Coaches
Everything involving NCAA coaches.
Tom Izzo is trying to downplay his Michigan State squad that’s pretty much a consensus Top 5 team entering the 2009-10 season.
“I enjoy the expectations, but I’ve got to remind myself and you (media) what we lost,” Izzo said Wednesday. “I am concerned about living up to them, but I like the challenge of living up to them.
“I speak with guarded optimism.”
Wow. When did Lou Holtz start coaching the Michigan State basketball team.
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It sounds corny, but don’t underestimate how beloved Kay Yow was by the N.C. State faithful.
Yow spent 34 seasons coaching the Wolfpack women’s team, amassing 672 wins, 5 ACC titles, 20 NCAA tournament berths and a Final Four in 1998. And a good portion of that was after she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
She spent more than 20 years raising money for cancer research and raising awareness about the disease. In 2007, the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund was established, leaving her a lasting legacy beyond the court. She died on Jan. 24, 2009.
So a N.C. farmer decided to honor her with a corn maze portrait.
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Billy Gillispie finally settled his wrongful-termination lawsuit with the University of Kentucky. It should be a nice sense of relief, right? A potentially messy situation is resolved, which lets the ex-Wildcats coach focus on his current off-court issues and the school gets to turn its eye to a promising basketball season.
Except when it comes to the amount of money Gillispie will receive – nearly $3 million.
It offended one writer so much, he ripped the coach and the school. And the writer doesn't even live in Kentucky.
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John Wooden turns 99 Wednesday. It’s going to result in a lot of birthday greetings from various sources, retrospectives and features.
Saw one this morning on Wooden’s birthplace, Hall, Ind. Here’s another from the L.A. Times – 99 factoids about John Wooden.
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The thing about coaches on the “hot seat” is that there’s no one temperature.
Some coaches feel the heat immediately, depending on the expectations and the hoops environment. Others endure a rough few seasons – or six – finally put together a decent year and that seat ain’t so bad anymore.
But there are other reasons a coach may be feeling the heat. Here are 13 for 2009-10.
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John Wooden turns 99 Wednesday. I can only imagine that outpouring of stories next year, but this year should produce a fair number. (Not counting Web sites like this where you can wish Wooden a happy 99th.)
If we’re lucky.
Here’s the first one I’ve spotted. Mike Lopresti – a syndicated writer living out of Richmond, Ind. – traveled to Hall, Ind. to see what Wooden’s birthplace was like.
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Rick Pitino isn’t letting life’s trials beat him down. Just ask any of the 17,000 people who watched his motivational speech on Tuesday.
Sure, he’s had a trying few months. He admitted to having an extramarital affair and is still dealing with an alleged extortion scheme.
Seems the angry Pitino who lambasted the media in late August is gone, replaced by a more serene, accepting man, who admits he “can’t fight” being judged.
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It wasn’t long ago that talk circulated about Jim Calhoun possibly retiring.
It wasn’t just age talking, either. The UConn coach, 67, was miffed about allegations of NCAA violations, which bubbled over after a Final Four loss.
And it looks like he’s going to stick around a lot longer.
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Coaches are the face of college hoops. Whether it’s Mike Krzyzewski appearing in seemingly every other commercial during March or John Calipari swooping in as the game’s newest rock star, the coaches are the guys everyone knows.
Maybe it’s because the players don’t stick around for four years anymore (with some exceptions), or because they’re the face of the programs, schools simply don’t win without a good coach.
Thus, the ever-lasting search for the next great coach. This year, there were 27 of ‘em, not counting the recent switch at Army. Here’s a rundown of the 10 most notable coaches.
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Quick hitters on 17 of college hoops' 27 new coaches this season.
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