3 Big Coaching Names in BB

[SaintLouBrave22]

Shaka Smart at VCU 27-9 last season and 20-8 currently this year and he has assisted at Clemson and Florida..


Also Billy Kennedy at Murray State has put together quite a resume finishing above .500 in all 5 years and top 2 in the conference all 5 years including a 31-5 record last year...Kennedy was also a big assistant at Cal, Creighton, TX A&M, and Tulane among others...he is 47


Keith Dambrot should be a hot commodity as well...while the Akron Zips at 16-10 arent doing incredibly well this season, Dambrot has put together a decent program...in this his 7th season, Dambrot has a 69% winning percentage, 2 conference championships, a tournament championship, and 3 major postseason appearances....why he hasn't been looked at before is beyond me...he took an Akron squad who only had 3 winning seasons in MAC history prior to him and he's won every year...


Seems to me the MVC isn't the only conference with some hot coaches

[Da Coach]

Interesting list. Here is a little more insight into these 3 guys you mentioned-

Shaka Smart seems like a bright young coach. But most of the production and minutes for his team are upperclass guys that Anthony Grant recruited. Of the 3 guys you listed, I think Smart has the best chance at long-term success and moving up, but he is only part way through his 2nd season as a head coach. I would say let's wait and see.


Billy Kennedy at Murray State is in his 5th year, and he has had a nice winning record each of the 5 seasons. But he won the Ohio Valley Conference only once, and made the NCAA just once (last year). His RPIs the other 4 seasons were- 120 (2011), 149 (2009), 188 (200, and 180 (2007). It appears a bit of his success has to do with playing in the awful Ohio Valley Conference. Kennedy is not exactly a young man; he spent many years as an assistant coach at 8 different D1 schools (including Creighton), and he was head coach at Southwest Louisiana for 6 years, and has now been at Murray State for 5 years. But at least Kennedy seems to have proven he can sustain success at the Ohio Valley level.


Keith Dambrot is also not exactly a young guy either; he is 52. He has had some sustained success at Akron, but this season his team is just 16-10 and 7-5 and tied for 3rd in the East Division of the MAC. But again, the MAC conference is not the MVC. We'll see how they match up with the MVC since they play Creighton Saturday at Akron. Dambrot is best known as LeBron James' coach at St. Vincent-St. Mary HS in Akron.

Dambrot, however, has a serious stain on his resume', which has kept him from rising in the coaching ranks, and may continue to hinder him.
He was fired as the head coach at Central Michigan University in 1994 after just 2 seasons for making an outrageous comment that was considered offensive and racially insensitive. Then he sued the school for wrongful termination and lost.
According to the transcripts of the wrongful termination suit that Dambrot filed against Central Michigan and subsequently lost, he had said, "You know, we need some tough niggers on our team." He claimed to have said this to connote, "a person who is fearless, mentally strong, and tough," rather than as something racist. But Central Michigan felt is was cause to terminate his contract. He was essentially blackballed for many years, and that resulted in him taking the high school coaching job that eventually lead to the good fortune of having LeBron James on his team. After LeBron brought notariety and success to St. Vincent-St. Mary and Dambrot, he was hired as an assistant at Akron in 2001, then was elevated to head coach in 2004.

[canadian]

Keith Dambrot has been decent at Akron but not great. He is a really nice guy and certainly not a racist. His comment was dumb but he isn't a racist.

He is pretty well respected in coaching circles. However the Zips have really underachieved this year. Shaka Smart is as classy as they get.

Im not always willing to use the excuse or comment of "other coaches players" as often as some do. Its like a guy can't get any credit for winning. Well, it was with the other guys players. I really like Shaka Smart.

[squirrelgotdead]

Dambrot is also the nephew of Irwin Dambrot...the guy who hammered Squeaky at the conclusion on the 1950 NCAA Final.

[SaintLouBrave22]

Dambrot is also the nephew of Irwin Dambrot...the guy who hammered Squeaky at the conclusion on the 1950 NCAA Final.

I hope this isn't you advocating not giving the guy a job...

That'd be like not hiring Muller because he played at ISU or not looking at Chris Collins because his dad played at ISU

[squirrelgotdead]

No. Simply pointing out a historical fact. Actually he would be a quality guy to bring in. But he's nowhere near the top of my list. A couple years ago he would have been much higher, and he consistently schedules too weak for my liking.

[real fan]

Chris Collins would be a good choice if he is interested as he has great name recognition in Chicago plus he has a good tutor to learn from at Duke, I have no problem with Mueller as I respect Kevin Stallings a lot and just because he was an ISU grad should have nothing to do with getting the best candidate.

[Da Coach]

No problem discussing opinions of certain people as coaches. But there is not a coaching vacancy at Bradley, and out of respect for those who serve Bradley loyally, the rules will not allow discussions of who should be the next coach. Please abide. Thanks.

[squirrelgotdead]

IMO-Coach K assistants, largely have a lot to prove.

Brey has been by far the best and most stable, but by no means legendary. Capel has done well in a short time but I'm not convinced he'll last at OU. Bender did OK at ISU but stunk at Washington. Amaker seems to be legitimate.

Too early to tell on Dawkins. And 2 others were fired for not doing well (Henderson and Snyder). I'd say Duke assistants are at about a 50/50 split as to whether they'll make great head coaches or not.

Collins does not interest me for the primary reason he hasn't shown any interest in moving on. To me it indicates a lack of desire.

And none of the above have wowed me...although Amaker the last 2 years in what he's done at Harvard has gotten my attention.