Why is Pitino off the hook?

bleedgold

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Some not so breaking news but I have never been a division 1 coach but my opinion would be that Minnesota Fans who love Pitino are letting him off the hook for what I would suggest may have been some bad recruiting moves on his part which have led to this disaster of a season and a so called "rebuilding year" in his 3rd year as coach.

So far to date at least 7 of his recruits have joined the team with less than full eligibility (4years) to play basketball. I am not against trying to find a JUCO player that can help your team or taking in a transfer that can be a solid player, but as a new coach who is trying to make a name for himself, why wouldnt you save those scholarships, take a little bit more time and recruit the guys you REALLY want out of HS and get them? This way your first year or two may be down, but your 3rd year the recruits and schollies you saved should be coming in and you would see light at the end of the tunnel. No on made Pitino take on Lynch, King, Smith, Deandre, Lofton, Fitzgerald or Morris.

I also understand how Scholarships work and the Malik Smith 1 year deal does not hurt incoming recruiting because the scholarship was available, I get that, but I will not let anyone tell me having Morris the last 3 years was a good recruiting option, or keeping Lynch and Fitzgerald on scholarship for the next 2 or 3 years is going to be game changing. I think this roster has been completely mismanaged, and for all this talk about how good our recruiting class is and the team will be significantly better next year is sadly a joke.

The team has a terrible shooting problem this year, and our best shooter King is graduating. Our only option coming in next year is Hurt from Rochester and if people think a Big Ten true Freshman is going to dominate the league you are wrong. The gophers team next year will be marginally better at best due to the roster being mismanaged.

Am I completely wrong?
 

I will not let anyone tell me having Morris the last 3 years was a good recruiting option, or keeping Lynch and Fitzgerald on scholarship for the next 2 or 3 years is going to be game changing

That's good because we didn't have Morris the last 3 years.
 

Whew. Another thread about firing Pitino. Was really hoping there'd be another one of these.
 

I also understand how Scholarships work and the Malik Smith 1 year deal does not hurt incoming recruiting because the scholarship was available, I get that, but I will not let anyone tell me having Morris the last 3 years was a good recruiting option, or keeping Lynch and Fitzgerald on scholarship for the next 2 or 3 years is going to be game changing. I think this roster has been completely mismanaged, and for all this talk about how good our recruiting class is and the team will be significantly better next year is sadly a joke.

Morris has only been with the team 2 years. Last year was his first. You don't sit out a year when you come from Juco. Most of his Juco/transfer options have been in place of what would have been spring recruits which this board notoriously got on Tubby for. Are you telling me Coffey isn't a good shooter?

Also our shooting stats would be much higher if we made more buckets closer to the rim. We aren't that bad from 3 (184th looks bad but if we hit 5 more threes we'd be 131st, a lot of teams are in that range) we need to make more of our buckets from close, all the lay-ups that Dorsey have missed really hurts our overall stats.

I don't deny that a lot of players have been brought in with less than 4 years of eligibility but Smith didn't hurt us. Matheiu was really good for 1 year and okay for the other, King has been much better than people expected(didn't sit out a year either). Lynch and Fitzgerald it's too early to tell on them. And i don't think I am missing anyone else. so I count 5. What 2 am I missing?
 

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Some not so breaking news but I have never been a division 1 coach but my opinion would be that Minnesota Fans who love Pitino are letting him off the hook for what I would suggest may have been some bad recruiting moves on his part which have led to this disaster of a season and a so called "rebuilding year" in his 3rd year as coach.

I'm failing to see where many Minnesota fans love Pitino. Most everyone agrees he has made mistakes to this point. Most also believe that if he doesn't get things turned around next season he should probably be fired.

Again, not thinking he should get fired this year doesn't mean you love him as a coach.

keeping Lynch and Fitzgerald on scholarship for the next 2 or 3 years is going to be game changing.

My guess is you have never seen either one play before, correct? How about we find out for sure next year before we start making these type of claims?

and for all this talk about how good our recruiting class is and the team will be significantly better next year is sadly a joke.

Well the class is rated high by everyone so I wouldn't say it is a joke. Either way, again, how about we wait until next year so we know for sure?
 

brutal recruiting classes 2012 (Smith), 2013 and 2014. I like 2015 and 2016 and looking forward to see what 2017 looks like
 

Who said he was off the hook?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Oh boy, this is getting tiring.

I am starting to believe that some people on Gopherhole believe that a Gopherhole consensus has the power to hire/fire coaches.

Note: The powers that be don't really care what our monikers say. At all.
 



Morris has only been with the team 2 years. Last year was his first. You don't sit out a year when you come from Juco. Most of his Juco/transfer options have been in place of what would have been spring recruits which this board notoriously got on Tubby for. Are you telling me Coffey isn't a good shooter?

Also our shooting stats would be much higher if we made more buckets closer to the rim. We aren't that bad from 3 (184th looks bad but if we hit 5 more threes we'd be 131st, a lot of teams are in that range) we need to make more of our buckets from close, all the lay-ups that Dorsey have missed really hurts our overall stats.

I don't deny that a lot of players have been brought in with less than 4 years of eligibility but Smith didn't hurt us. Matheiu was really good for 1 year and okay for the other, King has been much better than people expected(didn't sit out a year either). Lynch and Fitzgerald it's too early to tell on them. And i don't think I am missing anyone else. so I count 5. What 2 am I missing?

Martin and Lofton are the others. The one real good point in the OP is that we need better shooters. Either the guys that are young are going to have to get better or the guys coming in have to be better. The other thing that will help shooting is if we develop a threat to score in the low post- which would take some pressure off the perimeter.
 


brutal recruiting classes 2012 (Smith), 2013 and 2014. I like 2015 and 2016 and looking forward to see what 2017 looks like

The 2013 class was always going to be table scraps- when you arrive as a spring hire. However, people do forget that Pitino had Buckles coming here and then couldn't get him in - otherwise we probably go to the NCAAs his first year. In which case, he wouldn't look like such an awful coach. :)
 

Martin and Lofton are the others. The one real good point in the OP is that we need better shooters. Either the guys that are young are going to have to get better or the guys coming in have to be better. The other thing that will help shooting is if we develop a threat to score in the low post- which would take some pressure off the perimeter.

Martin came in as a freshmen, He didn't stay for but he started with 4 years remaining. Lofton, Yep I forgot him.
 



I'm not sure you can really blame Pitino for the way things have worked out, you hire someone with almost no experience you are going to go through some growing pains, it would have been very surprising if this had not happened.

I agree with everything you have said but now is not the time to nuke things and start over, improvement this year, next year, and see how the fifth year starts out and I think we will have a pretty good idea of Pitino.

Big Ten is going to be a very tough conference in the next few years, Northwestern and Penn State are going to be dramatically improved, I don't see any downturn in Ohio State, Mich, Mich St, Purdue, Iowa, Maryland, or Indiana; Wisconsin is kind of a question mark. Even in the fifth year a 10-8 record might be a very successful year.
 




The 2013 class was always going to be table scraps- when you arrive as a spring hire. However, people do forget that Pitino had Buckles coming here and then couldn't get him in - otherwise we probably go to the NCAAs his first year. In which case, he wouldn't look like such an awful coach. :)

Agree that Buckles here likely means Gophers are in NCAA tourney in Pitino's first year. For clarity, it was the NCAA, not the U of M denying him a chance to play here.

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebas...es-rakeem-buckles-appeal-to-play-at-minnesota
 


Whew. Another thread about firing Pitino. Was really hoping there'd be another one of these.
It's like a rash... and it's spreading.

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk
 

Coach Pitino hasn't bee let "off the hook at all" - in fact, here's a picture I took of the Gopher fan rally outside Kaler's office a few hours ago. Did you not get the memo?

704162719040665009.png


You can see Dr.Don in the front row with the apron on. Hodger has the overalls on with the red beard and goatee.

Go Gophers!!
 


I am not calling for his firing, that was never even mentioned in my rant. I am more shocked that a coach at a major university is going through a rebuilding year his 3rd year in, and has assembled close to the worst gophers team in the last 30 years. If when he was hired he starts recruiting ASAP which i am sure he did, of course the first year and part of the 2nd year are going to bring in low recruits because he is behind the ball on all of them. I get that and do not blame him for missing out. But his 3rd year class, has been an embarrassment minus Murphy who looks like he has tools to be a great player.

Every gopher blogger/sports reporter continues to say how good the team is going to be next year with the recruits coming in. I have seen Lynch play at least 10 times, and there was a reason he has no major offers out of HS. Clearly his stats would show he has improved which I think the gophers will feel the most on the defensive end of the floor.

Nate Mason who is our leader and starting Point Guard has a FG% of .377. There are 342 DIV1 teams that have a better shooting %. I look at our roster and cannot figure out with King leaving and Morris (who I think is below average but still one of our top scorers) who is going to fill these gaps next year? I think MN has way to high of expectations for next year.
 

I am not calling for his firing, that was never even mentioned in my rant. I am more shocked that a coach at a major university is going through a rebuilding year his 3rd year in, and has assembled close to the worst gophers team in the last 30 years. If when he was hired he starts recruiting ASAP which i am sure he did, of course the first year and part of the 2nd year are going to bring in low recruits because he is behind the ball on all of them. I get that and do not blame him for missing out. But his 3rd year class, has been an embarrassment minus Murphy who looks like he has tools to be a great player.

Every gopher blogger/sports reporter continues to say how good the team is going to be next year with the recruits coming in. I have seen Lynch play at least 10 times, and there was a reason he has no major offers out of HS. Clearly his stats would show he has improved which I think the gophers will feel the most on the defensive end of the floor.

Nate Mason who is our leader and starting Point Guard has a FG% of .377. There are 342 DIV1 teams that have a better shooting %. I look at our roster and cannot figure out with King leaving and Morris (who I think is below average but still one of our top scorers) who is going to fill these gaps next year? I think MN has way to high of expectations for next year.

so... You have absolutely no point, haven't read any of the "bloogers/ sports reporters" critiques about this season nor have you read the other 10 threads that have the exact same posts as this thread.

Sweet.
 

so... You have absolutely no point, haven't read any of the "bloogers/ sports reporters" critiques about this season nor have you read the other 10 threads that have the exact same posts as this thread.

Sweet.

I apologize for not being able to keep up with the 4,300 Winasota posts on Gopherhole and each and every post from others on Gopherhole. But unless you and I are watching and reading different things, all I keep hearing and reading is how big of a turnaround next year is going to be because of this recruiting class.
 

I am not calling for his firing, that was never even mentioned in my rant. I am more shocked that a coach at a major university is going through a rebuilding year his 3rd year in, and has assembled close to the worst gophers team in the last 30 years. If when he was hired he starts recruiting ASAP which i am sure he did, of course the first year and part of the 2nd year are going to bring in low recruits because he is behind the ball on all of them. I get that and do not blame him for missing out. But his 3rd year class, has been an embarrassment minus Murphy who looks like he has tools to be a great player.

Every gopher blogger/sports reporter continues to say how good the team is going to be next year with the recruits coming in. I have seen Lynch play at least 10 times, and there was a reason he has no major offers out of HS. Clearly his stats would show he has improved which I think the gophers will feel the most on the defensive end of the floor.

Nate Mason who is our leader and starting Point Guard has a FG% of .377. There are 342 DIV1 teams that have a better shooting %. I look at our roster and cannot figure out with King leaving and Morris (who I think is below average but still one of our top scorers) who is going to fill these gaps next year? I think MN has way to high of expectations for next year.
I would hardly call this class an embarrassment besides Murphy, in fact they're the brightest spot of the team. Dorsey was a consensus four star, he was at worst hovering around the top 100 and in the top 80 in rankings depending on which site you want to believe. Dorsey along with McBreyer are two of our better defenders, they will be fine and be good four year players. Lynch lead his conference in blocked shots last year. I don't know much about Fitz, but someone on here mentioned he was the SEC Freshman of the week, even if he's not a game changer as long as he sty he should be a contributor.
 

Coach Pitino hasn't bee let "off the hook at all" - in fact, here's a picture I took of the Gopher fan rally outside Kaler's office a few hours ago. Did you not get the memo?

704162719040665009.png


You can see Dr.Don in the front row with the apron on. Hodger has the overalls on with the red beard and goatee.

Go Gophers!!

I think you have Hodger mixed up with somebody else. I saw him down the hall at the "Schedule Better Non-Conference Foes" rally.
 

Oh boy, this is getting tiring.

I am starting to believe that some people on Gopherhole believe that a Gopherhole consensus has the power to hire/fire coaches.

Note: The powers that be don't really care what our monikers say. At all.

They Don't? Well, I'll be darn.....
 

I think you have Hodger mixed up with somebody else. I saw him down the hall at the "Schedule Better Non-Conference Foes" rally.

"Schedule Better Non-Conference HOME Foes" rally, to be exact!

And Bleed, both the beard and goatee (when allowed to grow) are gray.
 

"Schedule Better Non-Conference HOME Foes" rally, to be exact!

And Bleed, both the beard and goatee (when allowed to grow) are gray.

AAAACCCCKKK......I suppose if I'm going to take a cheap shot, I better get it right.
 




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