Agreed with everything you said.

I think you go in with eyes open. There are enough biz majors here that can tell us what hiring underqualified people with great drive can do....and there are going to be stories of guys who were rainmakers that came in occupied a spot that did not pay off.

I like the guy and I think he would be a welcome addition if he goes in with a good knowledge of the job and expectations. Past that .....there are only 3 spots available and if recruiting/skills developement and game day prep is not done well BA is gonna be upset.

Phillips may not have been the "best" player, but he was a starter and captain of a Wisconsin-Parkside team that won a national title in NCAA Division III with Bo Ryan as the coach.

But your point is well taken. Just because a player was great doesn't mean he's going to be a good coach. Some do, like Steve Alford.

On the other hand, you have guys like Clyde Drexler who were horrible coaches.

Sorry to mix sports, but the best example of good player does not equal good coach is Cleve Bryant.

Steve Alford was GREAT? Hmmmmm.. OK. he was a really good HS and College player.....but I would not list him on my short list of greats for either of those levels.....but I get what you are saying jeff....just busting your chops.

Seems like our last guys from Div 3 Taylor were pretty good. I think this one will be also. His mentor, BO Ryan is a D3 star out of Wilkes University and the list goes on from there.

Got to agree that guards seem to know the game better. They have to see the floor, execute the offense and understand the mechanics. Bigs have a wholly different perspective of the game when you talk to them. The mechanics and their understanding of how the ball gets moved is way different than that of a guard. Their defensive mindset is different and they are less concerned with the fundamentals and mechanics that go into ball handling, dribbling and shooting than almost any guard I have ever met.

Great players often suffer from the delusion that everyone can get to the same level they were......if they wer talented they do not realize that everyone is not that talented.....what was easy for them comes difficult for others. OTOH ...guys like Bird who worked for everything he got and spent countless hours in the gym are oft angered by guys who are not willing to put in the time and don't enjoy the gym time.....Neither are destined to be very ahppy coaching kids that frustrate them.

borna, Taylor is NAIA...but the point remains the same...

Not to split hairs but I think Cleve was a very good position coach and had much success throughout his career . He obviously was not successful as a head coach.
Jim Cleamons won about 10 games in 3 years as the head coach of Youngstown State Men's BB. But how many rings did he collect sitting next to Phil jackson with the Bulls and Lakers as an assistant  ?

Kevin Ollie might be another example of an average player that can coach.

The NCAA really seems guard oriented.  We all love bigggs, me included.  But so many of the winners tend to have really good, smart guard play.  UCONN is obviously a case in point.  Oops, I forgot OUr own OHIO with DJ...Question for me is: Do you think OHIO has the kind of guards necessary to make a MACC or NCAA run? 

That is something I have pondered since JC came here. He scrapped the recruiting profile and went after bigs. We are very long and decently tall for a a MAC squad but the finge is not on par with what JG had been recruiting. Ball handling skills on the edge and the ability to play inside out is going to be a challenge. I agree ....it's a guard oriented tourney. We got bigs. We need guards to sustain forward movement. May be the upside if TO does not stay it opens up a spot for a really good guard.