Monday, March 16, 2009

Bob McKillop's five potential NCAA Cinderellas

Last season, Davidson coach Bob McKillop’s Wildcats were the surprise team of the NCAA Tournament, not expected to win a game in the 64-team field but winning three and advancing to the Elite Eight. With Davidson not a participant this year, who better to ask for an O List of possible Davidson-type surprises than McKillop (right)?

His choices:

5. Butler: Well-coached and unselfish, but it could be difficult for them because they’re so young and going through an NCAA tournament the first time with youth is always a new experience.

4. Syracuse: I like Syracuse because to fight through what they’ve fought through, to have a point guard like they have in Jonny Flynn (above), and to have been there before, they might do pretty well.

3. Cleveland State: I know (coach) Gary Waters; he’s tough as nails. He’s physical, his teams defend.

2. Virginia Commonwealth: With (guard) Eric Maynor (above) and with (forward) Larry Sanders they have that inside-outside attack, and Anthony Grant is a marvelous coach.

1. Siena: They were there last year and they won and advanced last year, so they got a taste of it. It’s not going to be a new experience for them. (Coach) Fran McCaffery (above left) has been in the tournament on several occasions; he’s been there as an assistant, as a player, as a coach. I think he understands the dynamic of getting a team ready.

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

SYRACUSE?!? I'm sorry, a Big East juggernaut is not a Cinderella, Bob. They're one of the top programs in the country. I know its hard for Davidson people to understand this, but Syracuse is not at your level. They are head, shoulders and torso above you.

Anonymous said...

McKillop is just another typical Yankee living in God's Country. Take you condesending smooth talk back to the city Bob. You have enjoyed your 15 minutes of fame.

Anonymous said...

How is a 3 seed considered a Cinderella?

Anonymous said...

I see that the Confederates over at UNC-Concrete are out in full force to attack Coach McKillop this morning.

Anonymous said...

It's just possible that Coach McKillop did not use the word "cinderella", but that the headline writer is responsible for it.

Annette said...

I'm not sure what other potential "Cinderellas" are out there, given that the selection committee gave out all the at-large bids to high-major teams.

Anonymous said...

Who cares what McKillop thinks? He has a long history of coaching losing teams. Look at his overall record. He got lucky with Curry....a player who wouldn't have done as well in a real basketball program.

Anonymous said...

Guys, Syracuse is on the list because earlier no one expected them to make it, even though they aren't a typical Cinderella. As for McKillop being a losing coach, his record over 20 years at Davidson is 366-232, with eight 20-win seasons.

Anonymous said...

Stan, Syracuse has been a lock for the tournament most of the season. They improved their seed with a good Big East tourney. But still, they won 26 games this year, have played and beaten the best, and your own staff ranks them #10 overall. NOT a Cinderella. There's a lot of good mid-majors out there, and McKillop of all people shouldn't be stealing the spotlight from them by naming Syracuse, a perennial powerhouse, as a Cinderella.

Anonymous said...

McKillop's opinion on college basketball is relevant, the same as any excellent coach's opinion. He makes competitive teams out of a tiny school with high academic standards.

Anonymous said...

McKillop was ASKED to give his opinion--he didn't just volunteer it. Give it up--he is a nice guy and an excellent coach.

Anonymous said...

I gotta agree with a previous comment, what the heck is #3 seeded Syracuse doing listed as a cinderella.
Bob must be an Upstate New Yorker.
#3 seeds do NOT qualify as cinderellas automatically. Now someone like Utah State(seeded #11) would qualify as a Cinderella. His other picks would be considered cinderellas, but Syracuse no way!

Anonymous said...

I think he did pretty well, really well actually. His first pick Siena was a good choice because they don't rely on one player, they play as a team. They have been on the NCAA road before and they did well now they are really going to be unhesitant and win a couple. Also Syracuse could be a cinderella, they aren't as unknown as George Mason three years ago but they aren't an NCAA power house.

Anonymous said...

Look who thought of Syracuse as a three seed in the beginning of the season!? No one did they were unknown for basketball. Now i'm not saying Syracuse is a bad team i'm saying they are good and have worked hard for that seed. Syracuse is a great team but no one expected them to be this great.

DrFrankLives said...

Gotta love the oh so courageous attacks coming from anonymous posters.

Want to see the proof of the decline of our civilization? look no further than newspaper online comments.

Anonymous said...

Why bash McKillop? He was asked his opinion, he gave it. He is a class-act. If only we had more Bob McKillops in the tournament this year.

Anonymous said...

I agree, McKillop is a class act and he was asked for his opinion. He did not ask anyone to agree with him. I believe there are alot of children posting on the Observer web site. How else do you account for the bad spelling and grammar not to mention the insults and nasty words. Guess we just have to ignore it.

Anonymous said...

To the anonymous commenter who said "I believe there are alot of children..."

Um, it is actually spelled "a lot"- two words. You would not say "alittle". Learn to spell yourself before criticizing others' spelling and grammar.

Also, have you seen McKillop in person? I happen to know from personal experience that he is not a "class act". Maybe a typical Yankee, but most definitely not a class act.

Anonymous said...

Thomas, what exactly is your personal experience with Coach McKillop?