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Why do you think Duke alum Tommy Amaker is succeeding at turning Harvard into an Ivy League powerhouse after failing to resurrect Michigan basketball?
Was he just too young? Is it the difference in competition between ivy and Big 10?
What are the implications for Chris Collins, another Duke alum, as he begins his coaching career at Northwestern?
I think it was a combination or the things you mentioned. UM was his first head job at a program that expects to be in title contention most years; Recruiting is different between the ivy's and major college bball. The simple answer is that it MAY not have been a good fit between UM and Mr. Amaker.
Personally I think that Collins will do well at Northwestern. It's a no pressure job (at least now) since there is no basketball tradition to speak of there and you would have to think there are some good players in the Chicago area that would love to stay closer to home and be coached by a "Duke" guy.
Also, I may be wrong about this but isn't he from that area? That might also help when contacting local coaches/ AAU programs about potential recruits.
Bad timing for him at Michigan. Amaker took over a team coming off sanctions and was never able to get over the hump. John Beilein though is probably one of the more underrated coaches in the country and a better fit for Michigan. We won't really know how good a coach Amaker is until his next stop. In the Ivy league he only needs a few good players to compete and the league is somewhat down with Henderson being new at Princeton, Donohue leaving Cornell for BC and Dunphy leaving Penn for Temple. As long as the admissions office allows him a few good players a year they will be competitive.
Collins has some challenges to overcome at Northwestern. You need a lot more talent to compete in the Big Ten. While he is from the area and that might help, how many Chicago area AAU players can get in to or want to deal with the academics at Northwestern? Plus they have subpar facilities and a losing reputation. If you want to play for a Duke guy if you are Jabari Parker you go to Duke. Or you can go to Notre Dame and play for Mike Bray. But its not a high pressure job and he will be given a lot of time to make it work. Plus he probably wasn't getting the Duke job anyway. I like him, wish him well, but winning there will not be easy.
Bad timing for him at Michigan. Amaker took over a team coming off sanctions and was never able to get over the hump. John Beilein though is probably one of the more underrated coaches in the country and a better fit for Michigan. We won't really know how good a coach Amaker is until his next stop. In the Ivy league he only needs a few good players to compete and the league is somewhat down with Henderson being new at Princeton, Donohue leaving Cornell for BC and Dunphy leaving Penn for Temple. As long as the admissions office allows him a few good players a year they will be competitive.
Collins has some challenges to overcome at Northwestern. You need a lot more talent to compete in the Big Ten. While he is from the area and that might help, how many Chicago area AAU players can get in to or want to deal with the academics at Northwestern? Plus they have subpar facilities and a losing reputation. If you want to play for a Duke guy if you are Jabari Parker you go to Duke. Or you can go to Notre Dame and play for Mike Bray. But its not a high pressure job and he will be given a lot of time to make it work. Plus he probably wasn't getting the Duke job anyway. I like him, wish him well, but winning there will not be easy.
Valid points. I think what you said regarding facilities is key. Similar to Duke football when Cutcliff arrived, the administration will need to support the basketball program($$) to put it on par with other Big ten schools.
The difference is as others have pointed out....recruiting.
Now MI is a dang good school but their athletes in big money programs are going to be the same crop of below-average and in some cases marginally literate mopes that you find throughout big-time college sports.
That means dealing with boosters, street recruiters, parents wanting jobs and being a little more morally flexible in recruiting than what one would have to be at a school like Harvard.
Amaker cleared slots off the Crimson's roster to make spots for his recruits. He's going after guys that Ivy League schools would have considered completely unattainable in the past.
Amaker cleared slots off the Crimson's roster to
make spots for his recruits.
Yes, he did that. I remember vividly. It paid off............for all of the fans and alumni except for those who lost spots on the team.
Quote:
He's going after guys that Ivy League schools would have considered completely
unattainable in the past.
Yes, he has a pipeline from a New England prep school where the kids go and get some academic and basketball seasoning for a year or two before ending up in Cambridge.
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