Around the ACC with the G-Man: Coaching Shakeups and a Look at the NBA The college coaching landscape was hit by seismic activity this week. Quin Snyder stepping down at Missouri started the ground shaking. Snyder, by all accounts a brilliant coaching talent, found himself on the wrong side of the NCAA too many times to survive. If Quin was guilty of anything, it was surrounding himself with questionable people. If he is to move forward with his career, and I believe he will land on his feet, he must seriously evaluate the criteria he uses to hire personnel. The saga of what happened to Eddie Sutton in Stillwater is truly sad. Cited for DUI last week, Sutton came clean and admitted he had consumed alcohol with pain killers before getting in his car. The University did the right thing by putting him on an indefinite medical leave of absence. I believe Coach Sutton should do the right thing and resign and focus on his own health. The last tremor came with news of Mike Davis’ impending resignation at Indiana. After saying on a conference call that perhaps an “Indiana guy” might be better for the job, Davis put the wheels in motion for his departure. Known to make rash statements, Davis this time must follow through. This has been an uneasy marriage from the beginning, so a new start by both parties may be the best resolution. My hope in all of this is that attention can be refocused on action on the court rather than off it. Coaching moves used to take place after the season was over. Let’s hope this week was an isolated flurry and that we can now enjoy the march to the tournament.

In the ACC - It is clear that the league has four locks for the NCAA tournament- Duke, NC State, Boston College and UNC. The bonus for these four teams is that they will all receive a bye for the first round of the ACC tournament. The gray area comes after that. None of the other four possibles - Miami, Virginia, Florida State, or Maryland - has been able to get any traction. Maryland has lost 4 of 5 due to the loss of Chris McCray. Miami let a golden opportunity slip by with two straight home losses last week. I can’t believe Virginia is still in the conversation yet, with a 6-5 league record, they keep hanging around. Finally, there is Florida State at 15-7 and 5-6 in the league. They have been solid at home and shaky on the road. They must get a couple of signature wins down the stretch. I would hope that one team emerges from this group to give the ACC five teams in the field of 65. The NBA - With the All-Star break upon us, I thought I would pass out some Mid-season awards in the big leagues. MVP - I would vote for Steve Nash to repeat. Phoenix lost Amare Stoudamire to injury and Joe Johnson and Quentin Richardson and they are still a contender in the west. Nash’s scoring is up and his assist numbers still lead the league. He validates last year’s choice with another statue. Coach of the Year - Avery Johnson, Dallas. They are still an offensive juggernaut, but Johnson finally has this team playing defense. It takes some hard work to change the culture of an organization, but Johnson has done it. He learned well from his time with Greg Popovich in San Antonio - You must defend to win. Rookie of the Year - Chris Paul, Hornets. Not even close. He has the demeanor of a veteran and has made this team his. Beyond all the numbers, he has made this franchise a factor again, and they will likely make the playoffs- because of Chris Paul. Defensive Player of the Year - Tim Duncan, Spurs. They are the best defensive team in the league and he is their anchor. A staggering statistic- they lead the league in offensive FG% and defensive FG%.. That might have only occurred with the Russel-led Celtics, though those numbers were never kept back in the day.

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Next week: Regular-Season Commentary continues.