Our Candid Coaches series wrapped Friday with us asking more than 100 college coaches for the name of the real G.O.A.T. -- Michael Jordan or LeBron James. Overwhelmingly, they sided with Jordan. So Matt Norlander and I used that as a jumping off point for this episode of the Eye On College Basketball Podcast.
From there, the conversation went like this:
- 16:56: Coaches said Louisville made the best hire of 2018 when it lured Chris Mack from Xavier. But UConn hiring Dan Hurley and Memphis hiring Penny Hardaway were also popular developments. And that one quote from one coach about Hardaway was certainly the most colorful quote we got.
- 25:28: Coaches said Davidson's Bob McKillop is the most underappreciated good coach in college basketball. That answer did not surprise neither me nor Norlander.
- 32:38: We asked coaches if they believe Rick Pitino will ever coach Division I college basketball again. More than half believe he will. But it's obviously still very much up in the air and probably contingent on what else comes out as this FBI investigation continues to unfold.
- 43:58: We asked coaches if they believe another college coach will be charged with a federal crime as part of this ongoing FBI investigation. For what it's worth, most do not believe one will.
- 48:26: Almost no college coaches told us they believe the changes to recruiting rules, and the recruiting calendar, improved the system. Lots said they've made things worse. Some said everything will operate about the same. But basically nobody thinks things are better. And that's a problem for the NCAA.
The latest Eye on College Basketball podcast is below. Give it a listen. And if you're not already subscribed, please subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcasts here. If you are already subscribed, thank you. And #ShoutsToDevanDowney.
