Mike Rice Is An Improved Greg Schiano
by Brandon C. on Jan 31, 2012 3:55 PM EST
in Rutgers basketball
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PrintThe title may sound a bit funny, but by the end of this article I hope you understand what I mean.
Greg Schiano started his Rutgers coaching career after coaching at several other minor and major programs, and faced a tough task when hired at Rutgers.
Rutgers was one of the worst football programs in the nation, but Schiano promised to change that, and bring the school to National prominence. Schiano did that, then left for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers job.
Mike Rice was hired after Rutgers basketball finished below .500 for four consectutive seasons under Fred Hill. Rice promised to bring in great recruiting classes, pack the RAC, and soon enough bring the Scarlet Knights to the NCAA Tournament.
It took Greg Schiano until 2006, six years into his tenure with Rutgers to get "signature" wins, but Mike Rice got one in his first year over Villanova, and has two this season over Connecticut and Florida.
The difference between Schiano and Rice is that Rice took the program and immediately got going. Rice put together a fantastic freshman class, a year after almost finishing .500 in the best conference in the league.
Now, Rice is hoping to get to the NCAA Tournament, which does not seem too crazy for a goal for next season. Rice will likely get offers from other schools hoping to pry him away, but will likely say no, as Rutgers is a big enough school.
Greg Schiano was the face of Rutgers football for years. Mike Rice is now the face of Rutgers basketball, and if I am correct, he will be for many years to come.
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He's definitely having more success sooner...
but to be fair to Schiano, as bad a shape as the basketball program was, football was 25x worse (and that still might be an understatement). It’s also far easier to turn a basketball program around than it is a football program. Give me a dominant scorer and solid defensive presence in the paint, and you could surround them with 3 average players and still be competitive.
The nature of football makes it the ultimate team sport. Turning a program around from absolutely nothing, as was the case with Schiano, to simply being competitive a multi-year endeavor.
But to your point, Rice is doing an excellent job and making use of every advantage he can and the results are showing themselves on the court.
Let's slow down...
…before we annoint Mike the next Tom Young.
He is making good progress and appears to be doing things the “right way”. I do think he’ll get us their in next season or the following. But so far we haven’t really achioeved anything, not a trip to The Dance or even a conference final four appearance.
Let’s park the sedan chair until something more significant than directionally correct is achieved, OK?
Rutgers basketball
This may be the silliest story that I’ve ever read! Comparing Mike Rice to Greg Schiano! Is anyone paying attention over there? Mike Rice verbally berets his players during the games and then humiliates them in public at the post-game news conferences. I think this guy will be gone in two years. Players will not stand for this type of abuse. They quit playing for him during the games because of this negative treatment. Furthermore, his “signature wins” came against ranked teams that have since fell out of the ratings like UCONN and Pitt; the Florida win was a fluke.
by RutgersHoops on Feb 2, 2012 10:42 AM EST up reply actions
Minor Programs?
“Greg Schiano started his Rutgers coaching career after coaching at several other minor and major programs, and faced a tough task when hired at Rutgers.”
Rutgers (GA)
Penn State (GA)
Penn State (DB)
Chicago Bears (Assistant)
Chicago Bears (DB)
Miami (DC)
Rutgers (HC)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (HC)
Mike Rice
The performance of the Rutgers men’s basketball team and Mike Rice’s conduct over the last two games makes this story look even goofier. He gets ejected in the first half against Louisville. Undeterred, he continues to beret his players and even throws things on the sideline against Seton Hall. His players clearly quit playing at points during the game and they almost get into an on-court brawl. This team is coming apart at the seams and Mike Rice is to blame.
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