Beehive State Bargains

I came across an interesting column while perusing ESPN.com's "Insider" content. Doug Gottlieb listed the Top 20 non-BCS college basketball coaches (ostensibly) making less then $500,000 per season. Gottlieb lists the coaches in groups of five, and the "starting five" includes two coaches on the sidelines here in Utah--BYU's Dave Rose and Utah State's Stew Morrill.

Here's what Gottlieb had to say about Rose:

"Dave Rose, BYU: He took over a nine-win program and has won 20, 25 and 27 games in his first three years at the Division I level. Rose was a well-respected junior college coach before he left for Provo as an assistant and later took over as head coach. He has used his juco connections as well as BYU's Latter-day Saints connections to push the program back to being a consistent winner. His teams compete, defend and play up-tempo.

Positives: Two trips to the NCAA tourney. Was one of the country's most respected junior college coaches when he coached at Dixie Junior College (now Dixie State) of Utah. Could be had for cheap at the top level.

Drawbacks: One athletic director who hired a big-time coach said he had never heard of Rose. BYU could pay him well if it wanted to."

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And here's Morrill's rundown:

"Stew Morrill, Utah State: Ask any coach in the country who he thinks is the best coach whom no one talks about. One name will come up ahead of all others. Morrill has had the fifth-highest winning percentage in the country the past nine years and has coached nine straight 20-win seasons in Logan, Utah. He is a coach's coach. He grinds out wins with a few talented stars and a team full of tough, physical defenders who feed off those stars. Want to win at a school in the middle of nowhere, with passionate fans and an administration that will allow some academically borderline kids? Morrill is your guy.

Positives: He's 76-8 at home in league play, and it might cost only $500,000 to get him.

Drawbacks: Age (56). He's not a well-known name and isn't talked about much. Appearance can be a bit disheveled."

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You can read the entire column here.

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