I'm not sure how old you are, but while UK was always in the mix, and coach Rupp won multiple titles, other than a great run from 48-51, to say he was owning college basketball is just not true. I know most on here are younger and speak of coach Rupp solely based upon reputation. He changed the game with the fast break and up tempo game. He consistently put a team on the floor that had a shot to win. Someone said previously in this thread that "he told people whether they could play here" vs. coaches now that "beg players to come here." BS. He paid players. I witnessed it. Not taking anything away from him as a coach. Everyone was paying players. But to deny it is being an ostrich. He flat changed basketball. But to just blindly look at the number of wins over a 40+ year career is just being ignorant. Other than the 48-51 run, the 92-98 run with Pitino and the 2010-2015 run with Calipari are the best runs I've witnessed. Those that have Sutton ranked high must have been as drunk as he was. He had very talented teams and did nothing with them.
Rupp, Hall, Sutton, Pitino, Tubby, Calipari. Give each coach equal talent over 10 years. which coach has the most success to least success
- Thread starter TopCatCal
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I'd put the 92-98 run over the 10-15 run. 92-98 was just so much dang fun. the blow out of bama in the 92 SEC title game on a beautiful Sunday afternoon was epic.
The 93 team just destroying people.....my favorite memory of that team.
"A withering display of basketball talent at both ends."
I don't disagree with anything you said. That Wake game was fun. Mash hitting a few threes at the beginning after the prognosticators saying that Rodney Rogers was better.
So what DO we talk about on a UK basketball board in July. Give me a break.
Well there you go. First hand info. I wasn’t alive or coherent when rupp coached, so yeah I know about him based on reputation, stories I’ve heard from my parents and grandparents generation. My cousin was a manager for rupp and he’s told me stories. I understand though when you can compare the eras coherently vs hearing stories. Not many left who can do that. That’s why I can’t speak to where he belongs on the 10 year run same players spectrum. I’ll leave that up to you.
Where did I not acknowledge that Rick was successful at UK? Recruiting is a big part of coaching, If you lose 9 out of 10 head to head match ups, well who was more successful?
1. Hall
2. Tubby
3. Rupp
4. Pitino
5. Sutton
6. Calipari
Remember that the question is given the same talent who would win the most games not who was the best overall coach including recruiting.
Hard to answer this. Mainly because we have not seen what Cal can do if he had the same good players for more than a single year. We never see the "finished" product like we saw with the other coach's that had good players stay 2-4 years. We have not had an Issle, Mashburn, Delk, Prince or Bogans caliber player stay in Cals system more than 2 years. Could you imagine Walls group here 3 years...Ad, Bam, Kat and Fox.... What those teams would have looked like by their 3rd season... Would have liked to see that.
Clyde could and can coach, man. He just had/has some demons and just was an awful fit for this job. But make no mistake, that man can get some pretty average players to do some really good things.
The 1st half of the 93 Wake Forest game was the most awesome half of basketball I've ever seen from a college team. A 34 point lead at half against a 5 seed. WOW!!!!!
If that's the criteria then Rupp and Pitino are above Hall. Pitino may be above Rupp and I base that on what he did with the Unforgetables.
Pitino in his prime and even past his prime was and is still one of the best coaches. He's the only guy with FF runs and titles in multiple different eras of ball.
I really like Tubby and in a real specific era he's a great coach who can finish top of conference, get you to the S16 or elite 8 almost every year.
Tubby is great when all the lottery talent is going to the lottery out of high school. When team, pass it around, develop and wait your turn to get some run program ball is a thing. When basketball is still more inside out oriented. You have a center and even PF back to basket.
Cal is great when he's got lottery talent galore and can dribble drive/rim run, blow by, and jump over people with superior athletes.
People always get excited when it comes to this topic. It's not a critique to say Cal is good at such and such.
That's basically all good coaches in all sports. Saying Bill Walsh is good with the west coast offense with Joe Montana and Steve Young when the game started passing more isn't a knock.
Phil Jackson is great with MJ, Pip, Kobe, and Shaq in the triangle isn't a knock.
Urban Meyer is great with a freak QB and explosive rb/wr/wing in that annoying f'ing spread offense where he can run the same f'ing basic read concepts over and over again.
Nick Saban is great at Alabama with the best rbs and defenses...basically everything. When he can dominate recruiting.
Bill Belichick is great with Tom Brady, freak TEs, great defenses.
I really like Tubby and in a real specific era he's a great coach who can finish top of conference, get you to the S16 or elite 8 almost every year.
Tubby is great when all the lottery talent is going to the lottery out of high school. When team, pass it around, develop and wait your turn to get some run program ball is a thing. When basketball is still more inside out oriented. You have a center and even PF back to basket.
Cal is great when he's got lottery talent galore and can dribble drive/rim run, blow by, and jump over people with superior athletes.
People always get excited when it comes to this topic. It's not a critique to say Cal is good at such and such.
That's basically all good coaches in all sports. Saying Bill Walsh is good with the west coast offense with Joe Montana and Steve Young when the game started passing more isn't a knock.
Phil Jackson is great with MJ, Pip, Kobe, and Shaq in the triangle isn't a knock.
Urban Meyer is great with a freak QB and explosive rb/wr/wing in that annoying f'ing spread offense where he can run the same f'ing basic read concepts over and over again.
Nick Saban is great at Alabama with the best rbs and defenses...basically everything. When he can dominate recruiting.
Bill Belichick is great with Tom Brady, freak TEs, great defenses.
