I wish I could say I had no doubts when Coach Dutcher took over the program. That wasn't true. Replacing a legendary coach is not easy. The bar is already very high, and are there probably a lot more chances to push it lower than higher. The weight of expectations wears down a lot of good men. So let's take a quick inventory a year and a few months later …
RECRUITING
This was always Dutch's strength, in my opinion. He's a funny, relaxed, no BS guy who believes in his program. And he was instrumental in recruiting the Fab Five. That's probably proof enough. His first two classes deliver players who have the talent to take the program even higher.
LEADERSHIP
When the team was performing so inconsistently during the first half of last season, he stayed the course. He dealt calmly with injuries, navigated the media effectively, continued to reward effort with playing time, and, when everyone was on the court, led the team on a run to the NCAAs that was one makeable shot away from extending the dance.
SKILL DEVELOPMENT
Watching him in practice, this was always the area where I felt he needed to improve. It's one thing to bring talented guys in the door, it's another to make them better players before they leave. I'm not sure he's any better at that than before, which is why it's so important he make solid …
COACHING DECISIONS
This program faced a crisis when Justin and Tim left. They were part of a strong staff. He replaced them with Rod Palmer, who has a reputation similar to Hutson's, and now Jay Morris. So now he has the disciplinarian he needed (not a Dutcher strength in my opinion), and two guys in Morris and JD Pollock who have strong reputations for individual skill development.
If you're grading Dutcher on his first year, don't you have to give him an A?
RECRUITING
This was always Dutch's strength, in my opinion. He's a funny, relaxed, no BS guy who believes in his program. And he was instrumental in recruiting the Fab Five. That's probably proof enough. His first two classes deliver players who have the talent to take the program even higher.
LEADERSHIP
When the team was performing so inconsistently during the first half of last season, he stayed the course. He dealt calmly with injuries, navigated the media effectively, continued to reward effort with playing time, and, when everyone was on the court, led the team on a run to the NCAAs that was one makeable shot away from extending the dance.
SKILL DEVELOPMENT
Watching him in practice, this was always the area where I felt he needed to improve. It's one thing to bring talented guys in the door, it's another to make them better players before they leave. I'm not sure he's any better at that than before, which is why it's so important he make solid …
COACHING DECISIONS
This program faced a crisis when Justin and Tim left. They were part of a strong staff. He replaced them with Rod Palmer, who has a reputation similar to Hutson's, and now Jay Morris. So now he has the disciplinarian he needed (not a Dutcher strength in my opinion), and two guys in Morris and JD Pollock who have strong reputations for individual skill development.
If you're grading Dutcher on his first year, don't you have to give him an A?
