Speaking of Coaching Trees

Just as Ken McDonald was taking the reigns over at Western Kentucky, Frank Haith was suring up his position at the University of Miami. Haith signed a 5-year contract extension that will keep him with the Hurricanes through 2012-2013.

The extension was a reward for Miami's first tournament appearance since 2002, best ever finish in the ACC, first ever 1st team all-ACC player in Jack McClinton, a 14-2 home record, coupled with the highest home attendance in the past five years, and beating Duke never hurts.

Haith has been the head man at Miami for four seasons, compiling a 69-60 record.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=3334027

Coaching Trees Bloom in the Spring

The Rick Barnes coaching tree has now officially reached two, as assistant coach Ken McDonald was named the head coach of Western Kentucky, replacing Darrin Horn, who took over at South Carolina. McDonald, who has been with Barnes as a player and a coach, became the second coach to leave Barnes' staff, following Frank Haith who left for Miami, three years ago.

McDonald has had a long history with Barnes, first as a player at Providence, then for four years as an assistant on Barnes' Clemson staff. He then moved on to Western Kentucky as an assistant there for two years, before rejoining Barnes at Texas, where he spent the last four seasons.

Known as a good recruiter, McDonald will try to continue and build on the success that Horn experienced at Western Kentucky, building the program into a emerging mid-major. They peaked this season as they reached the Sweet 16, before a frantic comeback fell short against #1 seed UCLA. After that success as well as developing an NBA talent in Courtney Lee, Horn decided it was time to cash in and moved on to South Carolina.

McDonald inherits a program that has already established itself, but one that will have to endure a bit of a downturn next season. Western Kentucky will lose Courtney Lee and Tyrone Brazelton, their two best players from the past season. They also lose Ty Rogers, another starter and solid role player. The Hilltoppers also graduate three players off their bench. While McDonald loses a majority of his new team, they have some young talent and has some great momentum to recruit off of.

Texas will most likely fill McDonald's position from within. The front runner for the position is former Longhorn Chris Ogden who has been the video coordinator for the past two years. However, it is possible that Ogden could go with McDonald or that Barnes looks to fill the position from outside the program.

McDonald has the potential to be successful at Western Kentucky, and use the program in a similar manner as Darrin Horn. If he can continue to win over the next four or five years he should be able to move on to an even better program.

With the success of this past season, Frank Haith looks ready to turn the corner at Miami, and continue to improve in a conference looking for a consistent #3 and #4 team. With the shape of the Western Kentucky program, McDonald and Haith look ready to make the Barnes coaching tree a successful one.

Had to use that picture again somehow.

Securing Home Court

The Longhorns did what was expected of them in the first two rounds, making their way through Little Rock and securing home court advantage for as long as they stay in the tournament. Texas defeated #15 Austin Peay on Friday and #7 Miami (FL) on Sunday.

In both games the Longhorns came out of the gates very quickly and seized control of the game, jumping out to early leads and shooting well. The defensive pressure was intense in both games, and they were focused early. This was a great sign as most teams pick up the confidence to hang around and pull upsets in the first 10 minutes.

In both games, AJ Abrams led the way scoring, getting free and knocking down open looks. It almost seems like both Austin Peay and Miami (FL) didn't exactly understand that you can give Abrams any space. And with his quick release, any free space he will get off a clean shot. It will be interesting to see if Stanford makes the adjustment, because with the amount of time Abrams got in the first two rounds he will continue to put up spectacular shooting numbers.

Damion James and Connor Atchley also had great games in the first two rounds. Damion has been active on the boards and been aggressive around the rim. Connor's play was a breathe of fresh air as he got back on track shooting from three point range and played some solid defense, though he got in foul trouble in both games. Damion's performance against Miami was especially impressive as he pulled down 16 rebounds and added 16 points to the cause.

Justin Mason continued his spectacular play over the last month as he played great on the offensive and defensive end. He limited McClinton of Miami, who had 38 in round 1, much of the game, and in the process disrupted much of Miami's offense. Offensively he continued to drive and dish, slicing the defense and creating easy baskets for the Texas bigs. But most of all he once again is setting the tone for Texas' intensity, flying around the court and out hustling every other player on the court.

The other pleasant surprise was the play of Dexter Pittman who added solid minutes off the bench. In the Austin Peay game it helped that he was 5 inches and 50 pounds bigger than everyone else, but he continued his solid play in the Miami game. If Dex or any of the other big men continue to contribute it takes a ton of pressure off the starting lineup to stay out of foul trouble and carry the load. It was also a welcome sight to see Gary Johnson return to the floor after missing the last week with a strained calf muscle. Getting Johnson back into the rotation will become more and more important in the upcoming games.

For as well as Texas played, a few concerns came up after the first two games. For as well as the Longhorns came out and seized the momentum of the game in each of the first two games, they didn't put their opponents away. Against Austin Peay, they took the Governors out of their game, quickly erasing any hope of their upset. But after jumping out to a 15 point lead, it stayed there for much of the game, leaving Austin Peay at striking distance throughout. The same thing happened against Miami, as the Hurricanes stayed within about 13 points for most of the second half. Then our worst fears came true as Miami went on a run, seized momentum and almost stole a game they had no business being in.

The frantic comeback attempt made by Miami brought to light a concern that hadn't really reared its ugly head in the past month, but it apparently was still there. Texas' free throw shooting down the stretch was pretty much atrocious and will be a major concern from here on out. Atchley, James, and Augustin were all exposed at the line late in the game, and Mason missed 3 of 4 earlier in the game. Probably from here on out, Texas is going to find itself in close games, and free throw shooting down the stretch will be essential. And right now, AJ Abrams is the only one that anyone feels comfortable with on the line.

The interior defense was also a bit of a concern against Miami. The perimeter defense was solid, but early on, Miami's big men were able to score inside and cause problems for the Texas defense. It got a little bit better as the game went on, but with Stanford's twin towers on the horizon, Texas' interior defense will need to be nothing short of spectacular if Texas hopes to advance against the Cardinal. Connor Atchley desperately needs to stay out of foul trouble and Gary Johnson, Wangmene, Pittman, and Chapman need to play solid, consistent defense. Brook Lopez shoot free throws extremely well and if he gets too deep he will score. But if you can get him 8 or more feet from the basket he becomes a decidely less effective player. Texas players will need to out work him in the post.

I'm not sure if this last one is a concern, but with the play of Abrams and James in the first two games, DJ Augustin hasn't needed to do much. But it also makes me a little bit weary that he hasn't shot well, has made some poor decisions, and hasn't been extremely effective. He has played well, but I think that DJ will need to give even more to the Longhorns if they hope to advance. Especially with Stanford's size inside, DJ needs to be more judicious in when he goes to the basket and when he relies on his mid range game. DJ Augustin hasn't played like an All-American yet, and we need him to be an All-American if we hope to continue the march to San Antonio. And it would help if he didn't air ball any free throws.

All in all, Texas looked impressive in the opening weekend, except for five minutes against Miami. So let's say that things are looking good, and that was a pre-arranged agreement between Rick Barnes and his old friend Frank Haith.

Bring on the Cardinal.

Short stay in Miami?

The ACC is not for the feint of heart. The ACC is a conference made up of a few perennial powerhouses, several teams that spend several years at the top and take one or two years to rebuild, and the rest are teams that fight year in and year out to breakthrough. Florida State is annually on the cusp as a team looking to break through, while Virginia Tech is a team that broke through this year. Coming into his third season, Frank Haith's Miami program was a team that had spent the previous two seasons along side Florida State, fighting to belong. This season, that plan unraveled.

In the pressure packed world of major college sports, coaches are forced to win now. They face the extremely difficult task of taking a program that has struggled, winning with the talent they currently have in house, while turning the program into a major contender by attracting top recruits. It's the inability to win with the talent in house, while convincing top recruits to come to a program that hasn't won yet, where coaches most often meet their doom. In a conference where no game is an easy win, this task proves close to impossible.

Coming off a 12-20 season, finishing dead last in the ACC with a 4-12 mark, Coach Haith will begin to feel the pressure in his fourth season. After two NIT appearances, and never finishing above .500 in conference, Miami will begin to expect results. The question facing Haith, will be whether his team, one made up of mostly his recruits now, will be able to grow up and succeed in the pressure cooker of the ACC quickly enough. Furthermore, what level of improvement will be demanded of Haith to keep his job?

After going 16-13 and 18-16 over his first two seasons, Haith's Miami team fell apart this season after losing guard Guillermo Diaz, who foolishly declared early for the NBA draft (and went undrafted), and losing center Anthony King to injury. Diaz and King were supposed to be the strength inside and outside for this team, allowing top recruits to slowly work their way into the flow of the system. What looked to be a promising season quickly thrust young unproven recruits into the limelight. Sophomores Jack McClinton, Brian Asbury, and Denis Clemente led the way for a Miami team that featured three sophomores and a freshman in the starting lineup. In the talent-filled ACC this quickly led to its undoing as the team fell apart, finishing 4-12 in conference. They showed signs of life towards the end of the season, upsetting Maryland in the first round of the ACC tournament before falling by three to Boston College.

With McClinton and Clemente emerging this season as the solid back court of the future, the questions of Miami's success will lie inside. Sophomore Brian Asbury played well in the small forward position (11.7 ppg/5.9 rpg), but Miami will need freshman Dwayne Collins to become a true force inside. Whether that will become a reality is yet to be seen, but Haith has no shortage of bodies to use, to see what he can get out of his post players. Jimmy Graham (SO), Raymond Hicks (JR), Fabio Nass (FR), and Lawerence Gilbert (FR) will all get their chance to fight for minutes for the Hurricanes. Joining them will be incoming freshman Freddy Asprilla and Julian Gamble, both 6'9".

From this talented, young group, Coach Haith will have to find out who is ready to grow up and accept the challenge that lies before them next season. Anything short of an NCAA birth might not be enough to keep Haith's job, depending on how understanding Miami is. Given their handling of the Larry Coker situation, he might be given enough time to let the kids grow up next season, before his job is on the line the following year. Drastic improvement will be hard to come by in the ACC, especially with a team that will still be relatively young next season. However, if Haith can get to .500 in the ACC next season, he will most likely have done enough to save his job for one more year. If he is able to get to that point, this team should be one that could finally be ready to breakthrough and be a contender in the ACC on an annual basis.