There are currently four finalists for the Naismith Coach of the Year award. Two are still coaching, Tony Bennett of Virginia and our very own Chris Beard. Beard stand out over Bennett for many reasons, and I’ll illustrate those here in a second. Coach Sampson from Houston and Coach Barnes from Tennessee had great seasons, with both of their programs getting to the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Tournament. Beard has done the better job coaching this season, and here’s why:
He had to replace last season’s team:
35.79% of minutes returned this year from last year’s team.