1
The Sporting News has released its ranking of all 124 Division I Football Bowl Subdivision coaches.
How do Washington State’s Mike Leach and Washington’s Steve Sarkisian stack up?
Very good, actually.
Leach is No. 17 overall. Sarkisian, who has been a head coach for only three seasons, is No. 30.
Not surprisingly, Alabama’s Nick Saban tops the list.
Oregon’s Chip Kelly is the highest-ranked Pac-12 coach at No. 6. Here’s how they stack up overall: Kelly (No. 6), Leach (17), USC’s Lane Kiffin (20), Utah’s Kyle Whittingham (21), Sarkisian (30), Stanford’s David Shaw (32), Arizona’s Rich Rodriguez (39), Oregon State’s Mike Riley (55), California’s Jeff Tedford (57), UCLA’s Jim Mora (68), Arizona State’s Todd Graham (75), and Colorado’s Jon Embree (106).
2
To no one’s surprise, Orlando finally fired coach Stan Van Gundy.
Van Gundy’s coaching career tends to be marked by drama, which he helps make happen.
Here’s what columnist David Steele of aolfanhouse says of Van Gundy: “He takes outstanding players and gets a ton more out of them. He gets to the brink of championship contention with them. He rubs them completely the wrong way in the process. He holds them accountable. He speaks honestly in public. He entertains and endears himself to the public, while simultaneously making those players want to roll him off the roof of their arena.
“Eventually, he gets the rug pulled out from under him. But before that happens, it sure is fun to have him around. Especially if your favorite team’s best player is a tad too impressed with himself and a tad too sensitive for his own good.”
Before we forget, Portland has a need for a NBA coach.
How about Van Gundy?
It won’t happen, says Steele.
“If nothing else, their foundation player, LaMarcus Aldridge, is high character. But if they could tune out Nate McMillan, how long before the friction builds up with Van Gundy?”
