Brian Reddy – Beyond the Box Score: Big East Coaches Discussion

After waiting anxiously over the summer and with the new school year fast approaching, I thought it was a good time to look at each of the coaches in the Big East, and their long-term viability at their respective schools. For this exercise, I will assume that no off-court issues or on-court injuries come into play.

UConn Huskies – Dan Hurley has completely changed his trajectory over the past 24 months, which is to be expected after back-to-back national titles. For a refresher, going into the 2022-23 season, Connecticut fans were openly questioning whether or not Hurley was the right person to lead their school back to the level of the Jim Calhoun days. They had been knocked out during the previous NCAA tournament by New Mexico State, in a game where Chris Jans clearly outcoached Hurley. Then, Hurley and UConn ran through the 2022 non-conference schedule unblemished, with every win by double digits. This euphoria was quickly tempered by a 5-6 start in conference play, leading the Boneyard to attack Hurley and wish for the season to end. Hurley made several brilliant adjustments and has been on a roll ever since.

After winning his second title, he was courted by Kentucky unsuccessfully, and after interviewing with the Los Angeles Lakers, he announced his return to Storrs. I suspect he will continue to be approached by NBA teams, and possibly other top college programs in the coming years. My guess is that unless the New York Knicks job should open (or maybe the Celtics?), he will be at UConn for the foreseeable future.

Marquette Golden Eagles – Shaka Smart made his name at VCU, taking a team from the First Four to the Final Four in 2011. Despite interest from several major programs, including Marquette in 2014, he spent four more years at VCU, with four more NCAA bids which established the school as a top mid-major program. Then, he finally made the jump to the big-time, replacing old friend Rick Barnes at Texas. His tenure in Austin was mixed, with three NCAA bids (no wins) and a 20-loss season. When Marquette opened up again following the 2021 season, Smart returned home. He has had three consecutive NCAA bids, and a Sweet Sixteen in Milwaukee. While some people have expected more tournament success, Smart has been a major upgrade over Steve Wojciechowski and appears comfortable at Marquette. His recruiting has been consistently strong, but he has not been a major player in the portal (other than his best player of the last three seasons, Tyler Kolek). Given Marquette’s resources, I would expect that to be adjusted in the future, and for Smart to stay here unless the NBA comes calling. Of course, for that to happen, he would have to change his wardrobe from a middle school student to an NBA coach.

Creighton Bluejays – There have been rumors over the past two seasons that Greg McDermott was interested in outside offers, including Notre Dame and Louisville. Supposedly there was tension between McDermott and Director of Athletics (and former Providence Assistant Director of Athletics) Marcus Blossom. His contract was due to expire after next year, but after having his name floated about for several jobs, he signed a long-term contract extension with a significant bump in salary. The only way I could see him leaving would possibly be if Iowa coach Fran McCaffrey leaves, and McDermott wanted to return to his home state. With his sustained success, I would think he would be the Hawkeyes’ top choice if he was interested in a move, though Creighton has everything he needs for continued success.

Seton Hall Pirates – Shaheen Holloway is another Big East coach who had his name thrown out for a few open positions in the off-season, including Louisville. Sha never made any public comments and is still at his alma mater. It is hard to see him staying at Seton Hall much longer unless their NIL situation dramatically changes. Maybe their most illustrious alum, John Fanta, can donate a few million to help them out. In this off-season, I think Holloway did as good a job as possible bringing in three players (Gus Yalden, Scotty Middleton, and old friend Garwey Dual) who were highly rated but did not meet expectations for varied reasons. These are low-risk, high-reward types that will have to be successful for the Hall to be a tournament contender. There is a good chance that this will be his final year at Seton Hall.

St. John’s Red Storm – Rick Pitino’s return to the Big East for the third time was a mixed bag, considering the expectations that go along with his resume. They had several tough losses that hurt them, but his team should have been in the NCAA tournament, along with Seton Hall and Providence. Given his age, there is a lot of speculation about how long Pitino will coach. Many think this was a final chapter for him for a couple of years before turning the program over, perhaps to his son. I think with the changes in college basketball, including NIL and realignment, Pitino will be excited and motivated by the challenge and stick around for a while. They have a team that should definitely be in the conference and NCAA mix, and I expect that will only reinforce Pitino’s mindset.

Villanova Wildcats – There were people who were surprised that Kyle Neptune is still the coach of the Wildcats after the past two years. His teams haven’t been terrible (35-33, 20-20 in the Big East), but they have fallen far short of expectations. In each of his years at the helm, Villanova began the year in the top 25 and was out of NCAA tournament contention by early February. Given that he inherited the majority of a Final Four team with one of the top freshmen in the country, the initial ranking of 16 in the AP poll made sense. Similarly, last year, he had a number of returnees and what was considered to be the best in the Big East and fifth best in the country. In both years, the talent never meshed, and they struggled from the beginning, including a sixth-place finish in the Philadelphia Big 5 (I know). There were calls for change on the Main Line, and reports of donors withholding NIL contributions. The result is a less talented roster and lower expectations. The cupboard is not bare however, with Eric Dixon leading the team again. This may be the one coach in the league for whom it’s NCAAs or bust. The betting money is on bust, but maybe the underdog role will fit Neptune better.

Providence Friars – Given the way the Ed Cooley era ended, the Friars were ready to fully embrace Kim English, and the love affair between coach and fans enters year two. The Big East fans are rabidly passionate about their basketball, and I believe Providence, Connecticut, Xavier, Creighton, and Marquette are at a higher level than the rest of the league. With this passion comes increased expectations, and this will be true for the Friars this year. The unfair part is that because the Friars were not given a bid they should have gotten last year, people will be upset with another miss this season. The good news is that English has been absolutely remarkable this off-season. His coaching team, led by Dennis Felton, Nate Tomlinson, and Tim Fuller, has brought in highly regarded Corey Wright and elevated Matt Palumbo who have already made an impact. Their recruiting has been elite, and the way the staff locked up the transfer portal by filling all of the needs in a few weeks was impressive. A trip back to the NCAA tournament is expected and will only increase the love affair between Coach English and Friartown. Unlike others, I think the coach will be here until he goes to the NBA.

Butler Bulldogs – What a difference a year makes! In his first year back to Butler in 2022-23, Thad Matta looked like an old man who no longer had what it took to coach at the highest level of college basketball. It appeared to get worse after the season as the Bulldogs lost their top five scorers from that team (2 graduates, 3 transfers), and were not expected to have the NIL to compete. They utilized a similar plan to what Seton Hall appears to be using, bringing in low-risk, high-reward players, and it worked. They had a solid year and earned an NIT bid. Despite questions about this season’s roster, Matta appears to be reinvigorated and looking to stay around for a while.

Xavier Musketeers – Sean Miller’s team struggled last year, in large part due to season-long injuries to Zach Freemantle and Jerome Hunter. Both players are expected back, along with a strong transfer class led by Marcus Foster and Ryan Conwell, so a big season is expected. The concern is that rumors were rampant that Miller was looking for another job. His salary is currently in the lower half of the Big East, and he was questioning the NIL commitment of the school, especially compared to the rest of the conference. It would make a lot of sense for Miller to parlay a strong season at Xavier into an opening at a big money school. If I had to make a guess, I would put the odds at less than 50/50 Miller is on the Xavier sidelines in November of 2025.

Georgetown Hoyas – As we are all (too) aware, Ed Cooley left his job at Providence to take over a deeply struggling Georgetown team. Those of us who are on Twitter remember the taunts of the Georgetown fans about how the Hoyas were back at their rightful place atop the Big East. They also took plenty of shots at Friartown during the spring of 2023. There was incessant bragging about their vaunted NIL and how they were recruiting everyone from Hunter Dickinson to Justin Moore to Jared Bynum to Tyler Burton, and that Bryce Hopkins and Devin Carter would be entering the portal to head to join Ed. The reality is the first year was an abject failure.  “Not to worry,” said Hoyaville, because Ed rolled over their NIL to this year, and they were going to hit it big with players such as Judah Mintz, Dug McDaniel, Danny Wolf, Bryce Hopkins (again), Ugonna Onyenso, and others. The reality is that they got Malik Mack and Micah Peavy. I have always believed that Ed Cooley was a very good coach, and one of his biggest strengths was his ability to keep his team believing they could win every game. Last year, however, that Georgetown team resembled the Keno Davis Friars more than the Ed Cooley Friars. Passion, toughness, and determination are traits not associated with that Georgetown team. I have to think Ed will not allow this to happen again. While I don’t expect him to be fired, I would not be surprised to see Ed walk away if this season goes the same way as last year.

DePaul Blue Demons – This one is easy. As the only team with a new coach in the Big East, Chris Holtmann is back in the league after a solid if unspectacular run at Ohio State. I think he did a decent job bringing in an entire roster, most of whom are shooters. I expect them to finish above last place, with the real development coming in year two.

In summary, I think Kyle Neptune is the only coach clearly on the hot seat this season, but I would not be shocked to see two or three others leave of their own volition.

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