Up the Down Coaching Ladder

So (former) Arizona interim coach Russ Pennell landed a head coaching job D-II Grand Canyon State. Given his comments, a D-II job wasn't exactly the "thank you" he expected after cleaning up Lute "Do I Have Dementia?" Olson's mess and taking Arizona to the Sweet 16. Pennell said that he couldn't go back to being an assistant after taking the reins of a top shelf program...and then Lord Acton and Winston Churchill had a good laugh. Russ, I hope you took photos, because the Louisville blowout is the last you'll see of high major head coaching job for a loooooonng time.

On the surface, it seems counterintuitive that an unknown coach taking a 12-seed to the Sweet 16 should take such a nosedive down the coaching ladder. Not sp in this case.

MYTH: Arizona was in the Sweet 16 and is therefore one of the top 16 teams in the country.

FACT: Arizona pulled off one minor upset and played the most favorable schedule of any Sweet 16 team.

Arizona beating Utah is an upset on paper but three out of four 12-seeds beat 5-seeds, making 5-seeds a rarer breed this year. Utah was a team that had peaked in January and limped to the finish line (just like my nearest and dearest 5-seed Illinois). Arizona was also the most talented 12-seed, with three NBA players on their roster. More importantly, Zona was lucky enough to draw the lowest remaining seed in its second round game in 13-seed Cleveland State. To reiterate for effect, once Arizona upset Utah, they become the FAVORITE in their second round game. And of course in the Sweet 16, Louisville did something to the Wildcats so nasty that it's illegal in 47 states.

But let's take a step back and remember that Arizona really had no business playing in the tournament. The committee must have been drinking from Lute Olson's water bottle, because only a clinically insane group of people would have put Arizona ahead of St. Mary's, Providence and San Diego State. Despite the coaching turmoil, the Wildcats boast three NBA players on their team in Chase Budinger, Nic Wise and Jordan Hill (all potential first-rounders at that). This is a team that, like most Arizona teams in the last 4 years, lacked any kind of chemistry. And when there's buttloads of talent and little success to show for it, whom do you blame? Yep. Sorry Rusty.

Russ doesn't really deserve much credit but to be fair, he shouldn't shoulder the blame either. From what I've read about the team, the Wildcats were essentially coached by committee with Pennell as the figurehead. You can't be surprised at the bad coaching because the guys at the helm never expected to be put in that situation until two weeks before the start of the season.

All that said, I'm a bit surprised that some desperate low-major D-I program didn't offer him the head job just to make a splash (Yes, that IS a hint at an upcoming Isaiah Thomas/Florida International post). But strange as it seems, the jump down to Grand Canyon State is actually a jump up. I don't mean to knock Russ, I'm just saying that his Sweet 16 run looks more impressive than it is. Really, I have no idea how good or bad a coach Russ Pennell is. I haven't seen him recruit, I haven't seen him work a full season and I have no idea how big a role he really played at Arizona this past year.

Ultimately, the burden falls on Lutey Tooty, who left the program in such disarray, exiting with such a lack of dignity and class that it's amazing they still let him in the building.* And as bitchy as Russ was on the way out the door, he did let slip one nugget of truth: Arizona's been lost for the last three years and Wildcats fans are going to feel the pain for another three, no matter if the coach is Pennell, Sean Miller or Buddha himself. At least Zona fans can be confident that no matter how miserably they tank next year, there will still be a 12-seed waiting or them.

*Some months back, Pat Forde wrote an excellent article about how Lute's departure screwed up the program. Available at http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=forde_pat&id=3660973&sportCat=ncb