STrib: Will Richard Pitino hire a new Gophers basketball assistant with local ties?

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BleedGopher

BleedGopher

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per Marcus:

Here are possible assistant coach candidates with ties to Minnesota (in alphabetic order):

Gameli Ahelegbe, South Dakota

Kyle Green, Northern Iowa

Al Harris, D1 Minnesota

Jeff Mailhot, formerly Iona

Jared Nuness, Baylor

Daryl Sharp, Hampton

Larry Suggs, Grassroots Sizzle

Dave Thorson, Colorado State

www.startribune.com

Will Richard Pitino hire a new Gophers basketball assistant with local ties?

The Gophers have two scholarships still to use in the 2020 class, so they likely won't take long to hire a replacement for Rob Jeter, the new Western Illinois head coach.
www.startribune.com www.startribune.com

Go Gophers!!
 

Does Marcus have an editor who only cares about linking things back to people/players with Minnesota ties? Goodness sakes are there not other assistant coaches that could be viewed as candidates for the job that could be thrown around responsibly with some digging?
 


BleedGopher said:
per Marcus:

Here are possible assistant coach candidates with ties to Minnesota (in alphabetic order):

Gameli Ahelegbe, South Dakota

Kyle Green, Northern Iowa

Al Harris, D1 Minnesota

Jeff Mailhot, formerly Iona

Jared Nuness, Baylor

Daryl Sharp, Hampton

Larry Suggs, Grassroots Sizzle

Dave Thorson, Colorado State

www.startribune.com

Will Richard Pitino hire a new Gophers basketball assistant with local ties?

The Gophers have two scholarships still to use in the 2020 class, so they likely won't take long to hire a replacement for Rob Jeter, the new Western Illinois head coach.
www.startribune.com www.startribune.com

Go Gophers!!
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I feel like Thorson has turned Richard down before. Ahelegbe is an interesting one to keep an eye on as a riser, but may not be ready yet. Nuness is interesting too, but he may wait for the next hire.
 

manderson1984 said:
I feel like Thorson has turned Richard down before. Ahelegbe is an interesting one to keep an eye on as a riser, but may not be ready yet. Nuness is interesting too, but he may wait for the next hire.
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Richard is in a horrible position to make a hire. You're right that anyone who wants to be back in the TC long-term is going to think long and hard about coming under this administration.

The D-1 Minnesota guy seems the most intriguing on the list to me. It would be obvious what Richard is trying to do. The way it's gone for him, it would flame the rivalries with the other clubs and they would blackball the U, too.
 


Thorson wanted the job if Pitino had been let go this year. Would be in a good position to become the interim hc.

Harris could be good.
 


Holy Man said:
Richard is in a horrible position to make a hire. You're right that anyone who wants to be back in the TC long-term is going to think long and hard about coming under this administration.

The D-1 Minnesota guy seems the most intriguing on the list to me. It would be obvious what Richard is trying to do. The way it's gone for him, it would flame the rivalries with the other clubs and they would blackball the U, too.
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HOOP DREAMS said:
Thorson wanted the job if Pitino had been let go this year. Would be in a good position to become the interim hc.

Harris could be good.
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That's what I continue to hear--that Harris would be good, at least from the standpoint of local recruiting. Not sure what he brings to the table in terms of what we just lost: a capable and accomplished technical coach.
 




HOOP DREAMS said:
Thorson wanted the job if Pitino had been let go this year. Would be in a good position to become the interim hc.

Harris could be good.
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What does the top part even mean? He just doesn't want to work for Pitino? He wants to work for him knowing he'd get fired? Makes no sense? Thorson had a great thing going at DE and left to work with Niko who he really likes and cares for.
 

Bad Gopher said:
That's what I continue to hear--that Harris would be good, at least from the standpoint of local recruiting. Not sure what he brings to the table in terms of what we just lost: a capable and accomplished technical coach.
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Kyle Linsted is a wonderful recruiter. We need teachers on our staff imo opinion.
 

manderson1984 said:
What does the top part even mean? He just doesn't want to work for Pitino? He wants to work for him knowing he'd get fired? Makes no sense? Thorson had a great thing going at DE and left to work with Niko who he really likes and cares for.
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Sounds like they are a package deal wherever Niko goes. I have no idea how Thorson was perceived in the high school hoops world. Obviously a great coach, but super intense doesn't always bode well with relationships.
 

Holy Man said:
Sounds like they are a package deal wherever Niko goes. I have no idea how Thorson was perceived in the high school hoops world. Obviously a great coach, but super intense doesn't always bode well with relationships.
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Thorson is a high quality achiever with very high morals. It rubbed some the wrong way especially being a private school, but for the most part he was very cordial and well respected by his peers at least when I was around coaching.
 



manderson1984 said:
Thorson is a high quality achiever with very high morals. It rubbed some the wrong way especially being a private school, but for the most part he was very cordial and well respected by his peers at least when I was around coaching.
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One of the best basketball minds you will find. Loved his discipline. Will sit and chat whenever he has time. Watching him run a practice was teaching art.
 

Doesn't it make sense to have Thorson here? I feel like if we had the best kid from De La Salle sign here every year, we'd be in pretty good shape
 

Biggsohnasty said:
Does Marcus have an editor who only cares about linking things back to people/players with Minnesota ties? Goodness sakes are there not other assistant coaches that could be viewed as candidates for the job that could be thrown around responsibly with some digging?
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Haha you gotta love Fuller steering readers towards this Minnesota assistant way of thinking. Kinda screwing Pitino and making implications.
 

manderson1984 said:
What does the top part even mean? He just doesn't want to work for Pitino? He wants to work for him knowing he'd get fired? Makes no sense? Thorson had a great thing going at DE and left to work with Niko who he really likes and cares for.
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Word is, he made it known to Coyle that if Pitino got fired after this past season, he would want the job. Now that RP is back, but on thin ice.. being an assistant would put him in position to take the reins if things go south next season..
 

Strong odds that Thorson is the UST coach within a few years
 


skiumah1 said:
Tauer is a pretty good coach. I might take those odds.
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True, but D1 is a whole different world compared to D3. And many of the advantages Tauer has over his D3/MIAC counterparts are going to disappear in D1. UST very much has Thorson on their radar. Not that it will be immediate.
 

bizzle22 said:
True, but D1 is a whole different world compared to D3. And many of the advantages Tauer has over his D3/MIAC counterparts are going to disappear in D1. UST very much has Thorson on their radar. Not that it will be immediate.
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We want Thorson at the U somehow. That would probably be Medved. I want Craig Smith.
 

Holy Man said:
Sounds like they are a package deal wherever Niko goes. I have no idea how Thorson was perceived in the high school hoops world. Obviously a great coach, but super intense doesn't always bode well with relationships.
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Thorson would not turn down an assistant coach offer at the U, regardless of who is coach. I'm sure he is loyal to Niko but the money and prestige of a B1G offer, plus the roots aspect of it I'm sure would mean he would ditch Medved's staff to join the U, if the opportunity presented itself.
 

EsteGuey said:
Thorson would not turn down an assistant coach offer at the U, regardless of who is coach. I'm sure he is loyal to Niko but the money and prestige of a B1G offer, plus the roots aspect of it I'm sure would mean he would ditch Medved's staff to join the U, if the opportunity presented itself.
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I'm disagreeing with you on that one. He's followed Niko around, and I think the U would obviously be the biggest opportunity for him yet, but I'm thinkin' he stays with him. Niko could still potentially get the job 2021.
 

HOOP DREAMS said:
Word is, he made it known to Coyle that if Pitino got fired after this past season, he would want the job. Now that RP is back, but on thin ice.. being an assistant would put him in position to take the reins if things go south next season..
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That would be Game of Thrones type of move.
 

Tauer would be safe for minimum 7 years there that would put Thorson in his 60’s. Hardly on their radar at this point.
 

bizzle22 said:
True, but D1 is a whole different world compared to D3. And many of the advantages Tauer has over his D3/MIAC counterparts are going to disappear in D1. UST very much has Thorson on their radar. Not that it will be immediate.
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Well, UST will still have some strong advantages over some of the teams in the Summit. Several of them are public schools, in rural or smaller city locations. Denver and Oral Roberts are the obvious exceptions to both of those. Also UM Kansas City and UN Omaha are in larger metros. (Fort Wayne is leaving, to be replaced by KC)

Mpls will become the largest metro in the footprint. But I don't expect the league's headquarters or bball tourny to move away from Sioux Falls.
 


MplsGopher said:
True, but only for three seasons so far. Not like 10-15 years. He's hardly a lifer. And significantly older than Medved.
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True it just seemed like an odd time at his age to go get into college basketball. He had been so good for so long you'd think he would've had opportunities to get his start. I'm inferring there was some connection to Niko or liked something about him and what he planned to do. Could be wrong.
 

skiumah1 said:
We want Thorson at the U somehow. That would probably be Medved. I want Craig Smith.
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For this next year I want Pitino. If he fails to make the tournament, I want Musselman.
 

bga1 said:
For this next year I want Pitino. If he fails to make the tournament, I want Musselman.
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I do think there's an outside chance on Musselman but man that would be a quick, pretty much lateral, move for him. Only thing is if he feels like Minnesota being one of his destination jobs or more connection here. It's amazing looking at his coaching career how much he's hopped around.
 

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