CBS: Critical Coaches: Who is the most overrated coach in the country? (Roy #1)

BleedGopher

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The question is: Who is the most overrated coach in the country?

Roy Williams (North Carolina): 23 percent
Rick Barnes (Texas): 17 percent
Scott Drew (Baylor): 11 percent
Steve Lavin (St. John's): 9 percent
Jay Wright (Villanova): 6 percent
Ben Howland (UCLA): 6 percent
Jim Boeheim (Syracuse): 4 percent
Tommy Amaker (Harvard): 4 percent

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebas...ho-is-the-most-overrated-coach-in-the-country

Go Gophers!!
 

Tommy Amaker?!? Yes, I can see how someone who has freakin' Harvard on a run of three straight postseason appearances (including their only NIT appearance ever and their 2nd NCAA appearance ever, first since 1946) and has been the head coach for 3 of the school's 4 total postseason appearances in 112 seasons can be overrated. People are idiots.
 

Tommy Amaker?!? Yes, I can see how someone who has freakin' Harvard on a run of three straight postseason appearances (including their only NIT appearance ever and their 2nd NCAA appearance ever, first since 1946) and has been the head coach for 3 of the school's 4 total postseason appearances in 112 seasons can be overrated. People are idiots.

No $hit.
 





Yeah, Amaker hasn't gotten many accolades for great coaching - he hasn't achieved much in his career - hard to call a guy overrated when he isn't being rated in the first place.

It seems a lot of coaches dislike Scott Drew - he was high on the list of overrated coaches as well as cheaters.
 


Roy Williams and overrated do not deserve to be in the same sentence, unless the sentence is, "Roy Williams is NOT overrated."
 



Ya, I'd rather have an "overrated" coach with 2 NCs and multiple additional F4 appearances than have an "underrated" Bo Ryan with none of either. I know the coaches who answered the question are viewing it as Xs and Os, but the reality is Xs and Os don't play the game. Recruiting matters - if you can't beat 'em, you lost to 'em.

Also, how did Bo Ryan not make the list of underrated coaches? Bob Huggins, John Calipari and <gasp> Buzz Williams were judged to be more underrated than Bo.
 

Tommy Amaker flamed out at Seton Hall and Michigan and arrived at Harvard when they loosened the entrance requirements a bit. You take that, match the name of Harvard with a coach pretty well connected on the recruiting scene (never his issue at either of his previous head coaching spots), and Harvard should be doing what they're doing in the Ivy League. I would imagine they'll have the most talented recruits in the Ivy League while Amaker remains coach. I would also imagine his place on this list is due to his mediocrity at the high level stops and the fawning press he's received at Harvard, which I imagine most coaches feel he should be doing exactly what he's doing, given the reasons listed above.
 

Tommy Amaker flamed out at Seton Hall and Michigan and arrived at Harvard when they loosened the entrance requirements a bit. You take that, match the name of Harvard with a coach pretty well connected on the recruiting scene (never his issue at either of his previous head coaching spots), and Harvard should be doing what they're doing in the Ivy League. I would imagine they'll have the most talented recruits in the Ivy League while Amaker remains coach. I would also imagine his place on this list is due to his mediocrity at the high level stops and the fawning press he's received at Harvard, which I imagine most coaches feel he should be doing exactly what he's doing, given the reasons listed above.

My response to this: Harvard's first Tournament appearance in 66 YEARS. Many, many people lived entire lifetimes without seeing Harvard in the Tournament. And he's "doing what he's supposed to be doing"? Huh??? It would be like if Kill won the Big Ten and people were like "nbd".
 

I'd say a more apt comparison would be if Glen Mason took the Akron job and led them to the MAC title.

Tommy Amaker=well-known coach, assistant at Duke, head coach at Michigan and Seton Hall, good recruiter
Ivy League=superior in intellect, inferior in athletic ability, where basketball is concerned

Match Amaker with the biggest name amongst colleges world-wide (not athletically, but in prestige) along with admission requirements relaxed upon Amaker's arrival, and you have what you should have-the best recruits in the Ivy League are heading to Harvard. In fact, I would posit that Amaker is recruiting at a higher level versus his conference adversaries than any other coach in any other conference in college basketball right now. That's why he should be winning at Harvard.

You know better than to equate winning a conference title at Harvard in BB to winning the conference in football in the Big Ten. Raisins versus mammoth apples. Bill Carmody winning the conference title at Northwestern would be along the same plane as Kill leading the Gophers to conference champs.
 



If it's so easy, why did it take them 66 years to do it?

And you say that the recruits are headed there because of Amaker. If he is recruiting the best, why does he get no credit? If he's doing the best job in the conference, and getting credit for it, and did something that no one else could do in 66 years, how is he "overrated"?
 

Why did it take 66 years? Simple, they didn't emphasize it nor invest in their basketball program. Amaker, through mediocre results at Seton Hall and Michigan, was available and with his wife's position on the Harvard faculty, the Crimson fell into a head coach whose track record is that of a formidable recruiter with mediocre results on the court. At Harvard, his ability to recruit overwhelms the conference foes unlike anything he could possibly do at Michigan or Seton Hall and compensates for whatever acumen he may lack facing his adversaries.

Take a look at the rest of the "overrated coaches" on that list-the one characteristic they all share is the ability to get talent onto their campuses. Where they are questioned is their game-day, X's and O's abilities.

If you want to be outraged, be outraged that a two-time national championship coach tops the list.
 

Why did it take 66 years? Simple, they didn't emphasize it nor invest in their basketball program. Amaker, through mediocre results at Seton Hall and Michigan, was available and with his wife's position on the Harvard faculty, the Crimson fell into a head coach whose track record is that of a formidable recruiter with mediocre results on the court. At Harvard, his ability to recruit overwhelms the conference foes unlike anything he could possibly do at Michigan or Seton Hall and compensates for whatever acumen he may lack facing his adversaries.

Take a look at the rest of the "overrated coaches" on that list-the one characteristic they all share is the ability to get talent onto their campuses. Where they are questioned is their game-day, X's and O's abilities.

If you want to be outraged, be outraged that a two-time national championship coach tops the list.

I'm not "outraged" - I just think Amaker being on the list is plain silly. Who "overrates" him? In order to be overrated, one would have to be rated at all. Tommy Amaker's name isn't exactly on the lips of every college basketball rube. Roy Williams being overrated is also silly, but at least he is talked about and has the potential to be overrated.
 

I'll give you that-it's funny to see the head coach for Harvard on this list. I attribute his place on the list to his previous stints as head coach and also some professional jealousy; I sensed most of the respondents of these polls were assistant coaches or lower-level D1 head coaches, who may be a touch bitter about not getting their shot at the big time, while Amaker is on his third try and reaping big accolades. Probably also some anti-Duke backlash; can't really take Coach K to task, so lash out at his underlings/proteges (I've been doing it for the last two decades).
 




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