What Coach to trust with your wrestler?

[WillieBoy 713]

Cael, John Smith and Tom Ryan would be my top choices if I had a kid with the talent to be recruited on the national level.

 

Cael for his coaching. John Smith for his coaching. Mark Ryan for his coaching.

 

I see all three doing a good job and Ryan overcoming the Iowa 'grinder' mentality to produce kids who are more than Gable clones.

 

Each appears to care about the wrestlers and provides a good environment as wall as being good role models for the kids.

 

There are other good coaches out there but these three are who I would most trust with my kids.

[Jasonmitchell32 243]

Mark Ryan?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[smcfee 76]

I trust mine with John Smith regularly, and they aren't in college.  Had several kids (from club) go to a camp in Kansas with Cael, they said he is great to work with.  Don't know about Tom Ryan, but I don't think I have ever heard anything about him that would say I couldn't trust him.

[cm_111 77]

At this level (D1) they are all fairly to highly accomplished men. A young wrestler really can't go wrong with many choices so it all comes down to what school they feel fits them the best and what program they feel will give them the best chance to win a title. Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Penn State, Iowa, hell nearly any Big Ten school and half the ones in the Big12 have great wrestling rooms and most programs have wonderful traditions. On top of that you have the offseason enjoyment such as football and other great things. 

 

I am a lifelong Buckeye and would never turn that in for anything but I equally had a blast going on the road to some of those other schools so my only advice to a young wrestler would be to go to each school of interest and go to the one that feels like the best fit. It's really as simple as that. Now that ASU is in play check them out as well. 

Edited June 26, 2016 by cm_111

[de4856 361]

Cael, John Smith. This next guy is going into retirement, but a huge fan of Coach Burnett, and he deserves a shout out. Also like Zeke Jones, and I would say the Brands brothers, are up there as well.

[doubleleg121 24]

If i was going strictly with taking care of my son my top choice would probably be Steve Garland out of Virginia.

behind that I would say

Brian Smith

Mark Cody

Kevin Dresser

Both Borelli's.

I would throw Koll in there as well.

 

Those would be my choices from purely an all around standpoint.

 

I feel like Jihn Smith and Cael are obvious choices fir most people.

[SetonHallPirate 846]

Storytime...

 

Will Rogers World Airport, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, the wee hours of Sunday morning, March 23, 2014...the night earlier, led by national champions Ed Ruth and David Taylor, Penn State won their fourth straight NCAA title. The entire Penn State squad boarded their flight, and suddenly, third-place finisher Nico Megaludis was wheeled off the plane on a stretcher, with some (seemingly) serious breathing issues. Guess which coach (hint: the greatest collegiate wrestler of all-time) accepted the short straw and stayed behind in Oklahoma City while the rest of the team went back to State College to receive a hero's welcome?

 

I would trust any of the current Division I coaches with my son, frankly, but things like that stand out in my mind positively.

[TripNSweep 509]

Steve Martin at ODU.

[TBar1977 3,953]

Storytime...

 

Will Rogers World Airport, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, the wee hours of Sunday morning, March 23, 2014...the night earlier, led by national champions Ed Ruth and David Taylor, Penn State won their fourth straight NCAA title. The entire Penn State squad boarded their flight, and suddenly, third-place finisher Nico Megaludis was wheeled off the plane on a stretcher, with some (seemingly) serious breathing issues. Guess which coach (hint: the greatest collegiate wrestler of all-time) accepted the short straw and stayed behind in Oklahoma City while the rest of the team went back to State College to receive a hero's welcome?

 

I would trust any of the current Division I coaches with my son, frankly, but things like that stand out in my mind positively.

 

 

Few people outside of the PSU fanbase know that story. Glad you retold it here, SHP. 

[LemonPie 1,368]

Coach Dennis Hastert

[rhino184 78]

Glen Lanham 

[Pinnum 799]

There are very few coaches I would advise against. Over all, there are a lot of great mentors out there. A lot of different styles.

 

Basically, I would feel confident in a kid going nearly anywhere. That is part of benefit of having so few programs.

[Chrissn2001 80]

Outside of random things like the Minnesota situation, is a parent's biggest concern how the coach handles cutting/managing weight?  As much as I like John Smith, I think he expects his kids to cut weight like it's the 80's.  I'm sure all the coaches have high classroom expectations.  No sports outside of football and basketball can take hits on the police blotter, so I'm sure all these coaches expect good behavior.  All of them are going to have knowledge of technique, strategy, peaking, etc..I think Cael and Steve Garland are guys who are completely committed to their wrestlers.  I'd feel comfortable if my sons wrestled for either of them, but I do worry about the development of UVA kids.  Steve Martin...interesting choice after the lawsuit...

[gowrestle 651]

Surprised Rob Koll has not been mentioned. Scott Moore from Lock Haven is a gem. Like some of the above posts have mentioned, there are many men that are great role models who are currently leading D1 wrestling programs.

[gowrestle 651]

Surprised Rob Koll has not been mentioned. Scott Moore from Lock Haven is a gem. Like some of the above posts have mentioned, there are many men that are great role models who are currently leading D1 wrestling programs.

[Tofurky 600]

Rob Koll at Cornell University (D-I) - talk about a guy who sees the bigger picture of relationships that develop sports. He makes time for fans, embraces the grass roots aspect of wrestling, can make fun of himself on Flowrestling (remember him playing the piano in his bathrobe?) and is just a friendly guy all around.

 

Mike Denney at Maryville University (D-II) - that man is easily one of most positive, classiest humans I've ever met who was more interested in humans than athletes. When I met him, if he told me to run all the way back home to Chicago from the tournament we were at in the middle of Iowa, I would have said, "how many times?" What a guy! I'd send my sons and daughters to be mentored by him.

 

Steve Marianetti at Elmhurst College (D-III) - With Mike Denney, I don't know that I've ever met a nicer guy in this sport that has no agenda other than creating exceptional wrestlers and being a stellar human being. For all he accomplished, he's unbelievably self-deprecating, has a razor sharp, dry sense of humor

 

Paul Schmidt at Nassau Community College (NJCAA) - Like Denney and Marianetti, I think this guy must smile in his sleep. He's just a great guy who cares about his athletes on so much more than an athletic level. I loved seeing him at tournaments because he always had good stories, told great jokes and was just a pleasure to be around.

 

Other guys I really liked and would send student-athletes to, including my own kids: Randy Steward (former head at Loras - D-III), Eric Reed (William Penn University - NAIA), Drew Pariano (former head at Northwestern - D-I) and Aaron Cooper (Mercyhurst NE - NJCAA).

[PhiferFuqua 187]

Coach Dennis Hastert

I'll admit it ... I L'd OL.

 

My wife might just be right about me being a middle age man with a middle school boy's sense of humor.

[gowrestle 651]

 

Awesome post....guy definitely knows wrestling!

 

 

Rob Koll at Cornell University (D-I) - talk about a guy who sees the bigger picture of relationships that develop sports. He makes time for fans, embraces the grass roots aspect of wrestling, can make fun of himself on Flowrestling (remember him playing the piano in his bathrobe?) and is just a friendly guy all around.

 

Mike Denney at Maryville University (D-II) - that man is easily one of most positive, classiest humans I've ever met who was more interested in humans than athletes. When I met him, if he told me to run all the way back home to Chicago from the tournament we were at in the middle of Iowa, I would have said, "how many times?" What a guy! I'd send my sons and daughters to be mentored by him.

 

Steve Marianetti at Elmhurst College (D-III) - With Mike Denney, I don't know that I've ever met a nicer guy in this sport that has no agenda other than creating exceptional wrestlers and being a stellar human being. For all he accomplished, he's unbelievably self-deprecating, has a razor sharp, dry sense of humor

 

Paul Schmidt at Nassau Community College (NJCAA) - Like Denney and Marianetti, I think this guy must smile in his sleep. He's just a great guy who cares about his athletes on so much more than an athletic level. I loved seeing him at tournaments because he always had good stories, told great jokes and was just a pleasure to be around.

 

Other guys I really liked and would send student-athletes to, including my own kids: Randy Steward (former head at Loras - D-III), Eric Reed (William Penn University - NAIA), Drew Pariano (former head at Northwestern - D-I) and Aaron Cooper (Mercyhurst NE - NJCAA).

[mnmike 16]

DII Costanzo, DIII Gruenwald, and my kid wrestles for Matt Nagel at Concordia Moorhead and I couldn't be happier with him and his staff.

[Plasmodium 1,695]

How many guys really have a personal/mentor relationship with a coach? I never competed in college, but my son does.  He has pretty much zero relationship with the head coach and a friendly but distant relationship with the assistants.  Definitely not mentored in any way.

[Housebuye 2,224]

How many guys really have a personal/mentor relationship with a coach? I never competed in college, but my son does. He has pretty much zero relationship with the head coach and a friendly but distant relationship with the assistants. Definitely not mentored in any way.

That seems weird. What division? Is it the coaches full time job?

[rd149 40]

Plasmodium your son is at the wrong place.....

[Plasmodium 1,695]

He is a D1 junior.   He is happy, so I don't think he is in the wrong place.

[IronChef 812]

The relationship between a coach and athlete is a two way street. Not all athletes want to have close relationships with their coaches. Some guys come in, work hard, do what they're supposed to, and leave without talking to the coach beyond what is necessary. They aren't interested in being mentored. Other athletes want a closer relationship. If the coach has no relationship with any athlete, that may be a problem, but if it's just one or a few that may be more on the wrestler.

[SetonHallPirate 846]

IronChef, that's very true, but at the same time, if (just to piggyback off the example I used on the previous page) Mr. Plasmodium Junior has a health scare in the airport, I don't think he'd want his coach to leave him in a strange city and have him fend for himself.