Coach of the Year predictions

[uniftw]

The easy thing to do is pick the Coach from the first place team.

The harder call is to figure out which coach did the most with the least and astounded the league.

Lowery! He ran off more talent than any coach and STILL finished outside of the cellar.

Can't disagree with that.

Honestly, looking at the current standings and where teams were projected it's a tough call. It will go to Greg or Gregg....but honestly a case could be made for Phelps or Lowery...Yeah, I said it and meant it.

[pafan]

The easy thing to do is pick the Coach from the first place team.

The harder call is to figure out which coach did the most with the least and astounded the league.

If this is the only criteria, then I'd also vote for CLow for the simple feat of winning more than one Valley game.

Unfortunately for Chris, the coach of the 9th place team is not likely to win for keeping his team out of 10th.

[LanceShock]

I do understand your point but he returned a very experienced 2nd place team. How good of a coach would he have to be?

4 new starters?

Stutz, Murry, Kyles, Ragland, Smith, and Williams. 6 players (only 1 ever was a starter?) with huge roles for years on a second place (last year) finisher. Hardly a tall task to find a starting lineup.

Jacobson had an easier time two years ago when his team was the defending champions and picked in the preseason to win the league and got his second Coach of the Year in a row. Per your criteria, Marshall should have won that year by taking a team picked to finish fifth I believe putting up a very strong challenge for the title.

The voting for Coach of the Year is flawed as it voting for Player of the Year. But this year, I don't see any other teams where coaching has been enough of a difference to go against the precedence in the league.

[Snaggletooth]

Are you going to give it to teams 3-6 who hovering around 0.500?

There was at one point looking like UNI coach was a worthy candidate but he doesn't seem to have the answers for any consistent success this year in the MVC.

Give it to McDermott who frankly if yesterday effort was more like Frank Martin and when your 3pt shots are not falling why are you not going inside especially when you have the advantage?

At this point has to be coach Marshall. This has been his best coaching effort by far. He has taken a bunch of role players and made their sum better than the individual parts. It easy to forget but everything has not been rosy but his team has responded to his leadership this year. Everybody said there would be a drop off, but to this point this team is alot better than last year team.

[bleach]

Jank, Lusk, and Marty have all done more with less. Clearly Greggs team has performed the best.
I have never favored giving the coach with the most returning from the year before COY.

[2livewu]

Jank, Lusk, and Marty have all done more with less. Clearly Greggs team has performed the best.

I'm a simple man. Please explain what "more" means. At current, Gregg's team is 4+ games clear of the teams of the coaches you mentioned.

Thanks in advance for helping me out.

[MVCfans]

It's Marshall. You can start engraving his name now.

[Wufan]

Jank, Lusk, and Marty have all done more with less. Clearly Greggs team has performed the best.
I have never favored giving the coach with the most returning from the year before COY.

Bleach,

You do realize that the Shockers lost three starters, 30 ppg and 20 rebounds per game from last year? They lost their starting center, their starting and back-up PF, and their starting SF. The Shockers have gone 13-2 thus far with Toure Murry and a bunch of (very good) role players. If nothing else, HCGM deserves some praise for player development.

What happens if next year the Shockers finish 11-7? Will you be singing the praises of Marshall for finishing mid-pack with one returning starter?

[glm38]

I think it will be Marshall. If the Bears had won a few more of those close ones that got away then Lusk might have taken it. But they didn't and lost too many close games for him to be a serious candidate.

[Aargh]

Recruiting is part of coaching. Having the best players in the league is a result of recruiting. "Doing more with less" is evidence of weak recruiting for any coach with at least 3 years tenure.

I'd rather have a coach who can line up the troops so all the coach has to do is roll the balls out at practice and say, "throw the ball around and shoot some hoops, guys" and win the league than a coach who can't recruit a lick, but does really well with his JV-level recruits and can manage to finish just above .500 in the league.

That example does not indicate that any Valley team has "JV-level" recruits. The example was used only to make the point that recruiting and having the best players should be a major factor in voting for CoY.