Top Coaches

[OUFinalFour]

I thought it might be interesting to see what your opinions are on who the top coaches are in the game right now. Geno is certainly number one, but who are the others that follow?

 

[soonerstar]

Tara, Kim, and Muffet would have to be in the next tier below Auriemma.

 

[soonerstar]

Blair also.

 

[SoonerNorm]

Brenda Frese is really good.

 

[OUFinalFour]

All of those you mentioned are very good coaches. Brenda Frese is also a good one. We all think highly of Sherri, but we just wish that the talent level from those terrific years would return. She is still a great coach. Recruit and sign more elite players and we should be back to competing for Final Four's again.
What about Jeff Walz at Louisville? What are your opinions on Dawn Staley? She can recruit, no doubt, but I don't think she is an elite coach. As of right now anyway.

 

[SoonerNorm]

Dawn Staley signs some great players and she wins a ton of games on talent. I'm just not convinced she is a great Xs and Os coach. That said, if she picks up another great guard or two they will be extremely hard to handle.

 

[SoonerNorm]

Not many coaches work harder on the recruiting trail than Walz. If he has a couple of more great recruiting classes Louisville will likely be back in the top 5.

 

[OUFinalFour]

Agreed. He certainly can recruit.

 

[SoonerinNC]

I think Staley will be a good coach. She needs some outside shooters. I have either heard or read about her approach to coaching and it sounds like a winner to me.

Not sure about Walz. Lots of great recruits but only the big upset over Baylor to show for it. I totally agree about Vandever, McGraw and Mulkey.

Texas looked pretty good in the post season. Usually their offense is horrible for the talent they have but they ran a pretty good offense for awhile against UConn.

The fun team is Washington. Not saying that they have a great coach but Plum is amazing. She made a great conversion to point guard this year. She takes a lot of shots and misses a lot but she is a scorer deluxe and almost never loses the ball except when going among the trees. Walton is a good player and Osahor is a hoot to watch and has been very very effective late in the season. I don't remember her doing anything when we played them.

 

[SoonerNorm]

Walz probably has his best class coming in this fall. He also is in on the #1 player in the country for 2017, along with many other really good players. They are a team to watch.

 

[giraffespots]

I think Blair should be mentioned alongside Muffet and Tara. The only thing they have on him is length of time near the top.

I don't think Kim is that great of a coach. What would she do with lesser talent? Even with the massive talent she had this year, she didn't get even to the final four. She is a good coach, but not a great one.

I believe Dawn is a good one as well. She is still on her upward swing, so if she is not at the top yet, she will be soon.

Sherri is good, however, her recruiting is not. She gets farther with lesser talent than pretty much anyone else.

And, not to be a Big 12 homer, but frankly, I would put Bill Fennelly up against any other coach in terms of game strategy, x's and o's.