Empty Nest

      So, it's official. Jerry Sloan, coach of the Utah Jazz for the past 23(!) years, has officially resigned.  With his resignation and apparent desire to not coach again, Sloan leaves behind tremendous numbers, achievements and distraught fans.

     I have made no secret (in articles like this one) that Sloan is one of my top coaches in history, if not my favorite.  Like me, many would point to his longevity as his greatest achievement. He was the longest tenured coach in US Professional Sports history, staying with the Jazz for 23 years (as coach, almost 30 if you include his days as assistant/scout) while the other NBA teams combined for a jaw-dropping total of 245 coaching changes.  Yet, it's not enough to just put it plainly as keeping his job for 23 years, while some head coaches last barely a few months.

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Top 10 "Top 10s": Best Coaches

     Being a coach of over 10 years myself, I know all about how truly difficult a coach's job is.  A coach has to wear many hats, teacher, confidante, leader and sometimes even sponsor or benefactor.  Plus, everyone knows that  blame for a loss is always to the coach while glory for a victory is always to the players.  Coaching truly is a thankless job and these 11 guys are the ones I truly admire.


Parameters:  I've picked only coaches from sports that From the Fifty Peso Seats covers so coaching greats like Bobby Knight or Coach K are not eligible.  I've also put in half foreign coaches (coaches whose achievements were done internationally) and half local coaches. (FIlipino coaches or coaches where Philippines was the venue of their achievements)


10 (tie).  Rajko Toroman - Basketball

     This Serbian tasked to coach the Philippine National Team has already done wonders for our Smart GIlas team, but it would be premature to name him to this list for only that.  What people have to remember is what he did before we stole him.  Toroman was first tasked to coach the Iranian basketball team.  Within a few years, he assembled an Iranian team that defeated perennial Asian powerhouse China to emerge as Asian basketball Champions and a stint in the 2008 Olympic Games.  What I admire the most, though, is his patience in teaching.  Watch any game of Smart GIlas and you will see that he takes every opportunity to use game situations to teach his players, making every game a meaningful learning experience.  If he can bring the Philippines to the Olympics as well, his position would definitely jump up.  

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