March 31, 2023
We always hear it from the hoopers:
“We’re not supposed to be here!” “They said we couldn’t do it!” “It’s only Us that believed!” “Nobody believed in me!”
But these Coaches – Lou Larranaga, Danny Hurley, Brian Dutcher, and Dusty May – are absolutely, positively, honest-to-Godly, Not. Supposed. To Be. Here.
They all sound like a Coach or Athlete you know. But they’re not. One has been around for a while, the others are new, a late-bloomer and a couple relative neophytes, but either way, you never heard of them, I never heard of them, and their teams shouldn’t be here.
Both match-ups feature a Boomer vs. a Millennial. I am cheering for the Boomers, but let’s take a look.
The Brother vs. The Other
The Brother. I remember that guy! He was money for the Huskies in the NCAAs that year, little dude was tough! His dad is a legend!
No, you don’t “remember that guy.” That was his brother, Bobby. This is Danny Hurley, modest career at Seton Hall, coached his way through the ranks to Wagner, now showing the family coaching chops with the Huskies. (Brother Bobby flamed out with A State in the first round. I’d like to be fly on the Roast at the next Hurley family get-together!).
Danny looks like Rick Moranis, and I blame Bob Sr. for that.
At 50, Coach Hurley is no spring chicken, though early in his career as a head coach, especially compared to his Final Four coaching opponent.
The Other. We should know this guy. He’s been around forever. His record is pretty good. He was a tough hooper.
But be honest, you haven’t thought about this guy since George Mason made a run in 2006, and you didn’t remember it was the same guy till I just told ya.
Jim Larranaga won a lot. At Bowling Green. I think Nate Thurmond went there, and that’s the last time I thought about Bowling Green, unless I was in downtown Manhattan, waiting for a subway to go somewhere I probably didn’t want to go to.
With 725 wins overall, 255 wins at Miami, 16 wins in the Big Dance, and 1280 points as a hooper at Providence, Coach Larranaga has the best resume in the tournament. But does he have the best team?
Dusty May (his real name) v Brian (pass d) Dutcher (2 d winning side) (NOT his real name)
I met Dusty May. On Only Fans. She was a mixed Eurasian lass that did startling things. You may have met her out there.
This Dusty May is not her. Coach May cut his teeth as a student manager under the legendary and deranged Bobby Knight – those chair-tossing psychos don’t really look better as time goes by, do they – then followed his Hoosier roots to assist under Mike Davis at Florida, before taking over the Owls. After a few middling seasons, he’s got the Owls howlin’ and hoopin’ this yeart, with 35 wins preceding this NCAA run.
Coach May’s opponent, Brian Dutcher looks funny to me, like more used car salesmen than college basketball coach. But wait, what’s that you say? Aw c’mon! It’s not that hard to tell the difference!
At 63, Coach Dutcher is no spring chicken, but SD state is his first head coaching job, and he’s about 200 games in. He assisted Steve Fisher for about an Eon at Mich State than SD State, including the Fab Five years, where he specialized in time-out management.
He wins, and the ‘Tecs are playing with confidence. I wouldn’t buy a car from him, but he could coach my AAU team.
TheTizzle says …
The Brother, and U-Conn, over the Other, and Miami. The Huskies have been running through, over and around people. They are long and strong, have depth. They are taking teams out early, and choking them out. Larranaga will find ways to match up and make it somewhat of a battle, UConn’s toughest to date, but doesn’t have the horses.
Uconn -8
Dutcher whips Dusty. No, not the movie, sick reader, the game! The Aztecs are athletic and confident, and Dutcher’s long-time experience makes the difference in this evenly-matched, tight game.
SD State -3
The Finals
Mo’ Mentum has chosen a team, and when Mo chooses, it’s over. The Huskies are whippin’ everybody.
Huskies – 7
