- Mike Krzyzewski. 3 National Titles, 10 ACC Tournament Championships. Coach K's program has been to the NCAA's 24 out of the last 25 years. I don't believe he's done winning championships, either.
- Dean Smith. When Dean retired, he was by far the best coach in the ACC. Coach K has won 7 additional ACC championships and a NCAA title. However, Dean still deserves a lot of credit. 2 NCAA championships, 1 NIT Championship, and 13 ACC Tournament Championships. Dean also recruited players who were good people, which is a rarity this day and age.
- Everett Case. Coach Case was the father of ACC Basketball, winning 4 ACC Tournament Championships during his tenure. A solid recruiter, a solid coach, and the first true promoter of basketball in the South.
- Vic Bubas. 3 NCAA Final Fours, 4 ACC tournament championships in his 10 years. He was the Dean Smith before Dean Smith.
- Frank McGuire. 2 ACC Tournament Championships, 1 NCAA Championship. He built 2 ACC programs from the bottom and brought them to the National Spotlight.
- Roy Williams. Roy is still rising in this ranking, having only coached the Heels for 6 years. But he's taking over a program that was at it's lowest level in the past 50 years and turned them into champions.
- Bobby Cremins. Bobby won 3 ACC Tournament Championships and brought 1 GT team toe the Final Four. He was a great recruiter but was somewhat limited in his X's and O's ability. He developed a GT program that was in shambles and turned them into winners.
- Lefty Driesell. Lefty only won 1 ACC tournament, and he never got Maryland in the Final Four, but he sure created a lot of excitement in College Park. Strong recruiter, probably an underrated coach, and a heck of a promoter.
- Norm Sloan. Norm's not mentioned much these days, especially since his successor won an NCAA Championship. But Norm was a winner, with an undefeated team in 1973 and a NCAA Tournament Championship in 1974. Norm won the ACC Tournament 3 times.
- Gary Williams. Gary rescued the Terps from the doldrums, and for a few years his team was definitely mediocre. But he kept on recruiting, kept on developing talent, and kept on going to the NCAAs. He won a NCAA Tournament in 2002, and the ACC Tournament in 2004.
I left off some coaches that I would include as Honorable Mentions. This list includes Terry Holland (Virginia), Bill Foster (Duke), Jim Valvano (NC State), and Dave Odom (WFU). In each case I considered the overall achievement of the coach and the subsequent results of their teams after they left. I didn't think Holland's resume was strong enough, Bill Foster really only had 3 great seasons, Valvano's tenure was inconsistent, and his departure left the program in shambles for the next decade (there is some parallel between Driesell and Valvano, but I thought Driesell's departure was mostly out of his own control). Dave Odom had a brilliant stretch for about 6 years, but his program couldn't sustain their winning ways.
I'd have Valvano on their and I'd take off Lefty but otherwise I agree here. The top few ACC coaches are really hard to mess up, I can't see anyone disagreeing there. I also agree that Coach K isn't done; he's still a fantastic recruiter and has 10+ years in him.
ReplyDeleteWe're looking for more Heels bloggers at www.collegefanz.com, the largest college sports site on the net. I think your blog would do well with us; your look at the ACC is very comprehensive and we have a lot of UNC/Duke/etc fans on our site. Our free blogs would definitely give you the type of audience you deserve.
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Mike
Mike,
ReplyDeleteI really considered Jim Valvano for this list. I really compared Valvano with Norm Sloan, and I had to give it to Norm based on his accomplishments throughout his tenure. Norm was a solid coach, great recruiter, and a developer of talent.
In the same breath, I compared Lefty Driesell against Norm Sloan. I thought that Norm definitely had better results than Lefty, but Lefty developed a program that really had no solid history beforehand (Although Bud Milikan did win an ACC championship in 1958). Historically, it's harder for a team outside of NC to win the ACC Championship, nonetheless reach the final game. Maryland had 3 ACC championships, GT has 3 ACC Championships, and Virginia and South Carolina have only 1 championship. Driesell did take the Terps to 6 ACC Finals (1972, 1973, 1974, 1980, 1981, and 1984), although he only won 1 time. In 1972, 1973, 1974, and 1981, he lost to one of the best 3 teams of each given year.
My problems with Valvano are numerous. He inherited a good squad in 1981 and went 14-13. In 1982,
Your comment cut off on me! You make a good case for Driesell... I want to hear the rest though.
ReplyDeleteMike
In 1982, Valvano took a decent team and flamed out in the first round. In 1983, the Pack reached the promiseland, winning the whole enchilada. In 1984, he was 19-14, losing their last 7 games. He had good teams in 1985 and 1986, going to the elite eight both times. In 1987, he had probably the best talent in the ACC, but finished 6th in the league, although he did win 3 games to take the ACC trophy. 1988, NC State lost to powerful Murray State in the first round. In 1989, #1 seed NC State lost to #8 (and last) seed Maryland, 70-49. In 1990, he finally won in Chapel Hill.
ReplyDeleteI think Valvano was a great coach when his mind was in the game. Unfortunately, he wasn't always on task with the game. I think Jimmy V let himself become too distracted over the years.