Previously: Program stability
Previously: Recruiting
Just win, baby.
Want to keep your job even though things seem shady now and then? Just win.
Want to keep your job even though you can't seem to recruit the big-time athletes? Just win.
It is true and obvious, of course, in more than just college basketball that winning trumps almost everything else in coaching. So has Mark Fox won enough to deserve more time? I say yes.
Here is where program history matters. If you expected Final Four berths and National Championships out of Mark Fox by this point, that's your problem, not his. Do I want those things? Yes. Do I expect Mark Fox to build towards those things? Yes. However, those things take time. It took Billy Donovan - one of the greatest coaching hires, well...maybe ever - 10 years to achieve those goals (and yes, he had more interim success along the way).
So let's look at Georgia program history, starting with the hiring of John Guthrie in 1973 (because you have to start somewhere):
*Felton/Herman in 2008-09
The Hugh Durham years have to be considered the Golden Age of Georgia Basketball. Tubby won at a high rate, but he only did it for 2 years. Jim Harrick looked like he was building something, but then he did what Jim Harrick does...
So how does Mark Fox compare? Not too badly. In fact, his winning percentage and the program winning percentage match over the time span I laid out - 54%. He trails Jim Harrick and Tubby Smith, but the sample size is very, very small with those two.
The program has 12 20-win seasons in its history. Mark Fox owns 3 of those. The current streak of two 20-win seasons in a row matches the longest in program history.
The program has 12 NCAA tournament berths. Mark Fox owns 2 of those. The longest streak of tournament berths in program history is 2 (accomplished three times) and Fox could match that with a berth next season (something I'm expecting).
Where Fox falls short, of course, is tournament wins - but just barely. Some perspective is necessary. Georgia has won 7 tournament games in its history, but has only won a game in 4 individual tournaments. In 8 out of 12 tournaments in which they've participated, Georgia was ousted in their first game (including Fox's two). Personally, I don't like to place a lot of emphasis on tournament wins. Are they important? Sure! But there's a randomness to the tournament (that's what makes it great) that only the elite programs consistently overcome.
It may sound like over-simplifying, but the way to win tournament games is to make a lot of tournaments. If Fox can do that, the wins will come.
To the naysayers, this will all sounds like excuse-making. Believe me. I get that. But like you, I have no vested interest in making excuses for Mark Fox. I just want to win, and right now, I believe Georgia is winning enough that the future is bright.
What Fox has done wouldn't be enough for an established powerhouse like North Carolina or Duke, but he has raised the level of play at Georgia to near-historic levels. Now we want more. Instead of just tournament berths, we want tournament wins. We want Sweet 16's. We want conference championships.
If you read my three-pronged defense of Fox, you know I think things are trending upwards. He has the program on a solid footing, he's building depth that we haven't seen in many years, and he's creating a culture that won't just be satisfied with mediocre results.
So thanks for a couple of nice seasons, Coach Mark. Now just keep winning.
Previously: Recruiting
Just win, baby.
Want to keep your job even though things seem shady now and then? Just win.
Want to keep your job even though you can't seem to recruit the big-time athletes? Just win.
It is true and obvious, of course, in more than just college basketball that winning trumps almost everything else in coaching. So has Mark Fox won enough to deserve more time? I say yes.
Here is where program history matters. If you expected Final Four berths and National Championships out of Mark Fox by this point, that's your problem, not his. Do I want those things? Yes. Do I expect Mark Fox to build towards those things? Yes. However, those things take time. It took Billy Donovan - one of the greatest coaching hires, well...maybe ever - 10 years to achieve those goals (and yes, he had more interim success along the way).
So let's look at Georgia program history, starting with the hiring of John Guthrie in 1973 (because you have to start somewhere):
|
Coach
|
Wins
|
Losses
|
%
|
Conference Titles
|
Tournament Berths
|
Tournament Wins
|
|
John Guthrie
|
46
|
86
|
35
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
Hugh Durham
|
298
|
216
|
58
|
0
|
5
|
4
|
|
Tubby Smith
|
45
|
19
|
70
|
0
|
2
|
2
|
|
Ron Jirsa
|
35
|
30
|
54
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
|
Jim Harrick
|
67
|
53
|
56
|
0
|
2
|
1
|
|
Dennis Felton*
|
75
|
80
|
48
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
|
Mark Fox
|
106
|
89
|
54
|
0
|
2
|
0
|
*Felton/Herman in 2008-09
The Hugh Durham years have to be considered the Golden Age of Georgia Basketball. Tubby won at a high rate, but he only did it for 2 years. Jim Harrick looked like he was building something, but then he did what Jim Harrick does...
So how does Mark Fox compare? Not too badly. In fact, his winning percentage and the program winning percentage match over the time span I laid out - 54%. He trails Jim Harrick and Tubby Smith, but the sample size is very, very small with those two.
The program has 12 20-win seasons in its history. Mark Fox owns 3 of those. The current streak of two 20-win seasons in a row matches the longest in program history.
The program has 12 NCAA tournament berths. Mark Fox owns 2 of those. The longest streak of tournament berths in program history is 2 (accomplished three times) and Fox could match that with a berth next season (something I'm expecting).
Where Fox falls short, of course, is tournament wins - but just barely. Some perspective is necessary. Georgia has won 7 tournament games in its history, but has only won a game in 4 individual tournaments. In 8 out of 12 tournaments in which they've participated, Georgia was ousted in their first game (including Fox's two). Personally, I don't like to place a lot of emphasis on tournament wins. Are they important? Sure! But there's a randomness to the tournament (that's what makes it great) that only the elite programs consistently overcome.
It may sound like over-simplifying, but the way to win tournament games is to make a lot of tournaments. If Fox can do that, the wins will come.
To the naysayers, this will all sounds like excuse-making. Believe me. I get that. But like you, I have no vested interest in making excuses for Mark Fox. I just want to win, and right now, I believe Georgia is winning enough that the future is bright.
What Fox has done wouldn't be enough for an established powerhouse like North Carolina or Duke, but he has raised the level of play at Georgia to near-historic levels. Now we want more. Instead of just tournament berths, we want tournament wins. We want Sweet 16's. We want conference championships.
If you read my three-pronged defense of Fox, you know I think things are trending upwards. He has the program on a solid footing, he's building depth that we haven't seen in many years, and he's creating a culture that won't just be satisfied with mediocre results.
So thanks for a couple of nice seasons, Coach Mark. Now just keep winning.
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