As I looked at the NCAA bracket, one thing I took note of - none of the prominent coaches that were mentioned as candidates when Drew was hired made the tournament this year.
-Gregg Marshall and Wichita State did not make it, and some of Marshall's luster is gone since WSU moved from the Missouri Valley Conference to the AAC.
-Kevin Ollie, who Chris had identified as being a candidate at the time (and coming shortly after winning a National Championship), not only didn't make it, but has already been fired by U Conn.
-Tom Crean, another name that came up during the search, got fired by Indiana and then just finished a pretty poor first year at UGA
-Shaka Smart, who many were clamoring for before he took the Texas job, missed the tournament, has basically been a .500 coach for the Longhorns and is rumored to be at risk of being fired.
I'm not trying to justify keeping Bryce Drew, as I think he reached the point of no return by losing the last 20 games of the season. But, my point is that there are not many sure things. I think 3-4 years ago, most would have said Marshall and Smart were homeruns, and Crean or Ollie would have been really good choices as well. In my mind, the only guy out there that is a sure thing is Matta, and, of course, there is no more guarantee on him than Texas got with Smart.
-Gregg Marshall and Wichita State did not make it, and some of Marshall's luster is gone since WSU moved from the Missouri Valley Conference to the AAC.
-Kevin Ollie, who Chris had identified as being a candidate at the time (and coming shortly after winning a National Championship), not only didn't make it, but has already been fired by U Conn.
-Tom Crean, another name that came up during the search, got fired by Indiana and then just finished a pretty poor first year at UGA
-Shaka Smart, who many were clamoring for before he took the Texas job, missed the tournament, has basically been a .500 coach for the Longhorns and is rumored to be at risk of being fired.
I'm not trying to justify keeping Bryce Drew, as I think he reached the point of no return by losing the last 20 games of the season. But, my point is that there are not many sure things. I think 3-4 years ago, most would have said Marshall and Smart were homeruns, and Crean or Ollie would have been really good choices as well. In my mind, the only guy out there that is a sure thing is Matta, and, of course, there is no more guarantee on him than Texas got with Smart.
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