Comparing Dabo's Coaching Trajectory to Coach K

Feb 8, 2014, 6:06 PM

People forget Duke Bball wasn't Duke Bball until Coach K arrived. Duke didn't really become an elite program and "Blue Blood" until the early 90's when they won B2B championships.

Coach K started as a little known 33 yr old head coach at Duke in 1980 and had three consecutive years under .500 and most people wanted him fired. He finally got some momentum in his fourth year getting his own recruits in and by year six had won his first ACC championship and made it to the NC game. Duke made it to three final fours in the next four years and finally in 1991, won the NC, K's 12th year at Duke. The rest is history. All this time, Duke was always considered 2nd class in the ACC behind UNC (much like FSU if you didn't see the parallel).

Dabo inherited a slightly better brand at Clemson than Coach K did at Duke. Expectations were and still are at early 1980's levels in Clemson. This will be Dabo's sixth full year and we've hit a fork in the road, but there no denying Clemson's brand has improved; recruiting, coaching, national perception, and player development have all gotten better.

Whether Clemson can take the next step is yet to be seen but if they can stay among the Elite consistently, there will be years where a NC will be within striking distance. I thought we had a chance this year.

Aside from just the numbers, Coach K and Dabo have brought a lot of integrity and class to their programs. Players feel as if they're part of a family and character and coachability have become more important than talent. Granted, K is not as outspoken, but he has always used positive motivation and more modern methods of leading as opposed to Bear Bryant's water deprivation tactics from the 60's. They both generally care about their players and the "family atmosphere" is not a facade for recruiting.

I don't know if our next step as a program is perennial playoff member. After all, times have changed since the 1980's, but in order to build a brand and become a football "blue blood" I feel like Dabo is taking all of the right steps. Dabo haters and STS need to realize, it doesn't happen overnight, it takes years. Every year won't be better than the last, there will be hiccups, but we're better than we were five years ago and I think we will be able to same the same five years from now.

Thanks for reading my book, I need college football back -- too much time on my hands...

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That is not an accurate appraisal in your account of Duke basketball prior to Coach K. It is incorrect on many counts.

Duke under Vic Bubas went 181 and 40 from 1960 to 1968. The program fell off in 70s but Bill Foster built Duke back to elite status in the late 1970s.

Duke played for a National Championship in 1978, just 4 years prior to Coach K's arrival.

in 79 they made the Elite eight.

The last 3 years before Coach K, Duke went 27-7, 22-8 and 24-9.

Obviously K took Duke to a level never achieved before in the history of college basketball but Duke has just about always been among the elite Top 10 programs in College Basketball.

They had also made the final four on 5 other occasions and made the NCAA tourney /won the ACC on 11 occasions in an era where only the conference champ went to the Tournament.

And to even compare Dabo to Coach K is silly. Coach K is arguably the best college basketball coach in history. He is definitely the best coach over the past 30 years and only UCLA / Wooden, Smith / UNC and Knight/Indiania can even make a claim to be better than K.

Dabo is not even the best coach ever at Clemson and is not the best coach currently in the state of South Carolina.

There is ZERO comparison. Coach K is in the Top 5 ALL TIME. Dabo is not even in the Top 25 currently.

Also if you think the brand of Clemson football is greater today than Duke basketball, then well, I just can not help you. That might be the silliest thing ever posted on Tiger Net.

They both have unusual names, the comparison ends there.

Comparing Dabo's Coaching Trajectory to Coach K

Re: Comparing Dabo's Coaching Trajectory to Coach K

Re: Comparing Dabo's Coaching Trajectory to Coach K

Re: Re: Comparing Dabo's Coaching Trajectory to Coach K

Thank you for the wofford angle on everything

Re: Re: Comparing Dabo's Coaching Trajectory to Coach K

The stupid in you is strong***

We have reached the "next Level'. We will play nose to nose

I hope Dabo gets 900 wins!

Do you remember Vic Bubas? Duke basketball has a rich

Re: Do you remember Vic Bubas? Duke basketball has a rich

Re: Comparing Dabo's Coaching Trajectory to Coach K

Based on your pulse, it looks like you're being a d0uche

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