Video: Billy Donovan says Gophers Richard Pitino's "rebuilding job starts right now"

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Video: Billy Donovan says Gophers Richard Pitino's "rebuilding job starts right now"

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Go Gophers!!
 

Yeah...because Rico only had one year in D1 before he came here...he didn't have years of relationships recruiting kids a head coach...so he couldn't/didn't replace the Tubby Jr/Sr kids that he lost. Basically it is ground floor. We see next years class (his 4th D1 class) is top 20 ranked and top 5 in Big Ten. That is pretty incredible when you consider everything.

That said, all the top recruits in the world wont matter if he doesn't learn how to coach during games and get his players to play.

So I see next year as make/break. If he can coach the kids he has coming in and his current group next year without all the mistakes and lack of consistent effort...he should be fine and move forward. If he can't get it figured out...next year (unless he signs a top 5 class) is probably his last IMO.
 

Yeah...because Rico only had one year in D1 before he came here...he didn't have years of relationships recruiting kids a head coach...so he couldn't/didn't replace the Tubby Jr/Sr kids that he lost. Basically it is ground floor. We see next years class (his 4th D1 class) is top 20 ranked and top 5 in Big Ten. That is pretty incredible when you consider everything.

That said, all the top recruits in the world wont matter if he doesn't learn how to coach during games and get his players to play.

So I see next year as make/break. If he can coach the kids he has coming in and his current group next year without all the mistakes and lack of consistent effort...he should be fine and move forward. If he can't get it figured out...next year (unless he signs a top 5 class) is probably his last IMO.
I agree, I think recruiting has gotten better each year, I always thought Richard made good coaching decisions his first year. It always seemed like we could get a stop or a bucket out of Time out, the team could actually inbound the ball and he would have his D give different looks if something wasn't working. I feel like a lot of things that he gets criticized for now, were acclaimed for when had more talent, funny how that works. I think the five newbies will make him look a little smarter next season, combine with the seasoning his returners are getting this year.
 

That said, all the top recruits in the world wont matter if he doesn't learn how to coach during games and get his players to play.

as we just saw with Rice at UNLV. it is odd, RPs recruiting classes get better each year but the on court performance gets worse.

I'd be interested in hearing from others who see the game if they think we're seeing 'lack of consistent effort' or typical learning curve issues.
 

Again, I'm not insulting Pitino's recent class or his work involved in it, but his recent class success has to do with Coffey being in his backyard and being a legacy that was probably just short of the bluebloods. He did a nice job prying him away from Iowa State and other places, but I do not see this as a trend. This was a nice blip on the radar that will not be a norm if he were to hypothetically be given another 5-10 years, he's not going to net a high 4-star guy and a mid 4-star guy every year. Maybe once every 5, as we see here.
 


I still don't think of this program as one that needed to be rebuilt when he took over. The cupboard might have been momentarily a little bare, but it wasn't a disaster area. It reminds me of both Gutekunst and Brewster talking about rebuilding - they both inherited something that was in pretty decent shape.
 

Again, I'm not insulting Pitino's recent class or his work involved in it, but his recent class success has to do with Coffey being in his backyard and being a legacy that was probably just short of the bluebloods. He did a nice job prying him away from Iowa State and other places, but I do not see this as a trend. This was a nice blip on the radar that will not be a norm if he were to hypothetically be given another 5-10 years, he's not going to net a high 4-star guy and a mid 4-star guy every year. Maybe once every 5, as we see here.
Coffey wasn't a lock by any means, he had offers from ISU and Arizona among others. Plus ISU was the clear cut leader when Hoiberg was there. Also none of his sisters went to the U, Nia would be a nice piece for the women's team. Curry and Dorsey are consensus four stars and they're out of state guys. The local guys have reported that were in good shape with Theo John, so no I don't think this is a blip on the radar
 

as we just saw with Rice at UNLV. it is odd, RPs recruiting classes get better each year but the on court performance gets worse.

I'd be interested in hearing from others who see the game if they think we're seeing 'lack of consistent effort' or typical learning curve issues.

There's really no comparison to Dave Rice. This was his 5th year, and his last 4 recruiting classes were ranked 5th, 28th, 3rd, and 13th overall according to 247. Pitino's class for next year is the only one that is close to where Rice has been ranked for the past 4 seasons. Even with those classes Rice never won a NCAA tournament game, hasn't made it the last two years, and wasn't going to make it again this year.
 

I still don't think of this program as one that needed to be rebuilt when he took over. The cupboard might have been momentarily a little bare, but it wasn't a disaster area. It reminds me of both Gutekunst and Brewster talking about rebuilding - they both inherited something that was in pretty decent shape.

Agree, which is why he did well his first year. The issue is that he only had one year at D1 before he got here and didn't have a pipeline of relationships for recruiting. IMO, that is why his year 1 class was a dud and his year 2 was just OK. Year 3 here is more what I expect now that he has built some relationships.
 



Coffey wasn't a lock by any means, he had offers from ISU and Arizona among others. Plus ISU was the clear cut leader when Hoiberg was there. Also none of his sisters went to the U, Nia would be a nice piece for the women's team. Curry and Dorsey are consensus four stars and they're out of state guys. The local guys have reported that were in good shape with Theo John, so no I don't think this is a blip on the radar

We were in great shape with Theo or we are in great shape?
 

I tend to agree with Donovan in that this is really the start of the Pitino era at The U.


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Coffey wasn't a lock by any means, he had offers from ISU and Arizona among others. Plus ISU was the clear cut leader when Hoiberg was there. Also none of his sisters went to the U, Nia would be a nice piece for the women's team. Curry and Dorsey are consensus four stars and they're out of state guys. The local guys have reported that were in good shape with Theo John, so no I don't think this is a blip on the radar

Theo John is not the exciting player Coffey is. Probably once every 5-10 years we'll get a Coffey or a Royce White - a guy that has the talent to be 1st team all BIG but isn't a lock to go to UNC, Duke, Kentucky.

I'm not saying every coach would get these guys, but it's a bit of a layup. I'll insist on keeping Pitino if he continuously keeps every guy of this caliber, gets the Trents of the world, or pulls in and develops similar players from out of state consistently.
 

Theo John is not the exciting player Coffey is. Probably once every 5-10 years we'll get a Coffey or a Royce White - a guy that has the talent to be 1st team all BIG but isn't a lock to go to UNC, Duke, Kentucky.

I'm not saying every coach would get these guys, but it's a bit of a layup. I'll insist on keeping Pitino if he continuously keeps every guy of this caliber, gets the Trents of the world, or pulls in and develops similar players from out of state consistently.
I would say good luck to you, but Theo John, Eric Curry and Kevin Dorsey fit your "mid" four star category like a glove. I would hardly call Coffey's recruitment a lay up, but will just have to agree to disagree on that one. Any more debating on that topic will feel like hitting my head against a brick wall. I would be shocked if Trent's coming here or if were spending a lot of time on him in the first place. Richard will have opportunities with Tre Jones and Matthew Hurt so will see if he can seal the deal there, but you'll probably just say Tre wanted to stay home so he could watch Tyus play and Matt Hurt only stayed to play one year with his brother if we seal the deal with those two ;)
 

Yes, but the point is that Pitino is probably going to finish around #20 in the recruiting rankings due to Coffey. There is no Coffey to recruit next year. Back to the 40 range he goes. I'm not going to predict that his improved recruiting will lead to a top 25 or even top 30 recruiting output every year, because players like Coffey in our backyard are not here every year (good, but not too good).

Would that be a bad thing if his coaching results were better so far? No. I'd be ecstatic with "improved" recruiting knowing that he'll probably be #35-40 nationally for example if his coaching performance was looking very good.

I would exemplify this above paragraph with Kill/Claeys (treating them as one entity). I like them as coaches so far. I'm OK with them not being top 20 recruiting class-type coaches. They've improved in general, but this year's class will end up with a solid ranking due to a very deep set of prospects in MN. I don't expect them to keep shooting up, up, up the rankings. The Carter Coughlins will only be around once every few years. And I'm OK with that. Put solid classes out there and capitalize when you have a obtainable stud in your backyard. I'm just not expecting a 5-star player like Coughlin every year. They are recruiting fairly well given our recent past, but I'm not expecting that obtaining Coughlin is going to result in a jump into the top 20 the following year.

Finally, Curry came with Coffey. Again...good job by Pitino! Am I expecting a high 4-star player to bring in a good player with him again anytime soon? Again, no. He did a good job with this opportunity, but we're going to drop in the recruiting rankings most likely in the coming years just due to local talent available...unless Tre or Hurt explode and Pitino can keep them.
 

There's really no comparison to Dave Rice. This was his 5th year, and his last 4 recruiting classes were ranked 5th, 28th, 3rd, and 13th overall according to 247. Pitino's class for next year is the only one that is close to where Rice has been ranked for the past 4 seasons. Even with those classes Rice never won a NCAA tournament game, hasn't made it the last two years, and wasn't going to make it again this year.

certainly don't dispute they're not comparable. When I read GopherinPhilly's "That said, all the top recruits in the world wont matter if he doesn't learn how to coach during games and get his players to play." Rice came to mind as someone who hasn't succeeded in wins even though he had very good recruiting classes. I think Rice got more time than RP might get (if he doesn't start winning) because of his deep UNLV ties - he's been a Rebel for a long time
 

Yes, but the point is that Pitino is probably going to finish around #20 in the recruiting rankings due to Coffey. There is no Coffey to recruit next year. Back to the 40 range he goes. I'm not going to predict that his improved recruiting will lead to a top 25 or even top 30 recruiting output every year, because players like Coffey in our backyard are not here every year (good, but not too good).

I expect us to go back for the simple reason that we will probably only have 2 scholarships and even at that I don't know where the 2nd one comes from. Some part of these rankings are quantity as well as quality(which i expect will be a mid 4 star player or 2).
 

I have to think part of this is he has had two years OJT which if you look back shouldn't be all that surprising, tough to be a fan when you don't expect much in the area of results for the first four years though.
 

I firmly believe that given 6 years, Pitino will make multiple tournaments in a row and will contend for a big 10 championship before he leaves the program.

Talent and experience or lack-thereof can make you look smarter/dumber than you really are.

Edit: mid way through the Nebraska game, I don't think they should, but I don't know how they don't fire him the way this team is playing. He'll get the rest of the season to get them to show a pulse.
 

When Pitino had more talent he coached a pretty good game especially during the nit run a few years ago.
 

What does Billy Donovan know.

Oh sh!t, I guess he won a National Championship. Maybe he knows something that all the haters on this website don't know.
 

What does Billy Donovan know.

Oh sh!t, I guess he won a National Championship. Maybe he knows something that all the haters on this website don't know.

He also has a vested interest in seeing Richard succeed because he is Pitino's former boss and because he vouched for Richard to Teague. He's not exactly a neutral, disinterested 3rd party.
 

He also has a vested interest in seeing Richard succeed because he is Pitino's former boss and because he vouched for Richard to Teague. He's not exactly a neutral, disinterested 3rd party.

Yep, this is what ya' call a "take it with a grain of salt" statement. Billy D simply supporting one of his guys because he knows Pitino is starting to take fire from the local media and fan base. Don't blame him at all for doing it, but what else is he supposed to say?
 

Yes, but the point is that Pitino is probably going to finish around #20 in the recruiting rankings due to Coffey. There is no Coffey to recruit next year. Back to the 40 range he goes. I'm not going to predict that his improved recruiting will lead to a top 25 or even top 30 recruiting output every year, because players like Coffey in our backyard are not here every year (good, but not too good).

Would that be a bad thing if his coaching results were better so far? No. I'd be ecstatic with "improved" recruiting knowing that he'll probably be #35-40 nationally for example if his coaching performance was looking very good.

I would exemplify this above paragraph with Kill/Claeys (treating them as one entity). I like them as coaches so far. I'm OK with them not being top 20 recruiting class-type coaches. They've improved in general, but this year's class will end up with a solid ranking due to a very deep set of prospects in MN. I don't expect them to keep shooting up, up, up the rankings. The Carter Coughlins will only be around once every few years. And I'm OK with that. Put solid classes out there and capitalize when you have a obtainable stud in your backyard. I'm just not expecting a 5-star player like Coughlin every year. They are recruiting fairly well given our recent past, but I'm not expecting that obtaining Coughlin is going to result in a jump into the top 20 the following year.

Finally, Curry came with Coffey. Again...good job by Pitino! Am I expecting a high 4-star player to bring in a good player with him again anytime soon? Again, no. He did a good job with this opportunity, but we're going to drop in the recruiting rankings most likely in the coming years just due to local talent available...unless Tre or Hurt explode and Pitino can keep them.
Sounds like you're making excuses because the results don't fit your narrative. Also recruiting rankings in hoops can be impacted by quantity as well, as of now we one scholly available even if by some miracle we brought in Trent Jr, if that was it that wouldn't crack the top 30, but we would have a 5 star PG. If we bring in two of John, Wright or Mar, that's two four star recruits, that class would be in the 40's but you're adding two good players to an already promising core
 

I still don't think of this program as one that needed to be rebuilt when he took over. The cupboard might have been momentarily a little bare, but it wasn't a disaster area. It reminds me of both Gutekunst and Brewster talking about rebuilding - they both inherited something that was in pretty decent shape.

Completely agree with this, which is why it bugs me when people say this is really like the first year of the Pitino era.

We had already been in this position and Tubby pulled us out of the hole. His growth stalled, but you don't fire a guy and hire a replacement to start from scratch. You hope to build from where you are.

We knew at the time that we were getting an inexperienced coach, hoping to get the next Shaka before he really grew into Shaka. Well, what you get is a coach who recruits a few guys who leave (or are kicked out of) school in a year or less; a guy who reaches for recruits that are out of his grasp. As a result, you're starting over in year 3. We're not here due to unique circumstances. We're here because we hired someone who's learning on the job.
 

What does Billy Donovan know.

Oh sh!t, I guess he won a National Championship. Maybe he knows something that all the haters on this website don't know.

Why do people do this?? When is the last time you heard a coach come out and say that another coach is completely in over his head, and should be fired? The next time will be the first. It doesn't happen. Billy answered as he should have answered. Didn't flower praise, didn't overhype and didn't criticize. But yea, if dropping swear words and "haters" makes you feel better, well rock on bro.
 

Yep, this is what ya' call a "take it with a grain of salt" statement. Billy D simply supporting one of his guys because he knows Pitino is starting to take fire from the local media and fan base. Don't blame him at all for doing it, but what else is he supposed to say?

It means slightly less than Mike Shanahan's ringing endorsement of Brew.
 





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