Again, don't get me wrong. I don't mean to demean Rose or the guys in his tree. I just find the comparison (or lack thereof when it comes to certain things) interesting. Loved Rice but he hasn't exactly been a success since leaving. That in spite of having a built-in gold mine for a recruiting network with his bro at Bishop Gorman. It seems like he gets multiple guys considered to be the best talent in the country every year but hasn't consistently won or broken through yet. Since almost the beginning, Rice has been repeatedly rumored to be on the chopping block for not making the most of his talent. And is Rooese even coaching anymore? And for that matter, why is Rice even considered in Rose's tree? He also coached under Stew and Tark.

But the biggest thing I was thinking about was the furor over the Howell hire (years down the road mind you). Just like recruiting, BYU naturally has a limited pool to hire from. Bronco brought in an intern and after some years, through working closely with the guy, grew to trust him more and more. Regardless of Howell's background, Bronco's direct experience with him led him to believe he was a better candidate than any other applicants for the job(s). Yet many were outraged that someone with no college coaching experience whatsoever was hired. Most acted like Bronco promoted him straight to DC from Ben Lomond. Meanwhile, Rose literally did hire Quincy Lewis straight out of HS and promote him to nearly the equivalent of a football coordinator. Granted Lewis had more success at the high school level. But he also coached in a much more affluent area with parents who could afford the best training for their kids.

Truthfully, I think the comparisons are silly and only make them to point out the logical fallacies of those that try to compare them in the first place. Certainly Bronco is not perfect at hiring but then neither is any other coach, whether in football or basketball. That's not his only weakness either. Rose has is own share of shortcomings. But I'm grateful for each of them even if they both leave me pulling out my hair at times. But I try to recognize that while BYU has some advantages, more often than not, we're playing at a significant disadvantage and try to give the coaches a little leeway in that regard. We would be hard pressed to find replacements for either who could replicate their level of success.