Whose program would you bet on long term? Penny with his #1 class out the gate or Howard at a school that's won 9 NCAAT games in the last 3 years?

Going to be hard for Howard to keep that going.

Matsui said:

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Going to be hard for Howard to keep that going.

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Funny. I was going to say that about Penny.

I think they are both going to be at least moderately successful, Howard is facing an always dangerous Big10 however. Penny has a pretty solid Buffer in the way of expectations for the first couple years, he has a ton of goodwill in a CBB-crazed city and his recruiting has been on fire.

I would lean towards Howard.

Are we betting on who's at the job longest? Because I'd say Penny. But as far as who's going to have the best chance to win something, I'd say Howard.

I think the floor is a lot higher at Michigan, and even though playing in the Big 10 is tough, it is also advantageous to be in a major conference not just from a resources standpoint, but also because it makes it easier to make the NCAA Tournament.

The ceiling is the roof.

Memphis has better chance to dominate an easier conference and has stud recruits on the way. Michigan had a light class (2) coming in and the best looks like ku or somewhere else bound. Very late in game to rebuild the class (say like buzz did and he has no existing recruits from his old school to grab). Penny has more head coaching experience (not saying much, but more) and is more plugged in to the recruiting game, especially locally. Expectations are through the roof now at umich after they had one of the best coaches in college bb.

Money definitely on penny sticking longer.

I'm gonna say Penny. It's gonna be really hard to fill in Beilen's shoes for Howard. Howard hasn't stepped foot on a college campus in many years and plays in a much more competitive conference. I guess I'm picking Penny primarily because they play in the AAC and I'm hesitant on coaches that make the jump to college coming from the NBA.

Howard has a much tougher act to follow, following Beilen who was one of the best coaches in college basketball and well liked. Will be difficult for Howard to just 'maintain' the program that Beilen left. Penny on the other hand is following Tubby Smith who was hated in Memphis and got fired. Advantage Penny. Always better to come in as the savior following a guy who got fired than be the guy following The Guy.

I say Penny based on his AAU background and ability to recruit at a high level.

hoya-ag said:

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I say Penny based on his AAU background and ability to recruit at a high level.

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This x 1,000

Can Howard use the Fab 5 method to recruit at Michigan or do it the right way.

Penny is gonna be great in Memphis, especially since he lured Coach Davis away from A&M.