Depth: Part 2 (Who Coaches it Well)

In the first installment of the two part series on depth, the background of depth ratio was discussed and we looked at how Bill Self teams compared to Tom Izzo teams.  For whatever reason, their profiles are almost complete opposites in terms of post-season success and depth ratio.  To extend on the depth talk for one more post, lets look at some of the individuals that have came through Lawrence since Bill Self became head coach.  One thing I like seeing is a guy that first shows up in the 8th or 9th spot and then shows up again later in the 1st or 2nd spot.  In my mind, this shows a coach that is recruiting guys to play for three or four years and developing them into essential parts of the team.

To review quickly, we're looking at the combined numbers of a team's top two minute earners divided by the team's 8th and 9th guys in minutes.  Remember a low number means they not only play a full 8 or 9 guys but also don't rely on their top guy to play an insane percentage of minutes.  So low numbers should equal good and high numbers should equal bad in theory.

• Brady Morningstar was second on the team in minutes last year?  I forgot how often he was on the court last year.  He was 7th in minutes per game this year.
• I count three players that first show up in the 8th or 9th slot and then move up in a following year.  First is Russell Robinson, in 2004-05 he was the 8th guy.  The next year he was second and then was jumped by Chalmers and finished 3rd in minutes played.
  
• Darnell Jackson started out as the 9th man in 2005-06 and then moved up the next year to 8th.  The year after that, he was 5th.
• The last guy to show up at the bottom and work his way to the top is Cole Aldrich.  2007-08 season had Cole getting the 9th most minutes.  He never made it to the top 2 but I think we'll take his progress.

Who Handles Depth Better?

Seriously.  Lets take a quick look at Missouri during Mike Anderson's tenure.  Maybe I'm still bitter about the recent loss but I'm convinced that nobody does more with less than Mike Anderson.  Here's the Missouri depth ratio numbers below along with the player's offensive rating. 

Seriously, Mike Anderson knows how to use his bench and get production out of them.  Elite 8 in 2008-09 with Miguel Paul playing 28.6% of Missouri's minutes?  Does anyone here really think Kansas wouldn't have been a better team in 2009-2010 with Mike Anderson coaching?