Tony Bennett or Kyle Smith?
- Thread starter CougEd
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Tony Bennets 26 wins before NCAA, and then sweet 16, I will take that, over Smith, as it's better then what Smith has done, and Tony did it with 2 star, 3 star plàyers, while Smith has 3,4,5 star players, recruits. If Tony consistently has Smith's level high ranked recruits.....
Smith might very well leave, but semi probably not.
Smiths wife, family bleeds crimson.
Smith has a autistic, disabled child.
Smiths wife, family, kids, house, etc, is in Pullman.
Smith, his wife, family, kids love Pullman.
Because of the above, Smith will only leave if it's a near perfect job, a blue blood like a Duke type, it's a great place to raise a family, has specialized treatment for his autistic disabled son, if his wife, kids will love it there, etc.
Because of that Smith won't leave for just any run of the mill, etc.
Also Smith strikes me as a MARK FEW TYPE.
Back when Mark Few first started Gonzaga wasn't a destination gig like it is today. He could have easily left and probably should have left earlier to bigger, better jobs.
But he stayed because he loved the community, and because he thought he could build it.
Mark Few could have gotten way more money elsewhere. So coaches don't always leave, immediately leave for more money elsewhere.
Because of those things, Smith probably stays for 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7+ more years
But if Smith leaves, it wouldn't surprise me either.
I would say Smith if it was apples to apples in terms of the environment. With portal, NIL, conference realignment it's really not all that close. That's not to say Smith is a better coach than Tony. IMO, Smith is a better fit for us in terms of our recruiting pool and experience with our type of challenges. I loved Tony, but I never thought he was exactly built like his pops for the long haul for this kind of job. Mining for prospects, projecting, geography and resource challenges, and being a "small fish" in any pond.
I hope we can hold onto Smith and Ethridge next year and a couple years until it's more settled where we land. Both have done phenomenal work with a lot stacked against them to do squat.
I hope we can hold onto Smith and Ethridge next year and a couple years until it's more settled where we land. Both have done phenomenal work with a lot stacked against them to do squat.
I’d go with TB right now but Smith is creeping up! I would put them in two different categories as coaches, Smith is recruiter while TB was more of a system oriented coach. Which is better? Both type coaches have had success just as both of these coaches have had successful careers.
Smith has really done a phenomenal job this season both putting the team together and coaching it. The first few years it was obvious he could recruit but this year his coaching has stepped up also.
It’s going to be real hard keeping him next year but I hope we can!!!!
Smith has really done a phenomenal job this season both putting the team together and coaching it. The first few years it was obvious he could recruit but this year his coaching has stepped up also.
It’s going to be real hard keeping him next year but I hope we can!!!!
What a shame...the two hoop teams are very good and the fans are not going. Wait til the Mountain West and WCC kick us out because of crappy attendance and we are playing in the conference Idaho belongs to.
Smith because of his recruiting and being able to find guys under the radar.
But....if you ask who is a better coach OVERALL?
Bennett, because he WON the National Championship in 2019.
But....if you ask who is a better coach OVERALL?
Bennett, because he WON the National Championship in 2019.
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Good question. I'm not one to minimize Tony's accomplishments at WSU– the best 3-year run in Cougar basketball history. But he didn't face the challenges of NIL/portal. It's hard to imagine that he could have responded any better or as well to all that as Smith has. And it's true, as much as I like Tony and am thankful for the good teams he had, Kyle Smith didn't have a foundation laid down by his dad to start with...he had to build a program from the ashes of Ernie Kent right away. Verdict: Smith.
Glad Cougar
Glad Cougar
Bennett is obviously the more accomplished coach and nobody can take away his national championship but I agree with the comments above that he is likely to struggle in today’s environment.
It’s hard to imagine players being excited about Bennett Ball in the NIL era and Virginia clearly peaked a few years ago. Can Virginia reload every year when it takes time to understand how to properly run the Bennett offense?
Smith has proven that his moneyball approach to basketball helps him identify good ball players. Our rise hasn’t been fast, but it also means that we aren’t good just because of one dude.
The knock that I have on Kyle is that our team feels particularly prone to scoring droughts and this has been a thing his whole time here. Bennett wasn’t immune to that but our defense was so stifling that it didn’t matter as much.
I just wish that we had the fan support and NIL money to allow Smith to thrive so we could really see what kind of coach he is. Today’s environment sucks.
At the end of this word salad, I’ll say that I would love to have kept Bennett but I wouldn’t fire Smith to bring him back.
It’s hard to imagine players being excited about Bennett Ball in the NIL era and Virginia clearly peaked a few years ago. Can Virginia reload every year when it takes time to understand how to properly run the Bennett offense?
Smith has proven that his moneyball approach to basketball helps him identify good ball players. Our rise hasn’t been fast, but it also means that we aren’t good just because of one dude.
The knock that I have on Kyle is that our team feels particularly prone to scoring droughts and this has been a thing his whole time here. Bennett wasn’t immune to that but our defense was so stifling that it didn’t matter as much.
I just wish that we had the fan support and NIL money to allow Smith to thrive so we could really see what kind of coach he is. Today’s environment sucks.
At the end of this word salad, I’ll say that I would love to have kept Bennett but I wouldn’t fire Smith to bring him back.
I would modify your first statement by saying Bennett would be more likely to struggle in Pullman in today's environment. I think he's had enough success and resources at Virginia to be able to reload each year and I'm not sure the NIL era is really hurting the product he's putting out on the floor. They may not always be considered a deep NCAA tourney team, but the Cavaliers are consistently in March Madness under Bennett and that to me is evidence Tony is able to still thrive in today's brave new world of NIL/Portal....at a place like Virginia. Certainly don't think he would do better than Smith at WSU.
Interestingly, Smith and Tony Bennett are the only two WSU coaches in history to never have a losing season. Tony only had 3 seasons in Pullman and benefited from his Dad's foundation. Smith has that distinction now for 5 seasons after inheriting the Kent mess.
Glad Cougar
Both are good coaches, but IMHO Bennett ball was not enjoyable to watch. At times to slow, no creativity, no driving to the basket. Low scoring games. This team is none of that. Bennett and Smith both have their own style and both are winners. But as a fan would rather watch Smith
I’ve heard the Lake City CDA kid playing for Virginia has close to a $500k NIL package. Not sure how accurate that is but WSU is not even close to that.
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