I like and think Pitino will be back, but who would you most like to replace him...

[Otis]

I think we will make the NCAAs and Pitino will hopefully get a couple more good recruits and he won't be on the hot seat, but just wondering who would you want as Gopher coach next year.

Put Alford on here as a nod to Bobby. I wanted the Gophers to sign Bobby after Indiana booted him but the cowards at the U were too afraid to pull the trigger. I would have seriously enjoyed the Bobby Knight revenge tour for a good 5-7 years!

 

[Gophs24]

I doubt Pitino is canned. but with the offensive droughts this team has they very well turn south. so who knows.

but I would be all in for Musselman(1a) or Freddy(1b).
I really hope Saunders can prove himself the rest of the way for the wolves.

 

[RatherBeGolfing]

Ryan Saunders lol

Steve Alford even more of an lol

 

[Goldteam]

Ryan Saunders lol

Steve Alford even more of an lol

and Pitino's offensive sets and lack of team discipline an even bigger LOL! I shouldn't be criticizing the great Pitino though.

 

[Otis]

Why is Alford an Lol?
8 yrs @ Iowa: 152-106 and 61-67 conference, 3 NCAAs, 3 NITs, Highest Conf finish 2nd, lowest 8th. Then he did very well at New Mexico and UCLA(should have done better with those recruits)

Just saying he isn't a horrible coach.

Hoiberg:
5 yrs @ Iowa State: 115-56 and 49-39 in the Big 12, 4 NCAAs, 3-13 in conference first year and never lower than 4th after.

Musselman:
3 yrs @ Nevada: 95-30 and 40-16 in Mountain West Conference, Finished 4th, 1st and 1st in the MWC, 2 NCAAs, Great Warmups. (The gophers would probably finish 1st or 2nd in the MWC)

Saunders:
4 day as Timberwolves HC: Record 1-0. Clearly, no where to go but down from here. Especially with Taylor's Wolves.

I only see one stretch as a possible Gophers Head Coach.

Musselman, Hoiberg, and Saunders would be my top three of these guys. But at any other school, I'd take Alford well before Saunders.

 

[cjbfbp]

Ryan Saunders lol

Steve Alford even more of an lol

I have no opinion on Saunders. Don't know enough about him.

I would rather have almost anyone else over Steve Alford.

Fred would be an outstanding hire if we could get him. Not only was he a successful college coach but he also played the game at the highest levels, coached in the NBA, and also had NBA front office experience. I also thought his recruiting choices made a lot of sense for a college team trying to emerge from the doldrums.

 

[Otis]

I heard Fred knows something about shooting threes.

 

[Gopherfan84]

It's easy to look at past records, but I'm always interested in who's a fit. I look at guys that will be liked by the AAU and HS coaches, will fit in well with the fan base, looks at this job as a jewel and would be interested in building it and staying here, and then who's actually realistic.

1. Tim Miles- He fits all those categories I listed above. His W and L record at Nebraska doesn't scare me. That job is so hard.
2. Niko Medved- Climbing, plus he brings Dave Thorson with him. Good coach.
3. Hoiberg- I'm worried that he doesn't like to recruit, but he is good at hiring guys that will. I don't know how MN coaches (Espcially AAU) would respond to that. Fan base be willing to like taking risky transfers? Pitino got ripped for it.

Not ready yet, but future guys
1. Ben Johnson- Well liked in the state and is connected. Would hopefully get Thorson here and other young MN guys to connect to the base.
2. Ryan Saunders- That will change quickly with his new promotion.

Dream Hires, but unlikely
1. Tony Bennett (Would be scary good here)
2. Dave Joeger- Total wild card, be interesting to see how he'd be recruiting, but x and o's wise he's dynamite
2. Muss- I think he wants to stay out in the West Coast personally, but who knows. USC may open up soon too and he'd seem to be a good candidate there. He's not a good fit at UCLA. If Hurley ditches ASU for another job, he could be a good fit there too.

 

[dpodoll68]

"Other" wasn't an option, so I didn't vote.

 

[Gopherfan84]

Expand on your list.

 

[tikited]

Musselman in a heartbeat.

 

[builtbadgers]

It's easy to look at past records, but I'm always interested in who's a fit. I look at guys that will be liked by the AAU and HS coaches, will fit in well with the fan base, looks at this job as a jewel and would be interested in building it and staying here, and then who's actually realistic.

1. Tim Miles- He fits all those categories I listed above. His W and L record at Nebraska doesn't scare me. That job is so hard.
2. Niko Medved- Climbing, plus he brings Dave Thorson with him. Good coach.
3. Hoiberg- I'm worried that he doesn't like to recruit, but he is good at hiring guys that will. I don't know how MN coaches (Espcially AAU) would respond to that. Fan base be willing to like taking risky transfers? Pitino got ripped for it.

Not ready yet, but future guys
1. Ben Johnson- Well liked in the state and is connected. Would hopefully get Thorson here and other young MN guys to connect to the base.
2. Ryan Saunders- That will change quickly with his new promotion.

Dream Hires, but unlikely
1. Tony Bennett (Would be scary good here)
2. Dave Joeger- Total wild card, be interesting to see how he'd be recruiting, but x and o's wise he's dynamite
2. Muss- I think he wants to stay out in the West Coast personally, but who knows. USC may open up soon too and he'd seem to be a good candidate there. He's not a good fit at UCLA. If Hurley ditches ASU for another job, he could be a good fit there too.

Hoiberg but we have our guy now. Miles has a 5 star and 4 or 5 4 star players on his team. It is a hard job and so is Minnesota,UVA and UW. But when you hire the right coach it is not as hard is it.

 

[howeda7]

1. Musselman
2. Miles
3. Hoiberg
4. Ben Howland
5. Nate Oats

Unrealistic candidates but you never know:
Mike Brey
Shaka Smart
Beard at TT

 

[Gopherfan84]

Hoiberg but we have our guy now. Miles has a 5 star and 4 or 5 4 star players on his team. It is a hard job and so is Minnesota,UVA and UW. But when you hire the right coach it is not as hard is it.

Correct MN is a tough job too. I don't see that many 5 and 4 stars on Nebraskas team through 247's recruiting. Miles gets guys to play hard and I think he'd have better luck getting them to MN. Plus I know coaches in the state love him. I think Pitino has done a really good job of adjusting to a job that he didn't fit into. Howeda is right on Beard and Brey being a dream candidates on that I forgot. They are both excellent.

 

[Thomasthetank]

Correct MN is a tough job too. I don't see that many 5 and 4 stars on Nebraskas team through 247's recruiting. Miles gets guys to play hard and I think he'd have better luck getting them to MN. Plus I know coaches in the state love him. I think Pitino has done a really good job of adjusting to a job that he didn't fit into. Howeda is right on Beard and Brey being a dream candidates on that I forgot. They are both excellent.

Musselman is options 1a, 1b, and 1c. Give him whatever he wants. Retire his Dad in the rafters. I dont care what you do.

After that,

2. Medved
3. Hoiberg

 

[builtbadgers]

Correct MN is a tough job too. I don't see that many 5 and 4 stars on Nebraskas team through 247's recruiting. Miles gets guys to play hard and I think he'd have better luck getting them to MN. Plus I know coaches in the state love him. I think Pitino has done a really good job of adjusting to a job that he didn't fit into. Howeda is right on Beard and Brey being a dream candidates on that I forgot. They are both excellent.

Nebraska has one 5 star and four 4 stars. They have great talent. Coaches hardly ever move in conference. Brey is not leaving the ACC and ND. Beard can get UCLA if he wants it. He would be tremendous at Minnesota and would do it with defense as he knows it is the only way to build up in a power 5 conference. Research reveals every single build job that achieved sustained success at a non blue blood did it with a culture of defense.

 

[Gopherfan84]

Nebraska has one 5 star and four 4 stars. They have great talent. Coaches hardly ever move in conference. Brey is not leaving the ACC and ND. Beard can get UCLA if he wants it. He would be tremendous at Minnesota and would do it with defense as he knows it is the only way to build up in a power 5 conference. Research reveals every single build job that achieved sustained success at a non blue blood did it with a culture of defense.

I forgot the Copeland was so highly regarded/rated. Either way, what's your point? They are all mostly graduating too for the most part and it may be time for him to bounce. are you wanting me to move miles off the reasonable list? It was well known that this was his dream job for many years. That may have changed and that's fine, he has that right. Also I said Brey would be a dream candidate. Hoiberg doesn't agree with you about building a team on defense, but for the most part with programs in the greater Midwest it's smarter to build around defense. Love to see where the research is though as I enjoy reading that kind of stuff.

 

[builtbadgers]

I forgot the Copeland was so highly regarded/rated. Either way, what's your point? They are all mostly graduating too for the most part and it may be time for him to bounce. are you wanting me to move miles off the reasonable list? It was well known that this was his dream job for many years. That may have changed and that's fine, he has that right. Also I said Brey would be a dream candidate. Hoiberg doesn't agree with you about building a team on defense, but for the most part with programs in the greater Midwest it's smarter to build around defense. Love to see where the research is though as I enjoy reading that kind of stuff.

I think the Gophers can do a lot better than Miles, he just does not win much. The data is in every programs win loss record over 20 years and the defensive rankings. Pull our own and it is truly a horror show on the won loss under Pitino when giving up 75 or more. It is all in total efficiency . Programs never turn the corner and win at the top of a conference consistently without playing great defense. Great coaches have been using the analytics for a long time now. Most programs try to do it with offense and year after year and coach after coach fail. The most successful coaches in this program were the best defensive coaches we have had.

 

[EG#9]

Hoiberg has the highest floor to me...maybe Musselman has the highest ceiling. The best scenario for Minnesota right now is for the UCLA boosters to get their (alleged) wish which is Rick Pitino. In that scenario, both Musselman and Hoiberg are on the market this Spring. This would be a great time for Musselman to leave Nevada as he's losing a lot off this years team. It would be pretty crazy if he ends up following Pitino here as he was reportedly the next interview for the Gopher job the last time it opened after Pitino. I'd be really optimistic about the future of Gopher basketball if either one is our next head coach.

 

[Gopherfan84]

I think the Gophers can do a lot better than Miles, he just does not win much. The data is in every programs win loss record over 20 years and the defensive rankings. Pull our own and it is truly a horror show on the won loss under Pitino when giving up 75 or more. It is all in total efficiency . Programs never turn the corner and win at the top of a conference consistently without playing great defense. Great coaches have been using the analytics for a long time now. Most programs try to do it with offense and year after year and coach after coach fail. The most successful coaches in this program were the best defensive coaches we have had.

I'm not disagreeing with you about being defense oriented. I was hoping you had some valid data or links to share so I could see it as well. I'm a defense oriented guy myself. Also our most successful coaches were ones who cheated.

Now a fair discussion is whether Miles is a valid/good option and a proven winner. We could have a fair debate on that. I know his W-L record is against him as I mentioned in my very first post. Every place he's been, he's made better is what I always liked about him. I also know that this job means a lot to him, similar to what ISU meant to Hoiberg. I'm just not sold Musselman would come here. I think he'd like to stay out west, but money talks so who knows. I'd just like to know the list of guys who are significantly better, but are reasonable for us to hire.

 

[builtbadgers]

Go to Kenpom and they have every year. There will be a direct correlation between defensive efficiency and winning in the power 5 conferences. As for Miles, he will not change jobs within the conference but he has had a long damn time at Nebraska without getting anything significantly won. Think Muss is way better but we have a coach. The list better than Miles is not applicable because he is not available and neither are they. At one time the Hurleys were, so was Holtman, Mack, Archie Miller but we are always late in recognizing true greatness. Could have had Buzz Williams. Dan Fife would be a great get.

 

[Gophers7NatTitlesBadgers0]

Not sure about Saunders. Musselman would be intriguing. Alford and Hoiberg bring baggage imo.

 

[Gopherfan84]

Go to Kenpom and they have every year. There will be a direct correlation between defensive efficiency and winning in the power 5 conferences. As for Miles, he will not change jobs within the conference but he has had a long damn time at Nebraska without getting anything significantly won. Think Muss is way better but we have a coach. The list better than Miles is not applicable because he is not available and neither are they. At one time the Hurleys were, so was Holtman, Mack, Archie Miller but we are always late in recognizing true greatness. Could have had Buzz Williams. Dan Fife would be a great get.

Kenpom is good stuff, but some of that is the chicken or the egg conversation and it's also can be biased due to how different conferences play. For example, the Pac 12 has a bunch of teams that are rated high, but that conference is garage.

My pushback about Miles not winning a damn thing, is that he has won just as much as anyone else has done there. I look at Nebraska that is at it's ceiling where it is. MN has a higher ceiling, but different issues with Apathy being #1. I think Miles is someone who is great at breaking that. I know you mention the in conference argument, and the majority of the time why that doesn't happen is because it never wins the press conference. Also I he would've taken the MN job last time if he'd been at Nebraska for more than one year. He just didn't feel right about it.

Our new AD is a little better at finding talented young coaches I believe too. You are so right about Norwood or Maturi missing the ball on young talented guys. Fife is an asst. that I'd like, but he must be waiting for Izzo to leave. Appreciate the banter sir. Good convo

 

[CentralGopher]

Hoiberg has the highest floor to me...maybe Musselman has the highest ceiling. The best scenario for Minnesota right now is for the UCLA boosters to get their (alleged) wish which is Rick Pitino. In that scenario, both Musselman and Hoiberg are on the market this Spring. This would be a great time for Musselman to leave Nevada as he's losing a lot off this years team. It would be pretty crazy if he ends up following Pitino here as he was reportedly the next interview for the Gopher job the last time it opened after Pitino. I'd be really optimistic about the future of Gopher basketball if either one is our next head coach.

No chance whatsoever Hoiberg is still on the market in spring. He will have a number of NBA coaching, gm and front office opportunities in addition to college coaching ones.


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[builtbadgers]

Kenpom is good stuff, but some of that is the chicken or the egg conversation and it's also can be biased due to how different conferences play. For example, the Pac 12 has a bunch of teams that are rated high, but that conference is garage.

My pushback about Miles not winning a damn thing, is that he has won just as much as anyone else has done there. I look at Nebraska that is at it's ceiling where it is. MN has a higher ceiling, but different issues with Apathy being #1. I think Miles is someone who is great at breaking that. I know you mention the in conference argument, and the majority of the time why that doesn't happen is because it never wins the press conference. Also I he would've taken the MN job last time if he'd been at Nebraska for more than one year. He just didn't feel right about it.

Our new AD is a little better at finding talented young coaches I believe too. You are so right about Norwood or Maturi missing the ball on young talented guys. Fife is an asst. that I'd like, but he must be waiting for Izzo to leave. Appreciate the banter sir. Good convo

Always enjoy the back and forth especially since so many that do not like what is posted simply resort to name calling. FYI, i think the top rated team from the pack on Kenpom is Oregon at 44 ! Certainly nobody rated highly. There is no bias in Kenpom, it measures exactly how efficient you are on both offense and defense and adjusts for schedule. How efficiently you play shows how well you play.

 

[builtbadgers]

No chance whatsoever Hoiberg is still on the market in spring. He will have a number of NBA coaching, gm and front office opportunities in addition to college coaching ones.


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I think Pitino does very well in the conference still and keeps his job. The real question is can he build a elite program that wins conference titles, gets to sweet 16's, elite 8's and further if things go your way. That has been done elsewhere.

 

[Otis]

I think Pitino does very well in the conference still and keeps his job. The real question is can he build a elite program that wins conference titles, gets to sweet 16's, elite 8's and further if things go your way. That has been done elsewhere.

If Matthew comes to the Gophers he could.

 

[Bad Gopher]

Not sure about Saunders. Musselman would be intriguing. Alford and Hoiberg bring baggage imo.

Alford way more than Hoiberg, in my opinion. The way he handled the Pierre Pierce situation makes him a non-starter in any hiring situation as far as I'm concerned.

 

[mplarson7]

An Alford hire would have me running and screaming, and not in a good way.

 

[Goldteam]

If Matthew comes to the Gophers he could.

Prediction:

Matthew does not come here and his brother transfers next year from the gophers to be with the brother.