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Duggar Baucom, VMI.
In six years at VMI, he has turned the program from perhaps the worst in America to one that is very respectable, and as exciting to watch as anyone in the country. Five years in a row they've led the NCAA in scoring, an NCAA first. Reggie Williams, now the sixth man for the Golden State Warriors, led the nation in scoring two years in a row. He also had a guy lead the nation in steals per game.
Baucom had 18 wins this season with a team full of underclass kids and 24 wins two years ago - the 2nd best season in VMI history. They won on the road at Kentucky. The team has been to the conference title game twice in the past four seasons and finished fourth this season, closing the year by winning six straight until their loss in the conference tourney semis. Before he arrived on campus, they hadn't won 14 games in a season in NINE years!
Baucom has accomplished this at what had traditionally been the single TOUGHEST PLACE TO RECRUIT IN AMERICA. Period. 1,400 students. A full-time military life with very limited off-campus privileges. Only about 8 percent of students are women. Lights out at 10 or 11 pm every night. Classes on Saturday. And no breaks for athletes.
With his style of play, he's even started to attract some stud recruits to VMI with two being on the All-Freshman team this year, including one kid who was Freshman of the Year. They're likely to be favored to win the Big South in 2011-12.
Let's look at the criteria Michael Cross laid out.
1. The educational experience of the athletes. ALL VMI PLAYERS GRADUATE. PERIOD. EVERY ONE OF THEM.
2. Living within your budget and being part of the process to enhance those resources. THERE IS VERY LITTLE BUDGET AT VMI.
3. Team environment, which includes off-court behavior, transfers in and out. More specifically, Cross said, ???Is there constant angst every other day, are you constantly dealing with crises, or is there a stable, values-based culture that everyone is comfortable with and Bradley would expect???? VMI DOESN'T ALLOW TRANSFERS AND, UNDER BAUCOM, THEY'VE HAD FAR LESS FOLKS LEAVE THE PROGRAM THAN EVER BEFORE. KIDS WHO LEAVE GO BECAUSE THEY CAN'T HACK THE MILITARY LIFE. HE IS ADORED BY HIS PLAYERS.
4. Compliance with NCAA, conference and university rules, and with federal, state and local laws. NO ISSUES WITH NCAA WHATSOEVER.
5. "The extent to which you??™re competing for championships,??? Cross said. TWO CONFERENCE TITLE GAMES IN FOUR YEARS, A SECOND PLACE LEAGUE FINISH TWO YEARS AGO, ALL AT A PLACE WHERE FINISHING .500 IS A HERCULEAN ACCOMPLISHMENT.
How do I know so much about this guy? My dad is a VMI grad so I follow the Keydets almost as closely as I follow BU. He'd put fannies in the seats and, with the caliber of athletes he'd be able to recruit at BU, it'd be 40 minutes of hell every night for the opposition.
In six years at VMI, he has turned the program from perhaps the worst in America to one that is very respectable, and as exciting to watch as anyone in the country. Five years in a row they've led the NCAA in scoring, an NCAA first. Reggie Williams, now the sixth man for the Golden State Warriors, led the nation in scoring two years in a row. He also had a guy lead the nation in steals per game.
Baucom had 18 wins this season with a team full of underclass kids and 24 wins two years ago - the 2nd best season in VMI history. They won on the road at Kentucky. The team has been to the conference title game twice in the past four seasons and finished fourth this season, closing the year by winning six straight until their loss in the conference tourney semis. Before he arrived on campus, they hadn't won 14 games in a season in NINE years!
Baucom has accomplished this at what had traditionally been the single TOUGHEST PLACE TO RECRUIT IN AMERICA. Period. 1,400 students. A full-time military life with very limited off-campus privileges. Only about 8 percent of students are women. Lights out at 10 or 11 pm every night. Classes on Saturday. And no breaks for athletes.
With his style of play, he's even started to attract some stud recruits to VMI with two being on the All-Freshman team this year, including one kid who was Freshman of the Year. They're likely to be favored to win the Big South in 2011-12.
Let's look at the criteria Michael Cross laid out.
1. The educational experience of the athletes. ALL VMI PLAYERS GRADUATE. PERIOD. EVERY ONE OF THEM.
2. Living within your budget and being part of the process to enhance those resources. THERE IS VERY LITTLE BUDGET AT VMI.
3. Team environment, which includes off-court behavior, transfers in and out. More specifically, Cross said, ???Is there constant angst every other day, are you constantly dealing with crises, or is there a stable, values-based culture that everyone is comfortable with and Bradley would expect???? VMI DOESN'T ALLOW TRANSFERS AND, UNDER BAUCOM, THEY'VE HAD FAR LESS FOLKS LEAVE THE PROGRAM THAN EVER BEFORE. KIDS WHO LEAVE GO BECAUSE THEY CAN'T HACK THE MILITARY LIFE. HE IS ADORED BY HIS PLAYERS.
4. Compliance with NCAA, conference and university rules, and with federal, state and local laws. NO ISSUES WITH NCAA WHATSOEVER.
5. "The extent to which you??™re competing for championships,??? Cross said. TWO CONFERENCE TITLE GAMES IN FOUR YEARS, A SECOND PLACE LEAGUE FINISH TWO YEARS AGO, ALL AT A PLACE WHERE FINISHING .500 IS A HERCULEAN ACCOMPLISHMENT.
How do I know so much about this guy? My dad is a VMI grad so I follow the Keydets almost as closely as I follow BU. He'd put fannies in the seats and, with the caliber of athletes he'd be able to recruit at BU, it'd be 40 minutes of hell every night for the opposition.
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