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Evans Seven: Coaches who get the best out of unheralded players

Kentucky and Duke have becomes the dons of the one-and-done era, as they have consistently produced a number of NBA Draft picks in recent years. Instead of diving into what Coach K and John Calipari have become known for, in this week’s Evans Seven we assess the coaches who have developed lightly recruited high school prospects into NBA vets, thus magnifying their evaluation abilities and skill development.

MORE EVANS SEVEN: This season's breakout stars | Best recruiting pitches

BUZZ WILLIAMS 

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Buzz Williams
Buzz Williams (AP Images)

Buzz Williams has forged his brand via his grit and hardworking mantra. It is this same ethos that has spread to his players, and because of that a number of lesser-known prospects have been able to maximize their abilities at the college level and beyond. The poster child of the Williams way of doing things is Jimmy Butler, a junior college prospect that no one wanted prior to enrolling at Marquette. We all know the story from there, as Butler is now one of the top two-way players in the NBA. The Timberwolves’ star is not the only one to go from unknown to stardom, as Darius Johnson-Odom and Jae Crowder have made a similar jump. It should come as no surprise now that with Williams recruiting at a higher level at Virginia Tech, the Hokies are enjoying the most success that they have achieved in the past 20 years.

GREG MARSHALL 

Greg Marshall
Greg Marshall (AP Images)

"Play Angry" is the mantra that Gregg Marshall has stamped onto the Wichita State basketball program - a playing style that his players have come to abide by, resulting in a number of deep postseason runs. The Shockers are now a perennially top-25 program but it was the talents of Ron Baker and Fred Van Vleet that made the program more than just an MVC favorite. Baker, a former walk-on, and Van Vleet, a lightly recruited prospect until his senior year in high school, are just two examples of how good of an evaluator Marshall is. Things don’t stop with the former Shockers duo. Current stars Landry Shamet and Markis McDuffie are proving their worth, and the latter - a fringe Rivals150 prospect - has developed into an NBA prospect and one of the best talents within the AAC. Marshall has gotten it done with under-the-radar talent in the past, but he now holds the best recruiting class in the AAC this fall, a scary sight for his opposition moving ahead.


TONY BENNETT

Tony Bennett
Tony Bennett (AP Images)

The work that Tony Bennett has done in recent years in transforming the Virginia basketball program into one of the top programs in America, is a result of Bennett's evaluating work and skill development. Sitting outside of the top 100 of his 2011 class’ rankings, Malcolm Brogdon showed tremendous improvement under the tutelage of Bennett before becoming the first non-first-round draft pick to be named NBA rookie of the year. Add in his work with Mike Tobey and Joe Harris at UVA, and Bennett is an easy call for getting the best out of his guys. Let’s not forget that he was the last coach to win at Washington State, the one who believed in Klay Thompson, Kyle Weaver and Aron Baynes before the trio signed NBA contracts. Virginia might not be one to win the recruiting wars, but it always find a way to make noise on the playing floor, thanks to Bennett’s keen eye for talent and ability to maximize players' skills once they suit up for him.

MIKE BREY 

Mike Brey
Mike Brey (AP Images)

What you see is what you get with Mike Brey, one of the more outgoing personalities in the game - a player’s coach who has become one of the best at developing talent. Consistency has remained a central component of what Notre Dame has built itself upon, and after relying heavily on seniors over the past five years the Irish remain a top-25 contending unit. This year’s group is a prime example of developing and nurturing their players. Bonzie Colson was a pudgy 6-foot-5 center who has morphed into an NBA prospect and a first-team All-American candidate. Matt Farrell was once perceived as a mid-major recruit before he evolved into one of the best point guards in college basketball the past two seasons. The list can go on with how Brey has bettered his players, as Patrick Connaughton, Luke Harangody, Jack Cooley and Ben Hansborough are just another group of individuals that cut their teeth in South Bend as lightly touted prospects before moving onto the NBA ranks.

JOHN BEILEIN

John Beilein
John Beilein (AP Images)

John Beilein has learned the ins and outs of the game by working his way up the ladder. He has gone from coaching Division III to the low-major ranks before slotting himself into the national spotlight as one of the best tacticians in the game as the head coach at Michigan. While the Wolverines sit with a top-15 class this fall, in the past it has been more about Beilein’s ability to cultivate lesser talent. Whether it's at the point guard position in the ilk of Trey Burke or on the wings in the mold of Caris LeVert or Tim Hardaway Jr., Beilein has been able to get the best out of his guys, which has equated to tremendous success on the playing floor. This year’s group is bolstered by one-time top-50 wing Charles Matthews, who struggled mightily at Kentucky before transferring to Michigan. He is slated to earn all-Big Ten honors this winter. Beilein is more than just an Xs and Os savant: He is someone who recruits to his system and puts his players in the best position to succeed.

ED COOLEY 

Ed Cooley
Ed Cooley (AP Images)

Before Ed Cooley took over the reins at Providence, the Friars had reached just two of the prior 14 NCAA Tournaments. Since hiring Cooley in 2011, Providence has earned double that in just half the time. He is an underrated sideline coach, but also one who has become lauded for his relationship-building and communication skills. Cooley has turned questionable high-major talent into players who have gone on to earn minutes at the NBA level. While Kris Dunn is the face of the Cooley era in recent years (becoming the school’s first top-five pick since 1974), it is more about Ben Bentil, Bryce Cotton and LaDontae Henton. These three former Friars bought into what Cooley and his staff were selling, and that turned into minutes on an NBA playing floor. The Friars' program is in the best position it has been in since the Rick Pitino days, and Cooley’s ideology is the primary reason.

SCOTT DREW

Scott Drew
Scott Drew (AP Images)

For one reason or another, Scott Drew has remained one of the more underrated head coaches in the nation. What he has done at Baylor - in taking over a program that was devastated by the scandal under the prior regime - is nothing short of remarkable. While Drew has been no slouch for landing elite prospects, he has also done yeoman's work with some of the more unheralded prospects who have made their way to Waco. Since 2012, Baylor has seen six of its players drafted by an NBA franchise. Drew was the coach who helped turn three-star Ekpe Udoh into an NBA lottery pick. Drew was the one who helped Pierre Jackson overcome his height deficiency to be selected in the second round of the 2013 NBA Draft. And Drew was responsible for Taurean Prince’s evolution from college glue guy into a starter for the Atlanta Hawks. Drew continues to work wonders as Baylor remains a contending force in the Big 12, thanks to the mix of elite talent and hard-working, driven players who are likely to enhance their profiles under Drew’s watch.

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