So is Coach Stew Morrill going to be WAC Coach of the Year (per his fellow coaches), as we earlier posted?
We say definitely so if the Aggies complete the regular season undefeated. There's simply no way Morrill can't be rewarded if he runs the table. Yes, he is enjoying the luxury of three returning starters and a home floor advantage that would probably allow the cagers of the Little Sisters of the Poor to post a .500 record if they played at The Spectrum but he was minus a linchpin -- a point guard -- and pretty much replacing an entire backcourt coming into this season.
Plus, with Jaycee Carroll gone, Utah State's returnees also faced edging into new roles -- becoming more go-to players rather than primarily being in a support roles, being the primary focuses for defenders and defensive schemes, etc.
We certainly offer no tea and sympathy for what Morrill faced coming into this season but it wasn't simply a situation of re-loading.
Idaho is coming back to earth after a remarkable beginning, finding that road life is usually tough in the WAC. However, Coach Don Verlin still deserves Coach of the Year consideration. We liken what he has done in Moscow to the before and after versions of those life-size or close to life-size holiday decorations -- the blowup Santa or snowman or toy soldier. He inherited the deflated version, the one you probably saw keeled over on certain front lawns in December because the air supply went south. Verlin has his Vandals thoroughly revived and probably playing over their actual capabilities even if some of the 'air' has escaped of late.
But how about Boise's Greg Graham? 16-7 overall and 6-4 in the conference are unexpected numbers considering the losses he incurred: Matt Nelson, Reggie Larry, Tyler Tiedeman, Matt Bauscher -- each a 30+ minutes or close to that figure a game player having departed with reserves stepping up into starting roles and not missing a Bronco beat this season. Graham deserves some recognition at the very least if Boise State can keep on keepin' on.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
WAC Coach of the Year, part two
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2 comments:
Saying that Utah State must go 16-0 for Stew Morrill to be the definite WAC Coach of the Year is going too far. What WAC team has most outperformed expectations? You write as though everyone at the beginning of the season thought that Utah State would rout the WAC. The Aggies weren't even picked by the other coaches to win the league. Now they are 11-0, 23-1 and ranked 17th. That's outperforming expectations! Coach Verlin is doing a great job at Idaho, but he's only turned a terrible team into a mediocre team. His time will come another year. I agree that Boise State has outperformed expectations, but hardly to the degree of Utah State. Barring a complete collapse by the Utags, Morrill is clearly the deserving coach.
KEEP UP THE GREAT BLOGS, very fun to read!!!
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