| | No programs will likely top the turnarounds at Connecticut and Arizona.
Neither was a factor in college basketball the decade before Jim Calhoun and Lute Olson arrived. Since, both coaches have won national titles: Calhoun in 1999, Olson in '97.
But the definition of a turnaround job, the type of renaissance going on at Auburn and Florida, doesn't have to be defined by a national title.
Simply sustaining a winning program and earning NCAA bids is enough to earn the
label.
Winning recruiting battles for top-rated talent and getting the
occasional Tournament bid (like UNLV under Bill Bayno) doesn't constitute a total
turnaround.
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“ |
I enjoyed building Florida State. It took 10 to 11 years but we were always selling tickets and creating an atmosphere where we were a legitimate national player. When you lose that, it's tough. They lost that at DePaul.
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DePaul coach Pat Kennedy
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That's why DePaul faces a critical season in Pat Kennedy's chore of
turning around the Blue Demons. Kennedy's recruiting isn't debatable: DePaul has three of the top players from the class of '98 (Lance Williams, Bobby
Simmons and Quentin Richardson), a potential college player of the year in Richardson and another highly-rated center in freshman Steve Hunter.
But getting back to the postseason National Invitation Tournament will
be a step back in rebuilding DePaul.
"We've gone from three wins (before Kennedy) to seven wins to 18 (and
an NIT berth) in two years," Kennedy says. "Now we can go from 18 to 22 or
23 wins.
"But that's where the work begins," he said. "That's what John Chaney did at
Temple and Jim Calhoun did at Connecticut. Those two schools got to a level and
sustained it. Our legacy here will be told in year six or seven."
Kennedy suffered the dip at Florida State after rebuilding the
Seminoles. Florida State got to the Elite Eight in 1993 (losing to Kentucky) but had one poor
recruiting year and slipped back to 12-15.
"The second sign of a program is if you can come back up and keep it
there," Kennedy says. "Some guys are capable of doing it and others don't
have the personality for it. I enjoyed building Florida State. It took 10 to 11 years but we were always selling tickets and creating an atmosphere where we were a legitimate national player. When you lose that, it's tough. They
lost that at DePaul."
The key to rebuilding, to coaching at any school really, is recruiting.
Most rebuilding chores demand local recruiting. DePaul signed the three
Chicago-area players (Richardson, Simmons and Williams) to get back in
postseason. Auburn snagged junior college scorer Chris Porter from the local area.
Florida nabbed locals Teddy DuPay, Udonis Haslam to complement national recruits
Mike Miller and Brett Nelson. Michigan State stayed in state with the Flint boys, led by Mateen Cleaves and Morris Peterson. Miami (Fla.) kept Tim James home.
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“ |
To win, you need players, because no coach really believes they're
going to outcoach another without good players.
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Maryland coach Gary Williams
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Illinois, the latest rebuilding project on display, brought in natives
Marcus Griffin, Sergio McClain, Frank Williams and Brian Cook to go with
Cory Bradford. Tennessee's turnaround can be credited by the signing of Memphis
point guard Tony Harris. Ohio State went with a quick fix by adding Boston
College transfer point guard Scoonie Penn. But that was somewhat unique,
considering Penn played for new Buckeye coach Jim O'Brien at BC.
"It's all about getting players," Tennessee coach Jerry Green says.
"We did that at Oregon and at Kansas (as an assistant to Roy Williams).
Everybody thought that one was easy but the expectations keep going up every year at programs like that."
The elite programs keep renewing themselves with top talent. Maryland
lost Steve Francis, added Steve Blake. Staying on top is expected at
Maryland, Duke and North Carolina in the ACC. Programs like Virginia, N.C.
State and Clemson are trying to break into the ACC's top three through
aggressive recruiting.
"To win, you need players, because no coach really believes they're
going to outcoach another without good players," Maryland's Gary Williams
says.
Turning around mid-majors can be done with one recruiting class. Eastern Michigan was atop the Mid-American Conference with Earl Boykins. He's gone and the Eagles slipped. Miami (Ohio) will likely fade after Wally
Szczerbiak's departure.
The new mid-major names -- Gonzaga, Delaware, Siena, Detroit and Butler
-- will find sustaining their NCAA bids a chore every season. But for
high-major programs that have kept their recent success going -- schools
like New Mexico and Stanford -- raising the expectations are part of the process.
"There's no magic," Stanford coach Mike Montgomery says. "Guys have
to perform, need to be good athletes and skilled. The second thing is to
develop an expectation. We expect to be in the tournament and compete for the top 10 and top 20. We don't have to create. The moment the player steps on campus, we expect them to keep us at this level."
Andy Katz is a senior writer at ESPN.com. | |
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