Want Job Security? Apply Within.
by Ken Pomeroy on Wednesday, May 18, 2005
My favorite part of the off-season is the coaching changes. Late-season recruiting and early entries are fun, but schools that change coaches are establishing the direction of their basketball squad for the next few years. And it’s an interesting time in the coaching industry, because it’s an employers market right now.
D1 coaching changes
Year Changes Pct. 1997 63 20.6 1998 45 14.5 1999 55 17.3 2000 53 16.7 2001 47 14.6 2002 44 13.5 2003 46 14.1 2004 37 11.3 2005 41 12.4
There has been a steady decrease in vacancies since 1997. It’s not a trend you should expect to continue much longer. Looking at the history of coaching changes, which you can on page 161 of the NCAA Basketball Records Book, there’s a cycle. It’s an employers market today - but within three years it will be a great job market for prospective coaches, or…
State of the Game
by Ken Pomeroy on Monday, May 2, 2005
Tracking 330 teams is the maddening part of following college basketball, but the strength of the sheer volume of teams is that, when taken as a whole, you get a great idea of how the game is played in general. There is a tremendous variety of decisions being made by 330 coaches and their players, some good, some bad. But they all think they are making the right decisions. After all, this isn't a simulation they are playing, each coach has his livelihood on the line. So in the end you have a well-developed consensus on how the game should be played, given the talent pool, the current set of rules, and how the game is called.
A review of last season's stats shows two trends continue to stand out more than any other. First, the average game in 2005 was slower than it was in 2004, setting a standard…