First Team All-Coach

Jason King over on Yahoo Sports has a fun little article. Instead of picking a coach of the year, he does an All-First Team for Coaches. I think this is a great idea, but this doesn’t mean I can’t spend a little time shredding it to pieces. Please click on the actual article to get his take, but below are his coaches and MY thoughts.

FIRST TEAM:

Rick Barnes, Texas – Agreed. The Longhorns have ripped through a tough schedule.

Keno Davis, Drake – As much as I love what Davis has done, I can’t put a mid-major as a first teamer. I’d drop him down a slot or two.

Tubby Smith, Minnesota – Great selection. It’s not always about who wins the most games. This has been one hell of a one-year turnaround.

Billy Gillispie, Kentucky – Sorry, but Billy doesn’t belong on the first, second or third team. He’s done a fine job turning it around mid-season, but I’m not willing to overlook the awful 7-9 start and home loss to Gardner-Webb.

Scott Drew, Baylor – I thought this guy was stupid to take this job. I was wrong. Four years removed from one player killing another to a 20-win season is amazing.

SECOND TEAM

John Calipari, Memphis – If he went undefeated, I’d put him in the first team, but this is about right. Yes, they’ve beaten some big ‘named’ schools; Connecticut, Arizona, Oklahoma, Cincinnati, USC and Gonzaga…but how impressive is this? Only the Huskies are going to crack a 5th seed or higher in the tournament.

Rick Stansbury, Mississippi State – It’s easy to overlook the Bulldogs, but Jason King was smart not to.

Trent Johnson, Stanford – Agreed. Who would have predicted Stanford being a top-eight team?

Frank Haith, Miami – Agreed. I thought the Canes would win ten games this year after losing Diaz. I was wrong by a lot.

Mike Krzyzewski, Duke – Of course I’m bias, so don’t take it from me, but when Gregg Doyle thinks Coach K is coach of the year material, then he’s certainly a first teamer at least.

THIRD TEAM

Tim Jankovich, Illinois State – It’s been a solid year, but I’m not ready to put him in the top fifteen just yet.

Kevin O’Neill, Arizona – Yes, he took over a difficult situation, but the results aren’t there to impress me and you have to impress me. Why? It’s my blog.

Steve Alford, New Mexico – Amazing what he can do, now that the shadow of Knight/Indiana is fading away.

Brad Stevens, Butler – Now here I can put a mid-major.

Sean Miller, Xavier – The scary part is, they seem to be getting better.

WHO I THINK HE MISSED:

Bo Ryan, Wisconsin – They lost their best player to graduation, got their ass handed to them by Duke early on this season, yet they’re 24-4 (all four loses coming against teams in the top-20) and on the verge of winning the Big Ten. Stud.

Roy Williams, UNC – His team is #1, despite the loss of his top two point guards. Seriously, how many games would Duke win if both Paulus and Nolan Smith were out? This deserves a second team status.

Dino Gaudio, Wake Forest – What Kevin O’Neill had to go through in Arizona was child’s play compared to the difficulties Dino had to deal with. After the head coach DIED, Dino has gotten 16 wins out a team led my two freshman.

BIG DUKE BALL’S FIRST, SECOND AND THIRD TEAMS

First Team: Rick Barnes (UT), Tubby Smith (Minn), Scott Drew (Baylor), Bo Ryan (Wis), Mike Krzyzewski (Duke)

Second Team: John Calipari (Memphis), Rick Stansbury (MSU), Trent Johnson (Stanford), Frank Haith (Miami), Roy Williams (UNC)

Third Team: Dino Gaudio (WF), Steve Alford (NM), Keno Davis (Drake), Brad Stevens (Butler), Sean Miller (Xavier)