expresswrittenconsent said:
bv86ag said:
One of the all-time greats. Back in the 70s it was Shelby Metcalf, Abe Lemons, Eddie Sutton, Guy Lewis, Jim Killingsworth amongst the old SWC. Wow...talk about some HOF caliber coaches at the time..and nobody even considered the SWC to be much of a basketball conference. Hindsight is 20-20.
It really wasn't.
Abe Lemons was at Texas for about 6 yrs and didn't accomplish anything in the dance (won 1x nit). Eddie Sutton is in the HOF for his entire career (with better stints at Kentucky and Oklahoma St), but he did have 1x final four during his decade at arky. Guy Lewis is easily the most accomplished of the group but only 3 of his 5 final fours with UH came in the SWC and none of them happened in the 70s. Jim Killingsworth (who???) didn't even really coach in the SWC during the 70s (arrived for 79-80 season) and never really did squat anywhere. Shelby is still underappreciated here so no shade on him.
Context is important as far as the dance in that time frame. Abe Lemon's Sip bunch won the NIT went something like 27-5 and were left out of a 32 team NCAA tournament. That's just how it was in those days. Winning the NIT back then meant you beat some real tough teams along the way.
Guy Lewis as I recall took UH to the Final Four in 82, 83 and 84. As much as anything, he was unlucky at the final hurdles.
Eddie Sutton was a really solid and successful coach at all of his stops, even if a National Championship eluded him.
