B1G Coach of Year & Report Card for Entire Band of Brothers
Back in the day, I used to do an annual Big Ten basketball coaches’ report card. Each coach received a grade, accompanied by a brief explanation.
But with all the market volatility swirling around us, not to mention all the bottom-line fans swirling around us, I’m thinking buy/sell/hold might be more appropriate.
Then again, college hoops is ``amateur’’ sports, right? And this is TMG College Sports, where we make the rules.
So let’s have our cake and eat it, too. A grade and a market analysis.
As for the obvious question, ``Who is the Big Ten coach of the year?’’ cases could be made for several coaches. That shouldn’t be surprising in a year where 10 Big Ten teams could end up in the NCAA tournament. Until about 10 minutes ago, Mark Turgeon was in that group. And now he’s in danger of being in the discussion for flop of the year.
But I’m going to narrow it down to two: Illinois’ Brad Underwood and Rutgers’ Steve Pikiell. They have made two slumbering programs relevant again. Actually, Pikiell has made Rutgers relevant, period.
Gun to my head, pick one: Underwood. The loss at Ohio State on Thursday hurt, keeping the Illini from staying in the four-way tie atop the league. To be within one game of a co-championship heading into the final weekend is still pretty good stuff. Especially given how tough the Big Ten is this year.
Honorable mention: Greg Gard. What he did with a team that looked rudderless at 5-5, guiding it to being one win away from the conference championship and the No. 1 seed in Big Ten tournament, that’s coach-of-the-year stuff. Except that the Illinois and Rutgers breakthroughs are bigger.
BIG TEN REPORT CARD
BUY
Brad Underwood, A: He dealt himself a really good hand, especially with Ayo Dosunmu and Kofi Cockburn. He also coached toughness into a team that had some disappointing early losses. Illini Nation should be pretty excited moving forward.
Steve Pikiell, A: With the Scarlet Knights, the sum of the parts is greater than the individual parts, which aren’t bad. Rutgers plays with an East Coast exuberance. And it will play in the NCAA tournament for the first time in 29 years. Best of all, Pikiell has gotten the attention of New York area recruits who want to play close to home.
Greg Gard, A: This is a coach who’s so even-keeled, so low-keyed, that it’s easy to under-value the job he’s doing. Big mistake. Wisconsin still doesn’t have the kind of blue-chippers you’ll find on the teams around it at the top of the standings. But it has become a very cohesive and sound team since its early stumbles.
Tom Izzo, B-plus: Tom’s Hall-of-Fame bonafides are secure. He once again has a team with Final Four potential; it just depends on whether it makes shots in the inevitable clutch moments. Izzo needs to mind his sideline optics, when he gets in his players’ faces. But he has shown his toughness, bringing the Spartans to the brink of another Big Ten championship with impressive wins at Maryland and Penn State in the last week.
Mark Turgeon, B: Up until recently, this grade would have been an A. And if things don’t go well vs. Michigan on Sunday, a B will be too high. That’s how wild this finish has been for the Terps, who have lost three of their last four (and barely eked out a gift win at Minnesota). But here’s the thing. I like about Turgeon: He recruits well (Jalen Smith and Anthony Cowan Jr.) and his system is sound. His teams just need a little more something. Depth, Defense. Smarts. The Terps haven’t merely lost games during this tough finishing stretch. They have lost their poise.
Juwan Howard, B-plus: There’s a lot to like about Juwan Howard’s rookie season as a head coach at any level. The Wolverines need to make some strides. But the gamble on bringing back a Fab Five legend after the untimely departure of John Beilein is looking good. Smart move by Howard to bring in St. Joe’s legend Phil Martelli to be his mentor/assistant.
Fran McCaffery, B-plus: All in all, a decent year for Iowa. Junior big man Luka Garza is a first-team All-America/national player-of-the-year candidate and McCaffery has some good players around him. Not enough—the injury to Jordan Bohannon really hurt. But the Hawkeyes have had a very solid year. With sophomore Joe Wieskamp leading the way, they should be OK moving forward. And if Luka Garza sticks around for his senior year, Iowa woudl have a huge upside. That would even mean far fewer Fran McCaffery tantrums.
Patrick Chambers, B-plus: I like what’s going on at Penn State, which is having a rare feel-good year. I know there are Chambers doubters out there. But he has earned the right to try and keep it going.
Matt Painter, C: Not a great year for Matt, but that’s because he has set the bar high. He just needs to roll up his sleeves, bring in some fresh talent and put together a team that gets back to Purdue’s usual competitive ways.
HOLD
Chris Holtmann, B-minus: Kind of an under-the-radar year for Ohio State. The Buckeyes, who have had some bumps in the road, need to have more things fall into place. No reason to think Holtmann can’t do that.
Archie Miller, C: Expectations are so high at Indiana. That’s a tough deal because the name-brand recruiting advantages Indiana once enjoyed are not as strong as they used to be. That said, Indiana remains an awfully good brand. Miller’s Dayton teams were really well coached. That’s not as evident at Indiana. They play ``Miller Time'' after wins in Bloomington. Now it's time to hear that more often.
Fred Hoiberg, Incomplete: Nebraska didn’t have the horses in this, Hoiberg’s first year. He is bringing in three interesting transfer recruits for next year. It’s kind of a gamble while he builds traditional recruiting. But he remains a very intriguing hire at a program that has not distinguished itself in basketball.
Chris Collins, C-minus In 2017, when Collins guided Northwestern to the program’s first-ever NCAA tournament appearance, the sky seemed to be the limit. The Wildcats even proved they belonged, beating Vandebilt and putting a scare into Gonzaga. For that season, he deserves a long leash. That said, Northwestern failed to cope with success the next year, when it had a good nucleus. And since then, the Cats have not show their claws. It’s time to recruit and coach and win. NU doesn’t have to dominate the Big Ten. But another NCAA bid ought to be obtainable. Let’s see if Collins can build on the young players he lost with this year.
SELL
Richard Pitino, D: Minnesota should have been better. With an inside player like Daniel Oturo (Check him out. He’s a 6-10 do-it-all.) backed up by a talented guard like Marcus Carr, the Gophers ought to have more to show for their season. Yes, the Big Ten has been a tough place to win this year. But Minnesota has too many rough edges. This is Pitino’s seventh year. This ought to be going better. If anyone is vulnerable to losing his job in the Big Ten this year, he looks like that guy.