Where are the Gophers?

[dutchboy]

He was watching at one of his girlfriend's in Inger, from a reliable source...

Well at least we know where that Teals paycheck goes. 

[glenn57]

He was watching at one of his girlfriend's in Inger, from a reliable source...

you best get a more better reliable source!!!!!!! 

naw Dutchy........that goes to the cabin fund and various other funds........ and new tires for the truck fund this fall!!!!!!!!

[dutchboy]

He was watching at one of his girlfriend's in Inger, from a reliable source...

you best get a more better reliable source!!!!!!! 

naw Dutchy........that goes to the cabin fund and various other funds........ and new tires for the truck fund this fall!!!!!!!!

Better check the price of tires Glenn, you might want to get some more hours to afford tires. Price of those things are stupid high in my opinion.

[Gunner55]

He was on a lot of wish lists along with Brian Dutcher but don't recall they interviewed him or that he was ever interested. Can't blame him either way. He had a program built there. Here the cupboards were bare. Pretty sure too even prior to that, his dad, Bill had left the U amidst some serious violations not to mention the Ohio St. brawl. Some of the gutless, touchy-feely, warm fuzzy-types in charge at the U probably didn't want to reassociate themselves with all that.

I think he was HC in the NBA before he even tried college & that was as an assistant at 1st. He did have a good run at Nevada before this job though.

[Dotch]

Knies shoots! He scores! Gophers up 1 - 0! 

[glenn57]

Knies shoots! He scores! Gophers up 1 - 0! 

and it was purdy!!!!!!!!!!!!

[dutchboy]

Old Motzko has himself some talent. You need to wonder how good they would be had LaFontaine not left. Wonder what the real story is with him leaving? Very strange he leaves after the season starts.

[Dotch]

Ice looks kinda crappy. Several guys have fallen on both teams...

[glenn57]

gophers lucked out on the off sides on WMU goal!!!!!!!

[dutchboy]

I think Bucci has a man crush on Knies.

[glenn57]

I think Bucci has a man crush on Knies.

i noticed that to!!!!!!!!

i'd feel a wee bit more comfy if the rodents would be up by 2!!!!!!!

[Dotch]

Yeeessss!!!! 2 - 0! 

[glenn57]

  i missed it..was keeping an eye on LPS's dogs brother!!!!!!

[Dotch]

Empty netter!!! (for those playing with their dog) 

[glenn57]

  gophers score shorthanded and the goalie  pulled....off to da frozen 4 baby!!!!!!!!

[Gunner55]

i missed it..was keeping an eye on LPS's dogs brother!!!!!!

Thought you were a BIG fan of UM hockey. I seen it & I was just tryin to skip a few of the commercials yday. The Wild game was good too, both winning goalies had really good games IMO.

[glenn57]

So Gunner, I see where your Hawkeye sophomore center is entering the transfer portal. 

When they go to a different school what happens to there scholarship??? They should be required to cough up the cost of what tuition would be. 

[Gunner55]

  No idea, he got very little PT this year. Must not work that way either or so many of 'em wouldn't be doing it. Bet Dotch knows & he MIGHT even be able explain it for you, if he has enough time.                               

[Dotch]

Anything for my little blue katchup-loving buddy...

I don't know all the ins and outs but, when they enter the portal, they run the risk of losing their scholarship if the school decides to pull it and give it to someone else in the meantime, if the individual entering the portal changes their mind & wants to stay at their original school. That varies from school to school and situation to situation. They do not have to pay the scholarship back anywhere I am aware of. Most will get another scholarship at their new school although I would suspect they could walk on, which would be kinda dumb but these are kids, most of them anyway.

[KEN W]

Lindsey Whalen loses 7 players to transfer. Pretty tough to have spring practice with 3 players. At least she will get the 4 new recruits when summer school starts in June. Why are they all leaving? Most are saying they want to play on a winning team. Evidently that's not the Gophers.

In sports it used to be said you can’t replace the whole team so the coach had to go. Apparently the gopher women are the exception to the rule.

She was just inducted into the Women's Hall of Fame this week. Sure looks like she was a great player, but can't coach.

She should have 1 more year and if this disaster continues with the supposedly Number 10 rated class in Div 1 Women's BB, she needs to be replaced.

[Steve-o]

I haven't been paying enough attention to know.  Is it that Whalen can't coach or is it kids to day don't want to be pushed?

Otherwise, if a talented gal REALLY wants to win a championship, there are only a handful of teams that seem to have a chance to win year after year.  And the grass is always greener...

[KEN W]

When there are that many players leaving, there is clearly a lack of confidence in the coach and the team. She has been there for 5 years now. And has gotten nowhere. And the players are leaving the team in big numbers. Time for Coyle to see the writing on the wall. Being a home state icon is not getting the job done. I hope I am wrong and the new recruits can find winning ways.

[glenn57]

IMO that transfer portal is a bunch of total  . if they didnt want to play here, why come at all??????

anyhow, 7;30 tonight gopher hockey against mankota!!!!!!!    final 4 action...........

[mike89]

 mankota

Ah Glenn it's spelled Mankato, folks wanted ya to know..   

[glenn57]

mankota

Ah Glenn it's spelled Mankato, folks wanted ya to know..   

i'm still ill!!!!!!!!

[mike89]

mankota

Ah Glenn it's spelled Mankato, folks wanted ya to know..   

i'm still ill!!!!!!!!

oh heck we've known that for years!!!!   

[Dotch]

Actually this was Whalen's 4th season coaching but that's immaterial. She's been lucky to have the press in her back pocket or she would've been ridden out of here on a rail by now. I was surprised after getting off to a good start her first year that she suddenly had difficulty that has been ongoing. I expected big things the 2nd year and it's been downhill from there. COVID and the transfer portal have not treated her kindly. If she doesn't show vast improvement next year though, the program needs to move on without her. This isn't working.

Like Steve-O said, there have been some indications such as in the Destiny Pitts case where player behavior showed little respect for the coach or regard for the team. When you disobey the coach, someone who has been through all the wars like Whalen has, then call her a bitch to her face, you need to take your medicine, not pout, take your ball & go elsewhere because your feelings are hurt. Likewise with Jasmine Powell whose response after getting benched for not following coach's orders during a game was to pout, then quit and transfer in the middle of the season. What a bunch of I see a lot of the same in some of the younger employees I've had here in the recent past. Some are very respectful, work hard and quickly understand what's expected without being having to be told all the time. Others think they're above all that, want to be told what to do so they have an out, (You didn't tell me to do that!) yet work at their own pace and be able to come and go as they please without communicating first. Otherwise it interferes with their social agenda. More In college sports, it's increasingly becoming "all about me" and the transfer portal only serves to perpetuate that kind of behavior. I fear college basketball may be transforming itself into a glorified extension of AAU ball or a minor league for the pro's. I can't stand watching the NBA (only the Hallmark Channel is worse) and only watched the WNBA when the Lynx had decent teams. If the trend continues, it'll leave a lot of fans like myself behind. I have better things to do in the twilight of my years than watch overpaid crybabies and spoiled brats.

[KEN W]

Dotch.....I agree 100%. Part of the problem is Minnesota has excellent women's BB prospects. But they want to play at a winning program. Why are both SD and SDSU better than the Gophers???

Wait until players can now be paid to play college sports. Like you say.....Nothing more than a minor league NBA or NFL. I don't watch the NBA either. Not even the playoffs.

The only thing keeping me watching the NFL is that the salary cap keeps teams competitive. Don't know how much longer I'll keep watching the Twins if they can't win at least 80 games a year. Basically nothing but a minor league team for the Yankees, Dodgers, Red Sox etc.

[Dotch]

It would be interesting sometime to talk to my neighbor Carlie Wagner to get her take when she's around. She's studying to be a nurse as I understand it after getting some kind of business degree at the U. See her every once in a while out running when she's home. The kind of shape she's in, looks like she could still be out there at The Barn playing! One of the things that impressed me most about Carlie was when Pam Borton was fired, she stuck it out with the hiring of Marlene Stollings. Marlene was an absolute battle axe when I watched her from courtside! After leaving MN, she got fired at Texas Tech for her and her staff being verbally abusive to their players & for questionable conditioning procedures. Borton had recruited Carlie as had Brenda Freese and several other blue blood programs. Carlie always wanted to play for the Gophers. She could've bailed and transferred out. She stayed loyal however and that spoke volumes (to me) about her character.

I mentioned Brenda Freese, the gal who initially put Gopher women's basketball on the map in the '01-'02 season, being named AP National Coach of the Year, before leaving for Maryland the following season. Recruited by Cheryl Littlejohn the previous season, Lindsay Whalen played for Freese, averaging 22.2 ppg during the '01 - '02 season. Freese left for Maryland and went on to develop one of the elite programs in the country, including 6 Big 10 championships, numerous Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight appearances and a national championship in 2006. Guess what? Suddenly she's got the same problem as Whalen has!   

  https://news.yahoo.com/maryland-women-basketball-sophomore-american-002400753.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall   

[KEN W]

Very good article about Maryland and women's BB in general. Sounds like a coaching problem when the best players are not returning to their home state team and one of the best programs in the country.