Coach of the year?

[TheRealVille]

It's late January and the college basketball season is a little over half over. February starts the home stretch on the way to conference championships and March madness, as well as recognition for best of awards.

The coach of the year talk is starting to get more attention by several different pundits, and Louisville's Pat Kelsey is a obvious candidate, even though he's not in the top 3 on some lists.

Most have Bruce Pearl of Auburn or Jon Schyer at Duke as COY. I find that curious since both teams were preseason top 5 teams and have sure fire NBA stars on the roster.

As for the overachiever teams and their coaches, Michigan, West Virginia and Vanderbilt's coaches all are above Kelsey by most pundits. For some reason, the hoops experts don't want to include Louisville whether it's team rankings or in this case, it's head coaches chances for COY.

As of today how could it be anyone else but PK? Vandy's coach is the only other coach that in my opinion should be considered the mid season coach of the year. Their back to back wins over Alabama and UK is very impressive.

However, he didn't take over a sinking program that was 12 and 52 the past two seasons and was on the verge of becoming the biggest joke in major conference basketball. No one, not even the most ardent and loyal Louisville fan expected what we have seen so far.

Nine game winning streak and counting, despite losing it's 2nd best player and back up PG to season ending injuries. Winning by double digits in 7 of those 9 wins during the streak and looking like a #1 seed surely wasn't something anyone even fantasized about.

Pat Kelsey should be on top of any mid-season COY lists. What he has accomplished so far can be construed as miraculous. No other coach had to do what he had to do. But, this is UofL we're talking about and the inclination to pass them over is still prevalent, even when it's obvious they shouldn't be.

One dude I saw said the ACC was so down, that will hurt Kelsey's chances, but apparently that doesn't apply to Jon Schyer of Duke. I agree the COY is usually from a top team with just a couple losses, but several times coaches have won the award for surprising results not expected before the season.

How could there be a more surprising result than Louisville and it's first year coach Pat Kelsey?

 

[Rollem Cards]

All we can do is win…then in March let the “experts” explain how we got there under their “all-knowing” radar.

We need to win. We don’t need awards and rankings.

We’ve been off the radar for so long we’re not in anybody’s first thought. Or their second and maybe third.

Keep winning and we can’t be ignored forever.

 

[NorthCard]

It's late January and the college basketball season is a little over half over. February starts the home stretch on the way to conference championships and March madness, as well as recognition for best of awards.

The coach of the year talk is starting to get more attention by several different pundits, and Louisville's Pat Kelsey is a obvious candidate, even though he's not in the top 3 on some lists.

Most have Bruce Pearl of Auburn or Jon Schyer at Duke as COY. I find that curious since both teams were preseason top 5 teams and have sure fire NBA stars on the roster.

As for the overachiever teams and their coaches, Michigan, West Virginia and Vanderbilt's coaches all are above Kelsey by most pundits. For some reason, the hoops experts don't want to include Louisville whether it's team rankings or in this case, it's head coaches chances for COY.

As of today how could it be anyone else but PK? Vandy's coach is the only other coach that in my opinion should be considered the mid season coach of the year. Their back to back wins over Alabama and UK is very impressive.

However, he didn't take over a sinking program that was 12 and 52 the past two seasons and was on the verge of becoming the biggest joke in major conference basketball. No one, not even the most ardent and loyal Louisville fan expected what we have seen so far.

Nine game winning streak and counting, despite losing it's 2nd best player and back up PG to season ending injuries. Winning by double digits in 7 of those 9 wins during the streak and looking like a #1 seed surely wasn't something anyone even fantasized about.

Pat Kelsey should be on top of any mid-season COY lists. What he has accomplished so far can be construed as miraculous. No other coach had to do what he had to do. But, this is UofL we're talking about and the inclination to pass them over is still prevalent, even when it's obvious they shouldn't be.

One dude I saw said the ACC was so down, that will hurt Kelsey's chances, but apparently that doesn't apply to Jon Schyer of Duke. I agree the COY is usually from a top team with just a couple losses, but several times coaches have won the award for surprising results not expected before the season.

How could there be a more surprising result than Louisville and it's first year coach Pat Kelsey?

Yes I agree, it’s a joke he’s not in the top 3 at a minimum. No one had a bigger rebuilding job than Kelsey. If Schyer was coaching Louisville does anyone think the Cards would be better? Duke has 3 players projected in the top 10 of the mock NBA draft.

 

[Morgantown Card]

It's late January and the college basketball season is a little over half over. February starts the home stretch on the way to conference championships and March madness, as well as recognition for best of awards.

The coach of the year talk is starting to get more attention by several different pundits, and Louisville's Pat Kelsey is a obvious candidate, even though he's not in the top 3 on some lists.

Most have Bruce Pearl of Auburn or Jon Schyer at Duke as COY. I find that curious since both teams were preseason top 5 teams and have sure fire NBA stars on the roster.

As for the overachiever teams and their coaches, Michigan, West Virginia and Vanderbilt's coaches all are above Kelsey by most pundits. For some reason, the hoops experts don't want to include Louisville whether it's team rankings or in this case, it's head coaches chances for COY.

As of today how could it be anyone else but PK? Vandy's coach is the only other coach that in my opinion should be considered the mid season coach of the year. Their back to back wins over Alabama and UK is very impressive.

However, he didn't take over a sinking program that was 12 and 52 the past two seasons and was on the verge of becoming the biggest joke in major conference basketball. No one, not even the most ardent and loyal Louisville fan expected what we have seen so far.

Nine game winning streak and counting, despite losing it's 2nd best player and back up PG to season ending injuries. Winning by double digits in 7 of those 9 wins during the streak and looking like a #1 seed surely wasn't something anyone even fantasized about.

Pat Kelsey should be on top of any mid-season COY lists. What he has accomplished so far can be construed as miraculous. No other coach had to do what he had to do. But, this is UofL we're talking about and the inclination to pass them over is still prevalent, even when it's obvious they shouldn't be.

One dude I saw said the ACC was so down, that will hurt Kelsey's chances, but apparently that doesn't apply to Jon Schyer of Duke. I agree the COY is usually from a top team with just a couple losses, but several times coaches have won the award for surprising results not expected before the season.

How could there be a more surprising result than Louisville and it's first year coach Pat Kelsey?

Pearl and Scheyer shouldn't be on the list at all. If it's just about being a top 5 program then just give the COY to whoever wins the national championship.

An argument can be made for Vandy's coach; Vandy went 9-23 last year (similar to our 8-24), and year 1 they have a great record and great wins against top competition. Neither May or Devries took over a disaster like Kelsey did; Michigan is now Top 25 and WVU has some nice wins but is now fading a bit with two straight losses to AZ State & KSU. Meanwhile, Kelsey took a 8-52 disaster and sold that disaster to a very good roster, gelled that very good roster, and coached them up. The effort & consistency in which they play with is amazing. Unfortunately there aren't any marquis wins, which may be why he doesn't get it. But I agree OP, it should be Pat Kelsey and if it's not then it better be Byington b/c anyone else is just nonsense.

 

[Rollem Cards]

Maybe we don’t have anyone “lobbying” for us?

AD and Admins should be preaching to anyone who will listen

That said, I don’t care, right now, about anything but winning.

With our recent history, all we need is to start getting some press, then have ANOTHER injury or two, and fall on our face. We would be labeled “flash in the pan” and on the back burner again.

Win and it will come

 

[EKYCard643]

Coach of The Year should have categories.

On the one hand, you have to respect and acknowledge what Bruce Pearl, Nate Oats, and John Scheyer are doing. Yes, they have tons of talent, but they were supposed to be elite—and they are. We've seen plenty of teams that were supposed to be good and aren't—Arkansas, UNC, Cincinnati, Gonzaga, UCLA, Rutgers, Texas, Indiana, Arizona, Baylor, UConn, Creighton—all were in the preseason and early-season polls and have had disappointing seasons thus far.

UK has numerous opportunities for Pope to get back on the list, but I don't see how you can have him in the top 5 after the Vandy loss. Great wins early against Duke and Gonzaga, but Gonzaga has proven to be a mediocre team; the A&M win was at home when A&M didn't have their best player; Mississippi State has shown to be pretty mid as they are 4-3 in conference play. But wins against Duke and Florida look good but being routed by Ohio State with losses to UGA, and Vandy don't look great when combined with the Bama and Clemson losses.

Categories should be:
Living up to the hype. Pearl, Oats, Sampson, TJ O, Scheyer, Barnes.
Exceeding Expectations: Pat Kelsey, Tom Izzo, Darian DeVries, Ben McCollum, Dennis Gates, Penny Hardaway, Todd Golden, Chris Jans, Dusty May, Dana Altman.

Here's where it we separate the exceeding expectations list.
Its well known I love McCollum - but he's at Drake. He's eliminated.
Memphis was 20-10 last year and Penny has been there for years. Eliminated.
Michigan, WVU, Missouri, Florida, Mississippi State, Oregon, Michigan State - all solid programs that weren't rebuilding. None have had to deal with significant injuries.

Louisville has won 25 games in the last three years combined. They've been the worst P4 team in the country for the last two years. Pat Kelsey brought in an entirely new roster and then proceeded to lose a key starter and his sixth man within the first two weeks of the season. Louisville is 15-5. You either give the award to the coach who's doing exactly what we thought he would or you give it to Pat Kelsey. There's no way on earth any other coach in the country deserves to be considered for the award.