Mike Anderson Compared to Other SEC Coaches

[revolution]

SEC Games Only - How does Mike Anderson compare with other SEC Coaches over the years?

John Calipari, KY                  99-25      .79
Rick Pitino, KY-GA              104-28      .78
Tubby Smith, KY                139-53      .72
Billy Donovan, Fla               202-109    .64
Nolan Richardson, ARK         173-98      .63
Billy Gillispie, KY                  20-12       .62
Mike White, Fla                  13-9         .59
Bruce Pearl, TN-Ala             75-61       .55
Rick Stansbury, Miss. St.      122-102    .54
Mike Anderson, ARK               49-43     .53            SEC only
Mike Anderson, ARK - MO       92-80     .53             SEC and Big 12
Johnny Jones, LSU                41-35      .53
Anthony Grant, Ala               56-50      .52
Andy Kennedy, Ole Miss         81-75      .51
Mark Fox, GA                       64-60      .51
Mark Gottfried, Ala                83-82      .50
Avery Johnson, Ala               10-10      .50
Kevin Stallings, Vandy          138-142    .49
Billy Kennedy, TAM                44-50      .46
Rob Evans, Ole Miss              43-53      .44
Ben Howland, Miss. St.          9-12        .42
John Pelphrey, ARK               25-39       .39
Stan Heath, ARK                  31-49       .38
Frank Martin, SC                  29-46       .38
Kim Anderson, Mizzou            6-33        .15

So what can be said about this?

1.  There have been a lot of mediocre coaches in the SEC.  And plenty who have struggled mightily.

2.  Only five coaches at three programs have won as much as 60% of their games in the SEC.  (KY-3, FLA-1, ARK-1)  I don't put Gillispie or Mike White (yet) in this category.

3.  Mike Anderson's record is most comparable to this bunch:
     Bruce Pearl      .55  (9 seasons)
     Rick Stansbury .54  (14 seasons)
     Mike Anderson  .53  (6 seasons SEC)
     Johnny Jones   .53  (5 seaons)
     Anthony Grant  .52  (6 seasons)
     Andy Kennedy  .51  (11 seasons)
     Mark Fox         .51  (7 seasons)
     Mark Gottfried  .50  (11 seasons)

[revolution]

Is Arkansas getting what it should be with our current coach or should we try to do better?  What makes you believe Anderson is going to begin winning a significantly higher percentage of his conference games? 

History suggests that winning 55% of your SEC games will not get you into the NCAA Tournament.  That's a damning statistic for Mike Anderson.

[Biggus Piggus]

Mike Anderson never coached an SEC game when he was at Missouri.

[revolution]

Mike Anderson never coached an SEC game when he was at Missouri.

That's a good catch!  Sorry I didn't think that through.  MA's conference winning percentage at Mizzou was 53.8%.  At Arkansas it's 53.3%.  Not a lot of difference.  Of course, the perception is that the Big 12 was a much tougher league, and I think that's accurate. 

So has Anderson performed worse at Arkansas or about the same as at Missouri?  Is he just about to do better in conference games than his historical record would predict? 

I did go back and make the corrections so the post is more accurate.

[rzrbackramsfan]

Is Arkansas getting what it should be with our current coach or should we try to do better?  What makes you believe Anderson is going to begin winning a significantly higher percentage of his conference games? 

History suggests that winning 55% of your SEC games will not get you into the NCAA Tournament.  That's a damning statistic for Mike Anderson.

His recruiting starting with last years class going out until 2019 duh.

I honestly think your analysis makes mike look good when you consider recruiting hasn't been there and some of the other .5 guys have recruited really well and haven't done much with it.

Also it dismisses some of the heath and pel vs mike arguments.

[revolution]

His recruiting starting with last years class going out until 2019 duh.

I honestly think your analysis makes mike look good when you consider recruiting hasn't been there and some of the other .5 guys have recruited really well and haven't done much with it.

Also it dismisses some of the heath and pel vs mike arguments.

Good points, although MA is certainly responsible for his recruiting throughout his tenure at Arkansas. 

If this team responds well and gets into the NCAA, then the storyline looks like he built for year 4, didn't prepare for the losses that led to the dramatic downturn of year 5, but then righted the ship for year 6. 

If this team improves upon last year but falls short of the Tournament, then there still can be hope and belief that the future is going to be significantly better without any real historical evidence.  His future recruits give hope and belief validity for some.   

I do think the rest of this year will largely set the narrative.  The question is now front and center - can Anderson get Arkansas where the fans want to go?  While we might not all agree on exactly what the desired or expected destination is (NCAA bids or Sweet 16's or a National Championship), very few are satisfied with the state of the program at this present point.

[rzrbackramsfan]

Good points, although MA is certainly responsible for his recruiting throughout his tenure at Arkansas. 

If this team responds well and gets into the NCAA, then the storyline looks like he built for year 4, didn't prepare for the losses that led to the dramatic downturn of year 5, but then righted the ship for year 6. 

If this team improves upon last year but falls short of the Tournament, then there still can be hope and belief that the future is going to be significantly better without any real historical evidence.  His future recruits give hope and belief validity for some.   

I do think the rest of this year will largely set the narrative.  The question is now front and center - can Anderson get Arkansas where the fans want to go?  While we might not all agree on exactly what the desired or expected destination is (NCAA bids or Sweet 16's or a National Championship), very few are satisfied with the state of the program at this present point.

Good post.  I wouldn't say mike is solely responsible for recruiting, though, think the university, facilities, basketball prestige, etc.. are also to blame which are out of his control For the most part.  Recruiting hasn't been terrible though, but we can definitely see an uptick lately. 

[upperdeck_hawg]

more than won loss records in conference, the most important statistic is how many times has a coach made it to the dance and how they did in the dance. MA is batting 20% so far. About to be less than that after this year.

[revolution]

more than won loss records in conference, the most important statistic is how many times has a coach made it to the dance and how they did in the dance. MA is batting 20% so far. About to be less than that after this year.

So let's add that metric to the comparison:  (NCAA bids in completed seasons in SEC)

Bruce Pearl       TN     65-31 SEC       .68     6 NCAA bids in 6 seasons
Mark Gottfried   AL      83-82 SEC      .51      5 NCAA bids in 11 seasons
Rick Stansbury  MS     122-102 SEC    .54     6 NCAA bids in 14 seasons
Kevin Stallings   VU     138-142 SEC    .49     7 NCAA bids in 17 seasons
Mark Fox          GA      64-60 SEC      .51     2 NCAA bids in 7 seasons
Johnny Jones    LSU     41-35 SEC     .53      1 NCAA bid in 3 seasons
Mike Anderson   AR      49-43 SEC     .53      1 NCAA bid in 5 seasons
Andy Kennedy   MS      81-75 SEC     .51      2 NCAA bids in 10 seasons
Anthony Grant   AL      56-50 SEC      .52     1 NCAA bid in 6 seasons
Bruce Pearl       AU      10-30 SEC      .25     0 NCAA bids in 2 seasons

[Biggus Piggus]

That's a good catch!  Sorry I didn't think that through.  MA's conference winning percentage at Mizzou was 53.8%.  At Arkansas it's 53.3%.  Not a lot of difference.  Of course, the perception is that the Big 12 was a much tougher league, and I think that's accurate. 

So has Anderson performed worse at Arkansas or about the same as at Missouri?  Is he just about to do better in conference games than his historical record would predict? 

I did go back and make the corrections so the post is more accurate.

MA has performed worse at Arkansas, undoubtedly.

[cityhog]

That's a good catch!  Sorry I didn't think that through.  MA's conference winning percentage at Mizzou was 53.8%.  At Arkansas it's 53.3%.  Not a lot of difference.  Of course, the perception is that the Big 12 was a much tougher league, and I think that's accurate. 

So has Anderson performed worse at Arkansas or about the same as at Missouri?  Is he just about to do better in conference games than his historical record would predict? 

I did go back and make the corrections so the post is more accurate.

I would argue he has been worse at Arkansas. Big12 is a much tougher conference than is the SEC, so wins are more precious in that conference.

[Vandyhog4]

Mike Anderson's record is most comparable to this bunch:
     Bruce Pearl      .55  (9 seasons)
     Rick Stansbury .54  (14 seasons)
     Mike Anderson  .53  (6 seasons SEC)
     Johnny Jones   .53  (5 seaons)
     Anthony Grant  .52  (6 seasons)
     Andy Kennedy  .51  (11 seasons)
     Mark Fox         .51  (7 seasons)
     Mark Gottfried  .50  (11 seasons)

Pretty telling.  Almost all of those coaches got fired, or will be fired, for lack of performance at schools that don't have near the history or expectation.

[Biggus Piggus]

Pretty telling.  Almost all of those coaches got fired, or will be fired, for lack of performance at schools that don't have near the history or expectation.

Pearl was fired for recruiting violations not W-L record. Rick Stansbury retired, was not fired. Under pressure, maybe. But the "mediocrity" label is accurate.

[tophawg19]

His recruiting starting with last years class going out until 2019 duh.

I honestly think your analysis makes mike look good when you consider recruiting hasn't been there and some of the other .5 guys have recruited really well and haven't done much with it.

Also it dismisses some of the heath and pel vs mike arguments.

you can't count the upcoming classes because they haven't happened yet and may not. most of those with a like record got fired

[PharmacistHog]

Its hard to compare those older coaches to these now. The SEC is WAY weaker now.

[Dwight_K_Shrute]

Its hard to compare those older coaches to these now. The SEC is WAY weaker now.

Conference is what it is, and if it's weak can weigh on you in terms of recruiting, perception of the league during bid time and either quality of play.

Other factors how many more D-1 BBall schools today compared to 30 or so years ago when the field expanded to 64.

It's all relative and is what it is.  Biggest takeaway from all the data:  Kim Anderson, yeesh.

[GoHogs1091]

Huge difference in the coaching Tuesday night in Bud Walton, but not surprising considering that Ben Howland out-coaches a lot of opposing Coaches.

Rick Pitino, Billy Donovan, Nolan Richardson, and Ben Howland are the only high quality Head Coaches on that list.  The rest of the list is a bunch of mediocrity.