Pat Skerry, Bobby Hurley in Top 25 Most intriguing Coaches

[ramster]

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/ncaab--col ... 11820.html

24. Bobby Hurley, Buffalo. His hiring was splashy but risky: a famous name from a heralded family, but not much on the coaching resume. Son of a high-school coaching legend and older brother to a rising coaching star at Rhode Island, now it’s Bobby Hurley’s turn. A hero on Duke’s back-to-back national champions of 1991-92, he at least inherits enough talent to make a run at a MAC East title.

25. Pat Skerry, Towson. There is a fascinating rebuilding effort going on at a program that was left for dead after the dreadful Pat Kennedy Era. Skerry inherited nothing and went 1-31 his first season. Last year the Tigers roared back, going 18-13 and winning 12 games away from home for the first time since the mid-70s. Keep an eye on this guy.

[seanmc94]

I was under the impression that Pat Skerry couldn't coach

[rjsuperfly66]

Bobby ahead of Pat?

Nothing against Bobby but Pat has already rebuilt a lowly D-1 program. Didn't Towson lose 55 straight games at some point (or something like that)? Now I believe they are preseason favorites to win the CAA. Given his recruiting success at major conference programs and his on-court success at Towson, it's hard to have him so low in comparison to a guy with minimal on-court/recruiting success.

[ace]

Bobby ahead of Pat?

Nothing against Bobby but Pat has already rebuilt a lowly D-1 program. Didn't Towson lose 55 straight games at some point (or something like that)? Now I believe they are preseason favorites to win the CAA. Given his recruiting success at major conference programs and his on-court success at Towson, it's hard to have him so low in comparison to a guy with minimal on-court/recruiting success.

From the article itself...

"Today's list: the most intriguing coaches (which, it must be noted, is not the same thing as a list of the 25 best coaches)."

So, yeah.

[Rhody74]

Like Ace says, it's "intriguing". We know what Skerry has done and can do. Bobby's a mystery as a head coach since he's never done it before. That makes him more intriguing.

[ramster]

Correct, ace.
Seems some not only didn't look at the title of the article before going off that "Skerry is better than Hurley" but didn't realize that other Coaches high up on the list are actually under fire and could be gone if this year turns out to not meet expectations.
So position on this list does not mean greatness - again it's "intriguing" and it is just the writer's opinion as well.

5. Rick Barnes, Texas. A guy once celebrated as one of the top coaches in the game has seen his program crumble, and now he is the highest-profile coach on the hot seat. And it is justifiably hot. After years of mediocre coaching concealed by high-powered recruiting, the talent pool dried up in 2012-13 and the Longhorns went 16-18. This year’s team could be worse. As if new Texas athletic director Steve Patterson didn’t have enough to do with a big decision on football coach Mack Brown, this is a program in greater need of fixing
10. Travis Ford, Oklahoma State. Since his playing days at Kentucky he seemed destined for coaching greatness. But the previously steep arc of career success has reached a plateau in Stillwater, where he’s won a single NCAA tournament game – and that was in his first year, 2009. Now he has the team for a deeper NCAA run, and one with the ability to legitimately challenge Kansas’ stranglehold on the Big 12. If this isn’t Ford’s best season at Oklahoma State, he’ll be under fire.
20. John Thompson III, Georgetown. Go ahead and pencil in the Hoyas for 20-25 victories and a high finish in the Big East. And then go ahead and hold your breath. Since the 2007 Final Four berth, JTIII’s teams have been a Big Dance disaster, routinely being upset by lower seeds. Most recently: No. 15 seed Florida Gulf Coast ran a dunk line on the Hoyas in a mind-boggling upset romp. It would be nearly impossible to fire a guy with his overall record (and surname), but sooner or later the Georgetown brass will need to see something at tournament time.
22. Craig Robinson, Oregon State. After one winning season in five years and not even so much as an NIT bid, the intrigue begins and ends with this question: can the First Brother-In-Law be fired while Barack Obama is in office? Or would that result in a retaliatory slashing of government aid to the school

[adam914]

Bobby ahead of Pat?

Nothing against Bobby but Pat has already rebuilt a lowly D-1 program. Didn't Towson lose 55 straight games at some point (or something like that)? Now I believe they are preseason favorites to win the CAA. Given his recruiting success at major conference programs and his on-court success at Towson, it's hard to have him so low in comparison to a guy with minimal on-court/recruiting success.

Yeah nothing intriguing at all about potentially the best PG in college basketball history becoming a head coach for the first time after stepping out from behind his hall of fame coach father and head coach brother.

Whereas most everyday college basketball fans have no idea who Pat Skerry is.

[rodfromcranston]

Craig Robinson is a joke. He won at Brown with Miller's players.
He's overrated and hasn't won anything.
"Or would that result in a retaliatory slashing of government aid to the school.?"
Somehow OSU got a massive Federal block of money, though when Robinson was
on the ropes at OSU a couple of years ago.
I love the line about Barnes." After years of mediocre coaching concealed by high-powered recruiting,"
Bobby will be intriguing to watch, for sure. He knows the game.
Can he get players to buy into him, will be the question.
I'm guessing they will.

[rjsuperfly66]

I agree with a lot of what was said.

I just feel Bobby (while an interesting story), could be shooting for an above average season in the MAC and at best a CIT birth.

Meanwhile, Skerry is shooting for a decent NCAA seed and potential huge coaching gig. For that, I think he would be more intriguing over the course of the entire season.

Some other things -- I've never been big on the coach who can only recruit. If you routinely get Top 5 or Top 10 recruiting classes, you should be playing for a NC at least once every 4 years and be around the Final Four every season. It just gets boring to me hearing about them -- how many more years of Rick Barnes recruits but can't pull it together do we need to hear? Give me an Izzo or Donovan any day of the week over those guys. They aren't intriguing to me at all. Give me the mid-major coach who inspires a fan base all day on and off the court all day.

[rodfromcranston]

Bobby is more intriguing than Skerry, simply by being Bobby Hurley.
Roy Williams is like Barnes. Super recruiter, who does less with more,
than anyone in the country.
Donovan had those back to backs, and never came close since. Not that 3 Elite 8s are anything to sneeze about.
I thought he was on his way towards a UCLA type run, as young as he was, and the caliber of player he recruits.
Izzo is my favorite coach. For some reason, he never gets the perimeter shooters he needs to balance off his usual NFL frontline.