In the Men’s Final Four, It’s Boomer vs. Millennial Coaches

One of the 4 caput coaches near moving successful the men’s NCAA Tournament volition triumph his archetypal nationalist title Monday night. It could beryllium Houston’s Kelvin Sampson successful his 36th play of moving a programme astatine property 69. It could beryllium Duke’s Jon Scheyer successful his 3rd astatine property 37.

Auburn’s Bruce Pearl is connected the Sampson broadside of things — 30th twelvemonth arsenic a caput coach, 65 years old. Florida’s Todd Golden is conscionable getting going, similar Scheyer — sixth twelvemonth arsenic a caput coach, 39 years old. It’s hard to comparison the prime of enactment of careers that are decades isolated successful length, but that is our complaint successful beforehand of Sampson-Scheyer and Pearl-Golden matchups successful Saturday’s nationalist semifinals astatine the Alamodome successful San Antonio.

After scoring the coaches successful a assortment of categories connected a four-point standard and ranking them, we whitethorn person a hint astatine which 1 of them volition extremity up winning it all. Or astatine slightest that manager volition person this triumph arsenic consolation portion watching 1 of the others chopped the nets.

Longevity

It’s a worthwhile class of its own, particularly considering the mode Sampson and Pearl person been capable to bent successful and thrive successful the epoch of (out-in-the-open) subordinate compensation and subordinate movement.

4: Sampson
3: Pearl
2: Golden
1: Scheyer

Achievement

Sampson is 798-353 — what a mode this could beryllium to scope 800. Like Pearl (706-267), Sampson started astatine a little level (Montana Tech, Pearl astatine Southern Indiana) and has done thing but triumph astatine each stop. Sampson is 1 of 16 coaches to pb 2 antithetic schools to the Final Four. That and his tally of caller dominance astatine Houston springiness him the edge. Golden has won astatine San Francisco and Florida, 2 programs that aren’t advantaged similar Duke. Still, Scheyer is winning much than 80 percent of his games.

4: Sampson
3: Pearl
2: Scheyer
1: Golden

Mentors

No 1 is topping the apical notation connected Scheyer’s resume, Mike Krzyzewski. Sampson learned from a bully manager astatine Washington State, Les Stevens, and past took that programme to different level. But helium besides credited his postgraduate twelvemonth nether Jud Heathcote astatine Michigan State — 1979-80, the twelvemonth aft the Magic Johnson-led nationalist title — arsenic being formative. Pearl was a Tom Davis feline each the way, assisting him astatine Stanford and Iowa earlier striking retired connected his own. Golden played for Randy Bennett astatine Saint Mary’s and past for Pearl astatine the Maccabiah Games successful Israel successful 2009. He aboriginal joined Pearl’s unit astatine Auburn. So yeah, having Pearl arsenic a mentor gives Golden the borderline implicit Pearl.

4: Scheyer
3: Golden
2: Sampson
1: Pearl

Resources and different supporting factors

Who’s doing the astir with what they’ve got? Pearl ($5.96 cardinal successful pay, by the way) is the 1 manager present doing unprecedented things astatine a spot that ne'er cared for hoops the mode it does now. His is simply a shot schoolhouse each the way. Yes, that means Pearl and Golden ($3.6 million) some person that saccharine SEC shot money, but that besides means fierce contention for NIL dollars.

Sampson ($4.6 million) has reversed a tradition-rich but moribund program, elevating to the Big 12 and continuing to thrive. Scheyer (reportedly much than $7 million, but Duke is simply a backstage schoolhouse and not taxable to unfastened records laws) has a ton of unit succeeding Krzyzewski, but besides each advantage. For the record, nary of these programs is believed to beryllium astatine the precise apical of the NIL wage standard this season. Cooper Flagg, it should beryllium noted, came successful with the nationalist marketability to marque a ton of wealth this play disconnected “actual NIL.”

4: Pearl
3: Sampson
2: Golden
1: Scheyer

NCAA regularisation following

The information that nary 1 cares astir NCAA rules anymore does not mean nary 1 ever cared — successful particular, different coaches who really followed said rules. Sampson got a five-year show-cause from the NCAA successful 2008 for making impermissible telephone calls to recruits portion astatine Indiana, the NCAA saying helium lied to investigators. That was besides the crux of the Pearl lawsuit — which started with a enlistee astatine a cookout astatine his location — that got him fired from Tennessee and fixed a three-year amusement cause. Auburn besides got 4 years of probation, and Pearl a two-game suspension, successful 2021 aft an probe that progressive the FBI.

4: Scheyer
4: Golden
1: Sampson
0: Pearl

Basketball identity

Sampson’s is the clearest and easiest to identify. The Cougars are going to drawback your offense, compression it, enactment it successful a container and stomp connected it, conscionable similar his Oklahoma Sooners Final Four squad of 23 years agone did. He’s besides developed galore large constituent guards. Does helium person capable shooters this twelvemonth to decorativeness the woody for the archetypal time?

Pearl has ever been a pressing, high-tempo, self-described “gambling” coach, but to his credit, he listened to lad and subordinate caput manager Steven Pearl this play and slowed it mode down to maximize his team’s strengths.

Florida and Duke play aesthetically pleasing hoops with size and magnitude arsenic bullying traits. Many of Duke’s champion teams implicit the years person leaned connected ferocious antheral defense, but the prevailing individuality is having amended players and fitting strategy to their strengths. Which is what astute coaches do.

4: Sampson
3: Pearl
2: Scheyer
1: Golden

Recruiting and development

Take it each together, precocious schoolhouse recruiting and portal adds. Golden and Scheyer person been effectual successful some areas. Scheyer has done a masterful job of gathering the close squad astir Flagg — which is really much awesome than getting Flagg. Duke is going to onshore superstars until further announcement and until whoever’s successful complaint screws it up.

Golden’s star, Walter Clayton Jr., was the archetypal find of Rick Pitino. Several of his returnees from past play improved significantly. But the 2 Baby Boomers person agelong way records of excellence. Big recruits, no-name recruits into stars and portal wins. Johni Broome, the Morehead State transfer who has developed into a nationalist subordinate of the twelvemonth candidate, tilts it somewhat toward Pearl. Recency bias for the win.

4: Pearl
3: Sampson
2: Scheyer
1: Golden

Playing career

Scheyer played 4 years nether Krzyzewski, winning the nationalist title successful 2010 arsenic a elder and 2nd squad All-American. Golden was a coagulated defender astatine Saint Mary’s. Sampson played for his father, John W. “Ned” Sampson, astatine Division II Pembroke State (now UNC Pembroke). Pearl didn’t play for Davis astatine Boston College. He was a pupil manager and got into coaching from there. Managers enactment hard, too.

Scheyer: 4
Golden: 3
Sampson: 2
Pearl: 1

Media darlingness

Hey, don’t laugh, this matters! It’s not astir whether we similar you — it’s astir whether you tin usage america to amended your cause. We’re really precise casual to use. Smart coaches cognize however overmuch this tin assistance with recruits and fans (read: imaginable donors) arsenic well. Everyone present is bully — these are hoops coaches, not shot coaches — but Pearl is indispensable see/must listen. You ne'er cognize what whitethorn travel retired of his mouth. Scheyer seems genuinely funny successful giving insightful and revealing answers, which means helium understands that media are simply conduits to the people.

Pearl: 4
Scheyer: 3
Golden: 2
Sampson: 1

Final results

Sampson: 24
Pearl: 23
Scheyer: 23
Golden: 19

If these scores use to the games, we’ll beryllium talking astir Houston and Auburn connected Monday night, a rematch of the Tigers’ 74-69 triumph successful November astatine the Toyota Center successful Houston. Advantage Sampson? Maybe. But Pearl remains the lone known manager successful NCAA past to bushed a top-five squad distant from location aft 2 of his players got successful a combat connected the level and forced the aviator to crook the level around.

(Top photograph of Todd Golden and Bruce Pearl: John Reed / Imagn Images)

Joe Rexrode is simply a elder writer for The Athletic covering assemblage football. He antecedently worked astatine The Tennessean, Detroit Free Press and Lansing State Journal, and covered the Pyeongchang, Rio and London Olympics for USA Today. Follow Joe connected Twitter @joerexrode