You're right. But I'm thinking I'd keep doubting the coach's decisions if he was a less accomplished runner. Unless he (could be she) has a nice resume of athletes he coached who did very good. That would be good too.

A coach's accomplishments are often limited by the talent of the runners he has coached. A better measure is how much the coach's runners improve or come close to their potential. I knew a coach who had a reputation for producing Junior Olympics champions. If you looked closer at his program, what he was was a good recruiter for his club. It was the HS coaches who developed the runners to the point where they attracted his attention and he recruited them.