Shooter: It looks like, deservedly, Richard Pitino will soon be getting an extension

[Tucker32]

So if it any point in a season we are ranked as high as #15 (or #12), no matter how fleeting it was or whether or not we beat anyone good, we can claim we had a legitimate run at the final 4. Got it.

I don't recall saying that anywhere. Now that you ask, I have no idea how the season would have played out. Had Dupree, Amir, Nate, and Eric each stayed healthy, and Lynch not been stupid - yes, I believe we would have had a really, really good year. That's a lot of guys to lose, and no team manages that. A Final Four run, I have no idea, and never said we would have. However, I do think we would have had a very good year.

I get it, you want the coach fired. I like Pitino, and saw progress this year. Do I think he is the answer? I don't know, but I'll support him. Just like on the football side, I can't stand Fleck's schtick, and I don't think he is the answer. Yet, I have never called for his head as the coach, and never will. Support your coach as long as he's here.

 

[BarnBurner]

Couldn't disagree more Bob. There are plenty of fans content with what Pitino has done over the past few years. We could have another 3-4 years with middle of the pack B1G finishes, 2 NCAA tourney appearances without making a Sweet Sixteen, 2 NITs, and they would be happy and convinced that we are on the right track. There is a lot of high school talent in MN and we are the only D-1 school, there is no reason we can't be a top team in the B1G consistently.

We're in a tough position. We can't really fire a coach who just made it to the round of 32. But only the most optimistic Pitino supporters see us making significant strides next year.

What would YOU do to ensure the MN talent attended the U of MN?

 

[gregbrady]

It's not fair to use the biggest outlier of the moment to claim that's what the Gophers would be getting if they just had someone different.

Beard was an unknown one-season coach at Arkansas Little-Rock. Nobody here would have been happy with that hire at the time. He was also blessed to have a local Lubbock kid (Culver) who's likely to be a Top 10 pick. He's done a great job with transfers though.

Very true, nobody outside of West Texas or UALR knew much about Beard. Even UNLV fans were probably upset when his hiring was announced(I'm guessing), very thin resume at that point. Texas Tech was a dumpster fire after the Gillespie hire and fire(he spent time up here at a rehab facility while at TT), Beard has done an amazing job.

 

[gregbrady]

This is dishonest. Beard had 7 years of head coaching and 12 years of assistant coaching experience at the college and semi-pro levels when he was hired by Texas Tech to be their head coach. He was vastly more experienced than Pitino and, moreover, earned every opportunity he received through his own hard work and success. He wasn't handed high-major coaching opportunities because his dad was a legendary coach.

I won't address the "nobody here would have been happy" or the "unknown" comments because they don't mean anything. All that matters is producing, and Beard has produced a Final Four trip in his 3rd year at a basketball wasteland.

You are correct that "different" isn't necessarily "better," but it would've been difficult for a different coach to do any worse, given that Pitino has one of the worst records in Gopher basketball history and one of the worst records in the Big Ten during his tenure.

Agree with part of your take. He's worked his butt off at a lot of places and had a lot of success, but Minnesota(and most schools) wouldn't have a had a guy like this on their radar. The fans up here would've gone nuts if we hired him, even with his success at the small schools. I love his story and have some Tech connections. Basketball there was really in a dark place when Tubby took it over and he righted the ship. Beard has taken it to another level with nearly a completely different team than last year's Elite Eight team. This is the kind of guy Villa 7 should have brought to the table but they didn't.

 

[GophersInIowa]

Couldn't disagree more Bob. There are plenty of fans content with what Pitino has done over the past few years. We could have another 3-4 years with middle of the pack B1G finishes, 2 NCAA tourney appearances without making a Sweet Sixteen, 2 NITs, and they would be happy and convinced that we are on the right track. There is a lot of high school talent in MN and we are the only D-1 school, there is no reason we can't be a top team in the B1G consistently.

We're in a tough position. We can't really fire a coach who just made it to the round of 32. But only the most optimistic Pitino supporters see us making significant strides next year.

I agree that there is no reason we can't be a top team consistently but it's not going to just be because of local talent. In most years, top 100 recruits across the country sign with an in-state school only about 20-25% of the time.

 

[salzie]

Couldn't disagree more Bob. There are plenty of fans content with what Pitino has done over the past few years. We could have another 3-4 years with middle of the pack B1G finishes, 2 NCAA tourney appearances without making a Sweet Sixteen, 2 NITs, and they would be happy and convinced that we are on the right track. There is a lot of high school talent in MN and we are the only D-1 school, there is no reason we can't be a top team in the B1G consistently.

We're in a tough position. We can't really fire a coach who just made it to the round of 32. But only the most optimistic Pitino supporters see us making significant strides next year.

We'd all love finding the next Beard, as would many schools

What I fear is the constant changing every 5-6 years trying to find said coach and when that fails start over.

 

[GopherinPhilly]

Plenty of Gopher fans who would have liked to see a change. Apparently, Coyle thinks Richard is "good enough". It always seems to be "next year" with Pitino...kind of like that sign "Free Beer Tommorow".

351 D1 college basketball teams and we finished higher than 319 of them. Am I satisfied? No. Am I content? No. After the total collapse last year losing 3 starters and another playing hurt, am I feeling better today than a year ago? Yes. Does an extension prevent us from firing Pitino next year? No. But lack of an extension hurts recruiting and we can't have that. If he isn't fired then he gets an extension...that is just how it has to be.

 

[goldenboy]

Looking at the rosters of the teams that were still playing, it’s clear we need some player upgrades if we want to compete. Auburn makes the final four playing the last two games without its best player. MSU has freshman bench players step up when needed. Even if winning teams chose to play a short rotation, the have a bench that can play, if/when needed. Not so with the Gophs.

 

[WoodburyTim]

Not true and for the record - your demoralizing tantrums do not help anyone.

The bigger question to ponder is whether the the wounded fans are a result of the lack of recent sports success OR the lack of recent sports success is a result of you sucky fans?

I am glad you are the one who gets to decide who are the good ones and which are the bad. That is a hard job and it obviously takes a really smart person to do it.

 

[gopherhoopsguy]

Sounds good

 

[John Galt]

What would YOU do to ensure the MN talent attended the U of MN?

Recruit better. It's Richard's job.

I get that Tre Jones was going to Duke and probably no coach could have kept him here. But eventually you need to get some of the high-end talent to stay home if we are going to compete at the level we want to. The most embarrassing part is losing players like Tyler Wahl to Wisky, David Roddy to Colorado St, and Theo John to Marquette.

 

[short ornery norwegian]

I think it goes beyond how people view Pitino. I think it extends to how people view the current roster.

Some people apparently think the Gophers are poised to contend, assuming they bring in a couple of recruits/transfers who can play right away and contribute.

I just don't think the current roster is as talented as others believe. Even if Carr and Willis turn out to be major contributors, I see a team with a lot of holes and roles to fill. I don't think you can count on Curry for anything until he proves he can stay healthy, and has enough left to contribute. In order for this team to replace Murphy and actually improve, they will need to bring in FR or grad transfers who can step right into the lineup and make a major impact - double-figure scoring or rebounding. Basically, that means bringing in players who are as good or better than last year's recruiting class. That is the real test for Pitino. If you have the horses, the X's and O's will work themselves out. It's all about talent. The Gophers need more talent. Can Pitino find that talent and convince them to attend MN? that is the question.

 

[bizzle22]

Wrong. Started 2017-18 at 15 in AP and coaches polls, and moved as high as 12.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The question was when was the last time before the 2017-18 season that we were ranked in the top 15.

 

[Gopherfan84]

Recruit better. It's Richard's job.

I get that Tre Jones was going to Duke and probably no coach could have kept him here. But eventually you need to get some of the high-end talent to stay home if we are going to compete at the level we want to. The most embarrassing part is losing players like Tyler Wahl to Wisky, David Roddy to Colorado St, and Theo John to Marquette.

Don't disagree with recruiting better, but come on man. Amir Coffey, Jarvis Johnson, and Daniel Oturo dont count as high end MN guys staying home? Why is Tyler Wahl and embarrassment? Same with Roddy? Do we know they will pan out? Theo was tough, but it's not like he's not something we can find. Plus Theo got guaranteed PT right away at Marquette, he was a redshirt guy (until Lynch got booted) here last year. MN connection is nice and we started 3 MN kids, plus had two of our 4 main bench guys from MN. That's over 60% MN kids. How many more would you like?

 

[Gopherfan84]

I think it goes beyond how people view Pitino. I think it extends to how people view the current roster.

Some people apparently think the Gophers are poised to contend, assuming they bring in a couple of recruits/transfers who can play right away and contribute.

I just don't think the current roster is as talented as others believe. Even if Carr and Willis turn out to be major contributors, I see a team with a lot of holes and roles to fill. I don't think you can count on Curry for anything until he proves he can stay healthy, and has enough left to contribute. In order for this team to replace Murphy and actually improve, they will need to bring in FR or grad transfers who can step right into the lineup and make a major impact - double-figure scoring or rebounding. Basically, that means bringing in players who are as good or better than last year's recruiting class. That is the real test for Pitino. If you have the horses, the X's and O's will work themselves out. It's all about talent. The Gophers need more talent. Can Pitino find that talent and convince them to attend MN? that is the question.

Do our returning players not improve as well? I love Murph and Pree, but Pree is more than easily replaceable on a skill set view. He brought more as a good teammate. Murph was a beast no doubt, but he also limited some stuff we could do just as much as he brought stuff with his unique, but very limited skill set. Talent matters a ton, but man last time I checked the top 4 teams in terms of NBA talent have all been eliminated in the NCAA's.

 

[Tucker32]

The question was when was the last time before the 2017-18 season that we were ranked in the top 15.

My bad then... As identified, Tubby had us there, Clem before him, and Dutcher before that. I don't remember taht Monson ever did, but he's the only one that never did. So, it can be done.

While we may not expect a Blue Blood every year experience, it needs to be more than a one-time appearance for a coach though. Hope to see Pitino make progress towards that next year, if not get there.

 

[Bob_Loblaw]

Couldn't disagree more Bob. There are plenty of fans content with what Pitino has done over the past few years. We could have another 3-4 years with middle of the pack B1G finishes, 2 NCAA tourney appearances without making a Sweet Sixteen, 2 NITs, and they would be happy and convinced that we are on the right track. There is a lot of high school talent in MN and we are the only D-1 school, there is no reason we can't be a top team in the B1G consistently.

We're in a tough position. We can't really fire a coach who just made it to the round of 32. But only the most optimistic Pitino supporters see us making significant strides next year.

You really think the people who support Richard think that the next 6 years are going to be repeat of the past six years? Of course they don't.

 

[salzie]

You really think the people who support Richard think that the next 6 years are going to be repeat of the past six years? Of course they don't.

correct, we're optimistic he can build off the past 3 years, 2 of which included a tourney appearance and learn from his mistakes.....

 

[salzie]

I think it goes beyond how people view Pitino. I think it extends to how people view the current roster.

Some people apparently think the Gophers are poised to contend, assuming they bring in a couple of recruits/transfers who can play right away and contribute.

I just don't think the current roster is as talented as others believe. Even if Carr and Willis turn out to be major contributors, I see a team with a lot of holes and roles to fill. I don't think you can count on Curry for anything until he proves he can stay healthy, and has enough left to contribute. In order for this team to replace Murphy and actually improve, they will need to bring in FR or grad transfers who can step right into the lineup and make a major impact - double-figure scoring or rebounding. Basically, that means bringing in players who are as good or better than last year's recruiting class. That is the real test for Pitino. If you have the horses, the X's and O's will work themselves out. It's all about talent. The Gophers need more talent. Can Pitino find that talent and convince them to attend MN? that is the question.

Our biggest hole is PF and Bench

I think Carr replaces Dupree's production, Willis will be better than Stull....replacing Murph will be a combination of Oturu development and hopefully grad transfer/juco big man, and development of Omersa

 

[bottlebass]

Our biggest hole is PF and Bench

I think Carr replaces Dupree's production, Willis will be better than Stull....replacing Murph will be a combination of Oturu development and hopefully grad transfer/juco big man, and development of Omersa

And a hopefully healthy Curry

 

[John Galt]

You really think the people who support Richard think that the next 6 years are going to be repeat of the past six years? Of course they don't.

Hope springs eternal. Of course they think it's going to be better, but what would lead anyone to believe that it will with how the roster is setup right now?

 

[bottlebass]

Hope springs eternal. Of course they think it's going to be better, but what would lead anyone to believe that it will with how the roster is setup right now?

Because the roster will be different by the start of the season?

 

[die hard gopher]

Hope springs eternal. Of course they think it's going to be better, but what would lead anyone to believe that it will with how the roster is setup right now?

Well we have 4 guys returning who are double digit scorers at the P5 level (Coffey, Oturu, Gabe, Carr), 3 of which we will have for three more years of eligibility and the other will be a Big Ten POY candidate. We also have a top 150 guard committed and another top 150 guard we are leading for and still have scholarships open for an impact grad transfer big or two.

 

[rockford]

Well we have 4 guys returning who are double digit scorers at the P5 level (Coffey, Oturu, Gabe, Carr), 3 of which we will have for three more years of eligibility and the other will be a Big Ten POY candidate. We also have a top 150 guard committed and another top 150 guard we are leading for and still have scholarships open for an impact grad transfer big or two.

Silly optimist. Don't you know we'd be better off firing the coach and starting over.

JTG

 

[John Galt]

Because the roster will be different by the start of the season?

So you are confident we will be better with the new as yet to be determined roster additions...

 

[PMWinSTP]

Silly optimist. Don't you know we'd be better off firing the coach and starting over.

JTG

Well based on die hard's analysis, a new coach would not be starting over.

 

[John Galt]

Well we have 4 guys returning who are double digit scorers at the P5 level (Coffey, Oturu, Gabe, Carr), 3 of which we will have for three more years of eligibility and the other will be a Big Ten POY candidate. We also have a top 150 guard committed and another top 150 guard we are leading for and still have scholarships open for an impact grad transfer big or two.

We also lost one of our greatest players of all-time, a multi-year SF starter who will be replaced by a freshman, and one of the better back-up centers we've had in a while. I'll ask it again - what's the path forward if we win 7-10 B1G games next year?

 

[Keyser Söze]

There might not be anything more annoying than someone who pretends that they simply have higher expectations. We all want the Gophers to be great. We all want to make the tournament every year. We all want to make a deep run. You're not special in your "expectations".

There is a disagreement between some in how we go about getting there. Pitino supporters seem to think he has been snake-bitten and it is going to be more of a slow climb. People who don't like Pitino seem to think he's shown he isn't a great coach. This is where the debate exists.

We all agree on the "goals" there is just a difference of opinion on how to get there. Just because you may want Pitino gone doesn't make the people who disagree with you some sort of midwestern rube who thinks ketchup is spicy and is afraid of their own shadow. You're not a tough guy with high expectations. You're a fool who can't comprehend the issue.

On a side note, I actually am not a Pitino fan (as a coach), but yeah, we aren't firing a coach after winning a tournament game and we can't leave him in no man's land w/o an extension.

Couldn't agree more.

 

[golfing18now]

So you are confident we will be better with the new as yet to be determined roster additions...

Why don't we at least see who the additions are before getting worked up about the 2019 recruiting cycle? Spring recruiting has never been more important with the number of transfers we now see every year. That number will only get larger if recruits are allowed to transfer without sitting out when coaches leave/get fired.

 

[die hard gopher]

We also lost one of our greatest players of all-time, a multi-year SF starter who will be replaced by a freshman, and one of the better back-up centers we've had in a while. I'll ask it again - what's the path forward if we win 7-10 B1G games next year?

Dupree will be replaced by Carr, a double digit scorer in the ACC, not a freshman and again, we still have multiple scholarships to get high level impact grad transfers big men which I believe we will. If we make the tournament next year which I expect we will then we will have made the tourney 3 of the last 4 years and will be considered a more attractive option for recruits than we have been in the past.

If I truly believed this was the peak for Pitino then I would absolutely be in favor of firing him. I felt that way when Tubby beat UCLA, thought he reached his peak and would only decline after that and was glad when he was fired. But with Pitino, I absolutely think he can build on his success this year, go to the tourney again next year and eventually get some high level impact recruits after sustained, consistent success and possibly reach a new level.