Because college basketball is just around the corner, I thought this would be a good assignment to get you thinking about college basketball and different coaching styles.
The article below is about 4 highly accomplished Division 1 college basketball coaches. Please read the article and answer the questions below. Please remember to put your name on your Blog so that I can give you credit.
John Calipari and Rick Pitino
ESPN.com
It ain't easy being John Calipari.
But that doesn't mean it's easy.
In fact, the advantages of Calipari's job can frequently double as its drawbacks. That insane talent only raises expectations, expectations that create in fans not hope but demands: win or else. Every move on this team is scrutinized by a local media corps year-round, 24/7, 365. The position Calipari has put himself in with this team is enviable, sure, but it is also tenuous; there is absolutely no margin for error.
Which only makes the coaching job he's done this season all the more impressive. First, Calipari had to assemble this juggernaut. (Recruiting is often overlooked in coach-of-the-year discussions, but why?) Then, he had to solder disparate talented parts -- the kind of top-end AAU stars who might easily bristle against diminished roles -- into a basketball team even better than the sum of its parts. Then, he had to guide that team through the maelstrom that is basketball season in Kentucky, particularly a basketball season in which nothing but a national title can be considered a success.
The Wildcats are very nearly there. Does Calipari have the best talent in the country? No question. Are Calipari's problems of the high-class variety? Oh yeah. But high-class problems are still problems, and no coach in the country -- through the media, through point-perfect long-view guidance, through in-season adjustments designed to maximize each player's ability -- manages them better than the governor of BBN.
Sure, sure: Saying Calipari's job is hard is like saying driving a Maserati is too stressful. But the driver still has to hit his turns, and Coach Cal hasn't missed one.
-- Eamonn Brennan
Rick Pitino insisted that, outside the birth of his three children, no day in his life was better than this past Saturday, when Louisville topped Florida to make it to the Final Four.
It sounded like adrenaline-fueled hyperbole, but Pitino makes a valid point. On a résumé dotted with impressive results, this season just might be the most miraculous and magical, not to mention the best coaching job in Pitino's illustrious career.
Louisville is going to New Orleans despite a roster that read like an NFL injured reserve list -- Mike Marra (done for the season, ACL injury), Rakeem Buckles (done for the season, ACL injury), Stephan Van Treese (done for the season, patellar injury), Wayne Blackshear (out 25 games, shoulder injury), Peyton Siva (missed three games, ankle injury, concussion), Kyle Kuric (missed three games, ankle injury), Jared Swopshire (missed two games, groin injury).
But mostly Louisville is going to New Orleans because a would-be (should-be) Hall of Fame coach pushed every right button at every critical juncture. When injuries decimated his roster, Pitino slowed things down, and when everyone finally got healthy, he went back to his roots, pushing the tempo and turning a team that is short on offensive savvy into a defensive swarm.
No one will even try to argue that this is among Pitino's top-five (top 10?) talented teams, but what the Cards may lack in skill, they make up for in gumption. They are relentless, a team that never seems to accept the fact that it can't or shouldn't be able to come back.
In a high-end Final Four, Louisville is the only real underdog, a team that limped into the postseason, losing four of its final six regular-season games.
Yet Louisville is going to New Orleans because one of the most successful coaches in the game did the best job of his career.
-- Dana O'Neil
Thad Matta and Bill Self
ESPN.com
In late February, Thad Matta curtailed the bravado of a talented Buckeyes squad by kicking his team out of practice.
Ohio State became a national title contender the moment that Jared Sullinger fulfilled his promise to return for his sophomore season. Lost in that signature development, however, was the team's reliance on youth and the leadership void left by three graduating seniors.
The Buckeyes endured a 2-3 stretch in February that warranted questions about the way they'd end the season. Yes, they had weapons, but without the proper drive, they'd never achieve what their abilities suggested they were capable of accomplishing.
Enter Matta.
His elite coaching prowess has been proved by the development within his program. Deshaun Thomas enters the Final Four as one of the most potent scorers in the field. Aaron Craft's defensive fortitude has disrupted offense strategies all season. Sullinger lost weight and added new offensive wrinkles to his game under Matta's watch, too.
But the head coach deserves just as much credit for his ability to mold this young group mentally. Matta didn't have the veteran leaders who had led some of his Buckeyes teams in recent years, and unlike his 2006-07 NCAA national runner-up squad, he didn't have three first-round picks.
Matta's tutelage, however, fueled a rapid maturation process that equipped the Buckeyes with the proper mindset in March, even though they didn't appear to have it in late February. Every time his youthful team moved off track, Matta brought it back. Sometimes, he had to praise players after tough outings. On other occasions, he had to humble them like the day he booted them from practice.
But in the best coaching performance of his career, Matta became Ohio State's maestro.
And that's why the Buckeyes are still making music.
-- Myron Medcalf
Back in October, a few days after the start of official workouts, Bill Self re-evaluated his expectations for this season's squad.
Coaches often downplay the potential of their team, but in this case, Self's concern seemed genuine. The Jayhawks had lost four starters and six of the top eight players from a roster that finished 35-3 the previous season. Only two returning players -- point guard Tyshawn Taylor and forward Thomas Robinson -- averaged more than four points per game in 2010-11.
When Kansas defeated Ohio State at Allen Fieldhouse in December, Self was thrilled, for reasons you may not expect.
"We needed a feather in our cap," said Self, whose team had already lost to Kentucky and Duke. "We needed to beat someone to get into the tournament. At that point we hadn't done it."
Four months later, Kansas is preparing to play Ohio State again -- in the Final Four.
It happened because of Self, who has turned what was supposedly his worst team into one of his best. This is the second Final Four appearance for Self, who has won more games than any other college coach in America since his arrival at Kansas in 2003-04. Self sparked KU to the NCAA title in 2008. As impressive as his efforts were then, his excellence has been magnified more this season than in any other in his career.
In Robinson, Self took a player who averaged a little more than 14 minutes off the bench last season and turned him into a Wooden Award candidate.
Taylor, a third-team All-American, went from being one of the most criticized players in KU history to one of the most loved. Self transformed role players such as Jeff Withey, Elijah Johnson and Travis Releford -- all of whom averaged between two and four points last season -- into solid players and contributors.
Kansas advanced to the Final Four by beating a North Carolina team that played six McDonald's All-Americans. The Jayhawks don't have any. With Self on the sideline, it didn't matter.
It hasn't all season.
-- Jason King
2. Based on what you read, who is the best coach and why? Please give 2 reasons to support your answer.
3. When a team wins a championship, do you think that means that team had the best coach? Please give 2 reasons to support your answer.
24 comments:
ucon
But in the best coaching performance of his career, Matta became Ohio State's maestro. because he seems responsible.
sarah ihsan
Justin Slud PD6
1. The NCAA men's basketball champion was Connecticut.
2.I think that Thad Matta was the best coach because he had to put his team into the right mindset and show them how to actually win even though they did not have the best situation.
3. If a team wins a championship, that does not mean they have the best coach. I think, in basketball and many other sports, that the best teams have great players and great coaches. The coaches are not the ones who actually make the shots and win the championship; they need to rely that their coaching will teach the players to succeed.
1. UConn won the 2014 Men's NCAA Basketball Tournament
2. I think John Calipari is the best coach. One reason I say this is because the way Calipari coaches is a big part of Kentucky's success in the NCAA. Also, he was put in a tough position in the beginning of the season because he had to recruit players and create a team for nothing less than a Championship.
3. When a team wins a Championship, it's not all about the coach. It's about the coaching staff and the players and they both need to have really good chemistry. If the coaches and players can't connect with each other, it will create problems with the team and they won't be able to play together which will make them unsuccessful. Also, the coaching staff needs to encourage the players so they can work together during games.
By,
Brett Godsick
The Connecticut Huskies were the Champions of the 2014 NCAA championship.
Personally I believe that Thad Matta is the best coach because he is able to train a mentally puerile team into something way better. I believe that, that takes real coaching skills to be able accomplish. Thad Matta also made the best out of an unfortunate situation and made it better for example when in the beginning his team had a lack of focus and was not able to do as well as Matta had wanted.
Its not only the coach that makes a team a great team but its players are also extremely important. if a coach cant put his/her words into actions on the court then the team is going to fail, but if a team can't also be a great team if the players cant do what the coach wants him/her to do. The team is also going to fail. both aspects of the team have to be strong in order for the team to obtain more desirable results like winning.
Satoshi Sato
pd6
1)The Connecticut Huskies
2)I think Thad Matta was the best coach because of his coaching, he wouldn't have received the title "Ohio State's maestro" and he mentally prepared his team for every basketball game.
3)If a team wins, it doesn't necessarily mean that they have the best coach. It means that the players have good tactics, coaches are the ones who teach how to shoot. The players actually "walk the walk".
Alex Ivanov Period 6
Jason Eisen- pd.6
1. The winner of the 2014 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship was Conneticut.
2. I think that John Calipari is the best coach because he brings his team together an is a talented coach who know how to guide his team to victory.
3. If a team wins a championship, it does not mean that the specific team has the best coach. This is because a team can have amazing players who are naturally gifted with little guidence from coaches, and so just becuase of their natural ability the team wins. Also, because some coaches can still be better than others with a losing team because their players just stink, yet that coach is still good enough to make massive improvements within the team.
SARA COHN
PD 6
1. The NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship was won by UCONN
2. In my opinion, the best coach is Thad Matta because Matta seems like he really understands his team and he can get them into the read frame of mind when it is game time. He also seems like he doesn’t need to have the best players, he just needs players that will give 100% effort and work as a team so achieve greatness.
3. When a team wins a championship, I do not think that means that they have the best coach. A team that wins the championship may have the best coach but I don’t think a championship means that the coach is “the best”. Basketball is a team sport. A team consists of players, coaches, trainers, etc. In order for a team to win a championship, the players need to be skilled and determined. Coaches can help players reach that, but the players need to do it themselves also because during the game the players are the ones who make the baskets.
1. University of Connecticut won the 2014 NCAA National Championship.
2. I think John Capilari is the best coach because he shows a great example of an amzaing coach which put his team in great success and he knows how to bring his team together as one.
3. When a team wins a championship, it does mean that they have the best coach. This is because he has to discipline his players into being a winning team. Of course talent has something to do with it, but in the end if you can coach your players to be students of the game and follow directions and plays, that is what makes a championship team.
Ryad Malti
Anish Thakker
Period6
1. UConn Huskies
2. I think that Rick Pitino is the best coach because he is able to adjust despite encountering many obstacles. Like in 2013, when 5 of his players had some sort of injury( including starting PG Peyton Siva), he was able to adjust and still coach his team to a National Title. Plus,
Number of National Championships:
Pitino- 2
Calipari-1
Matta and self- 0
3. Yes, when a team wins a championship it definitely does mean they have the best coach. If a coach can win a championship, that means that the coach has had good ideas, has been able to put his ideas into the players brains, and been able to motivate them and teach them. No matter how talented a group of players are, the coach needs to be there to mix and match lineups, create plays that match the talent of the players and control emotion/ego. A great coach is vital to a team's success and ability to win championships.
1. The team that won the NCAA Men's Basketball championship was Connecticut.
2. I believe that Thad Matta is the best coach. he was able to create a championship contending team out of very young players. he was also able to control those players. Thad uses a variety of coaching techniques to maximize the potentials of his players
3.No, just because a team won a championship does not mean a team had a good coach. the players share a huge role in winning a championship. for example Erik Spoelstra, the coach of the Miami heat, helped lead the Heat to many rings. however if he was coaching a team like the 76ers I don't think they would of even had a record of above .500. this shows how the players make a team better just as much and if not, more worthy of competing for a title.
Eric Liu
6th period
Aliya Rahman
1. Connecticut (UCONN) won
2. I think personally that Thad Matta was the best coach because he did something that most coaches can not do, he made his team mentally drived and determined. It's one things to make players shoot free throws and run shell drills, but mentally disciplining a team is hard.
3. It really depends on the situation. With an amazing coach, any group of players (awful or not) can be outstanding. But, if the players are good and the coach is bad, chances of doing well are iffy. But sometimes, with the right balance, a team can be unstoppable. The coach may not be THE best but he'd still have to be good. Someimes, though, it is the best coach who wins.
Alex Wei, Period 6
1. The Connecticut Huskies won the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship.
2. Based solely on the information that is given in these articles, I believe that Thad Matta is the best coach. Though he did exert some pressure on his team, he still supported it. Though he did boot them from practice, he still supported his team.
3. Not always. When a team wins, it may be because of the players themselves and how they perceive their surroundings and use their observations by instinct, not always because of a good coach. A losing team can still have an amazing coach.
The NCAA men's champion for basketball was Connecticut.
I think Rick Pitino was the best coach because he was really able to adapt to his ever changing roster due to injuries. He was also able to mold players into new talent to fill gaps that were necessary within his team.
Offense wins games, defense wins championships. I feel that without a good coach no matter what talent a team has it needs that backbone to win, however just because a team wins a championship doesn't necessarily mean they have the best coach. A decent coach with amazing talent on his team has much more leeway than an amazing coach with lesser skilled players. A coach can also draw up an amazing game plan only to not have his team execute that night very well, concluding a great coach is still limited by his teams willingness to improve.
Sebastian Ludlow
Tayyaba Tareq
1) In 2014, UConn won the NCAA men's basketball tournament
2) I think that John Calipari is the best coach because he is a major factor in Kentucky's success in the NCAA. HE also had to create a brand new team and turn them into a championship team.
3) If a team wins a championship, it doesnt mean they have the best coach. I think that being the champions in the NCAA means that you have a talented team that works well together as a team and they have a coach that makes the work hard and the coach is a good teacher to his players.
Hansen Nguyen Pd 6
1. Uconn
2. John Calipari, because he made good decisions that made his team a success, such as adjusting changes that maximized each player's ability. He also brought an underdog team to the final four.
3. No. Because even though the coach is good, the players can still carry the team to the championship
1) UConn won the championship in 2014
2) I think Bill Self is the best coach because he is able to make winning teams out of any collection of players. All of the other coaches had nationally ranked players to work with, Self brought his underrated players into the spotlight. He is also able to control his expectations and lead his team one game at a time.
3) If a team wins the championship, it means they have a good coach, but not necessarily the best. They need to have great players that work together as a single unit. They also need to have the motivation that can't be coached. "Players win games, coaches lose them."
Jason Friedman
1. Uconn won in 2014
2. Calipari because he has a good recruiting strategy and great coaching tactics
3. No it does not because you could have a bad coach and still win because you have a good team that is willing to win
Zach Kerr pd.6
Alexander Terskin
1. Conneticut
2.Thad Matta becuase he knows what hes doing
3. They do not have the best coach but are the best team.
Uconn won the tournament
John calipari was a better coach because he coached unexperinced freshman to the finals
If they win a championship it means that everyone worked together. for example when the Gregg pop abide won the championship because of he players. If he coached the Bucks they probably wouldn't have won a championship.
Eric lee of 6
the coach was good because he gave good plays to the team
if the team wins the championship it shows they have good players and really good coaches who have been playing for a long time they know what they are doing
sarah ihsan
period 6
1. UCONN
2. Matta is the better coach because he breeds great players that are durable in the NBA. He also takes in experienced teams very far in the tournament nearly every year.
3.If a team wins the championship they don't have to have the best coach. Some teams have made it into the championship with a bad coach but really players. At the end of the day, win or lose, it all comes down to the players, because the coachers aren't on the court, the players are.
Kwasi Frimpong
1. UConn won on 2014
2. John Calipari is the best coach. I think this because he was told to recruit a team that would win a championship and he did.
3. no winning a championship doesn't mean you have the best coach. I think is consist of coaching staff and players. I think this because coaches cant just make a team perfect they need players that have good chemistry with each other.
Seamus Barrett
UConn Huskies
Pintino is the best coach because his team was successful even though it had a difficult year. He stuck with his injured players and made changes to his game plan until they were healthy. Also, he brought out the best in his players by turning his team “into a defensive swarm”.
Yes. The coach knew which athletes had the potential to improve into solid players and who would contribute to the whole team.
Shayna Golfer
1) Uconn
2) John Capilari is the best coach because he can unite his players and is a consistent contender
3) No, it is mostly the players abilities and the chemistry between players
-Robby Severynse
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