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How to Build a Winning Basketball Team - A Case Study - emu steve - 03-12-2023 03:56 AM
Case studies are not the preferred method in science but we, as fans, use them. Look at what the coaches at Ohio, Akron, Kent, etc. are doing. How about Oats at UB and now Bama? Other schools hire and fire in a cycle. As we learned in football, sometimes a coach is a 'hidden gem.' Few would have guess that C.C. and Kenneth Blakeney would build their programs to the degree they have.
We get into long discussion about a HM assistant coach (e.g., someone from UofM, MSU, etc.). Or maybe a D-II HC.
Worse yet, we get into long discussions: if only Murphy could teach offense and Heath defense. If Heath could find the right PG.
Well a downtrodden Howard University team broke the mold. They hired an ASSISTANT coach from COLUMBIA. I remember playing them in a Murphy post-season game and thought, okay, a low major kind of program. Arena not much. Program not much. But a really good place for an education.
Anyway, their assistant coach, Kenneth Blakeney, was a hidden gem. Hiding in plain sight in NYC. Had to read his resume CAREFULLY and meet him.
The Howard University president, who is as good as they come, met Blakeney during the interview and told the AD to hire him.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/03/11/howard-ncaa-tournament-meac-championship/
Why Blakeney? He played at the storied DeMatha H.S. under the legendary Morgan Wooten in the D.C. area. Played for Coach K at Duke. Was an asst coach at various program and then went out of coaching and into the private sector. Came back as an assistant coach at COLUMBIA, hardly the launching grounds for D-I HCs.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenny_Blakeney
So why did he find success at Howard?
Part 1 of 2.
RE: How to Build a Winning Basketball Team - A Case Study - emu steve - 03-12-2023 04:10 AM
Part 2.
Kenneth Blakeney is the consummate high character guy. Period. He recruits high character players from DeMatha and around D.C. He takes transfers from Ivy league schools. I believe his offense is the Princeton offense. He literally built a program to fit his school. His school is a D.C. HBCU. He has built a strong relationship with DeMatha and other Catholic League schools.
He got a pint sized PG, Elijah Hawkins, from DeMatha and a PF from SoCal, Sy Odom, who can be a beast inside despite not being particularly tall. He found some 3-ball shooters.
They will probably be a 16 seed and not last long but a few years ago. They were in the 300s in the ratings a few years ago. #334 in 2017, I think. Under Blakeney then went from 5 wins to 22.
For Luckey, etc. Here is Blakeney's record at Howard. There is a real story here. Notice the progression from the absolute pits to the Big Dance:
One does not know if a school hired the right coach or wrong coach. After two years at Howard, some could have thought that they hired the WRONG coach, but they were wrong, they hired the RIGHT coach.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenny_Blakeney
Oh, I forgot my P.S. In 2020/21 Howard was to have their "Emoni", in Makur Maker. He got hurt early, and Covid caused Howard to cancel their 2020/21 season. Maker didn't want to risk another canceled season and went to play in Australia.