New coaches shake up conference

At Thursday’s Big 12 Conference media day in Oklahoma City, the most prevalent topic was change.

But unlike other years, the biggest changes weren’t the players on the rosters.

Six Big 12 programs enter the season with new head coaches. Kansas State’s Bob Huggins was the most prominent hire. Other new arrivals include Mike Anderson (Missouri), Doc Sadler (Nebraska), Greg McDermott (Iowa State) and Jeff Capel (Oklahoma). Oklahoma State’s Sean Sutton inherited the job from his father, Eddie.

The changes at the top of the programs have left coaches wondering what to expect, both from their own teams and their counterparts.

“I think the game will be faster,” said Kansas coach Bill Self, one of the league’s returning coaches. “More up-tempo and more pressure on both ends and a fan-friendly game and certainly one with different styles.”

Unlike the other five new coaches, Sean Sutton was promoted within his program. After spending 12 seasons as an assistant, Sutton took over as head coach late last season after his father took a medical leave of absence.

“I am excited about all of the new coaches coming into the Big 12,” Sean Sutton said. “And I think everybody should be. I think we’ve added some outstanding coaches, and it would be good for the league. Bob Huggins, I think his name right there speaks for itself.”

In 16 seasons at Cincinnati, Huggins won 399 games and reached the Final Four in 1992. With the Bearcats, Huggins went 1-1 against Anderson’s Alabama-Birmingham Blazers in Conference USA. While Huggins is new to the conference, he will be familiar to Anderson.

“I know Mike pretty well,” Huggins said. “I have coached against Mike being in the same league for a while, and I think the guys coming in are going to do a great job.”

Sean Sutton has also seen Anderson’s style of play, twice as an assistant coach at Oklahoma State. After an 86-73 loss in 2004, UAB defeated Oklahoma State 90-71 last season.

“We have played against Mike Anderson’s teams when he was at UAB,” Sean Sutton said. “And I will say this, I was really, really impressed with how hard those teams played, how hard both those teams played that we played against, and the way they executed their system.”

Anderson isn’t intimidated by coaching against Self, Huggins and Texas Tech’s Bob Knight, just to name three of his opponents this season.

“I know I have a challenge in front of me,” Anderson said. “We are in a great league in the Big 12, and there are some great coaches in this league. At the same time, I am confident as we get our program to where I want it, and we will be able to keep it there.

“I want to win a national championship. That’s my quest.”