Take Two: What are the five best head coaching jobs in college basketball?
On Wednesday, Cats Illustrated writers tackled the question of just how good the head coaching position of the UK football program really is.
Today, CI writers David Sisk and Justin Rowland share their takes on the five best coaching positions in college basketball.
David Sisk
1. Kentucky. As so many prospects and their parents tell me, Kentucky is Kentucky. We all know that. The program is more than a coach or a player. Five out of the last seven coaches there have won national titles, and I have no reason to believe that Eddie Sutton wouldn't have if he would have stayed any amount of time. That dates back ninety years. Everything a coach needs to attract the best talent and win is there. It is also a place where basketball is king, and those kind of spots are rare. The only negative is the amount of pressure to win and win big.
2. North Carolina. Everything I said about Kentucky I could say about Carolina. There is a tradition, and a willingness to win by the administration. Going back to 1952, Frank McGuire, Dean Smith, and Roy Williams all won national championships. That's five coaches in sixty eight years. Carolina's alumni may be more impressive than any other school, and like Kentucky, they still have everything they need to have to be successful to this very day.
3. Kansas. Another blue blood, I would put Kansas a notch below Kentucky and North Carolina in the "it" factor. They probably have as good of a hammer lock on a league as any team, and they are going to consistently be a top ten team year in and year out. But they have won only two national championships in the past 67 years. You can win the league title there every year, never win a title, and the fans will be fine with that. That isn't the case in Lexington and Chapel Hill.
4. Duke. I could actually make a case not to include them at all. When I was a kid, Duke was not considered a blue blood. In fact, North Carolina State had more clout. Obviously, Mike Krzyzewski changed all of that. But before him, no national titles and only a sixty-five percent winning percentage. Granted he has been there forty-one years and probably made it the top brand in the east coast media markets. But just like John Wooden and Bob Knight, he is the program. Who in their right mind would want to fill those shoes?
5. Louisville. I would put Louisville just behind the first four schools, and would probably expect them to have a better program than Duke in another decade. It will pain our readers here, but they have everything it takes to win big. The facilities, tradition, and a basketball mad fan base that crams the Yum Center are living proof. The bad thing for them is I think Rick Pitino could have won just as much without the shenanigans. Denny Crum and Rick Pitino were there for almost fifty years combined. I expect Chris Mack to be highly successful and be there twenty years himself if he wants to.
Justin Rowland
1. Kentucky. Five different coaches have won national championships as a head coach in Lexington. UK is the only program that can make that claim and it says something about the upside of the position for anyone who takes it. As head coach of Kentucky you will never lack for resources, fan interest, or platform. In the SEC you are in a power conference, but not one that will be so grueling that you'll ever lose a lot of games if you're really humming. When things are clicking at Kentucky -- '48 to '58, '95-'99, '10-'15 -- it's really special.
2. North Carolina. I'll agree with David here. From Michael Jordan until John Wall, UNC was the most attractive brand in the sport for recruits. That recruiting brand has taken a bit of a hit in recent years but Roy Williams has continued to win and now has one national championship more than his mentor, Roy Williams. Three coaches have won titles at UNC, the Tar Heels have a ton of wins and Final Fours, and I would basically consider them Kansas with more titles, a slightly bigger platform, and a bigger fan base.
3. Kansas. See everything I wrote about North Carolina and now take it down a very small notch. That's Kansas. Their lack of titles, historically, is tough to explain but it's a necessary thing to grapple with. If you're at Kansas you will always be the top dog in the Big XII, a league that has some competitive programs but rarely any true national contenders outside of those teams from Lawrence. Perhaps because they are so far removed from the east coast they have sometimes been a little overlooked compared to more UK, UNC, and Duke, but we know from history that Kansas is always going to be relevant.
4. Duke. The big question everyone will ask about Duke -- and does ask -- is what will happen to the program once Coach K leaves. My guess is there will be some decline as there always is when someone follows a legend. But K has made Duke big enough that it will remain a destination job and place for coaches and recruits. They have been in the national spotlight as much or more than any other program since the 24/7 news and major sports media world began. It's going to be a very coveted position from here on out. I'll agree with David that before Coach K this was not an "elite" program in the way others ranked above here were. But they did go to four Final Fours in the 17 years just prior to Coach K's arrival and he's been there so long I can't put much stock into what happened before him.
5. Arizona - I could have gone a number of directions here. Louisville would probably be sixth for me, just outside the top five. The reason I'm going with Arizona is I think the Louisville job is complicated by the fact that Kentucky is the archrival and Kentucky has dominated the all-time series. That makes the relationship between the program and the fan base a little tenuous even when things are going well otherwise. UCLA's decline led to a power vacuum out west and Arizona has stepped up. The Wildcats rank 13th in all-time wins. They don't have the titles or the Final Fours that other programs on the list have. But all things considered -- the potential for success, fan support, prestige, money, everything -- this is probably the job I would want more than any other outside of the top four.
On Wednesday, Cats Illustrated writers tackled the question of just how good the head coaching position of the UK football program really is.
Today, CI writers David Sisk and Justin Rowland share their takes on the five best coaching positions in college basketball.
David Sisk
1. Kentucky. As so many prospects and their parents tell me, Kentucky is Kentucky. We all know that. The program is more than a coach or a player. Five out of the last seven coaches there have won national titles, and I have no reason to believe that Eddie Sutton wouldn't have if he would have stayed any amount of time. That dates back ninety years. Everything a coach needs to attract the best talent and win is there. It is also a place where basketball is king, and those kind of spots are rare. The only negative is the amount of pressure to win and win big.
2. North Carolina. Everything I said about Kentucky I could say about Carolina. There is a tradition, and a willingness to win by the administration. Going back to 1952, Frank McGuire, Dean Smith, and Roy Williams all won national championships. That's five coaches in sixty eight years. Carolina's alumni may be more impressive than any other school, and like Kentucky, they still have everything they need to have to be successful to this very day.
3. Kansas. Another blue blood, I would put Kansas a notch below Kentucky and North Carolina in the "it" factor. They probably have as good of a hammer lock on a league as any team, and they are going to consistently be a top ten team year in and year out. But they have won only two national championships in the past 67 years. You can win the league title there every year, never win a title, and the fans will be fine with that. That isn't the case in Lexington and Chapel Hill.
4. Duke. I could actually make a case not to include them at all. When I was a kid, Duke was not considered a blue blood. In fact, North Carolina State had more clout. Obviously, Mike Krzyzewski changed all of that. But before him, no national titles and only a sixty-five percent winning percentage. Granted he has been there forty-one years and probably made it the top brand in the east coast media markets. But just like John Wooden and Bob Knight, he is the program. Who in their right mind would want to fill those shoes?
5. Louisville. I would put Louisville just behind the first four schools, and would probably expect them to have a better program than Duke in another decade. It will pain our readers here, but they have everything it takes to win big. The facilities, tradition, and a basketball mad fan base that crams the Yum Center are living proof. The bad thing for them is I think Rick Pitino could have won just as much without the shenanigans. Denny Crum and Rick Pitino were there for almost fifty years combined. I expect Chris Mack to be highly successful and be there twenty years himself if he wants to.
Justin Rowland
1. Kentucky. Five different coaches have won national championships as a head coach in Lexington. UK is the only program that can make that claim and it says something about the upside of the position for anyone who takes it. As head coach of Kentucky you will never lack for resources, fan interest, or platform. In the SEC you are in a power conference, but not one that will be so grueling that you'll ever lose a lot of games if you're really humming. When things are clicking at Kentucky -- '48 to '58, '95-'99, '10-'15 -- it's really special.
2. North Carolina. I'll agree with David here. From Michael Jordan until John Wall, UNC was the most attractive brand in the sport for recruits. That recruiting brand has taken a bit of a hit in recent years but Roy Williams has continued to win and now has one national championship more than his mentor, Roy Williams. Three coaches have won titles at UNC, the Tar Heels have a ton of wins and Final Fours, and I would basically consider them Kansas with more titles, a slightly bigger platform, and a bigger fan base.
3. Kansas. See everything I wrote about North Carolina and now take it down a very small notch. That's Kansas. Their lack of titles, historically, is tough to explain but it's a necessary thing to grapple with. If you're at Kansas you will always be the top dog in the Big XII, a league that has some competitive programs but rarely any true national contenders outside of those teams from Lawrence. Perhaps because they are so far removed from the east coast they have sometimes been a little overlooked compared to more UK, UNC, and Duke, but we know from history that Kansas is always going to be relevant.
4. Duke. The big question everyone will ask about Duke -- and does ask -- is what will happen to the program once Coach K leaves. My guess is there will be some decline as there always is when someone follows a legend. But K has made Duke big enough that it will remain a destination job and place for coaches and recruits. They have been in the national spotlight as much or more than any other program since the 24/7 news and major sports media world began. It's going to be a very coveted position from here on out. I'll agree with David that before Coach K this was not an "elite" program in the way others ranked above here were. But they did go to four Final Fours in the 17 years just prior to Coach K's arrival and he's been there so long I can't put much stock into what happened before him.
5. Arizona - I could have gone a number of directions here. Louisville would probably be sixth for me, just outside the top five. The reason I'm going with Arizona is I think the Louisville job is complicated by the fact that Kentucky is the archrival and Kentucky has dominated the all-time series. That makes the relationship between the program and the fan base a little tenuous even when things are going well otherwise. UCLA's decline led to a power vacuum out west and Arizona has stepped up. The Wildcats rank 13th in all-time wins. They don't have the titles or the Final Fours that other programs on the list have. But all things considered -- the potential for success, fan support, prestige, money, everything -- this is probably the job I would want more than any other outside of the top four.
