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You’re Nuts: Which college basketball coaches are going to end up on Santa’s naughty list?
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Which college basketball coaches are looking at a lump of coal next week?
Merry Christmas to those who celebrate, and congrats on making it through the first third of this basketball season! After waiting so many months to get back to the action, the season really does fly by, and Selection Sunday will be here before you know it.
Last week, Connor and Justin debated what the Buckeyes absolutely had to do if they wanted to beat Auburn. Connor said foul Johni Broome before he has a chance to shoot, and Justin said the Buckeyes needed a massive game from former SEC stud Meechie Johnson.
Surprise, neither of those things happened! Broome had a historically great game against Ohio State, scoring 21 points, grabbing 20 rebounds, and dishing out six assists in 26 minutes without committing a single turnover. It was Broome’s first 20-20 game of his career, and he became the first Auburn player to reach that feat since 1989.
Meechie Johnson played 29 minutes against Auburn during Ohio State’s 91-53 loss, but was held to just five points on 1-of-4 shooting in the game.
Even though neither of these things happened, 65% of readers agreed with Connor’s choice of fouling Broome.
Connor- 83
With Christmas coming up next week, our basketball writers are each picking one college basketball coach that they think are winding up on Santa’s naughty list. Whether that’s because of job performance, public comments, or anything else — that’s completely up to the discretion of the writer.
Oh slippery Rick, you just can’t stay out of the spotlight, can you?
Pitino went from one really cool moment two weeks ago to a not so great moment this week. On Dec. 7, when St. John’s hosted Kansas State, both Pitino and Jerome Tang wore Lou Carnaseca-inspired sweaters on the bench to honor the late hall of fame coach who passed away in late November. Incredibly cool of both coaches to do that, especially Pitino — the 23rd head coach in program history.
But then on Wednesday morning, Pitino sent out a tweet informing the world that his team would no longer be participating in the post-game handshake line after, “witnessing multiple problems” with it.
What the hell is this, Rick? This isn’t February 2022, is it?
The “should we end handshake lines” debate flared up when Juwan Howard hit a Wisconsin coach in the face two years ago, but it’s not like there’s some epidemic of post-game handshake brawls right now. Playing a game and then walking away without acknowledging your opponent — especially if you lose — looks unbelievably conceited.
There are few things more humbling in sports than having to shake the hand of the team that just kicked your butt, look them in the eyes and say “good game” without making excuses. Losing sucks, but having to congratulate the team that just beat you and shake their hands demands a level of level-headedness that not everyone has but everyone is better off having mastered.
It’s one of the many things that separates college basketball from the pros. The image of one team walking through the handshake line during the NCAA Tournament with towels draped over their heads to hide the tears of a lost season or their final game? That’s iconic. Coaches airing out minor grievances at the front of the line, with their teams behind them? Grab the popcorn, as long as neither coach pulls a Juwan Howard.
One rumor going around is that Pitino doesn’t want to go through with the handshake line at Providence on Friday night — which happens to be a place he coached for three seasons and went to his first Final Four at. “The Dunk” is one of the loudest arenas in college basketball, and the student section is bananas. Maybe Pitino just does not want to go through with that.
Another rumor I’ve seen is the idea that opposing coaches are recruiting and giving sales pitches to opposing players in the post-game handshake line? I have a hard time believing that Kim English or Greg McDermott are going to offer a scholarship or extend a bag of cash to RJ Luis after they play St. John’s.
I just think walking away after a game and avoiding the handshake line looks weak, and it takes away from the charm that separates college from the pros.
Doug Gottlieb is the low-hanging fruit when it comes to this award, so I will grab it. The head coach of the Green Bay Phoenix has seemingly said all the wrong things over the last week and has made some waves.
The Phoenix are now 2-11 on the season in Gottlieb’s first season, and they recently lost to Michigan Tech, a team Gottlieb referred to as “Nobody U” before the season started. Gottlieb was also criticized after he accepted the coaching job, because he said he would still host his daily radio show on Fox Sports Radio.
“Part of the reason I want to play better teams is like, it’s two degrees outside, it’s snowing. I don’t really like the idea of Nobody U coming in here,” Gottlieb said after the Phoenix lost to Green Bay, referring to Michigan Tech. “What do we learn playing a game where we win by 20? There’s a methodology to it, and I’m going to have to adjust moving forward.”
“Every game on our schedule is a game that we can lose,” Gottlieb continued. “And nobody else does that. Now you know why.”
After Wednesday’s loss, Gottlieb took to social media to respond to his viral news conference.
“Done with this crap,” Gottlieb wrote on X to address the criticism. “We scheduled up. Including Michigan Tech. Nowhere ever have I been critical of anyone on our schedule. Now, back to work.”
Also, he got into a back-and-forth on X earlier this week with ESPN’s Adam Schefter of ESPN about a post that Schefter sent about Sacramento State and its NIL, with Schefter sending a tweet to Gottlieb saying, “And Jeezus, Doug. A seven-game losing streak and last place in the Horizon League? Less time on social media and more time in the gym,” and posted a screenshot of Green Bay’s schedule.
Gottlieb just needs to get off social media and focus on coaching, or this could be a one-year endeavor for him.
Continue reading...
justingolba via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
Which college basketball coaches are looking at a lump of coal next week?
Merry Christmas to those who celebrate, and congrats on making it through the first third of this basketball season! After waiting so many months to get back to the action, the season really does fly by, and Selection Sunday will be here before you know it.
Last week, Connor and Justin debated what the Buckeyes absolutely had to do if they wanted to beat Auburn. Connor said foul Johni Broome before he has a chance to shoot, and Justin said the Buckeyes needed a massive game from former SEC stud Meechie Johnson.
Surprise, neither of those things happened! Broome had a historically great game against Ohio State, scoring 21 points, grabbing 20 rebounds, and dishing out six assists in 26 minutes without committing a single turnover. It was Broome’s first 20-20 game of his career, and he became the first Auburn player to reach that feat since 1989.
Meechie Johnson played 29 minutes against Auburn during Ohio State’s 91-53 loss, but was held to just five points on 1-of-4 shooting in the game.
Even though neither of these things happened, 65% of readers agreed with Connor’s choice of fouling Broome.
After 183 weeks:
Connor- 83
Justin- 77
Other- 18
(There have been five ties)
With Christmas coming up next week, our basketball writers are each picking one college basketball coach that they think are winding up on Santa’s naughty list. Whether that’s because of job performance, public comments, or anything else — that’s completely up to the discretion of the writer.
This week’s question: Which college basketball coaches are going to end up on Santa’s naughty list?
Connor: Rick Pitino
Oh slippery Rick, you just can’t stay out of the spotlight, can you?
Pitino went from one really cool moment two weeks ago to a not so great moment this week. On Dec. 7, when St. John’s hosted Kansas State, both Pitino and Jerome Tang wore Lou Carnaseca-inspired sweaters on the bench to honor the late hall of fame coach who passed away in late November. Incredibly cool of both coaches to do that, especially Pitino — the 23rd head coach in program history.
But then on Wednesday morning, Pitino sent out a tweet informing the world that his team would no longer be participating in the post-game handshake line after, “witnessing multiple problems” with it.
What the hell is this, Rick? This isn’t February 2022, is it?
The “should we end handshake lines” debate flared up when Juwan Howard hit a Wisconsin coach in the face two years ago, but it’s not like there’s some epidemic of post-game handshake brawls right now. Playing a game and then walking away without acknowledging your opponent — especially if you lose — looks unbelievably conceited.
There are few things more humbling in sports than having to shake the hand of the team that just kicked your butt, look them in the eyes and say “good game” without making excuses. Losing sucks, but having to congratulate the team that just beat you and shake their hands demands a level of level-headedness that not everyone has but everyone is better off having mastered.
It’s one of the many things that separates college basketball from the pros. The image of one team walking through the handshake line during the NCAA Tournament with towels draped over their heads to hide the tears of a lost season or their final game? That’s iconic. Coaches airing out minor grievances at the front of the line, with their teams behind them? Grab the popcorn, as long as neither coach pulls a Juwan Howard.
One rumor going around is that Pitino doesn’t want to go through with the handshake line at Providence on Friday night — which happens to be a place he coached for three seasons and went to his first Final Four at. “The Dunk” is one of the loudest arenas in college basketball, and the student section is bananas. Maybe Pitino just does not want to go through with that.
Another rumor I’ve seen is the idea that opposing coaches are recruiting and giving sales pitches to opposing players in the post-game handshake line? I have a hard time believing that Kim English or Greg McDermott are going to offer a scholarship or extend a bag of cash to RJ Luis after they play St. John’s.
I just think walking away after a game and avoiding the handshake line looks weak, and it takes away from the charm that separates college from the pros.
Justin: Doug Gottlieb
Doug Gottlieb is the low-hanging fruit when it comes to this award, so I will grab it. The head coach of the Green Bay Phoenix has seemingly said all the wrong things over the last week and has made some waves.
The Phoenix are now 2-11 on the season in Gottlieb’s first season, and they recently lost to Michigan Tech, a team Gottlieb referred to as “Nobody U” before the season started. Gottlieb was also criticized after he accepted the coaching job, because he said he would still host his daily radio show on Fox Sports Radio.
“Part of the reason I want to play better teams is like, it’s two degrees outside, it’s snowing. I don’t really like the idea of Nobody U coming in here,” Gottlieb said after the Phoenix lost to Green Bay, referring to Michigan Tech. “What do we learn playing a game where we win by 20? There’s a methodology to it, and I’m going to have to adjust moving forward.”
“Every game on our schedule is a game that we can lose,” Gottlieb continued. “And nobody else does that. Now you know why.”
After Wednesday’s loss, Gottlieb took to social media to respond to his viral news conference.
“Done with this crap,” Gottlieb wrote on X to address the criticism. “We scheduled up. Including Michigan Tech. Nowhere ever have I been critical of anyone on our schedule. Now, back to work.”
Also, he got into a back-and-forth on X earlier this week with ESPN’s Adam Schefter of ESPN about a post that Schefter sent about Sacramento State and its NIL, with Schefter sending a tweet to Gottlieb saying, “And Jeezus, Doug. A seven-game losing streak and last place in the Horizon League? Less time on social media and more time in the gym,” and posted a screenshot of Green Bay’s schedule.
Gottlieb just needs to get off social media and focus on coaching, or this could be a one-year endeavor for him.
Continue reading...