The Halfcourt Trap Vol. I, No. 16

Being a man who always tries to accentuate the positive, I found myself trying to find the good in the city of Newark last weekend. After spending the better part of two days trying to find a redeeming quality possessed by New Jersey’s Roughest City, it hit me. If nothing else, you have to be tough to survive in Newark. That leads us to this week’s topic. Here are, in no particular order, a half dozen coaches whose teams exemplify toughness on the court:

1. Bob Huggins-No coach in America stresses the weight room like Huggs. His Cincinnati teams were as tough and physical as any in America. West Virginia will follow suit.

2. Ben Howland-The Bruins defend the halfcourt as if their next meal depends on it. Howland has brought the physical, no prisoners basketball he used to turn Pitt into a Big East contender to a previously finesse league. It’s no coincidence that the PAC 10 has gotten much better since he did so.

3. Tom Izzo-Football pads and brutal rebounding drills are the hallmarks of Michigan State’s ultrasuccessful program. No team is more consistently excellent in attacking the glass.

4. Chris Lowery-The Salukis are rabid dogs on the stop end of the court. They defend the ball as aggressively as the officials will allow.

5. Larry Eustachy. All of Coach Eustachy’s teams defend and rebound well, despite generally being undersized. You don’t do that without a large degree of toughness, both physical and mental.

6. Billy Gillispie. His teams at UTEP and A&M were always among the best in their leagues on the boards and on defense. His bruising style, once he gets his type of players in place, will make for an interesting contrast to the full court styles employed by Florida and Tennessee.

Until the Trap comes to you next week from New York and the Jimmy V Classic, stay classy, Volnation.