Barnes and Painter? They've been consistently good the last few years. I dont understand what makes them so special this year.
He's a dirtbag but I'd almost consider Kelvin Sampson for this list.
I just don't understand how coaches that have been 1-3 seeds in the tourney the last few years all of a sudden are COY candidates. They aren't doing anything differently.
I get it if there's roster turnover or if they're still overachieving. I gave Sampson as an example because I've seen a few games this year and he's got some good freshmen.
On one hand, I kind of agree, on the other, if they're the best coach, they should still win awards for being the best coach. It's not a "who overachieved the most" award.
Recusing myself on TJ, I would vote for Tang easily. KSU picked mostly last, total re-boot.
My dad used to say "a great coach can beat you with his players, and then turn around and beat you with YOUR players too".
Yep, there are certainly situations where a great coach is faced with a lot of roster turnover, and ends up with similar results to their standard really good year. If they have a loaded roster returning, I think they have to clearly be elite to warrant consideration.
I looked into FAU a little. They haven't played many teams but their metrics are pretty solid. A good comp is San Diego St.
Obviously the former. But the award is "coach of the year" not "best coach out there". Splitting hairs but that is the thing.
