What kind of influences do they still carry over from their playing days?
After learning why they got into coaching, I wanted to see if there was anything from their playing days that they carried over into their coaching philosophies, whether it be something from a coach they played for, a style of play, or even how to go about running a program.
Darrin Horn says two coaches really taught him things that he has carried on to his own style. Ralph Willard, whom he played for at Western Kentucky instilled in him, “A philosophical approach of, you want to be a special preparation for the other team.” Which is something he has tried to emulate by having his teams play a pressing style of defense for 40 minutes while at Western Kentucky. The other coach is Tom Crean, who Horn worked with at Marquette and was recruited to Western Kentucky, saying, “I take so much from them in so many different areas.”
For a guy like Pelphrey, it was less about what happened on the floor and more about how to handle yourself and get the best out of your players. He remembers playing for Rick Pitino at Kentucky, “Anytime someone finds value in you, they work with you and you get an opportunity, there is a chance for something to happen.”
For guys like Earl and Drew it was more about learning the X’s and O’s from the coaches they played for, whether it be Homer Drew or the legendary Princeton offense from Pete Carril and Bill Carmody. But, Madsen took a different approach, talking about the more modern aspects of positionless basketball saying, “Overall skillset and overall versatility is extremely important and something I value a lot.”