Big East Coaching Dilemma

While the players usually get all the love in the Big East, the coaches are practically institutions themselves. But, which is the best of the best? By Lauren Dellipoali

     If the coaches make the player, then the Big East has some of the best coaches around. The Big East has a number of great players, but their coaches are just as great, if not greater. This conference is littered with Hall of Fame coaches and possibly soon to be hall of fame coaches. You have Jim Boeheim (Syracuse), Jim Calhoun (Connecticut), Rick Pitino (Louisville), Steve Lavin (St.John's), and Bob Huggins (West Virginia) just to name a few. With all these coaches, it begs the question who’s the best? 


     Statistically speaking the top two would be Boeheim and Calhoun. The Jims are in the upper echelon when it comes to college coaches and they have rattled off over 1,000 victories combined. Though Boeheim has more victories, Calhoun has lead his Huskies to three National Championships, two more than Boeheim.  
     Mike Brey at Notre Dame has also made quite a splash in the Big East, but the coaches in Pennsylvania have made an even bigger splash. Jamie Dixon of Pittsburgh and Jay Wright of Villanova have lead their respected teams to numerous NCAA Tournaments, and have made their teams forces to be reckoned with in the Big East. Pitt and Nova know how to get it done, but the National Title still evades them.
     To say one coach is better than the other is difficult. The coaching talent in the Big East is unlike any other, which is probably why the conference always puts more teams in the NCAA Tournament than anyone else (or maybe it's because they just have more to give). 
     Ultimately, Calhoun would probably have to take the cake because of his National Championships, but any other choice would still win a ton of games.