College Coaches Confidential: "Which college coaches are best in game?"

This week’s NCAA Academies are the last live evaluation of July. Summer sessions are winding down, as players will soon be able to go back home for a small break before returning for the Fall semester. This means that college coaches will also get a small break, and for many of them, their first since the season ended in March.

Soon official rosters will be issued, and we will start to see team reports coming from all over the country. College football kicks off less than 40 days from now, but to many, that just means the college basketball season is right around the corner. Soon official rosters will be issued, and we will start to see team reports coming from all over the country.

Read Which college programs are the best talent evaluators? | Read Which coach do you fear the most on the recruiting trail? | Read The significance of the June 15 call day

What better time than to talk coaches? I wanted to see who the best guys were on the clipboard. So, in this latest edition of College Coaches Confidential, I asked more than a dozen high-major coaches…

Who is the best X’s and O’s coach that you’ve gone against in the college game? In game, someone who always seems to have a counter or be one step ahead.

Coaches talk

A Coach in the ACC: Rick Pitino (St. John’s) is the best X’s and O’s coach I’ve gone up against—maybe the best job scouting and preparing for opponents that I’ve seen.”

A Coach in the Big 12: It’s Fran Dunphy (LaSalle) by a mile. Strategic floor spacing. Creative use of personnel. Excellent clock management. Unique play design. Extraordinary defensive schemes and effort.”

A Coach in the ACC: “Dennis Gates (Missouri), Andy Enfield (USC), Micah Shrewsberry (Notre Dame), Juwan Howard (Michigan), and Brian Earl (Cornell).”

A Coach in the SEC: “Matt Painter (Purdue) comes to mind. Rick Byrd (former Belmont head coach) and Scott Davenport (Bellarmine) are some really good mid-major guys too. They all know their system, and they recruit to their system. They have conviction in their beliefs. Their teams are direct extensions of what they believe in.”

A Coach in the American: “Kevin Stallings (former Pittsburgh and Vanderbilt head coach). He is purely counters and execution. He had answers to every way you guarded his stuff. It was like a clinic tape.”

A Coach in the Big 12: “Mark Madsen (Cal). He runs an NBA-type system. He has specific actions for specific players to get them to what they do best.”

A Coach in the Big East: “I would have to go with Greg McDermott at Creighton. He’s a terrific offensive coach, which makes them hard to defend. He also does a great job scouting the opponent, taking away your first option and forcing you to find other ways to score.”

A Coach in the ACC: “Mike Young (Virginia Tech) and Buzz Williams (Texas A&M). Both of them, they are very detail-oriented, and they actually execute. They have counters to the counters. It makes it very hard to know what they’re running. It also helps they can shoot the ball, especially Mike’s kids.”

A Coach in the American:  “Bill Self (Kansas). With him, it’s the late-game execution. It’s like you know the play coming but just couldn’t stop it. They execute so well. He wins every close game, it’s truly amazing. And he always has plays that he knows he can get a freaking layup with. It’s a killer.”

A Coach in the Big 12: “Mike Young (Virginia Tech) and Herb Sendek (Santa Clara). With Mike, it’s the spacing, actions, and counters he runs. With Herb, He runs player-specific actions. He is also great with ATOs and with counters.”

A Coach in the ACC: “Casey Alexander from Belmont. He’s really good; just always feels like he’s in control.”

A Coach in the Big East: ”Matt Painter (Purdue), Tod Kowalczyk (Toledo), and Greg McDermott (Creighton). They have nice sets that you have to do concepts to guard. While other coaches are easy to prep for, they keep you on your toes. The spacing and counters keep you on edge.”

A Coach in the Big Ten: “Matt Painter (Purdue), by far. Fred Hoiberg, when he was at Iowa State, was good too, but Painter has 30,000 sets and counters. He gives you set after set, and you can’t scout them all.”

A Coach in the ACC: “It’s Rick Pitino (St. John’s) and Bill Self (Kansas)