I’m not sure I can agree with this. I agree that the men’s game is more prestigious than the women’s game at the same level and, in many cases, men’s college teams are more prestigious than most/all professional women’s teams, but I don’t think that follows that it’s a step down. The thing is, where is it a step down from? If a male coach has an opportunity to coach a mediocre men’s team, or an upper-mid women’s team, which should he take? If a male coach has the opportunity to coach for an upper-mid men’s college team or a WNBA team, which should he choose?
Sure, it’s a step down from men’s at the same level, but chances are that you’re not going to see the same opportunities for both sexes at the same level of competition
This is hard to answer. Yes, someone like Pat Summit is good, but exactly how good is she? At least part of the reason she’s good is because of her reputation and the quality of recruits that brings in. We see the same sort of thing happen in the NFL all the time, where a very successful college coach just doesn’t transfer to professional football because he’s used to completely outclassing his competition. No doubt, Tennessee has consistently had quality recruits for a number of years, but would she have the same draw in the men’s game when compared against so many names there?
Also, the game isn’t the same, with different strategies and skills needed because of the difference in size, strength, and athleticism. How well would her knowledge transfer? She might have to completely relearn large aspects of her offense, defense, scouting, and training techniques that could put her years behind her opponents.
How well would she be able to relate to male players? I think men, especially ones raised in a heavily manly atmosphere of athletics will have difficulty dealing with some latent sexism. For men coaching women’s teams, it’s a bit different because men are often seen as authority figures in general, not to mention that women in athletics are often surrounded by men simply because of how prevalent men are in athletics. For men, they very rarely see women in any capacity in athletics, except maybe as a cheerleader or nurse. So, I don’t think an opposite sexed coach is comparable both ways. How hard would she have to work to gain the respect of her team, that a male coach of roughly equal skill wouldn’t have to do?
I also think someone like her, who probably does have the talent to coach men’s basketball at a high level, is unlikely to ever WANT to coach a men’s team. She’s already one of the most famous coaches in college basketball. I’m sure she’s already paid quite handsomely. She’s already heading up a successful program that’s a perennial contender. What does she have to gain by switching to the men’s game, other than to prove she can do it? But yet, she has so much to lose, including a high potential for failure and damaging her legacy. It’s exactly the same reason while I seriously doubt we’ll ever see someone like Coach K from Duke go pro, even if someone waved a lot of money in his face.
I think she could be successful coaching a men’s team, but it would be an uphill battle because she would be severely disadvantaged. She’d have her work cut out for her.