John Beilein [should be] Big Ten COY

Submitted by freejs on

So, big win for Nebraska, and I worry we're going to hear a lot of Tim Miles Big Ten COY talk. 

For me, it comes down to three things:

1) 15-3

2) Outright Conference Champs

3) 7-2 in conference road record

Nebraska was 3-6 on the road in conference. There is no comparison. 

I've been a passionate college basketball fan for a little over 30 years. I honestly don't know that I have seen a better coaching job in 30 plus years than what Coach Beilein and staff pulled off following McGary's injury. It would be a deep injustice to deny Coach Beilein the award to make some sort of trendy pick. 

Miles has, without question, done a great job, and in another year, sure, you could give him the award. But not this year. With McGary down, every last one of these guys was an underrated recruit. People should not lose sight of how improbable this has been. 15-3 should not obscure just what it took to get there. Don't penalize us for 15 wins. Sure, 13 would have been extraordinary. 14 ridiculous. 15 is PREPOSTEROUS. It's an all-time kind of coaching job. 

I guess the only upside I can see if they overlook the obvious and give Miles the award is that perhaps it puts another chip on the shoulder of this constantly disrespected team. 

We won the conference BY THREE WHOLE GAMES. 

Let that sink in. It's crazy. National POY leaves early. Another 1st round pick leaves early. And one of five all-americans in the country goes down with a season-ending injury. And they win the Big Ten conference by three whole games. Amazing. 

 

SF Wolverine

March 10th, 2014 at 12:26 AM ^

1.  Izzo is the underperformingest coach in the B10 this year.  Call if the DNCOY (defninitely not COY).

2.  Both Miles and B have extremely strong cases for what they achieved over and above the obstacles they had and what they were projected to do.

3.  But for bad officiating and injuries, this would be all Izzo's. 

 

Space Coyote

March 10th, 2014 at 8:41 AM ^

These two teams are in Indiana, an absolute basketball hotbed for talent. How is it that both teams were at best bad, and at worst awful? It takes terrible coaching. I mean, Izzo has absolutely no merit to win either, obviously, but if we're looking at worst coaching performance, I think we have to look at the two Indiana schools. Indiana, Purdue, and ND were all terrible in basketball this year. Pretty impressive how Painter has turned Purdue into the worst team in the B1G and Creen is a guy everyone hates and now isn't winning and Indiana fans are turning on him and seeing the light.

MainStreetMagic

March 10th, 2014 at 1:29 AM ^

I wouldn't bat an eyelash if either of them won.  I know it's a copout, but both coaches have done a tremendous job given their respective situations, and I couldn't pick one over the other.  I'm glad someone else is making that decision. 

alum96

March 10th, 2014 at 2:14 AM ^

Both have done great relative to expectations (in the end UM didnt just win the conf, we won by 3 friggin games) as of Dec 31st.  I think the fans put way much more into this title than these guys, esp. Beilein at his age and accomplishment.   Maybe Miles would care more to polish his resume as a relatively young guy, but these titles are for fan bases more than anything.  I understand the player awards being more important because players have short shelf lives in college but coaching stuff - well I wouldn't trade Coach B (AND staff) for anyone right now in the country based on how he develops people and I dont think Duke people would trade their coach if the VIrginia coach wins COY for the ACC etc.

Just win baby.

gwkrlghl

March 10th, 2014 at 7:05 AM ^

Beilein is obvious a terrific coach and the job he did this season is great, but if we remove our maize and blue glasses it's obvious Miles won it.

Imagine instead that MSU won the title without Payne and he's up against Miles. You'd have a great program projected to be great, loses a great player, and then is still great. Compare that to Tim Miles and Nebraska who were projected to be 12th and finished 4th and all but locked up the school's first NCAA big in 16 years.

It's absolutely no question that Tim Miles deserves COY

freejs

March 10th, 2014 at 8:00 AM ^

Ridiculous and counter-factual. As Raoul posted above, this team was given absolutely no shot to even challenge for the conference title when they polled in December. An honest and educated assessment said that the team would be lucky to win 10 conference games and nudge their way into the tournament. 

A comparison to the Izzoes? Izzo's been recruiting four and five stars to fill out his roster for decades. It's his fault that some of them suck. Beilein and Co. are riding a bunch of barely heralded under the radar recruits, and didn't exactly have a reserve of five stars to dip into after pre-season losses and the injury to everybody's all-american had the team in December shambles at 6-4.  

FreddieMercuryHayes

March 10th, 2014 at 8:28 AM ^

If Payne went down for the entire B1G season and MSU pulled of 15-3 while winning the B1G by 3 whole games?  Yeah, Izzo would be in the conversation as well.  But that's not the argument.  The argument is what if Izzo lost Appling and Harris from last year's squad, and then Payne went down for the entire B1G season.  If Izzo pulled off the same thing?  Then yeah, he wins it over Miles hands down as well.  Sure Stauskas is probably the B1G player of the year, but why is he the player of the year?  Because Belein, identified and coached him to be.  I'm also in the camp that it's much more difficult to go from good to great that it is to go from bad to good.

allintime23

March 10th, 2014 at 7:29 AM ^

The winners get the awards every year and this year is our year to get rewarded. I'm not worried about anything. Player of the year and coach of the year are coming home not to mention a first teamer and runner up for defensive player of the year.

FreddieMercuryHayes

March 10th, 2014 at 8:19 AM ^

Did Belein win COTY in 08-09 after winning 20 games, making the tourney for the fist time in 11 years?  No, Izzo and Painter split it as the  award after Painter finished with an 11-7 conference record after being picked first in by the media pre-season (Purdue finished second), and Izzo winning the B1G with a, hey, 15-3 record after being picked 2nd in the conference.  As someone pointed out, going into the B1G season this year, UM was picked 6th after losing McGary.  If Belein doesn't win this year, it's a travesty.

LSAClassOf2000

March 10th, 2014 at 8:24 AM ^

....come from Brendan Quinn over at MLive, who writes:

What the Wolverines accomplished surpassed expectations and cemented the program's staying power under Beilein.

Difference is, Michigan has been to four NCAA tournaments in the last five years. It’s an established program that’s built to withstand one or two players departing or the injury bug biting.

Nebraska, meanwhile, was a rebuilding project without a foundation. And because of that -- because of the big picture view and the realities in it -- Miles should be coach of the year.

I will admit that I find this a sensible position  - Tim Miles has managed to do more with less better than anyone in the Big Ten in my opinion. As one example, they earned a bye in the conference tournament, which is miles above expectations at the beginning of the season and, given the fact that historically they've made little postseason noise even the Big 12, an achievement in itself relatively speaking. 

Beilein may very well get the award, and it would be deserved, but if Tim Miles managed to win it, I agree with Quinn - it would be deserved as well. 

Mattinboots

March 10th, 2014 at 8:54 AM ^

The best thing about this situation is if a very deserving Miles wins the award, Beilein will likely be the first to congratulate him. And my guess is of Beilein wins, Miles will be the first to congratulate him. Both outstanding guys.

Lampuki22

March 10th, 2014 at 9:04 AM ^

However don't be surprised if they give it to Miles. There is a hatred for our program that's inexplicable.



Even as we ran away with the conference the B1G network rarely covers us and still declares Wiscy the best team and makes excuse for Sparty per Jay Williams Beilein is NCOY. I agree. Wichita loses 10 games with our schedule.

Ponypie

March 10th, 2014 at 9:41 AM ^

I find your statement a bit paranoid. There may have been some disdain for the program in the years following the scandals and the consistent uderperformance that plagued us until Beilein; however, I don't see the same thing nationally or on BTN these days.

Maybe you hear too much Vitale commentary, which would lead us to believe that there is only one program worthy of praise in the entire country.

Indonacious

March 10th, 2014 at 9:43 AM ^

Tom Izzo overcame the greatest misfortune of catastrophic injuries ever witnessed by a division 1 basketball team, and his team has only lost 2 out of his last 3 games when at full strength. I vote him instead.

Spontaneous Co…

March 10th, 2014 at 9:48 AM ^

only one may get it.  I think Miles would win under a "done more with less analysis" because, of all the teams we faced, I think only Duke, Arizona and Iowa have rosters with as much pure basketball talent as us.  I would give it to Beilein based on the impressive road performances we have had, which only happen with superb game planning and mental preparation.

This really is a toss up.   

Space Coyote

March 10th, 2014 at 11:10 AM ^

It appears in both 2009 and 2010 there were co-COYs.

2009: DeChellis and Izzo

2010: Matta and Painter

Don't know if one of those is media and the other coaches, it's just from a wikipedia template, but that may give a glimpse of the possibility for both Miles and Beilein.

Raoul

March 10th, 2014 at 11:32 AM ^

Yes, those are media/coaches co-COYs. Below is from the Big Ten basketball record book, with the winners since 2007. (Between 1992 and 2006, only the media selected a Coach of the Year.) So the media and coaches picked a different COY two out of the last seven years.

goblueclassof03

March 10th, 2014 at 12:11 PM ^

It's hard to believe that Beilein, who brought this team back to glory, is yet to win big 10 COY.  I think the case for Miles this year is about as strong as it was for Beilein back in 2010-2011 when the team finished 4th in the conference.  The coaches for the first and second place teams (OSU and Purdue) were given the award instead if I recall.  Beilein has been passed up too many times, what else does he have to do to win it?  If they give it to Miles instead this year, I think it's an impossible double standard for Beilein.

Also, in response to the argument that Beilein has more to work with... he deserves at least some credit for coaching these players up to the level of talen that they are... aside from McGary and (moreso) GRIII, none of these guys came in as clear NBA talent.  Additionally, Beilein's ability to recruit these guys isn't entirely a function of the program/reputation/etc., but is a reflection of his abilities as coach.

Phil Brickma

March 10th, 2014 at 12:25 PM ^

I certainly agree with most of your argument, but GRIII was a blue chipper. I believe he was ranked higher than McGary on some sites' final rankings after Mitch was hurt most of his final year. Also, Walton and Irvin were top recruits. The team isn't entirely Spike Albrechts.

freejs

March 10th, 2014 at 12:52 PM ^

Yes, this is exactly what I was saying. 

And as I pointed out, Walton Jr. was a great signing, but he's still a freshman PG, and he's not one of those nba-ready freshman pg's who normal rules don't apply to. 

Irvin is a nice piece, but certainly a guy who enters as a work in progress. 

We're not talking burger boys here.