Over the past month, Athleticism spoke with more than 30 women’s college basketball coaches on a range of topics from name, image and likeness to athletic directors to sleeping giants of the sport. These coaches, from power conferences and high mid-majors, were granted anonymity to allow them to speak openly without fear of reprisal from their own programs or the NCAA. Throughout the week, we share coaches’ thoughts on the most pressing issues in their sport. Although not all answers to each question are included, the answers represent all opinions expressed.
Coaches always have an eye on their peers. There is a connection between individuals in this field of work, and it helps build camaraderie among people who have chosen a similar path. But often, coaches look for best practices; they’re looking to improve other teams’ games and sets that might work for theirs. During the Big Ten regular season finale, Iowa coach Lisa Bluder told reporters she took inspiration from Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon’s book, to build on the Hawkeyes’ final possession, which ended with a Caitlin Clark winner of the game. The best coaches openly admit that they are thieves of everything that works best on the field, whether in high school, college or professional textbooks.
With this in mind, coaches are constantly keeping an eye on the next generation, as these new coaches bring new ideas to the profession. There’s also an element of self-preservation, as the program’s longest-tenured coaches want to know which teams are worth watching and which coaches might come in for their jobs. But ideally, it’s about learning from others to continue to grow and win.
Some coaches across the country get more attention than others, and that’s what this edition of Athleticism‘s anonymous poll focuses on: which NCAA coaches are draft masters and which ones are poised to dominate in the years to come.
Who is the best X’s and O’s coach in the country?
| Coach | Team | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
Tara VanDerveer |
11 |
|
|
Geno Auriemma |
4 |
|
|
Jeff Walz |
4 |
|
|
Bill Fennelly |
2 |
|
|
Karl Smesko |
2 |
Also receive votes: Brenda Frese, Maryland; Kelly Graves, Oregon; Aaron Johnston, South Dakota State; Kevin McGuff, Ohio State; Joe McKeown, North West; Lynne Roberts, Utah; Dawn Staley, South Carolina
Most coaches interpreted the X’s and O’s in terms of offensive schemes, which is why defense-oriented head coaches like Dawn Staley and Vic Schaefer weren’t among those often mentioned.
Tara VanDerveer
“She rarely loses to a team more than once. It’s so hard to train him against her. Even if his teams on paper are not the best, they will remain among the top three or four. You watch his players develop. They are improving. Tara has been doing this for so long. And a lot of coaches can’t change with the times. And while I think her system is good, by monitoring her and training against her, she adapts.
“She’s been consistent for so many years and is figuring out, with different players in her program, how to be successful at the highest level and she’s using them to the fullest.”
“It is extremely well organized. Its teams evolve and adjust. Every year they do something new that makes them a little harder to protect. They prepare extremely well, monitor well and succeed every time. Offensively, they are really well organized and she just seems to add a wrinkle every year.
“She’s so level-headed and doesn’t let herself be rushed. They recruit excellent players, but they also teach them how to play. »
As StanfordAs the team’s head coach for nearly 40 years, VanDerveer simply has a bigger playbook than most other coaches. But the winningest coach of all time in women’s college basketball has had to evolve her style as the game itself has changed. She managed to maintain her program’s success throughout, winning championships 29 years apart and advancing to the Final Four for four straight decades.
Right now, Stanford is known for its motion offense, as the Cardinal are constantly filtering and cutting to find openings in the half court. But VanDerveer can also put together a knockout set to get the ball where it needs to be when his team needs a bucket. For example, against UCLA On senior night, VanDerveer repeatedly asked his players to use their size after timeouts, beating the Bruins with exaggerated passes to neutralize UCLA’s aggression in the passing lanes.
Geno Auriemma
“Tara does a fantastic job, and I think Geno does a fantastic job, and I think sometimes they don’t get the credit because everyone says, well, they have the best talent, but when you look coming out of timeouts, big moments in the game, they’re going to get the ball where it needs to go.
“I’m not betting against Geno. Look what he does when he has a limited number of players. They never make a mistake. His attack is next level.
Auriemma’s 14 consecutive Final Fours and 11 national championships speak for themselves, but UConn one does not reach these sacred milestones without being able to execute in every possible situation in terms of time and score. It was there that Auriemma earned the respect of his peers. The Huskies score efficiently – their field goal percentage hasn’t been lower than the 99th percentile nationally since Her Hoop Stats started tracking it during the 2009-10 season. This reflects consistent good action and placing the ball in the right places.
Jeff Walz
“I really respect Jeff. I really saw him do great things at the end of matches. I saw him win because of that. … He can be in any circumstance and allow his team to execute situational basketball as well as anyone I’ve coached against. … I think he has a good balance between creating really good sets and good structure while still giving players room to play.
“I think Jeff Walz is really good in one game. …A game to play, it looks like he finds a way, he’ll find something.
Walz has four Final Four appearances since arriving in Louisville in 2007, but his claim to fame to date has silenced Brittney Griner for Baylorin 2013. The Cardinals implemented a modified zone-and-pursuit defense, placing three players on Griner while two guards covered as much ground as possible on the perimeter, and making the calculated gamble of letting a team coached by Kim Mulkey take a corner. 3s. This defensive game plan led to one of the biggest upsets in tournament history and solidified Walz’s bona fides as a coach who could always devise a way to succeed.
Karl Smesko
“He wins 25, 30 games a year with players none of us have heard of. They graduated a player from WNBA last year, and they are still very good. They manage things that are particularly difficult to protect. This is also why they are doing well in the tournament. With a short preparation, it is difficult to keep.
“I really like what Karl Smesko is doing on the Florida Gulf Coast. I think about their five outs and the way they read the game. I enjoyed learning and watching with him.
Jennie Baranczyk
“Jennie Baranczyk is probably underrated. I think she’s an incredible offensive coach.
Kevin McGuff
“I think he changes what he does a lot, meaning he does it more outside of staff, not just based on his beliefs, so I respect him for that.”
Who is the next great coach?
| Rank | Coach | Team | Votes |
|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Lindy LaRocque |
5 |
|
|
2 |
Robyn Fralick |
3 |
|
|
2 |
Lisa Fortier |
3 |
|
|
4 |
Kristen Gillespie |
2 |
|
|
4 |
Tina Langley |
2 |
|
|
4 |
Molly Miller |
2 |
Also receive votes: Trish Cullop, Toledo; Denise Dillon, Villanova; Megan Duffy, Marquette; Shauna Green, Illinois; Jan Jensen, Iowa (assistant); Carley Kuhns, Samford; Michaela Mabrey, our Lady (assistant); Joy McCorvey, Tennessee (assistant); Carrie Moore, Harvard; Tomekia Reed, Jackson State; Tami Reiss, Rhode Island; Alex Simmons, Gardner Webb; Tamika Williams-Jeter, Dayton
Coaches disagreed when it came to a newcomer in their area. We received 24 different responses, including a Power 5 coach, assistant coaches, mid-major coaches and even a coach who has been at the same school since 1997.
Yet despite the breadth of responses we received, LaRocque was the most popular name.
The former Stanford player’s stature quickly rose in the coaching profession. She guided the Lady Rebels through a run through the Mountain West and led them to their second straight NCAA Tournament in her third season at the helm. Before the appearance of last season, UNLV had not participated in the tournament for 20 years. So yes, LaRocque has the attention of many colleagues for good reason.
Lindy LaRocque
“Lindy did a wonderful job. But there was no doubt in my mind that she was going to succeed. She learned from the best – Tara. She learned from her as a player and then as a coach. … She turned that program on its head. The first NCAA tournament in 20 years – it shows how hard she works. It’s a very well-coached (team), they run a good offense, they’re organized.
Michaela Mabrey
“I think she has tremendous knowledge of the game. I think the level of success she had as a player, she was able to transfer that to her coaching role. I think she’s going to be a great coach in the future.
Tina Langley
“I think she does a phenomenal job building.”
“I think she’s doing a great job recruiting, I think she’s recruiting the right players there. I think they will be good in the next few years. It’s like if you have the right four-year players staying in your system, I think it makes a big difference.
Robyn Fralick
“I think Robin is really, really good, and she should get an opportunity at the Power 5 level for what she’s always done.”
Carrie Moore
“If you put her in the right school like Northwestern or something. She knows how to recruit these highly academic young people and, above all, how to win.
Alex Simmons
“She’s really smart and really realized her vision in a short amount of time and it’s hard to do that.” Especially middle school. They went undefeated in conference play this year.
Lisa Fortier
“(She) did an incredible job. Karl Smesko at Florida Gulf Coast, Aaron Johnston at South Dakota State, I think those guys could go anywhere if they wanted to.
Required reading
• Should the NCAA tournament expand to women’s basketball? “I think it would be terrible.”
(Tara VanDerveer Photo: Kevin Light/Getty Images)
