Reusse: Simply put, it's make-or-break time for Gophers coach Richard Pitino

[BleedGopher]

per Pat:

A dozen years later, we have a young coach in his sixth season, and he inherited a stronger roster than Monson, and is coaching in a metro area that suddenly has classes full of big-time basketball prospects, and he gets to play Rutgers (often twice), and this has to be it.

This week’s abomination, a 95-68 loss at Illinois, put the Gophers at 3-3 in the Big Ten’s 20-game schedule. There are still plenty of wins to be had in a conference with more bad teams than good ones, and if he doesn’t get to 11 or 12 wins and return to the NCAA tournament, maybe finally win an NCAA game, it’s simple: Richard Pitino must be gone.

Miserable crowds, including a Big Ten opener with under 10,000 announced, a conference record that stands at 34-62 (.354) — in the name of Dan Monson, there have to be some minimal standards applied here again for Gophers basketball.

http://www.startribune.com/simply-p...e-for-gophers-coach-richard-pitino/504565042/

Go Gophers!!

 

[Unregistered User]

There are still plenty of wins to be had in a conference with more bad teams than good ones...

Stupid and uninformed.

 

[MennoSota]

Stupid and uninformed.

Yeah the "more bad teams than good" is purely Reusse trying to goad people.

 

[builtbadgers]

Everybody has a different standard for what good and bad are. We have a ton of fans that think .500 is good. For me i think there are 8 good right now and 6 bad. Some will say there are 10 good, fine. Hell, someone posted the other day that Penn State and Rutgers are ok, to me they are Terrible ! There will be a ton of boosters that are already hot under the collar if we do not go 11-9. They write big checks are are already skipping games because they are so sick of 34-63 or whatever.

 

[60's Guy]

We need to win at home...if that falters couple times without any road wins...it's ugly.

On any given night dang near any college team can beat the Gophers. We have very limited options offensively on too many nights, add the free throw shooting and it's tough to win. Don't rebound, no chance.

Roster management....not coaching is the issue.

 

[CPTMidnight]

Gophers basketball have always been an easy target for Patrick. He must be shaking in anticipation like some an addict about to shoot up a long overdue fix.

Imagine his disappointment if we finish the year well...

 

[builtbadgers]

We need to win at home...if that falters couple times without any road wins...it's ugly.

On any given night dang near any college team can beat the Gophers. We have very limited options offensively on too many nights, add the free throw shooting and it's tough to win. Don't rebound, no chance.

Roster management....not coaching is the issue.

So you think the defense is just fine ?

 

[skauma]

Gophers basketball have always been an easy target for Patrick. He must be shaking in anticipation like some an addict about to shoot up a long overdue fix.

Imagine his disappointment if we finish the year well...

A long overdue fix? If you think he gets his fix off of mediocre Gopher basketball seasons, he's been feasting for years.

 

[WorkingMyTailOff]

He’s not wrong on this one.
I think we finally have a competent AD and because of that I don’t fear a coaching change for Men’s BB.

 

[CPTMidnight]

A long overdue fix? If you think he gets his fix off of mediocre Gopher basketball seasons, he's been feasting for years.

His fix is the potential change in coaching. People like him feast on this. All the dirty laundry, negativity, potential for I told you so's, new coach coming in, new people to bash, new put downs, and all the new material he needs to come up with for name calling. Last time this happened was in 2013.

He really doesn't need the Gophers to do poorly to bash them but the history of the program allows him to feed off of it on a regular basis. I can remember him bashing every coach going back to the Dutcher days including Haskins during the 97 final 4 run. I cannot speak to the Mussleman years or the Kundla/Fitch years.

Reusse is like the kid on the playground who everyone knows has some serious personal problems and family issues at home but cannot help but laughing at his put-down jokes because he is good at it. It is his only shtick and the only way he can hope to get any attention. For whatever reason it works here in MN.

 

[LesBolstad]

He’s not wrong on this one.
I think we finally have a competent AD and because of that I don’t fear a coaching change for Men’s BB.

This. Lil' Ricky must go .500 in B10 this year or it should be adios. Tonight's game is huge and a must win.

 

[cjbfbp]

Roster management....not coaching is the issue.

Gee, I thought the coach was responsible for roster management.

 

[cjbfbp]

For me i think there are 8 good right now and 6 bad.

That's a fair statement. Considering all 350 + D1 basketball teams, all Big Ten teams are above average. But, relative quality has to be considered within a team's competitive environment. The Gophers might be battling for the conference title in the Atlantic 10 but that's not where they compete.

 

[MennoSota]

He’s not wrong on this one.
I think we finally have a competent AD and because of that I don’t fear a coaching change for Men’s BB.

You like snakes? [emoji216]

 

[WorkingMyTailOff]

You like snakes? [emoji216]

Whatevs man. I like Coyle’s hires so far. Norwood was a joke.

 

[cjbfbp]

Imagine his disappointment if we finish the year well...

OK, and while I'm at that, I'll take some enjoyment from imagining yours if the reverse happens.

 

[MennoSota]

Whatevs man. I like Coyle’s hires so far. Norwood was a joke.

Who has coil [emoji216] hired besides PJ and an unproven Whalen? Is the Whalen hire any different than the Pitino hire? Both are hired with little to no head coaching experience.
Coil is, to me, a snake [emoji216] who is not to be trusted.

 

[Chucklehead]

Reusse finally gets it right. Pitino seems like a good coach but we need better results,especially with recruiting. I hate to start over but it's better than spinning your wheels.

 

[cjbfbp]

Who has coil [emoji216] hired besides PJ and an unproven Whalen? Is the Whalen hire any different than the Pitino hire? Both are hired with little to no head coaching experience.

Yes, but the same thing could be said for Fred Hoiberg when he was hired at IA St. The difference between Hoiberg and Whalen on one hand and Pitino on the other, is that the former both played at the highest levels of their competitive environments.

 

[cjbfbp]

Pitino seems like a good coach but we need better results,especially with recruiting.

Excuse me, but one IS what one DOES.

If Pitino has a failed tenure here for various reasons, including recruiting, then employing occam's razor, the correct conclusion is that he is not a good coach (at least not yet anyway).

 

[CPTMidnight]

OK, and while I'm at that, I'll take some enjoyment from imagining yours if the reverse happens.

Dats what Im sayin Man!

You need to get it out there and tell everyone how you really feel. Ya'll are hoping for the worst. Patrick Reusse fans ALWAYS give themselves away.

 

[cjbfbp]

Dats what Im sayin Man!

You need to get it out there and tell everyone how you really feel. Ya'll are hoping for the worst. Patrick Reusse fans ALWAYS give themselves away.

I couldn't care less about Reusse or any other local sports columnist or radio personality. I don't read them or listen to them.

I posted here well before the season began that I would be happy with either of two alternatives:

1) The team does well and either gets an NCAA tournament berth or just misses and makes a good run in the NIT; or

2) The team has another disappointing season and that is the final straw that moves the decision makers to make a coaching change.

The only alternative that would make me unhappy is if #2 happens and a coaching change still isn't made.

 

[CPTMidnight]

I couldn't care less about Reusse or any other local sports columnist or radio personality. I don't read them or listen to them.

I posted here well before the season began that I would be happy with either of two alternatives:

1) The team does well and either gets an NCAA tournament berth or just misses and makes a good run in the NIT; or

2) The team has another disappointing season and that is the final straw that moves the decision makers to make a coaching change.

The only alternative that would make me unhappy is if #2 happens and a coaching change still isn't made.

You speak truth. 1 or 2 will happen. It puts you in the same boat as me - being neither a Pitino guy nor an anti-Pitino guy. I'm just a fan that wants them to win with the Pitino experiment or someone else.

Reusse fans are the same as Reusse himself. The shtick is to troll people with the negative, disappear if it turns out positive, and reappear when it turns negative. I cannot stop them from using us as their online therapist but I can have fun trolling them.

 

[GopherJake]

You speak truth. 1 or 2 will happen. It puts you in the same boat as me - being neither a Pitino guy nor an anti-Pitino guy. I'm just a fan that wants them to win with the Pitino experiment or someone else.

Reusse fans are the same as Reusse himself. The shtick is to troll people with the negative, disappear if it turns out positive, and reappear when it turns negative. I cannot stop them from using us as their online therapist but I can have fun trolling them.

How is your view any different from Pat’s? I don’t see much.

 

[Goldteam]

You speak truth. 1 or 2 will happen. It puts you in the same boat as me - being neither a Pitino guy nor an anti-Pitino guy. I'm just a fan that wants them to win with the Pitino experiment or someone else.

Reusse fans are the same as Reusse himself. The shtick is to troll people with the negative, disappear if it turns out positive, and reappear when it turns negative. I cannot stop them from using us as their online therapist but I can have fun trolling them.

Wait a minute............win with someone else? That's what I think is needed. Someone else. You lose it whenever I post that.

Are you a troll? If so, you're not very good at it.

 

[BarnBurner]

Who has coil [emoji216] hired besides PJ and an unproven Whalen? Is the Whalen hire any different than the Pitino hire? Both are hired with little to no head coaching experience.
Coil is, to me, a snake [emoji216] who is not to be trusted.

 

[EG#9]

Reusse nails this one. It's amazing how far standards have fallen in basketball post Clem. I was posting on this board early in Monson's tenure. We had a good number of knowledgeable posters who wanted Monson gone extremely early in his tenure. Nobody ever argued that his results were acceptable, but some of us argued (early on) that he needed more time due to the ridiculous sanctions. There was real anger from the majority of the board as Monson's tenure grew longer. Now it takes something like a 30 point loss to a winless Illinois team to get people (at least on this board) angry about Gopher basketball's performance.

It's year 6, we've seen 1 winning conference record, 1 NCAA tournament appearance, and 0 NCAA tournament wins. If two of those three statistics don't change, I don't see an argument for retention. Coach Pitino's been given an exceptionally long leash and he still has 14 conference games to take advantage of that long leash.

 

[builtbadgers]

Reusse nails this one. It's amazing how far standards have fallen in basketball post Clem. I was posting on this board early in Monson's tenure. We had a good number of knowledgeable posters who wanted Monson gone extremely early in his tenure. Nobody ever argued that his results were acceptable, but some of us argued (early on) that he needed more time due to the ridiculous sanctions. There was real anger from the majority of the board as Monson's tenure grew longer. Now it takes something like a 30 point loss to a winless Illinois team to get people (at least on this board) angry about Gopher basketball's performance.

It's year 6, we've seen 1 winning conference record, 1 NCAA tournament appearance, and 0 NCAA tournament wins. If two of those three statistics don't change, I don't see an argument for retention. Coach Pitino's been given an exceptionally long leash and he still has 14 conference games to take advantage of that long leash.

Great post. Spot on. It is not trolling or knocking Pitino to post facts. It has been historically bad.

 

[howeda7]

Let's not be thin-skinned Gopher fans again. Outside of the line "more bad teams than good" he's not saying anything that hasn't been said multiple times here.

 

[WriterGoph]

Reusse nails this one. It's amazing how far standards have fallen in basketball post Clem. I was posting on this board early in Monson's tenure. We had a good number of knowledgeable posters who wanted Monson gone extremely early in his tenure. Nobody ever argued that his results were acceptable, but some of us argued (early on) that he needed more time due to the ridiculous sanctions. There was real anger from the majority of the board as Monson's tenure grew longer. Now it takes something like a 30 point loss to a winless Illinois team to get people (at least on this board) angry about Gopher basketball's performance.

It's year 6, we've seen 1 winning conference record, 1 NCAA tournament appearance, and 0 NCAA tournament wins. If two of those three statistics don't change, I don't see an argument for retention. Coach Pitino's been given an exceptionally long leash and he still has 14 conference games to take advantage of that long leash.

Solid post. I think we just need to let this season do the talking. If this one falls apart, it's time for a change. But - like Goldteam and some other "fans" on here - I'm definitely not cheering against the team or celebrating bad losses to see that change happen.