Anthony Bennett: Breaking Down the Recruit's Top 4 Choices by Head Coach

Anthony Bennett is currently the top unsigned recruit in the nation and is looking to sign by May. Bennett has narrowed his selection down to four programs including Florida, Kentucky, Oregon and UNLV. Reportedly Bennett recently eliminated Washington from consideration. But what is Bennett looking for in the remaining programs on his list?

According to Anthony Bennett’s Jordan Brand Classic Diary posted on SLAMonline, the recruit’s top priority is with the coaching staff. Bennett reiterated this position twice, most recently stating:

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I’m just taking my time with the decision but what’s really important to me is the relationship with the coach. I also talk to one player from each team and just ask about their experience at the school and with the team and coaching staff. It’s all about what school fits my style of play and game. When I finally make a decision, I know it will be the right one for me.

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On the schools and which might be his top choice, Zagsblog quoted Bennett as saying, “I’ve just been taking it easy on this recruiting thing. I haven’t really been worrying about my top two or my top three and so I have a top five and I’m going to show all of the them love equally.”

So far Bennett has had home visits in Charlotte with Florida, Oregon and UNLV.

Jason Jordan of ESPNHS Boy's Basketball recently tweeted that 2012 Kentucky recruit Nerlens Noel thinks Kentucky has a "lil over 50%" chance of landing Anthony Bennett.

At this point it's hard to say exactly where Bennett will end up, but the coaching staff is certainly something this top recruit values. So what are the coaching staffs like at each of the programs Bennett has listed as his top choices? Here we take a look at all four head coaches. 

Florida's Billy Donovan

Florida men’s basketball head coach Billy Donovan has been with the Gators since 1996. During that time the Gators have made 12 of their 17 NCAA tournament appearances, including winning National Championships in 2006 and 2007.

Donovan was also recently named as head coach of the USA Basketball men’s junior national team.

Donovan has won numerous coaching awards while at Florida including the ESPN.com National Coach of the Year (2001), Amos Alonzo Stagg Coaching Award (2006), John R. Wooden Legends of Coaching Award (2010) and the SEC Coach of the Year (2011). 

Zagsblog quoted Anthony Bennett as having this to say about Coach Donovan:

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Billy Donovan, he’s a great coach. Their system, their style of play, run and gunning and they shoot a lot of 3′s. I know they need one more combo forward to make the team so I think I’ll be a great fit there.

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This sentiment is echoed in Florida’s players as evident by the words of Gators guard and freshman Bradley Beal. Beal announced this week that he would be entering the NBA draft, telling the Miami Herald, "I love this place. I love this program. I really bought into the whole experience. … It was probably the toughest decision I ever had to make. Harder than choosing where I was going to play in college."

Florida, under the direction of Donovan, may be the biggest contender in the race for Bennett. 

Kentucky's John Calipari

Kentucky men’s basketball head coach John Calipari has been with the Wildcats since 2009. Calipari took the Wildcats to the NCAA tournament every season he's been there, including winning the 2012 National Championship.

Over his career Coach Calipari has won numerous coaching awards including the Naismith College Coach of the Year award (1996, 2008), NABC Coach of the Year (1996, 2009), Basketball Times Coach of the Year (1996), Sports Illustrated Coach of the Year (2009), A-10 Coach of the Year (1993, 1994, 1996), C-USA Coach of the Year (2006, 2008, 2009), Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year (2009) and the SEC Coach of the Year (2010, 2012).

Zagsblog quoted Anthony Bennett on having this to say about Coach Calipari:

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I can see myself fitting in [with] all schools but Kentucky, they produce great players. Coach Cal produces them to the league and makes them better and also they win national championships on top of that so it’s a great fit.

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Added to the Wildcats 2012 title is a record 52 home wins. Kentucky currently holds the longest home-win streak in the NCAA. The Wildcats' Rupp arena has a capacity of 24,000 and opened in 1976. The arena is named after famed Wildcats Coach Adolph Rupp, who led Kentucky to 129 consecutive home-court wins between 1943-1955.

Kentucky’s success under coach Calipari is something Bennett won’t ignore when making his decision. Five underclassmen from the current Kentucky squad declared their entry into the 2012 NBA draft on Tuesday. Coach Calipari is one of the best bets in college basketball for top recruits to study under to get into the NBA quickly.

Oregon's Dana Altman

Oregon men’s basketball head coach Dana Altman has been with the Ducks since 2010. Altman led the Ducks to a CBI championship in 2011 and the NIT quarterfinals in 2012. 

Over his career Dana Altman has won a few coaching awards including the MVC Coach of the Year (2001, 2002), Big Eight Coach of the Year (1993) and the SoCon Coach of the Year (1990) awards. 

This year Altman has so far signed one ESPN 4-star recruit and two 3-star recruits. One of those recruits is ESPN 4-star Dominic Artis. Artis was a teammate of Anthony Bennett at Findlay College Prep. Bennett told OregonLive that Artis tries to convince him to come to Oregon "all the time."

While not on the level of success like Kentucky and Florida, going to a program like Oregon would likely mean getting a lot of minutes on the court for Bennett.

UNLV's Dave Rice

UNLV men’s basketball head coach Dave Rice is heading into his second year as head coach for the Runnin’ Rebels. This past season Rice led UNLV to an AP No. 23 finish and the 2012 NCAA tournament. UNLV lost in the second round of the NCAA to Colorado.

Rice spent his college career playing on the UNLV team and has previously held assistant coaching positions there.

Familiarity with the program is UNLV’s best link to recruiting Anthony Bennett. Due to the proximity of Bennett’s Findlay Prep, the recruit is very familiar with the UNLV program. Zagsblog quoted Bennett as having this to say about the Rebels’ program:

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UNLV, the coaching staff is real cool...They’re a different style of play from last year. Last year was pretty slow. This year since the new coaching staff came, they’ve been running up and down, transition, playing defense, scoring like 80 points a game. And every time I go to their games it’s a full house. Everybody just shows support.

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