Final Four no true measure of a coach

Iarlington, texas » t became almost impossible to turn around and not bump into a coach in downtown Dallas the past few days. The National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) convention coincides with the men’s Final Four, and fans can’t help but point out those who have guided teams to college basketball’s biggest stage.

It’s easy to rank coaches on the basis of national championships or Final Four appearances— just as NFL quarterbacks often are evaluated by their number of Super Bowls.

Wisconsin’s Bo Ryan and Kentucky’s John Calipari said they have thought about all the coaches who never reached a Final Four— but certainly not to slight them in any way.

“I look out there at our profession and think about those that never (had this opportunity),” said Ryan, who finally reached the Final Four in his 13th season directing the Badgers.

“There are coaches who are as bright and as sharp and as tough and as good a mentor as anybody that you will ever want to see whomight not ever have a chance to do this. … Tom Davis, Gene Keady, all the other guys that have really been great teachers, had some good teams.”

Calipari said nobody should rank coaches on the basis of their Final Fours. Those in the coaching profession do not look at it that way, he said.

“Do you know how many coaches are out there that maybe are not at a school that would help them get to a Final Four?” Calipari said. “There are coaches that took teams to the Elite Eight and that’s like winning the national championship for the school they were at.

“We know who can coach, who is a good guy, who gets his teams better, who cares about his players,” he added. “If they made it to the Final Four, great. If they didn’t, that doesn’t change my opinion of them.”

Unsung hero.

According to Calipari, senior backup guard Jon Hood has played with 17Wildcats who would make it to the NBA, not including the future pros on the current roster. Hood contributed to the team in many ways, Calipari said, especially by working hard in practice to help the starters improve.

“I mean, a lot of that time Jon was part of the ‘Washington Generals,’ ” Calipari said, referring to the foil for the always victorious Harlem Globetrotters.

Hood, a former Mr. Kentucky Basketball honoree, fought through an anger stage when he realized that Calipari would always bring in another band of blue-chippers that kept him on the bench.

“And then it became, ‘You know. I’m going to have fun doing this,’ ” Calipari said. “He is so much a better player and so much fun to be around.”

Learning from the master.

Evidently, Wisconsin players have gained more than an appreciation of X’s and O’s from their head coach. Ryan’s sense of humor, deadpanned style, also has rubbed off.

“One of our players actually made a comment as we were driving in (to AT&T Stadium): ‘So this must be the road to the Final Four,’ ” Ryan said with a grin.