If you were an elite basketball player, which coach would you rather play for?
1) Alumni in the NBA: Buzz Williams boast a current olympian (Jimmy Butler) and a smorgasbord of of other NBA players (Wes Matthews & Jae Crowder amongst others). Tony Bennett can claim Klay Thompson during Bennett's final year at Washington State (Thompson's freshman season) and a couple of bit players from his tenure from UVA, most notably Mike Scott. Edge: Williams
2) Winning: In terms of regular seasons, both coaches have two regular seasons conference titles (with Bennett getting the edge with one conference tournament championship). Buzz Williams has five NCAA tournament appearances with two sweet sixteen appearance and one elite eight appearance. Tony Bennett has six NCAA tournament appearances with two sweet sixteen appearances and one elite eight appearance. Bennett's elite eight appearance was more recent (2016 vs. Buzz's 2013), however Buzz never had a team epically collapse like UVa did againist Syracuse last year:
Edge: Williams (in the tournament), Bennett (in the regular season)
3) Pop Culture: Tony Bennett clearly has the edge on this one. Bennett has sold over 50 million records worldwide and his brand of adult contemporary music is unsurpassed...oh wait wrong Tony Bennett. Buzz most seminal moment from the lens of pop culture:
And Tony Bennett's:
Edge: Williams
4) Twitter Game: Easy win for Williams because Bennett doesn't have twitter. Edge: Williams
5) Impact on fan base: Buzz has brought excitement and attention to a non-football VT sport, a notoriously difficulty feat that only few coaches in American can pull off . On the other hand, Tony Bennett has inspired UVa alumns to say things like this about UVA:
"Mediocrity" is a viable term to describe Virginia's athletic program, though. It's the kind of mediocrity that can be tolerated, through the specific blend of elitism and inferiority complex at the school. If you don't think that's a real thing, perhaps you've never heard the proudly wielded phrase "Public Ivy." You'll hear people tout the breadth of UVa sports — yeah, they're a perennial contender in men's soccer, baseball, and lacrosse. But those are three sports that are tremendously difficult to support because they're the most likely to be played by the people you hated in high school.
Edge: Williams
I think I've made my point.
Comments
So, that's like your opinion, man.
Literally, it is criteria that you chose. I'm sure a UVA fan could easily create criteria that would favor TB. I can't keep track, but they have 2 ACC reg seasons (one with an incredible record) one ACCT win, two #1s and a #2 in the NCAA. TB also seems to recruit and develop excellent young men.
When Buzz got to VT, he was further along than TB when he arrived at UVA. But what TB has accomplished at UVA, nobody could have predicted or expect of any contemporaries. I don't know what Buzz will do in the next three years, but I doubt it will match Benetts last three years. It would be a statistical near impossibility. I doubt TB will match his own pace over the next three years and he has already fully built his infrastructure.
Buzz has proven to be a good NCAA tourney coach, but that's also small sample size stuff. I'd like to see him continue his tourney success with VT this March.
I love Buzz, let's let him be his own man and not be Tony Bennett. Respect what Bennett has done, it's remarkable. But we got our own story to write.
I was in a weird mood when I wrote it, it's more tongue-in-cheek than anything...got a lot of respect for TB and UVA's basketball program.
I think there is a legitimate comparison to be made....but you have to kinda disregard the last three years of Bennett's tenure....which has been spectacular. Even his tourney loses have been to MSUx2 and an SU team that got wicked hot and then went to the final four.
But disregarding Bennett's last three years is reasonable since it has been off the charts even by his own expectations. And any UVA fan that thinks this will keep up will get their heart broken. I think there is an opportunity for them to take a significant step back this year.
you can't just take out the last three years because they were really good and better than expectations...that's like disregarding the '99 season when looking at Beamer's tenure because they never reached those heights again. the fact of the matter is that it happened and happened for a prolonged period
Whoa whoa whoa .... settle down with that reasonable attitude, sailor. Next thing you know, you'll be saying things like "don't jump out of a window over football decommits for two-three years away" or something!
(Can't he at least throw a little shade at a UVa coach??)
Buzz is a damn good coach but I don't believe he ever outright won the big east, let alone the beast that is the ACC right now. Buzz is a good fit for tech with his personality and passion but I'd trade him in a second to get Tony Bennett as head coach at VT. He's on a 45-9 run in the ACC not counting the tournaments, and they don't look like they're going anywhere anytime soon. That's insane. I'd be surprised if they didn't finish in the top 4 in the conference this year and its a bit of a transition season for them.
Also this is a general thing but I hate hate hate people judging coaches off of NCAA tournament runs. It's a one game being played by college kids, sometimes things happen. I think Tom Izzo might be the best coach in the country and his teams have lost games to underdogs in early rounds several times. College basketball is weird
Bottom line is you can't go wrong with either coach as a player. Both are going to be putting players in the NBA and both are going to be winning games. Like any type of recruiting it comes down to relationships and different kids are looking for different things
To be fair, the Big East when Buzz was there was comparable to the current ACC. Not disagreeing with you, only pointing out the Big East prior to the most recent realignment was the best basketball league top to bottom.
Hate to say it but Bennett has the edge in tournament and regular season winning
This is like all those times we mocked LOLUVa fans for saying their coaching staff in football was better than ours.
Until we start regularly beating them in basketball and start taking some regular season and tournament conference titles and advance to at least the Elite Eight, they have the edge. Period.
I'm all for the usual F UVA! slander but this is a bit much IMO. As much as I love Buzz and all that he's done for VT basketball, if Whit came out tomorrow and said TB was our coach, I'd be thrilled. Both are outstanding coaches but I'd give TB the edge. Reason being, UVA is consistently a 1 or 2 yet has no one in the NBA. Buzz can take complete credit for Jimmy Butler, Jae Crowder, and Wes Matthews.
For me, this is a tough debate. I love VT but I also pride myself in being an educated, unbiased, rational sports fan. I'm giving the edge to TB 7/7 days a week.
Lol people taking this way too seriously in here...I thought TKP had a sense of humor
If serious, this is le sabre-level bullshit. So yeah, you're going to get a reaction to that here
WE ARE...NOT LOLUVa!
I read the headline, and was hoping to see some MMA action, or at least a dance off, which Buzz would likely win. I guess it is a good thing we recognize there is a BBall off season enough to realize it sucks too?
I was hoping for a Celebrity Death Match! That show was so awesome back in the day on MTV.
My loluvawahoo sister in law never fails to point out Bennett's main attribute, as far as she and her sisterhoos are concerned. He's better lookin' than ole Buzz.
a typically shallow remark from a wahoo. not surprised.
In her defense, it's tongue in cheek when she says it, too.
Playing for Buzz might be more fun, in a Forrest Gump sort of way.
"My mama always said, 'Life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get.'
More like "Life is like a box of chocolates, only the ones who work the hardest get to reap the rewards" or some other over the top philosophical life lesson that makes you want to run through a wall.
How into it is Tony Bennett if he's coaching in Virginia, but left his heart in San Francisco?
Before everyone goes crazy, I like threads like this. It gives us the opportunity to:
1. Praise our own BBall coach
2. Trash on UVA
3. Make Tony Bennett song puns
I think we'd all agree that if Tony Bennett wasn't a wahoo, we'd be thrilled to have him as a hokie. But.....since he's not, and we like Buzz, have at him
Whelp, that escalated quickly...
For what it's worth SevenLayers... I thought this was great and was ready to poke a little fun at the Hoos. I guess I'll save that for a different day. NVM...
thanks SevenLayersofPlayers for that Monday morning chuckle!