There are three mid-majors who have been consistently winning big: Gonzaga, Wichita State and VCU, and yet surprisingly retaining their head coaches. If they continue with the same coaches can they blossom into traditional prominence? You might be wondering has anyone ever built a program in recent decades from a non-traditional power and taken them into a nationally relevant status on an annual basis?
Some will state that usually mid-majors are stepping stones as a coach will always get an offer to a more traditional name that is too irresistible to pass up. Then naturally the program that loses that up and coming coach regresses back a step. That certainly is the rule. However, it has been done.
How does it happen? Sometimes a coach breaks that rule. He or she decides not to mess with happy. He or she stays where they are. They know they have the ability to recruit and mold great players. He knows he has the support system and he can do it right where he is at already. Plus, the time that’s required to build a basketball giant will be granted because the only banners on the rafter are likely hung up by teams he or she has coached. The school may even need to upgrade its conference membership to a tougher one and slate some traditional names for non-conference games on the schedule.
History shows it’s been accomplished before. Some of the game’s biggest names have played and coached at these three institutions that were built from scratch. One currently has more championships than any other.
EXAMPLE No.1: UCLA
Before 1950, UCLA was an unremarkable west coast university that often had losing seasons in the Pacific Coast Conference, and had never been invited to the NCAA Tournament. By that time, North Carolina, Kentucky, Kansas, Duke, and Indiana were building regal castles to house their glorious treasure trove of victories. Even as late as 1961, despite beginning to have winning seasons every year, the UCLA program had only been to the Sweet 16 twice and their head coach had already been at the helm since 1948. Would you have guessed that coach was none other than John Wooden?
For the next fourteen seasons UCLA went on to dominate NCAA basketball with a relentless full court press intimidated by dictating tempo and creating mind numbing panic in the opposition. In doing so UCLA had 12 Final Four trips and 10 National Titles! Check out an example of their hoops empire below.
Over a period of time John Wooden built UCLA basketball from perennial losers, to mid-major winners, and then into an unstoppable force that helped create a power conference, the PAC-12. UCLA is without question one of college basketball’s blue bloods.
EXAMPLE NO.2: SYRACUSE
(Photo Courtesy of Mike Jacobs)
In 1967, Syracuse basketball would have been considered a competitive mid-major. They had appeared in the NIT four times and made two NCAA Elite Eight trips in 1957 and 1966, when they were led by senior captain Jim Boeheim. Coach Roy Danforth took over in 1968 and with the help of a new assistant named Jim Boeheim, the Orangemen began to make trips to the NCAA tournament annually. Better recruits started to arrive. Positive energy began to flow for the program. Syracuse returned to the Elite Eight in 1973 and attended their first Final Four in 1975, with Boeheim as the Assistant head coach. Check out some 1970’s Syracuse highlights.
(Video Courtesy of orangecagefan)
Mr. Boeheim became the head man in 1976. Syracuse helped form a strong new conference called the Big East in 1979 and under Coach Boeheim’s leadership they kept making post season advances. In 1986 Ohio State came calling, but Jim Boeheim stayed at Syracuse. He was happy and he knew he could take Syracuse to the next level. Under Jim Boeheim Syracuse has been to the Sweet Sixteen on 17 trips, Elite Eight’s six times, the Final Four on four occasions, played for it all three times, and claimed a National Title in 2003. He perfected his own masterful version of the two-three zone defense, and is also the mentor of another coaching legend, Rick Pitino. Today, Syracuse is a basketball powerhouse and a member of the ACC.
EXAMPLE NO.3: ARIZONA
No one can deny that Arizona is a perennial contender, but before the arrival of Lute Olsen, Arizona’s greatest season was in 1976 as a member of the WAC, where they advanced to the Elite Eight. In 1978 Arizona joined the PAC-10 and proceeded to get routed every year. When Coach Olsen arrived in 1983, he rolled up his sleeves and installed a foundation. Over a 25 year period Lute Olsen changed the Wildcats from a doormat into a winning program. Olsen captured 11 conference titles, took Arizona to five Final Fours and coached in two championships, defeating Kentucky for it all in 1997. Arizona continues to be a nationally prominent basketball school.
History shows it can be done. Mark Few has been at Gonzaga now for 15 seasons, and nearly every year they win their conference and play in the big dance. They have advanced to the Sweet Sixteen four times. Next time might be a Final Four that gets them over the hump. This season they currently are rated 5th in the nation by Ken Pomeroy ratings, adorned in a stellar 26-1 record.
(Photo Courtesy of usatoday.com)
Shaka Smart is into his sixth season with the VCU Rams and already they have a Final Four on the resume with four straight NCAA tournament appearances. They are one of the few schools to play a ferocious full court press, but it works. They have also upgraded to the Atlantic Ten Conference. Currently they are 19-6 and rated 27th in the Ken Pomeroy rankings.
(Photo Courtesy of Yahoo Sports)
Lastly, for seven years Coach Marshall has behind the wheel, steering Wichita State to lots of success. He first built them into a regular NIT team, but then took it up a notch. In 2013, it was an upset of Gonzaga on the way to a Final Four run and last year they won all 31 regular season games only to lose a buzzer beating heart-stopper to Kentucky in the NCAA tournament. This season they are the favorites in the Missouri Valley conference and are rated 23-3 and 13th in the Ken Pomeroy rankings.
To see highlights from last season’s undefeated Wichita State check out the link, which has an appropriate song (borrowed from a 1970’s tv classic theme) with lyrics that say “moving on up to the big-time”.
( Video Courtesy of Devon Bray)
Gonzaga, Wichita State, and VCU are on track for another fine season to keep the train of momentum rolling. All of them could potentially take the next step as long as they manage to keep their coaches. Highly regarded recruits are taking notice and considering these growing institutions. The ingredients and accomplishments are there with the potential for more. They all now play more challenging schedules that include games versus each other. Given time and a little luck, it is quite conceivable these schools could grow into hardwood royalty with loads of banners in the rafters.
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