Dick Vitale, College Basketball analyst 9y

Who should win coach of the year?

Men's College Basketball

We are only a few weeks away from the end of the regular season. That means voters will cast their ballots for coach of the year soon.

To me, it is amazing how the guys on top, the stars of stars, often get overlooked for consideration in this category. I know that the honor goes to a coach whose team was not projected to do as well as it has. I understand that a team projected in the lower echelon of a conference that suddenly contends has a coach that has done a super job.

I think about some of the creme de la creme coaches out there, like John Calipari of Kentucky, Mike Krzyzewski of Duke, Mark Few of Gonzaga, Tony Bennett of Virginia, Sean Miller of Arizona and Bo Ryan of Wisconsin. These guys win on a consistent basis, year after year.

Unfortunately, there is a cry that these guys win because of their talent level. They are expected to do well; they were ranked highly in the preseason polls.

OK, look at their talent level. Understand that they take the best shot of their opponents each and every night. Their foes get excited to see the name on the front of the jersey, the one that says Kentucky, Duke, etc.

Game after game, it takes a special coach to get the best out of the players' ability. It is not easy, no matter how much talent you have.

Let's take Calipari as an example. You cannot tell me that if his team runs the table in the regular season, he should not be right up there for coach of the year consideration, and I know that most of the voting is done before the NCAA tournament.

Think about it. He took a bunch of new players, along with a few returning veterans, and got them to buy into his concepts. The Wildcats play tenacious defense, and all of these former high school stars, big men on campus before coming to Lexington, have accepted their roles with a limitation of minutes. These kids don't worry about their personal statistics, they care about one number -- WINS.

He sold all of those McDonald's All Americans, nine on the roster until Alex Poythress got hurt, about caring about the name on the front of the jersey. They are so unselfish and a big part of the equation is coaching, the psychology of coaching has been a positive factor. Calipari has had this team playing as a cohesive unit all season long. Sure, there have been a couple of bumps in the road, close calls against the likes of Mississippi and Texas A&M. The pursuit of perfection is not easy, and he has the fifth-youngest roster in Division I.

A successful coach is able to make adjustments. Look at the changes Coach K made during the season. He made a decision to get rid of Rasheed Sulaimon for the betterment of the team. He made a crucial move when Duke had a tough challenge at Louisville, utilizing a different wrinkle, going to a zone because the Cardinals were offensively challenged on the perimeter. It was a surprise and the Blue Devils got to the winner's circle after losing to NC State and Miami.

Against Clemson, the Dukies were without Jahlil Okafor. Many believed it was a trap game after the big win over North Carolina. The Tigers beat Duke last season and took them to the wire in the ACC tournament. There was a fear of a letdown.

Coach K went out and played a 2-3 zone and used a 2-2-1 press. Both created problems and Duke took advantage of turnovers for easy baskets in transition.

It is all about coaching. Don't take for granted the stars of the coaching profession. Few has done an outstanding job and this Gonzaga team has the potential to make its first Final Four. It is likely that the Zags will have just one loss going into the Big Dance, that coming to Arizona. Miller has done a solid job with the Wildcats, getting players to mesh.

Ryan has the Badgers leading the Big Ten despite having to make a major adjustment after the injury to Traevon Jackson, which would have derailed other teams. Wisconsin has stayed on top of the conference. Ryan gets the most out of his kids.

These coaches do a great job consistently. They have that special knack of blending star talent to play as a team. They have a way of getting the players so mentally tough, taking the best shot of their opponents. They walk out in the winner's circle.

My choice for Coach of the Year, if he runs the table, is Kentucky's Calipari.

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