didn't think of Massimino but both are good examples. Considering how long ago that was, it seems that UK would be better off with a coach like Hurley than a coach like Pearl just based on personality.

 

[WeWant9]

I’ve always said Pearl works great at schools like Tenn and Auburn. The focus will primarily be on football, but he can get some hype during bball season. His shtick would not work at a blue blood, fans wouldn’t care about him painting his chest for a football game or being on camera yelling.

 

[buster3.0]

Saban, Bellicheck, Phil Jackson, Pat Riley, Spolestra, Kerr, Pops

None of them have to act over the top to get their teams to follow them or win.

Cal, Pitino, K, Smith, Self - same thing.

I can't think of an over-the-top coach like that who has ever won

Kirby Smart is one of those guys and he certainly has won big. His firey pre-game speeches are stuff of legend.

 

[bthaunert]

Kirby Smart is one of those guys and he certainly has won big. His firey pre-game speeches are stuff of legend.

You might be able to put Dabo in that category too.

 

[bthaunert]

I thought about Valvano but didn't think of Massimino but both are good examples. Considering how long ago that was, it seems that UK would be better off with a coach like Hurley than a coach like Pearl just based on personality.

What's interesting to note is that both of those examples were bigtime underdogs.

 

[BBNinSC]

It seems that almost every coach can have their moments, when they are screaming at officials or even players. What other job, in today’s environment, could you scream at others and not be fired/disciplined?

 

[G-PIP]

I believe the Bruce Pearl yelling wears thin after a while and become less effective. It’s not the personality, IMO, as many different types have been successful. Are the players buying the message? Do the players trust the coach?

I believe team chemistry is just as important. One negative voice in the locker room can derail the entire team.
Cal doesn’t get enough credit for recruiting good guys into the program. In 15 years, he’s not had any knuckleheads and has only had high character players.

And I think it's more than just Calipari recruiting good guys. He fosters being a good teammate, representative of the program, and recognizing the fortunate position they're in. You don't have to agree that he's the best coach for the program today to acknowledge that.

 

[AGEE11]

Kirby Smart is one of those guys and he certainly has won big. His firey pre-game speeches are stuff of legend.

You might be able to put Dabo in that category too.

Definitely missed those too, Dabo not as over-the-top as Pearl, but Kirby can be