5 college football coaches who would make good basketball coaches

Mike Gundy – Oklahoma State

He’s a man and now he is fifty. Gundy represents the new age of spread offense that dominates much of college football these days. Year after year the Cowboys find ways to score lots of points even when their players are overlooked. Give him Brandon Weeden and Dez Bryant and he can be especially dangerous.

In the college basketball game, it is easy to see Gundy running one of those Mike D’Antoni style of teams that rely on pace, possessions, and three-point baskets to overwhelm their opponents with sheer scoring potential. These teams might even tend toward the Villanova offense of having four guards if that gets the best players out on the floor.

Gundy is a quality recruiter but he often misses out on the best of recruits because of Oklahoma State’s reputation. He makes up for that with his tactical offense on the field. That is a situation that good mid-major and rising high major programs often have to deal with. Perhaps Gundy would channel some Gregg Marshall in getting the most out of what he has.

The downside with Gundy is clearly defense. Could a Gundy basketball team get away with not playing enough defense? The Phoenix Suns teams of the mid-2000s never did. Gundy’s answer would likely be to emphasize turnovers and pressure on defense, but that can lead to more fouling too.