Gophers

[Dotch]

We were just discussing this over lunch. The most recent one, Both Gach, the Utah transfer, played his HS ball in Austin MN. Pitino has a long track record of getting MN kids back who initially played somewhere else. Reggie Lynch is an example. Had he kept his pecker in check there's no telling how good MN might've been that year before everything crashed and burned. Not sure just how many were recruited by Pitino first then decided the grass really wasn't greener on the other side of the fence. Some of them didn't contribute once they got back here either so it's a crap shoot.

Scholarships right now I think are a big part of it. For a few years we had scholarships being tied up by underachievers such as Michael Hurt, who was basically recruited as an attempt to get his younger brother Matthew. That backfired & Rat Face from Duke got him. Greenlee left (no biggy) so that freed up more space. The kid transferring from Drake, Robbins, seems typical of what we're seeing lately. Put yourself in his shoes. After a breakout season as a sophomore, would you rather continue to schlep along in the Missouri Valley conference or would you rather move to the Big 10 to a team that's been competitive & have a record of helping big men (think Oturu) develop? Johnson is a grad transfer and they are always welcome additons, especially when they potentially add scoring punch. Guys like that frequently bring maturity and court presence. Now, if they can get Marcus Carr to stick around for a year and have another guard who can step in to spell him so he's not playing 35+ minutes every game, it could be a very interesting season, if it happens.       

[glenn57]

  i knew i could count on you!!!!!! makes sense!!!!!!

[mike89]

i knew i could count on you!!!!!! makes sense!!!!!!

there are getting help again!!!   good thing ya got us!!!   

[Dotch]

i knew i could count on you!!!!!! makes sense!!!!!!

The guys on the site listed below usually keep pretty good tabs on all this stuff if you're looking for a little additional light reading...

https://www.thedailygopher.com/2020/6/16/21231714/minnesota-basketball-a-very-strange-offseason-for-richard-pitino-gopher-roster

[glenn57]

i knew i could count on you!!!!!! makes sense!!!!!!

there are getting help again!!!   good thing ya got us!!!   

you actually know what a basketball looks like??????

[mike89]

i knew i could count on you!!!!!! makes sense!!!!!!

there are getting help again!!!   good thing ya got us!!!   

you actually know what a basketball looks like??????

yup round just like your head!!!!!   

[Gunner55]

i knew i could count on you!!!!!! makes sense!!!!!!

there are getting help again!!!   good thing ya got us!!!   

you actually know what a basketball looks like??????

yup round just like your head!!!!!   

& another way they're alike, both are pretty much empty except for some warm air.

[Dotch]

Gopher basketball is circling the drain once again. Pitino is toast from all accounts. Like the guy & he's had some bad luck but ya can't just tank in the months of Feb. & March every year. Bring on Brian Dutcher! 

[glenn57]

He should of been gone 2 years ago.

[Steve-o]

Gopher basketball is circling the drain once again. Pitino is toast from all accounts. Like the guy & he's had some bad luck but ya can't just tank in the months of Feb. & March every year. Bring on Brian Dutcher! 

Or Eric Musselman

[glenn57]

well Dotch is looking to reduce his sheep prostitution ring soon,  he might need something to do with the extra fee time!!!!!!!!

Mikey said so!!!!!!!

[Dotch]

Carr phoned it in in the 1st half against Rutgers. He's given up & looks like he's coasting into going pro. Rutgers is getting away with murder on defense though. More hacking, grabbing and shoving than a rugby game. Horrid Big 10 officiating goes hand in hand with horrid Big 10 basketball. 

[glenn57]

that program is sad!!!!!!!!

[mike89]

sounds like Pitno and the U of M have parted ways..

[Steve-o]

Timing is real bad for this if the Gophers want to avoid this same scenario replaying itself again.

They will likely have to overpay to attract the caliber coach they need to turn the program around.  And it will be bad Public Relations for the People's University of Minnesota to prioritize a Men's Basketball coach over the Men's Gymnastics and Tennis, programs which they recently cancelled.

But if they don't spend the money, they'll be in the same boat 6-8 years from now:  a mediocre coach, the best players still leaving the state, a couple of one and done appearances in the tournament, and the U of M looking for another new Men's Basketball Head Coach.

Good luck, Gophers.

[Dotch]

Ya they're definitely in a damned if you do, damned if you don't spot. The good news is if they can scrape together the ching, there are some people who could help this program at least at first glance. Saw Brian Dutcher's SDSU team beat Craig Smith's Utah State team yesterday. Archie Miller is out at Indiana, and Tim Miles and Pitino are both in the running for the New Mexico job. Belein is rumored to want to coach a while longer although he's pretty old at 68. By comparison, Tom Izzo is 66. Eric Musselman is 56 and Brian Dutcher is 61. Niko Medved is 47, Craig Smith is 48. I like Tim Miles but I think he'd be the same ol' same ol'. Oughta be someone they can come up with out of this bunch. With all the money Target made this last year they oughta pony up! 

[Steve-o]

Yes, I like some of those names, but we'll see.  Remember the Dan Monson era? 

In 1998 Gonzaga was the up-and-coming team and Dan Monson was the hot coach who got them there (AND beat the Gophers in the tournament that year).

Monson to Minne for 8 uneventful seasons following the academic fraud scandal left behind by Clem Haskins.

Meanwhile the Gonzaga program continued to grow every year and this year they are a #1 seed in the tournament.

[LPS]

Seems like average is the criteria that MN sports teams seem to hold as the success card.  We actually do deserve better and that is ok.  It is not a bad thing to be a complete success!!! 

[Dotch]

Yes, I like some of those names, but we'll see.  Remember the Dan Monson era? 

In 1998 Gonzaga was the up-and-coming team and Dan Monson was the hot coach who got them there (AND beat the Gophers in the tournament that year).

Monson to Minne for 8 uneventful seasons following the academic fraud scandal left behind by Clem Haskins.

Meanwhile the Gonzaga program continued to grow every year and this year they are a #1 seed in the tournament.

Remember the Monson era all too well. Mark Few was Monson's Assistant Head Coach before he left when Gonzaga made their run back in '99, the darlings of the tournament. Should've hired Mark Few!  I've watched many Gonzaga games. Kind of one of our adopted teams along with IA St. While the Zags normally don't play the level of competition that is common in the Big Ten and other Power 5 conferences, they're well coached, something I can't say about most of the Gopher teams since Clem left in disgrace. I'm not saying they need to find the next up and coming coach. That's how they got Little Richard after Teague fired Tubby. One year at Florida International with a winning record and with the name, he's Norwood's guy. He also hired Marlene Stallings who was at VCU, making everyone think perhaps we'd wind up with Shaka Smart too. Didn't happen. Marlene left too. Oh yeah, so did Norwood...

What will/can Mark Coyle do? He's made some good hires so far & some that remain to be seen. Motzko was a known commodity and had been on Donnie's staff as assistant coach. PJ so far has won people over who were doubting Thomas's, myself included. Hired Lindsay Whalen although it remains to be seen if she can coach, yet. She needs to recruit some bangers down low and keep MN gals at home. Ran into the same affliction with Geno as we have with the men's program. The coach K's, Izzo's and other clowns ride their reputations and steal us blind. We need a guy to stop that. Best way is to win & no one has been able to do that since Dutcher & Clem, with or without the scandals.     

[dutchboy]

Either be happy being .500 or close your eyes and write a check for Little Ricky's old man.

Oh BTW, (you can write this down) whoever gets hired the first thing they will insist on is replacing Williams Arena. They will need "better" facilities for recruiting.

[Dotch]

Pitino got the New Mexico job. 

[Steve-o]

Pitino got the New Mexico job. 

Wish him all the best.  He didn't get the job done, but didn't hate the guy either.

Doesn't his landing a job in some way reduce the buyout?

[Dotch]

Same here Steve-O. He had some near misses due to injuries, guys going pro & sexual assaults that could've turned out differently. As I understand it the buyout goes away if he's hired right away. I wish him nothing but the best.

[Steve-o]

I think what make MN such a tough place for the U of M to win is that we Minnesotans like to think of ourselves as "THE Education State" and if The U doesn't feel guilty enough themselves, we have plenty of folks who will shame them into NOT spending more on facilities, programs, and coaches.

We Minnesotans figure instead of spending millions on coaches we should be spending all that money on EDUCATION programs.

Other universities with successful sports programs seem to figure out how to do both.  But for some reason, Minnesota can't. 

[dutchboy]

With the exception of Northwestern (Chicago) Mpls / St. Paul is the largest metropolitan area of any Big$$ school. So lets bury the fact they can't get good athletes. They just aren't willing to do what it takes to get 'em in school and keep them there. Clem had it figured out and was getting the pipeline going. But, he just wasn't humble enough to lay low when the scandal hit. Sid would have gotten it swept under the rug.   

[Bobberineyes]

Oops,  seen the thread for gophers and thought for sure it had to be hockey, silly me...carry on.

[Dotch]

That's OK boober. It's a catch all thread. Are you watching the game against Bucky tonite?   

[Dotch]

Da boys got 'er goin' on tonite! 4-1, oops! Make dat 5-1 in da 2nd! Go Gophers!!! 

[Dotch]

They give up 3 in da terd but get an empty netter to finish Bucky off 6-4! 

[Bobberineyes]

That's OK boober. It's a catch all thread. Are you watching the game against Bucky tonite?   

Part of the first is all I got to watch.  Great to see they did it!!