Originally Posted by
chris13
I agree that Duke is the premier program but I would argue that has more to do with Coach K than any other factor. Alabama is the premier program in college football but I wouldn't bet on their next coach matching the record of Nick Saban. Nebraska and Florida State were two of the premier college football programs of the 1990s, but how much of that was Tom Osborne and Bobby Bowden?
UNC got to Roy after 3 years of Guthridge, who did make the Final Four twice but was clearly behind Duke on the court and the recruiting trail, and then 3 years of Matt Doherty, who improved recruiting but caused a player revolt and the worst UNC season since I don't know when. I really think, no matter what the resources a program has, it's the coach in college who makes a program ascend to the absolute top level.
I'm not saying Duke can't go to a Final Four or win a national title with Quin Snyder or any other successor to Coach K, I'm just saying the coach is the secret sauce to dominate in college sports.
Duke basketball, 1963-1978 -- four Final Fours. Duke basketball, 2004-2019 -- three Final Fours. We weren't chopped liver before Coach K.
Sage Grouse
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'When I got on the bus for my first road game at Duke, I saw that every player was carrying textbooks or laptops. I coached in the SEC for 25 years, and I had never seen that before, not even once.' - David Cutcliffe to Duke alumni in Washington, DC, June 2013