Against All-American Odds: Can Howard Win More as UM Coach Than Player?

Patrick Ewing, who won more than 84% of his games with Georgetown the first half of the 1980s (121-23 record) assumed control of coaching position at his alma mater two years ago with an immensely impressive player pedigree as four-time All-American. But the odds are overwhelmingly against Ewing compiling a higher winning percentage as a bench boss than he did as premium player. He would need to supplant UCLA's John Wooden (.808) atop the coaching list in this category. Coincidentally, Wooden assembled the same winning percentage as an A-A player with Purdue as Ewing did for the Hoyas. As a means of comparison after already losing more games in DC as coach than as player, GU would need to win its next 119 contests under Ewing for him to exceed his winning percentage as a celebrated center.

Ewing and Jerry Stackhouse have more in common than experience being tested by "The Gold(en) Club Rules." The odds of succeeding on Vanderbilt's sideline on the heels of a winless SEC campaign in 2018-19 are even more remote for former North Carolina A-A Stackhouse, who has zero experience as head coach at the collegiate or NBA level. Ditto Juwan Howard (Michigan) at his alma mater coping with his Fab Five historical expectations and her bees buzzing about him being unqualified. They feature the same amount of head-coach seasoning that Penny Hardaway had when hired by his alma mater last season. But commercial comrade Lil' Penny could lounge in a Memphis Mafia sideline chair and assemble a better differential at Big Penny's alma mater than St. John's luminary Chris Mullin regarding winning percentage as a A-A player compared to coaching acumen. Mullin's winning percentage in his four seasons as coach of alma mater was 31.9% lower than as a player. Other All-Americans who posted significantly worst winning percentages as a DI coach than as a player include Sidney Moncrief (69.3% lower), Bo Ellis (67.1%), Juan Dixon (58%), Corliss Williamson (52.2%), Tony Yates (50.9%), Mark Macon (48.2%), Darrell Walker (47.9%), Clyde Drexler (46.6%), Butch Beard (45.7%), Isiah Thomas (44.8%), Monte Towe (44.6%), Henry Bibby (44.1%), Damon Stoudamire (39.8%), Jason Gardner (37.9%) and Donyell Marshall (35.9%).

Stackhouse and Howard, combining to win 80% of their college games as A-A selections, face an uphill battle as bench bosses resembling Hardaway's 31-point defeat with Tigers against Cincinnati in 1992 regional final. Indiana's Branch McCracken, who directed the Hoosiers to NCAA tourney titles in 1940 and 1953, is the only one of the first 62 All-Americans who became major-college mentors to compile a higher winning percentage as coach. Fewer than half of the following alphabetical list of All-American players posted winning career records as a DI mentor:

*Active coaches.