Mount Rushmore of D3 Coaches

[Greek Tragedy]

11 pages and 5400 views later, should we kind of come up with a Top 10 and then we can pare it down from there?

[jayhawk]

One correction

ronk said that Bob Bessoir defeated Hixon
not true I was on the Amherst Basketball Team with Jim Rehnquist
Hixon was not the Amherst coach when we lost to Bob Bessoir's team

ronk's comment
I'll add that to Bob Bessoir's credentials - that he defeated a strong candidate(Welsh) for Mt. Rushmore in an NCAA quarterfinal.    Bessoir also defeated Hixon(Amherst) in their only meeting(regular season) and was 1-1 versus Coach K(Army).  I would think any other coach in college basketball has, at best, a losing record vs Coach K.
    Bear, you have presented strong arguments for Jerry Welsh. The selection committee may have to go to the secondary criteria to choose the Final Four.
« Last Edit: Yesterday at 02:05:11 pm by ronk »

[ronk]

 Upon further review, Bessoir's victory over Amherst occurred during a Scranton championship year('76), a couple of years before Hixon began coaching Amherst('78); the Rushmore sculptor can chisel that from the secondary criteria of Bessoir's candidacy.

[Titan Q]

My top 10 Mount Rushmore candidates...

(alphabetical order)

* Bob Bessoir (Scranton)

* Dennie Bridges (Illinois Wesleyan)

* Bosko Djurickovic (North Park, Carthage)

* Mark Edwards (Wash U)

* Dave Hixon (Amherst)

* Steve Moore (Wooster)

* Glenn Robinson (Franklin & Marshall)

* Bo Ryan (UW-Platteville)

* Bob Semling (UW-Stevens Point)

* Jerry Welsh (Potsdam)

[NEhoops]

Titan Q - great list.

If we have to start trimming it down I would cut out Semling. After that who knows.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

Just days before the start of the 2019-20 season, Glenn Robinson announced he was retiring from coaching. He was the first domino to fall. Since then, more than 4,000-wins have been taken out of the active record books thanks to the retirements of a number of the division's and sport's best coaches.

In what is the first of a two-part May Podcast, Dave chats with some of those who announced their retirements since the season ended. What drove them to the decision to walk away? What will they remember about their careers (many at a single institution)? And will they still be part of the game?

Guests include:
- Dave Hixon, Amherst men's coach (42 seasons, 826 wins)
- Ken DeWeese, Mary Hardin-Baylor men's coach (21 seasons, 400 wins)
- Carol LaHaye, Randolph-Macon women's coach (38 season, 647 wins)
- Grey Giovanine, Augustana men's coach (21 seasons, 433 wins)

Dave also has a brief idea of what is being discussed when it comes to the coronavirus and the challenges institutions face both on campus and with athletics. Plus, the Hoopsville Notebook has updates on moving the three-point line, Regional Realignment/Expansion, and even the Wild Williams World of Sports.

You can listen to the podcast here: https://bit.ly/2YVyRnU

Hoopsville broadcasts from the WBCA/NABC Studio. All guests are featured on the BlueFrame Technology Hoopsville Hotline. The offseason plan is to do a podcast each month. The shows will be audio-only leading up to the start of the 2020-21 when we will restart the video shows.

If you have questions, ideas, or want to interact with the show, feel free to send them to hoopsville@d3sports.com or use any of the social media options in the right-hand panel.

If you enjoy the show via the podcasts, choose your favorite avenue to listen and/or subscribe via the the following four avenues (click on the images when necessary):
SoundCloud: www.soundcloud.com/hoopsville


We also have the podcast now on Tune-In and others coming. We will update them once we have better abilities to do so.

Don't forget you can always interact with us:
Website: www.d3hoopsville.com
Twitter: @d3hoopsville or #Hoopsville
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Hoopsville
Email: hoopsville@d3sports.com
Hoopsville Season Archive: www.team1sports.com/Hoopsville
YouTube: www.youtube.com/d3hoopsville

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

I got Pat Coleman, Ryan Scott, and Bob Quillman to join me for Part 2 of the May Hoopsville Podcast to talk about an historic year for retirements (on the men's side) and a bit of this Mt. Rushmore discussion. It actually turned out far better than I had hoped - it was a fun conversation. One of the better ones we've likely had in some time.

Editing now (some really odd tech issues today haha) and will get it posted as soon as tonight, but more likely tomorrow (midday).

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

With the number of significant retirements on the men's side of Division III basketball, there is plenty to talk about in the month of May. Thus, we needed a "Part 2" this month.

On this "Hoopsville Podcast: May Edition (Part 2)", we talk about what is arguably one of the most significant retirement classes of coaches in the history of Division III - especially on the men's side of things.

Pat Coleman, Ryan Scott, and Bob Quillman join Dave McHugh to chat about those who retired, the number of wins and the high-level of success they had, and even if trying to have a Mt. Rushmore of DIII coaching who might be considered (some coaches you may have forgotten about are mentioned).

Plus - if not for the number of significant retirements, the biggest news in Division III off-season so far would likely be Eric Bridgeland picking up and moving to Southern California. Bridgeland joins Dave to talk about his Whitman program, the success, and the decision to start anew at Redlands and the SCIAC.

You can listen to the podcast here: https://bit.ly/2zGESua

Hoopsville broadcasts from the WBCA/NABC Studio. All guests are featured on the BlueFrame Technology Hoopsville Hotline. The offseason plan is to do a podcast each month. The shows will be audio-only leading up to the start of the 2020-21 when we will restart the video shows.

If you have questions, ideas, or want to interact with the show, feel free to send them to hoopsville@d3sports.com or use any of the social media options in the right-hand panel.

If you enjoy the show via the podcasts, choose your favorite avenue to listen and/or subscribe via the the following four avenues (click on the images when necessary):
SoundCloud: www.soundcloud.com/hoopsville


We also have the podcast now on Tune-In and others coming. We will update them once we have better abilities to do so.

Don't forget you can always interact with us:
Website: www.d3hoopsville.com
Twitter: @d3hoopsville or #Hoopsville
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Hoopsville
Email: hoopsville@d3sports.com
Hoopsville Season Archive: www.team1sports.com/Hoopsville
YouTube: www.youtube.com/d3hoopsville

[Northern_Explorer]

This is more of a snapshot ranking than a Mt. Rushmore... but what do you think? Who's missing? Who's overrated? https://collegeathleticadvisor.com/inspire/

Top 5 "Programs That Inspire" (out of 20)

1. Wisconsin – Oshkosh (WI, NCAA Division 3)
2. NW Missouri State (MO, NCAA Division 2)
3. Williams College (MA, NCAA Division 3)
4. Azusa Pacific University (CA, NCAA Division 2)
5. University of Rochester (NY, NCAA Division 3)

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

Yeah .. I mean ... 'inspire'? That is a rather individualistic term that I don't think really gives us much per the best coaches in DIII argument. Furthermore, none of the DIIIs on there are there because of coaches we even considered. That isn't a knock, but UWO has had a few coaches in the last few years ... Williams is known as a revolving door of sorts ... and Rochester got up there from one coach in the Rushmore convo, but he hasn't been there in a long time now - the current coach, though, is doing very well for sure.

[Northern_Explorer]

Yeah .. I mean ... 'inspire'? That is a rather individualistic term that I don't think really gives us much per the best coaches in DIII argument. Furthermore, none of the DIIIs on there are there because of coaches we even considered. That isn't a knock, but UWO has had a few coaches in the last few years ... Williams is known as a revolving door of sorts ... and Rochester got up there from one coach in the Rushmore convo, but he hasn't been there in a long time now - the current coach, though, is doing very well for sure.

Yes, I think it's a bit of misfit into the Mt Rushmore discussion, but I didn't really think it needed it's own topic either. There's quite a bit of overlap, though. Maybe a few of these folks might be more future contenders than current ones? But are there any programs that jump out at you as missing or particularly good fits? I mean, Yeshiva's coach doesn't make Mt. Rushmore yet, but what he's accomplished in Spanish Harlem is pretty amazing in my book...

[Titan Q]

My top 10 Mount Rushmore candidates...

(alphabetical order)

* Bob Bessoir (Scranton)

* Dennie Bridges (Illinois Wesleyan)

* Bosko Djurickovic (North Park, Carthage)

* Mark Edwards (Wash U)

* Dave Hixon (Amherst)

* Steve Moore (Wooster)

* Glenn Robinson (Franklin & Marshall)

* Bo Ryan (UW-Platteville)

* Bob Semling (UW-Stevens Point)

* Jerry Welsh (Potsdam)

Rest in peace, Coach Bessoir.

https://www.thetimes-tribune.com/sports/legendary-basketball-coach-bob-bessoir-dies-at-88/article_f76d6447-933e-53e1-8a2f-182d3866e5fc.html#utm_campaign=blox&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social

[fantastic50]

Two coaches from this list, Bo Ryan and Steve Moore, are among the 2021 Naismith Hall of Fame nominees.  Also on the list is Ken Anderson, who had a long tenure at UWEC during the Bluegolds' pre-D3 days.

https://www.hoophall.com/news/naismith-memorial-basketball-hall-of-fame-announces-eligible-candidates-for-the-class-of-2021