And I know some will say I'm drinking the kool-aid, and maybe I am. I drank when Holtz got here and went 11-1 in year one. I drank it when Danny Ford rescued us from Crowe(or so I thought), I drank it when Heath was hired, and I drank it when Bobby signed that zillion dollar buy out. Maybe I'm drinking it again, but.......
I think CBB may be the best pure coach in the country and the best coach for a school like ours. I know, I know, what about Saban? No doubt Saban is a HOF coach who has won natties at two different schools. Great coach but, his greatness was built on what he did at LSU. LSU, while in easily one of the most unattractive locales in America, is also located in an area that produces an insane amount of talent and is a morning drive away from east Texas. What Saban did there was reach the long dormant potential of a place with great resources. After that, he went NFL and was the media darling of the college media. Bama, tired of getting beaten by Auburn, opened their checkbooks wide and bought him and the talent he needed to put Bama back on top. Give him credit, he has certainly done well with his resources.
But, when given a similar situation(maybe a little better) at Mich St to what CBB had at UW, he didn't succeed nearly as well.
CBB talks the talk but after two plus years of watching his every move, it has become clear to me he also walks the walk. He is a tough guy who says what he thinks and seems to mean what he says. He has routinely bypassed higher rated recruits for recruits that he felt would fit his program better both on and off the field. When kids have messed up, he doesn't look the other way even if they are stars. He gives second chances, but only to those who are willing to earn them. When he speaks of building uncommon men, it is becoming clear those aren't empty words. He means it. In the decades I have followed the Hogs, I have never seen so many players suspended/removed who fought so hard to get back. That speaks great things of the environment he has created here.
He runs a fundamentally sound system. He hires top notch assistants, and thus far he seems to upgrade when he replaces them. He and his staff seem to put a huge premium on evaluating recruits and developing them after they get here. When Danny says this staff pays no attention to recruiting rankings, it is clear it is more than coach speak he is seeing and hearing. These guys trust their own evaluations. The fact that Sosa's coach made a point of letting the world know that our staff recruited Sosa the right way, it confirms again that when CBB talks of uncommon men, it starts at the top.
For who we are, what we are, and where we are, I really cannot imagine a better fit for us long term, regardless of coaching resume'. CBB is the right man for us and we could not do better. And the Kool-Aid tastes good.
I think CBB may be the best pure coach in the country and the best coach for a school like ours. I know, I know, what about Saban? No doubt Saban is a HOF coach who has won natties at two different schools. Great coach but, his greatness was built on what he did at LSU. LSU, while in easily one of the most unattractive locales in America, is also located in an area that produces an insane amount of talent and is a morning drive away from east Texas. What Saban did there was reach the long dormant potential of a place with great resources. After that, he went NFL and was the media darling of the college media. Bama, tired of getting beaten by Auburn, opened their checkbooks wide and bought him and the talent he needed to put Bama back on top. Give him credit, he has certainly done well with his resources.
But, when given a similar situation(maybe a little better) at Mich St to what CBB had at UW, he didn't succeed nearly as well.
CBB talks the talk but after two plus years of watching his every move, it has become clear to me he also walks the walk. He is a tough guy who says what he thinks and seems to mean what he says. He has routinely bypassed higher rated recruits for recruits that he felt would fit his program better both on and off the field. When kids have messed up, he doesn't look the other way even if they are stars. He gives second chances, but only to those who are willing to earn them. When he speaks of building uncommon men, it is becoming clear those aren't empty words. He means it. In the decades I have followed the Hogs, I have never seen so many players suspended/removed who fought so hard to get back. That speaks great things of the environment he has created here.
He runs a fundamentally sound system. He hires top notch assistants, and thus far he seems to upgrade when he replaces them. He and his staff seem to put a huge premium on evaluating recruits and developing them after they get here. When Danny says this staff pays no attention to recruiting rankings, it is clear it is more than coach speak he is seeing and hearing. These guys trust their own evaluations. The fact that Sosa's coach made a point of letting the world know that our staff recruited Sosa the right way, it confirms again that when CBB talks of uncommon men, it starts at the top.
For who we are, what we are, and where we are, I really cannot imagine a better fit for us long term, regardless of coaching resume'. CBB is the right man for us and we could not do better. And the Kool-Aid tastes good.
