New Orleans Pelicans: 3 NCAA Coaches to Consider Hiring
By Nick Alvarez
New Orleans Pelicans Head Coaching Candidate: Tony Bennett
New Orleans Pelicans Head Coaching Candidate: Tony Bennett
Tony Bennett: Virginia
On the other side of the 2019 National Championship that Chris Beard coached in stood Tony Bennett. Bennett like Beard also turned his school from just another Division-I program to an elite one.
For Bennett, it’s all about development and defense two things the New Orleans Pelicans need desperately. Tony Bennett is a teacher, he teaches his players the best fundamentals to be successful and prides himself on creating a team that’s unselfish.
Consistently named the top defensive mind in college basketball, Bennett teaches the pack-line defense his father developed to wear down opponents slowly and force them into poor decisions.
On offense, he also runs his father’s offense the Blocker-Mover offense which is something that the Portland Trail Blazers run to great effect in the NBA. His focus on unselfish play and steady pace has long been his calling card.
Why He Fits The Pelicans
This New Orleans Pelicans team could use a teacher, someone who is cool, calm, and understanding. That is exactly who Bennett is. At times stoic on the sideline, he is the cool hand that is perfect to guide a young team.
Before winning a national championship, Bennett also developed under-recruited players and turned them into great players after multiple years under his tutelage. Look at Joe Harris and Malcolm Brogdon, two really good NBA players who made it to the league thanks to playing for Bennett.
He can bring that development to the New Orleans Pelicans youth as well as an excellent system for the team to play in. Bennett brings a defense that consistently ranks top-5 in the NCAA in points allowed something that the Pelicans need after being 27th in that category.
Though Bennett is not known as an offensive guru, he has grown to be better in that category with more focus on off-ball movement and three-point shooting. This could be beneficial to a Pelicans offense that was efficient yet bland at times.
In Bennett, the New Orleans Pelicans could have one of the best teachers in the NBA for years to come.