Coaches come and go every year. It is only the turnovers at the top programs that capture people’s attention. As the new season draws close, let us take a look at the visions of the new head coaches for their programs, as well as some of the potential challenges they might face down the road.
Kentucky: John Calipari (replaced Billy Gillispie)
John Calipari delivered a rousing speech during the Midnight Madness, in front of frenzied Kentucky fans. Looking more like a presidential candidate than a head coach of a basketball program, he promised to return Kentucky basketball to “its rightful place at the top of the mountain.”
Calipari took over Billy Gillispie, the former head coach, after the Wildcats had been through two disappointing seasons. Kentucky shamefully made its appearance in the NIT last year. Not someone good at the PR-part of his job, Gillispie has left the fans so angry that staying for another season was no longer an option. All the frustration, sadness and negativity served as the perfect background when Calipari engineered a white-horse ride into town.
Calipari says that he wants the program at Kentucky to be “the gold standard, not just for college basketball but for all college athletics”.
Although the Wildcats have an astonishing amount of talents on the roster, including John Wall—arguably the best recruit in the nation this year and a national player of the year candidate, transition under a new coach is never easy. Calipari might just have to transform some of his oratory into coaching magic in order to fulfill his promise.
Xavier: Chris Mack (replaced Sean Miller)
Chris Mack, the former top assistant coach at Xavier, succeeded Sean Miller as the Musketeers’ new head coach.
In the past five seasons, Miller led Xavier to four consecutive NCAA appearances and three consecutive A-10 regular-season championships. Now that Miller was lured to Arizona by an 11-million, 5-year contract, Mack has taken over the reins. The Musketeers finished 27-8 last season and eventually reached Sweet 16. Expectations this year can only be higher.
While the Musketeers consistently showed up in the NCAA tournament, they also had to deal with frequent changes of coaching staff that leave for bigger schools. This time, however, they expect Mack to be able to stay for the long-haul.
Mack, unlike most of his predecessors, has close personal ties to the basketball program at Xavier. He played for the Musketeers during his college days and served as a two-time captain before graduating in 1992.
Xavier lost their top three scorers from last year—B.J. Raymond, Derrick Brown and C.J. Anderson, but the newcomers are expected to make an immediate contribution. Jordan Crawford transferred from Indiana. Mark Lyons is known as a top-tier defender who can also score. And Chris Mack has proven his ability to continuously bring in quality recruits for the Musketeers.
Xavier has one of the toughest non-league schedules ahead. Whether Mack and his squad can handle it well is going to set the tone of Mack’s coaching career.
Memphis: Josh Pastner (replaced John Calipari)
“Every day I’ve been the head coach, I’ve enjoyed being the head coach,” says Josh Pastner, who’s in the head coach position the first time in his life.
Pastner took over John Calipari, the former head coach, after Calipari led the Tigers to a total of 137 wins over the last four years—a record unmatched by any four-year stretch in college basketball history. When Calipari bolted for Kentucky, however, he also brought everything with him: secretaries, trainers, and most important of all, recruits.
After losing Tyreke Evans and Robert Dozier to NBA Draft and Antonio Anderson and Shawn Taggart to graduation, Pastner is left with a depleted roster on which remain only eight scholarship players.
On top of that, Pastner has been dealing with issues such as Derrick Rose’s test-score investigation and the sudden exit of Latavious Williams, who decided to seek overseas employment.
Pastner hopes that his reign at Memphis will be a break from the past—both the glories and the adversities. A new start is all he needs.
“The only real difference between me and Coach Calipari is that I’m undefeated and he’s not.” Pastner said during an alumni reception.
Let’s just wait and see if Pastner’s coaching techniques are as strong as his love for the head coach job.
