Big 12 Basketball: Bruce Weber, Scott Drew lead 2019 COY race

Big 12 Basketball: Bruce Weber, Scott Drew lead 2019 Coach of the Year race

By Chris Kern | Feb 23, 2019

ATLANTA, GA - MARCH 22: Head coach Bruce Weber of the Kansas State Wildcats celebrates his teams win over the Kentucky Wildcats during the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament South Regional at Philips Arena on March 22, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. The Kansas State Wildcats defeated the Kentucky Wildcats 61-58. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

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LUBBOCK, TX – FEBRUARY 07: Head coach Steve Prohm of the Iowa State Cyclones points to a player on the bench during the game against the Texas Tech Red Raiders on February 7, 2018 at United Supermarket Arena in Lubbock, Texas. Texas Tech defeated Iowa State 76-58. (Photo by John Weast/Getty Images) /

5. Steve Prohm

The Iowa State Cyclones had a rough 2017-18 season as they finished with just a 13-18 record including 4-14 in Big 12 play. They were the only team in the conference that finished below 8-10 in conference play. This season they have completely turned it around and a lot of that has to do with a much improved and talented roster.

Many will say that they have the most talented roster in the Big 12 and with all the injuries Kansas has dealt with I don’t think there’s even much of an argument. They have had some newcomers make a huge difference, most notably the transfers Marial Shayok and Michael Jacobsen. This team is full of new guys but they sure don’t play like it. Two key freshmen, Tyrese Haliburton, and Talen Horton-Tucker have had a huge impact on this team.

The first time we saw how good this team could be was during the Maui Invitational. They were without key players such as Lindell Wigginton and Cam Lard. They finished just 5th place in that tournament but they played really well against good competition including a 30 point win over San Diego State in the 5th place game.

In the early part of the season, we saw all the new guys playing well together which prompted Steve Prohm to bring his star sophomores off the bench when they returned. Wiggington started one game over Haliburton this season but that was it. In their freshmen seasons, Wigginton averaged 16.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.8 assists while Lard averaged 12.6 points and 8.1 rebounds.

It was tough for Prohm to keep them on the bench but it was the right move and the team has really benefited from it. The reason he isn’t considered a legitimate threat to win Coach of the Year is the teams struggles at home during conference play. They currently are 8-5 in conference but they have just a 4-3 home record in conference play including back-to-back home losses against TCU and Baylor.

If the Cyclones win out it is still possible he gets the award but with their inconsistent play, I don’t see that happening. He could still receive some consideration for leading such a big turnaround but there are at least a couple of coaches who are currently more deserving.

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