John Tillman: Best Coach in the Game, Right?

[The Orfling]

Just bumping this for no particular reason…

[norcalhop]

It's not debatable

[Hooz123]

100%

[PulpExposure]

I dunno guys tech37 said lots of coaches would get the Terps this far….

Insane he’s only won one national coach of the year award. He should win a second for this year, regardless of the outcome on Monday.

[jrn19]

The only guys who are really in his class as far as finding ways to make Final Fours year over year, regardless of the roster, and just always put their team in this position at the end of the season are Lars the last 7-8 years or so at UVA and his last Brown year, and still probably Danowski (he's missed 5 in 17 years, not many.) Corrigan is on an unbelievable run right now and deserves tons of plaudits, especially if they go back to back, but there have been times where ND's gone decent stretches losing in the Quarterfinals and not making F4's.

And he beat both of them the last two weeks with less talented rosters and with tremendous adjustments in game (against Duke) and from the first matchup (against UVA.)

As a #1 seed, he's won 2 titles and made 2 other Final Fours (1 championship game.)
As a #3 seed, he made the championship game in 2021

So give him an elite team, his best possible team, and he can produce a champion

As a 6 seed or lower in the tournament (6 times), he's made 4 Final Fours and now 3 championship games.

It doesn't matter the seed, path, type of team he's got favored or underdog....in winning time, he goes deep

The only thing you could nitpick is the championship game record (2-5, probably will be 2-6 after Monday), but it's hard to win championships and I think that's almost as much a byproduct of making it so many times with teams that maybe shouldn't have been there.

If he's not THE best, there ain't anyone better. I'll say that.

[wgdsr]

tillman has done a fantastic job. and working with rotating assistants.

[Finster]

The only guys who are really in his class as far as finding ways to make Final Fours year over year, regardless of the roster, and just always put their team in this position at the end of the season are Lars the last 7-8 years or so at UVA and his last Brown year, and still probably Danowski (he's missed 5 in 17 years, not many.) Corrigan is on an unbelievable run right now and deserves tons of plaudits, especially if they go back to back, but there have been times where ND's gone decent stretches losing in the Quarterfinals and not making F4's.

And he beat both of them the last two weeks with less talented rosters and with tremendous adjustments in game (against Duke) and from the first matchup (against UVA.)

As a #1 seed, he's won 2 titles and made 2 other Final Fours (1 championship game.)
As a #3 seed, he made the championship game in 2021

So give him an elite team, his best possible team, and he can produce a champion

As a 6 seed or lower in the tournament (6 times), he's made 4 Final Fours and now 3 championship games.

It doesn't matter the seed, path, type of team he's got favored or underdog....in winning time, he goes deep

The only thing you could nitpick is the championship game record (2-5, probably will be 2-6 after Monday), but it's hard to win championships and I think that's almost as much a byproduct of making it so many times with teams that maybe shouldn't have been there.

If he's not THE best, there ain't anyone better. I'll say that.

I’ve said it for years. This guy is in another league when it comes to coaching up.

[DMVCuseLax]

It’s the iPads. Coaches need to use them.

[bearlaxfan]

Was he the first choice after Cottle? 'Cause I'm not sure his Harvard tenure promised this degree of success.

[Essexfenwick]

Was he the first choice after Cottle? 'Cause I'm not sure his Harvard tenure promised this degree of success.

Debbie Yow is a coach finding genius. Her hires have NC state #7 in the directors cup and football plus basketball in the top 15.
At UMD she moved on Timchel and hired Cathy Reese 5 time natty champ, she hired Brenda Frese natty bball champ. She hired Brian Pensky who had UMD woman’s soccer ascending but is now at FSU and a national champion.
Tillman and Bakich were her parting gifts to UMD. Bakich is now Clemson baseball #3 and was already in the World Series finals at Michigan. She had Fridge moving on to be replaced by coach in waiting Franklin. Then the dummies at UMD pushed her to NC State so NC state could move way up and UMD way down. Tillman is the last remaining greatness as the Yow era ages out.

She’s superhuman at identifying championship up and coming coaching talent.

[Wheels]

Was he the first choice after Cottle? 'Cause I'm not sure his Harvard tenure promised this degree of success.

I seem to recall that there was a lot of pressure for her to hire Gary Gait, who'd been an assistant on the women's team in College Park. When Tills' hire was announced, I know there was a lot of "who? The .500 coach from Harvard?" from fans. I don't know if Yow really considered Gait, but I know he had support.

[DocBarrister]

Was he the first choice after Cottle? 'Cause I'm not sure his Harvard tenure promised this degree of success.

Debbie Yow is a coach finding genius. Her hires have NC state #7 in the directors cup and football plus basketball in the top 15.
At UMD she moved on Timchel and hired Cathy Reese 5 time natty champ, she hired Brenda Frese natty bball champ. She hired Brian Pensky who had UMD woman’s soccer ascending but is now at FSU and a national champion.
Tillman and Bakich were her parting gifts to UMD. Bakich is now Clemson baseball #3 and was already in the World Series finals at Michigan. She had Fridge moving on to be replaced by coach in waiting Franklin. Then the dummies at UMD pushed her to NC State so NC state could move way up and UMD way down. Tillman is the last remaining greatness as the Yow era ages out.

She’s superhuman at identifying championship up and coming coaching talent.

Yep. Is there an AD HOF?

DocBarrister

[Wheels]

Let's hold off on putting Yow in some AD HOF. Her financial mismanagement, which was buried under accounting gimmicks, directly led to the financial situation that caused Maryland to leave the ACC. The debt she added through expanding the football stadium was massive. The naming rights deals she inked were front-loaded, so when the debt came due, the revenue had decreased. She expanded sports, but the funding shortages required almost all of them to be cut. She inked the coach in waiting deal with James Franklin, which made it impossible to extend Freidgen. Then Franklin walked and Fridge was a lame duck. She of course had bailed by then, so her successor had to deal with the financial issues and the football issues. Gary and Ralph despised her because of how she played people off of each other. Just a total mess.

So the move to the Big 10 was needed to solve the financial issues.

But, yes, she hired some very good coaches and deserves a ton of credit for it.

[MDralphie]

And that’s that! Wheels makes it simple and clear. Monday I’m sure we don’t have a shot. Correct Carc? Q? Anishhh?

[jrn19]

Was he the first choice after Cottle? 'Cause I'm not sure his Harvard tenure promised this degree of success.

As Wheels mentioned, a bunch of alums really, really pushed for Gait. He was contacted about the job, I'm not sure if they offered it to him, but he turned down the interest and didn't pursue it

Pressler and Tambroni were the target I think whoever was running the search *really* wanted, but Pressler pulled out and Tambroni turned it down to stay at Cornell....for about two weeks before he left for Penn State

Either way; Tillman was 3rd or 4th choice and one of only two folks to interview for the job (the other was Marc Van Arsdale.)

So it was a bit of luck and also a smart move to go for him to begin with that's led us here. Pressler and Tambs were/are great coaches. It wouldn't have been this

[HockeyLaxGolf42]

Think it’s him and Lars and 1a/1b

[Essexfenwick]

Let's hold off on putting Yow in some AD HOF. Her financial mismanagement, which was buried under accounting gimmicks, directly led to the financial situation that caused Maryland to leave the ACC. The debt she added through expanding the football stadium was massive. The naming rights deals she inked were front-loaded, so when the debt came due, the revenue had decreased. She expanded sports, but the funding shortages required almost all of them to be cut. She inked the coach in waiting deal with James Franklin, which made it impossible to extend Freidgen. Then Franklin walked and Fridge was a lame duck. She of course had bailed by then, so her successor had to deal with the financial issues and the football issues. Gary and Ralph despised her because of how she played people off of each other. Just a total mess.

So the move to the Big 10 was needed to solve the financial issues.

But, yes, she hired some very good coaches and deserves a ton of credit for it.

She’s already in six hall of fames.

She has been inducted into six Halls of Fame: The State of North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame, the
NACDA Athletics Director’s HOF, the University of Maryland Athletics HOF, the ORU Athletics HOF, the Saint Louis University Athletics HOF and the State of Maryland Women’s HOF.


When Yow came to UMD. The athletic dept was 50 million in debt. Equal to 85 million adjusted for inflation at the time Yow left. When Yow left the school was only 5 million in debt. The problem was new facilities demanded by Fridge after year one success and built for Gary. Both coaches faded and Fridge didn’t fill the facilities he demanded. Yow had Fridge on a rail about the door with great hire James Franklin lined up. Yow and the board of regents approved facilities for Fridge and Gary when anybody who said “no” to them would lose. They couldn’t maintain their peak levels and that’s just the way it goes. That’s why you need a Yow to install James Franklin instead of Randy Edsall.

Yow at UMD… UMD up and NC state down

Yow at NC state. NC state up UMD down and the entire AD down except Yows final hire.

It’s really that simple. Gary is still with the AD so I can’t figure out why the UMD AD is ranked exponentially below NC state. He seemed to know how to judge athletic directors and help hire a good one.

[masondixonlax]

I dunno guys tech37 said lots of coaches would get the Terps this far….

Insane he’s only won one national coach of the year award. He should win a second for this year, regardless of the outcome on Monday.

[coda]

I don’t know if he is the best, but he has reminded people that coaching can transcend talent the last 2 weeks

[Essexfenwick]

He’s so good I just shake my head. It’s not just coaching .. it’s the culture and the way he communicates to the media. It’s the respect he gives the opponents and the former coaches and players.