This is from someone making a statement on MsHoops and the Nebraska thread here got me thinking about the coaches in the conference. Its not easy picking the best coach in the conference, at least for me.
Bluder has been at Iowa a long time, but her teams until this year have been known to be mediocre at best defensively and its been limiting them from being as good in conference and NCAA's until the last two years.
McGuff, great recruiter willing to do just about anything to get players, offering to hire cheating assistants with a "show cause" on them, hiring a recruits dad as an assistant to get her, or whatever slime he needs to do to get players. His results once he gets them though to me have been lacking. I am still expecting them to stumble yet this season either before the BTT or in one of the tournaments.
Frese has finally had her poor treatment of her players come home to roost as she no longer is bringing in top 50 players faster than they leave, and without top talent her coaching seems pretty mediocre as well this season.
McKeown seems to have retired and forgot to tell Nortwestern.
Washington at Rutgers. Stunk at PSU, not seeing anything that changes my mind this year either.
Williams at Nebraska. LAst year was a dissappointment, this year an overachievement. Seems to be her MO, good season and mediocre seasons, nothing great, nothing terrible and nothing building year to year towards the top tier of the conference. Very good but not great coach is my impression so far.
Barnes at Michigan might be my choice for best overall coach, just needs to get a slight improvement in talent in Ann Arbor.
Krieger at PSU has become addicted to the portal. 10 of 15 players on her roster are portal refugees, a couple on their third program. Nearly all the minutes go to the portal players, and incoming recruits are nothing to get excited about for next year. She's turned the program around this year, but I question if her methods are sustainable.
Moren Has turned IU into a power, but can she sustain it once Holmes leaves? Additionally she has lived off transfers to give her starting perimeter players. Two starters leave after this year, maybe more, 2 more will be seniors next year if McNeil even comes back for her 5th year. She is another contender for best coachin the league in my opinion.
Other than Washington, the coaches with less than 5 years need more time to have a body of work to really have a good feel for them. Green at UIll is up and down with last year great and this year poor. Moseley at UWisc is making progress, but is it fast enough to keep her job? Gearlds is in the same boat with Green, very mixed results to date, this season shows a lot of signs of bad coaching, but she gets two more years to see if its just an anomoly. Fralick at MSU with a problematic roster (12 wings and guards, only one post that doesn't play much) has worked magic and I think she may quickly become the best coach in the league UNLESS Plitzuweit at UMinn surpasses her as she has also done wonders turning that program around right up until Braun got injured. I really like Plitzuweit, Fralick, and Mosely so far with what they have done. I know not everyone appreciates Moseley as much as I do, c'est la vie.
Bluder has been at Iowa a long time, but her teams until this year have been known to be mediocre at best defensively and its been limiting them from being as good in conference and NCAA's until the last two years.
McGuff, great recruiter willing to do just about anything to get players, offering to hire cheating assistants with a "show cause" on them, hiring a recruits dad as an assistant to get her, or whatever slime he needs to do to get players. His results once he gets them though to me have been lacking. I am still expecting them to stumble yet this season either before the BTT or in one of the tournaments.
Frese has finally had her poor treatment of her players come home to roost as she no longer is bringing in top 50 players faster than they leave, and without top talent her coaching seems pretty mediocre as well this season.
McKeown seems to have retired and forgot to tell Nortwestern.
Washington at Rutgers. Stunk at PSU, not seeing anything that changes my mind this year either.
Williams at Nebraska. LAst year was a dissappointment, this year an overachievement. Seems to be her MO, good season and mediocre seasons, nothing great, nothing terrible and nothing building year to year towards the top tier of the conference. Very good but not great coach is my impression so far.
Barnes at Michigan might be my choice for best overall coach, just needs to get a slight improvement in talent in Ann Arbor.
Krieger at PSU has become addicted to the portal. 10 of 15 players on her roster are portal refugees, a couple on their third program. Nearly all the minutes go to the portal players, and incoming recruits are nothing to get excited about for next year. She's turned the program around this year, but I question if her methods are sustainable.
Moren Has turned IU into a power, but can she sustain it once Holmes leaves? Additionally she has lived off transfers to give her starting perimeter players. Two starters leave after this year, maybe more, 2 more will be seniors next year if McNeil even comes back for her 5th year. She is another contender for best coachin the league in my opinion.
Other than Washington, the coaches with less than 5 years need more time to have a body of work to really have a good feel for them. Green at UIll is up and down with last year great and this year poor. Moseley at UWisc is making progress, but is it fast enough to keep her job? Gearlds is in the same boat with Green, very mixed results to date, this season shows a lot of signs of bad coaching, but she gets two more years to see if its just an anomoly. Fralick at MSU with a problematic roster (12 wings and guards, only one post that doesn't play much) has worked magic and I think she may quickly become the best coach in the league UNLESS Plitzuweit at UMinn surpasses her as she has also done wonders turning that program around right up until Braun got injured. I really like Plitzuweit, Fralick, and Mosely so far with what they have done. I know not everyone appreciates Moseley as much as I do, c'est la vie.
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