Where the Cats are, have been, and will be with Collins as coach

[Walker Fan]

Purdue is ranked no. 13 in RPI rating and no. 16 by Kenpom. They have played one of the most difficult non-conference schedules. They have lost to 4 top 15 teams in UM, MSU, VT and FSU. They have a key road win v. UW. Lost a tight game at Texas and to ND. They play in the toughest conference and some conferences are having historic bad years (See Pac 10 or 12). Purdue is in right now without a doubt and is not a bubble team.

 

[PurpleFaze]

And the program is treating him differently than past coaches. He's being paid a lot of money and the school has invested nine figures into facilities improvements. Saying "he should get 13 years because that's what BC got" doesn't recognize the very real improvements in the program during his tenure.

(But like I said, I wouldn't make a call on him until 2020-21 at the earliest.)

Facilities isn't really a part of it until this season. It should definitely make his "sales pitch" easier moving forward.

I think the real status check to me would be when the current frosh class are seniors.

 

[freewillie07]

While there is no way to prove or disprove this, I disagree.

CCC never not once in his coaching career has been at a talent disadvantage prior to Northwestern. On most nights, his roster probably had three of the four best players; on some nights - even within the conference - nobody on the opposing team could crack his rotation.

He committed to going the road more traveled - which is to say, get the best players - when he came to NU. While Vic will forever be in the purple pantheon, and Mc was a recruiting coup and an endurance test to fend off latecomers, NU’s last recruit to average double digits in a Wildcat uniform committed in June of 2014. (That’s Pardon.) My five-year-old wasn’t walking yet.

Rap and Falzon have been bad luck, you could say, and of course *someone* will have to score double figures next year, but the fact is that CCC’s program strategy has been built on recruiting, and then hasn’t been successful at recruiting.

Lots of people wanted Benson. But Benson is just a guy. Ash was a great option at a traditional Chicago power. But, again, just a guy. Brown put up huge numbers - but on a losing high school team, and he never gravitated toward the role needed of him. Kopp or Gaines or Nance will almost certainly score in double figures next year, breaking a nearly-impossible dry spell.

Fact is, NU won in 2016 because they defended well, because Lindsey and Mc got along, and because they made enough shots.

NU hasn’t won in any other seasons because the other teams have had better basketball players. Sustainability of success is built primarily on changing that. Hopefully the current freshman class and next year’s freshman class become that second talented wave, though one would have to be an optimist to be sure of it right now.

Getting to 13 scholarships would be nice, but also carries risk.

I’m not really sure what point you’re trying to make.

My point is that adding a fifth-year lead guard who is currently averaging 11.4 PPG, 4 RBG, 2.9 APG and 1.9 SPG for Texas Tech, and who just put up 22 points in a win at Texas, would have been a complete game-changer for this season. No Turner playing out of position. Added depth. Consider the lineup:

Mooney (fifth year)
Taylor (fifth year)
Turner (fourth year)
Law (fifth year)
Pardon (fourth year)

Kopp and Gaines are first off the bench.

That team, if healthy, is a contender in the conference. Why Mooney elected not to come on board for a fun year, who knows. But it’s emblematic of the “near misses” Collins has had over the years that have the program where it is today.

All there is to say is he needs to hit more.