LV
Two years ago
Rating NBL Coaches
The big X Factor this season is coaches
A few years ago the NBL was flush with experienced coaches. Trevor Gleeson, Joey Wright, Aaron Fearne.
It was an 8 team league and had a certain consistency and rhythm with many of the same coaches year in, year out
Right now it must be the least experienced coaching group in NBL History. Vickerman (9th season), Mitchell (4th season) and Forde (3rd season) with the rest all in their first season or two.
Obviously Buford and Roth's teams excelled last year, Buford did an excellent job fitting Clark into the mix and getting all that talent into a cohesive unit, while Roth's JJ's were a well oiled machine who consistently committed to the defensive end and managed to shut down their opposition's strengths. They knew their roles offensively, playing a patient, structured offense and letting Adams or Magette play go-to guy if the clock wound down without a sufficiently good shot being available in the first 15 seconds. It worked like a charm for the group they had.
But one season doesn't make a coach. You need to back up season on season, getting the most out of different players, different personalities, and developing people into better players
CJ, Duncan, Rillie, Jackomas, Moar are first or 2nd year coaches with plenty to prove.
Of the 6 teams widely considered championship contenders- 3 of them are coached by someone in that above group. A 4th is coached by Mitchell who, while in his 4th season, is massively under the pump having coached one finals victory in 3 seasons.
Which of the NBL's current crop of coaches will turn into the next Gleeson or Goorjian?
Who will lose their job within a year or two?
