Sunday, April 6, 2008

Yes, Bill, it WAS no contest!

Bill Plaschke had a gameday article comparing the coaching styles of Memphis head coach John Calipari and his UCLA counterpart, Ben Howland (4/5/08). In the article, Plaschke continually put Coach Howland on a pedestal for his “attention to detail” while belittling Coach Calipari’s “cheerleading.” (I thought Bill usually reserves his "venom" for USC!) Plaschke concluded that the Bruins would be favored in the matchup “by one. One coach.”

Anyhow, after Memphis "schooled" UCLA by 15, I’d say Coach Howland and Bill Plaschke could learn a lesson or two from Coach Calipari. Acknowledging Calipari’s excellent coaching, CBS's Greg Anthony said it best: "A coach should MOTIVATE! Then, give [his] guys freedom to play." Boy, did the Tigers look motivated and free as they breezed by the Bruins into the title game!

Meanwhile, Howland obviously couldn't find a fresh copy of Final Four Coaching 101 and had to reuse lesson plans from his 2007 (or was it 2006?!) edition. Who's the better coach now, Bill?

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