Ranking the Best Hoops Job in the SEC

[GoBigOrangeVols]

Ranking the coaching jobs: SEC - College Basketball Nation Blog - ESPN

4. Tennessee: The Vols have traditionally been able to recruit, but talent-rich Memphis is six hours away from Knoxville and the Tigers are an institution there, so that can be a tough nut to crack. Thompson-Boling Arena was remodeled a few years ago and has the look of an NBA facility -- and the surge in fan interest that began under Bruce Pearl has continued as the Vols were again among the nation's leaders in attendance during Cuonzo Martin's first season. The athletic programs at Tennessee are usually high end, but it's been a rough go lately. Still, the commitment to winning in men’s basketball is much more apparent at UT than it was before this past decade. This has become a solid job.

Interesting to note that the top 4, and 6 out of the top 7 are all members of the SEC East (of course, this is why they've done away with divisions in SEC hoops).

 

[vols-1]

I thought Arkansas was better than Mizzou.

 

[YankeeVol]

I thought Arkansas was better than Mizzou.

Not recently

 

[GatorsGators]

Alabama = too low

 

[UTCVol]

Alabama = too low

Maybe but that building is a dump.

 

[zjcvols]

Put Florida over UK, simply because the presssure at UK is so high.

 

[ukvols]

Vandy is too high. They have a nice home-court advantage at Memorial, but if the game is 10 minutes away at the downtown arena, their fan support plummets to that of a bad Atlantic Sun team. They'll never win big consistently if their support is limited to selling out their small gym and the students who travel to TBA to annoy the heck out of Vol fans in the upper deck until they know they're going to lose.

 

[ukvols]

The stat about USC not having won an NCAAT game since 1973 is shocking. Dang.

 

[therealUT]

The stat about USC not having won an NCAAT game since 1973 is shocking. Dang.

Well, they were a #2 seed, once...

Must be embarrassing to have your best season end with a loss to a #15 seed. What say you, Stripes?

 

[therealUT]

Vandy is too high. They have a nice home-court advantage at Memorial, but if the game is 10 minutes away at the downtown arena, their fan support plummets to that of a bad Atlantic Sun team. They'll never win big consistently if their support is limited to selling out their small gym and the students who travel to TBA to annoy the heck out of Vol fans in the upper deck until they know they're going to lose.

Vandy has six tournament appearances in the past nine years, including the past 3 consecutive. They have a home record of, I believe, 46-13 over the past three seasons (15, 16, and 15 home wins, considering that they have to play UK and UF at home every season, that is not bad); for most teams, fifteen home wins and then a split on the road is going to get you a look from the selection committee.

I have a feeling that Vandy, with Kevin Stallings, is going to hang around and be competitive for quite a while.

 

[Bassmanbruno]

Seriously wtf - why is Florida #2? They are successful because of one coach who they owe everything to. Bad tradition, crappy arena and terrible fan support. They couldn't even fill that place for quality games after they began to struggle when the 2006-2007 guys left and that place isn't that big yet they were still at least a bubble team at all times.

The only thing they have going for the outside of Billy Donovan in basketball is the successful UF athletic department and good recruiting area - although Florida basketball talent isn't remotely the same as the football talent.

This list isn't supposed to be tied into success - although they do correlate most of the time - just hard for me to see UF as the second best job in the SEC. I'd probably swap out Arkansas and Missouri and bump UF down to 5 or 6 and move UT up to 3rd.. Maybe even 2nd. UT/Arkansas/Mizzou are all desirable jobs.

 

[CatsQueue]

Seriously wtf - why is Florida #2? They are successful because of one coach who they owe everything to. Bad tradition, crappy arena and terrible fan support. They couldn't even fill that place for quality games after they began to struggle when the 2006-2007 guys left and that place isn't that big yet they were still at least a bubble team at all times.

The only thing they have going for the outside of Billy Donovan in basketball is the successful UF athletic department and good recruiting area - although Florida basketball talent isn't remotely the same as the football talent.

This list isn't supposed to be tied into success - although they do correlate most of the time - just hard for me to see UF as the second best job in the SEC. I'd probably swap out Arkansas and Missouri and bump UF down to 5 or 6 and move UT up to 3rd.. Maybe even 2nd. UT/Arkansas/Mizzou are all desirable jobs.

I don't disagree with what you are saying but this is a ranking of hoops jobs (coaches perspective). I have to assume pay scale is weighed heavily in this ranking. Billy D. is raking in a considerable sum.

 

[Bassmanbruno]

I don't disagree with what you are saying but this is a ranking of hoops jobs (coaches perspective). I have to assume pay scale is weighed heavily in this ranking. Billy D. is raking in a considerable sum.

He would be making the same or more at most of the SEC schools save a few if he had the same success.

If i were a coach I would like to coach at a place with top notch facilities, good recruiting budget, a good history/tradition/fan base loyalty, and a program that shows they actually give a crap about basketball.

Billy D made that job - had he done that at UT he'd be making more and with even better facilities than we have now. It's hard for me to qualify something as a great job when they have only had 1 HC that ever did anything. Plus crap facilities and the most fickle Fan base in the SEC I just can't rank the job that high. I mean they missed the tournament for 2 years after their national titles and the O-dome became a ghost town. It's not like they were having 10 straight losing seasons. I guess they are too far south to really care about basketball. UK always packed the house even with Tubby and the arena is twice as big as the O-dome.

 

[GatorsGators]

He would be making the same or more at most of the SEC schools save a few if he had the same success.

If i were a coach I would like to coach at a place with top notch facilities, good recruiting budget, a good history/tradition/fan base loyalty, and a program that shows they actually give a crap about basketball.

Billy D made that job - had he done that at UT he'd be making more and with even better facilities than we have now. It's hard for me to qualify something as a great job when they have only had 1 HC that ever did anything. Plus crap facilities and the most fickle Fan base in the SEC I just can't rank the job that high. I mean they missed the tournament for 2 years after their national titles and the O-dome became a ghost town. It's not like they were having 10 straight losing seasons. I guess they are too far south to really care about basketball. UK always packed the house even with Tubby and the arena is twice as big as the O-dome.

He'd be making more than $3.5 M a year at Tennessee? Talk about delusional. He's already one of the highest paid coaches in America.

And so what if Billy D made the job? It'd still be a great situation for coaches wishing to walk into it after him. The recruiting base is more than fertile (with no in-state competition), the university has shown that it will support its own, and the facilities are definitely better than "crap."

 

[Bassmanbruno]

He'd be making more than $3.5 M a year at Tennessee? Talk about delusional. He's already one of the highest paid coaches in America.

And so what if Billy D made the job? It'd still be a great situation for coaches wishing to walk into it after him. The recruiting base is more than fertile (with no in-state competition), the university has shown that it will support its own, and the facilities are definitely better than "crap."

No they aren't homer. The facilities are in the bottom half of the SEC and that's sad. And yes he'd make more than 3.5 million here had he taken us to that many final fours and 2 NCs. Look at what Pearl was paid for not even a fraction of that.

The o-dome is a complete eye sore. And funny you mention Florida has no competition for recruiting in state yet they recruit nationally because it's not the hot bed for basketball like football. Tennessee has had better in state talent as of late.

 

[GatorsGators]

No they aren't homer. The facilities are in the bottom half of the SEC and that's sad. And yes he'd make more than 3.5 million here had he taken us to that many final fours and 2 NCs. Look at what Pearl was paid for not even a fraction of that.

The o-dome is a complete eye sore. And funny you mention Florida has no competition for recruiting in state yet they recruit nationally because it's not the hot bed for basketball like football. Tennessee has had better in state talent as of late.

You're undervaluing just how much money that is. Calipari is making $4 M per year. Tom Izzo is making $3.5 M per year. Pearl was making less than $2 M per year, nowhere near what Donovan was making. Donovan is making top-of-the-line money at Florida already with his huge contract. Tennessee would pay him more than that? No way in hell.

Florida is a hot bed for basketball. I'm not going to find every player who's come out of Florida lately, but Kenny Boynton, Brandon Knight, Austin Rivers, Pat Young, and John Henson are some names that pop into my head right away. Tennessee talent is great, but UT has to fight Memphis and sometimes Vanderbilt for that talent, as well as the obvious blue bloods. UF has to worry about the blue bloods. Florida State will bring in a great recruit every once in a while, but that's pretty rare.

I don't really care what you think of what the O-Dome looks like; it's not the best arena in the SEC, but it's not lower-half of the SEC either. Our practice facilities are state-of-the-art.

 

[Vercingetorix]

gtfo if you can't handle it.

The question is how good a job it is, not how great a program it is. Billy Donovan could spend 15 more years coasting in Gainesville, making tons of money and soaking up the great weather, based on what he did a few years ago. Kentucky will chew you up and spit you out like Tubby Smith if you slack off at all.

Better program isn't close. Better job? Not really close either.

 

[ukvols]

Vandy has six tournament appearances in the past nine years, including the past 3 consecutive. They have a home record of, I believe, 46-13 over the past three seasons (15, 16, and 15 home wins, considering that they have to play UK and UF at home every season, that is not bad); for most teams, fifteen home wins and then a split on the road is going to get you a look from the selection committee.

I have a feeling that Vandy, with Kevin Stallings, is going to hang around and be competitive for quite a while.

I didn't say they're not competitive. I said I think the list overrates the Vandy job, mainly due to the lack of support outside of Memorial Gym. They do have a nice home court advantage, but they have almost no fans if the game is not played on Vandy's campus. If it's even 10 minutes away, their "fan base" doesn't seem to care.

 

[ukvols]

No they aren't homer. The facilities are in the bottom half of the SEC and that's sad. And yes he'd make more than 3.5 million here had he taken us to that many final fours and 2 NCs. Look at what Pearl was paid for not even a fraction of that.

The o-dome is a complete eye sore. And funny you mention Florida has no competition for recruiting in state yet they recruit nationally because it's not the hot bed for basketball like football. Tennessee has had better in state talent as of late.

A couple of Tennessee boys had a lot to do with Florida's national titles.

 

[ukvols]

You're undervaluing just how much money that is. Calipari is making $4 M per year. Tom Izzo is making $3.5 M per year. Pearl was making less than $2 M per year, nowhere near what Donovan was making. Donovan is making top-of-the-line money at Florida already with his huge contract. Tennessee would pay him more than that? No way in hell.

Florida is a hot bed for basketball. I'm not going to find every player who's come out of Florida lately, but Kenny Boynton, Brandon Knight, Austin Rivers, Pat Young, and John Henson are some names that pop into my head right away. Tennessee talent is great, but UT has to fight Memphis and sometimes Vanderbilt for that talent, as well as the obvious blue bloods. UF has to worry about the blue bloods. Florida State will bring in a great recruit every once in a while, but that's pretty rare.

I don't really care what you think of what the O-Dome looks like; it's not the best arena in the SEC, but it's not lower-half of the SEC either. Our practice facilities are state-of-the-art.

FSU's done more than bring in one great recruit every once in a while.

O'Dome might be in the top half of the league, barely, but that has a lot to do with the fact that a lot of SEC teams have bad arenas.

But, the inside of the O'Dome is junk and needs to be renovated; the court itself is nice. But, the seats are terrible. The expensive, midcourt, lower level seats are hard bleachers, while the upper level is chairback. That's rare; the cheaper seats are better to sit on. But, even those chairback seats are old and rough to sit on. And, the concession stands are terrible.

The O'Dome would benefit greatly from a facelift - new seats, concession stands, and a renovated concourse. The O'Dome really needs it.

I don't think most people on VN are aware that UF has a nice new practice facility.

But, the O'Dome, while decent, is a dump compared to Thompson-Boling. That can be fixed, if they'd spend the money.

 

[McCat]

No doubt it's a good gig for Billy D. But if you got what it takes -- Cal does -- it's a darn good job. Billy G, not so much.

The question is how good a job it is, not how great a program it is. Billy Donovan could spend 15 more years coasting in Gainesville, making tons of money and soaking up the great weather, based on what he did a few years ago. Kentucky will chew you up and spit you out like Tubby Smith if you slack off at all.

Better program isn't close. Better job? Not really close either.

 

[GatorsGators]

FSU's done more than bring in one great recruit every once in a while.

I went back and looked at some of FSU's recent classes, and it really surprised me how many highly-ranked players they'e had. They still haven't been a hindrance to our recruiting like Memphis has been to Tennessee and the whole ACC has been to Georgia.

O'Dome might be in the top half of the league, barely, but that has a lot to do with the fact that a lot of SEC teams have bad arenas.

But, the inside of the O'Dome is junk and needs to be renovated; the court itself is nice. But, the seats are terrible. The expensive, midcourt, lower level seats are hard bleachers, while the upper level is chairback. That's rare; the cheaper seats are better to sit on. But, even those chairback seats are old and rough to sit on. And, the concession stands are terrible.

The O'Dome would benefit greatly from a facelift - new seats, concession stands, and a renovated concourse. The O'Dome really needs it.

But, the O'Dome, while decent, is a dump compared to Thompson-Boling. That can be fixed, if they'd spend the money.

Oh, I'm not disagreeing. No doubt TBA and BWA are nicer than the O'Dome. But some are just being a little bit hyperbolic in their opinions of the building.

I don't think most people on VN are aware that UF has a nice new practice facility.

Apparently not.

 

[USMC Gators]

Seriously wtf - why is Florida #2? They are successful because of one coach who they owe everything to. Bad tradition, crappy arena and terrible fan support. They couldn't even fill that place for quality games after they began to struggle when the 2006-2007 guys left and that place isn't that big yet they were still at least a bubble team at all times.
The only thing they have going for the outside of Billy Donovan in basketball is the successful UF athletic department and good recruiting area - although Florida basketball talent isn't remotely the same as the football talent.
This list isn't supposed to be tied into success - although they do correlate most of the time - just hard for me to see UF as the second best job in the SEC. I'd probably swap out Arkansas and Missouri and bump UF down to 5 or 6 and move UT up to 3rd.. Maybe even 2nd. UT/Arkansas/Mizzou are all desirable jobs.

I think it's still a pretty good job though because there's not really any pressure to win big every single year. Football will always be first and foremost.

 

[LittleCat]

The question is how good a job it is, not how great a program it is. Billy Donovan could spend 15 more years coasting in Gainesville, making tons of money and soaking up the great weather, based on what he did a few years ago. Kentucky will chew you up and spit you out like Tubby Smith if you slack off at all.

Better program isn't close. Better job? Not really close either.

Tubby didn't slack. He just couldn't recruit like some could and the only championship he won was with Pitinos team. That being said, 10 years without a Final Four in UK was to long so had to part ways.

 

[Hardwood_fanatic]

The question is how good a job it is, not how great a program it is. Billy Donovan could spend 15 more years coasting in Gainesville, making tons of money and soaking up the great weather, based on what he did a few years ago. Kentucky will chew you up and spit you out like Tubby Smith if you slack off at all.

Better program isn't close. Better job? Not really close either.

True enough. When both programs are at the "top" UK is still far and away the better job. However a title buys you 15 Years at UF, and 5 at UK.

UF is like a regional company where if you are a good manager, they will treat you right and let you retire. UK is the corporate grind in which you can only hope to build something great before it wears you down.