A few thoughts on the 2012-2013 season (Kinda long)

[westcoastgopher11]

Being a Gopher fan is a yearly exercise in pain tolerance, but this year hurts a little more than usual.

I can't decide what stung more this year: the constant lack of ball security, the inconsistent play during the B1G schedule, often terrible (if any) ball movement, or the sky high amounts of potential that went unrealized. This team could've been great, but unfortunately now that the book is closed on the 12-13 squad we are left with what they were, disappointingly mediocre.

Seniors:
Trevor Mbakwe: An absolute beast. Passionate about the game, powerful, and dynamic. He took plenty of flak for his past but I'm damn proud of how much stronger he came out the other side. Was crushed when he didn't choose the U out of high school, but had a strange feeling he would eventually find his way back here, and I'm glad he did. Played the game with intensity and toughness, and my favorite Gopher this year.

Julian Welch: Unfortunately Welch was just a classic case of not making the most of one's opportunities. Never expected him to put up double digit points but was frustrated that even as a senior he couldn't make the most of his playing time to give the team a little boost. Simply did not answer the call when this team needed any kind of spark from the reserves.

Andre Ingram: Andre played about as well as I could've expected. He was clearly a reserve but did what he did best, ate up minutes in the front court. Always good to see another MN prep put on the maroon and gold. While you would never confuse him with an all-conference PF, he did most of what he was asked to do.

Rodney Williams: A microcosm of the 12-13 Gopher team himself. Athletic, dynamic, and above all an enigma. There were times when he would disappear completely, and instances that made your jaw hit the floor in sheer disbelief. A clanked jumper one minute, and an absolute earth shattering throw down the next. Inexcusable defensive lapses on one possession, and then a demoralizing rejection his next trip down. There were so many reasons to pull for him: 1,000+ point scorer, home town kid, and a big time talent. It hurts that the biggest question I'm left with after his career is the same one that could be asked about this team, "What could have been?"

Best of luck to all the seniors in their future endeavors.

Tubby Smith
We all know the laundry list of complaints against Tubby, don't need to rehash them again, but just about all the criticisms are valid. Disinterested. Passionless. Unprepared. Outcoached. Unaccountable.

I gave Tubby a pass for a long time because I truly believed he had a lot of bad luck his first few years. Don't have to dredge up all the issues specifically but the beginning of his tenure was bumpy to say the least. Things this year were different though, we didn't have a season ending injury to a centerpiece or a midseason transfer from a key contributor. This was "the" team, this was his time. Ultimately though this team couldn't put it all together, and that responsibility rests on Tubby's shoulders.


This offseason Norwood Teague has a big decision to make; some would say it is easy choice but you would be a fool to think anything is certain. Make no mistake, if Tubby is fired there will be negative coverage from many in the national media about the move. Tubby might have mailed it in here but he's still a Hall of Famer and an elder statesman of sorts in the world of college coaching. If Norwood pulls the trigger he 100% must have a home run pick on deck, you don't give Tubby Smith his walking papers to bring in a random up and coming assistant. There is no question Tubby Smith is a good coach, but the critical question Teague has to answer must be "is Tubby the right coach?" If asked today I would have to answer "no".

If this was Tubby's last year at Minnesota it will be remembered the same way his entire time in Minneapolis was, disappointingly mediocre.

 

[gopherinpain]

thank you, knew you would come around.

 

[GophersInIowa]

Julian Welch: Unfortunately Welch was just a classic case of not making the most of one's opportunities. Never expected him to put up double digit points but was frustrated that even as a senior he couldn't make the most of his playing time to give the team a little boost. Simply did not answer the call when this team needed any kind of spark from the reserves.

The funny thing is, he did almost average double digit points last year. I know I'm in the minority here, but I think Welch was just misused this year. No doubt he struggled at times, but I don't think he was always given much of an opportunity sometimes as well. It's hard to get into much of a flow when you're only getting fives minutes a game sometimes.

 

[Rouser4eVA]

Well stated, WestCoast...

The beginning of this season brought me back to my first year at the U, when Bobby J brought us on a whirlwind tour of basketball brilliance, big wins in and out of conference and a ton of exciting games with a mentally tough team that knew how to step on the proverbial throat.

Then January happened. Then February happened. And finally, March euthanizes the season. It's been super hard to see this team swoon so. It's been hard to be "fanatical" about a team that no-showed so many times.

This team just lost its identity. It forgot how to finish. It forgot how to overcome adversity. It made a habit out of losing in painful ways.

I was looking forward to seeing a return of the 15-1 team against Florida today. We really didn't see it.

Oh well, see ya next year! Go Gophers!

 

[Unregistered User]

I gave Tubby a pass for a long time because I truly believed he had a lot of bad luck his first few years. Don't have to dredge up all the issues specifically but the beginning of his tenure was bumpy to say the least. Things this year were different though, we didn't have a season ending injury to a centerpiece or a midseason transfer from a key contributor. This was "the" team, this was his time. Ultimately though this team couldn't put it all together, and that responsibility rests on Tubby's shoulders.

This is the B-M-E for me (Beginning, Middle, End).

When the previous year's were going well, followed by injuries, I gave Tubby enough rope, believing that devoid of injuries we would see what we're made of. I stayed away from the hire/fire posts in large part because of this, preferring to wait until we had a season like the one that just ended to render my judgement.

I now have little confidence in Tubby, and would understand if the "U" moved past him. And I feel that we have better personnel in place to make that decision. However, I always temper things like this with the caveat "be careful what you wish for".

Whatever transpires, my desire is always the same. I wish for nothing but success for the Gopher program.

Ski U Mah.

 

[howeda7]

This is the B-M-E for me (Beginning, Middle, End).

When the previous year's were going well, followed by injuries, I gave Tubby enough rope, believing that devoid of injuries we would see what we're made of. I stayed away from the hire/fire posts in large part because of this, preferring to wait until we had a season like the one that just ended to render my judgement.

I now have little confidence in Tubby, and would understand if the "U" moved past him. And I feel that we have better personnel in place to make that decision. However, I always temper things like this with the caveat "be careful what you wish for".

Whatever transpires, my desire is always the same. I wish for nothing but success for the Gopher program.

Ski U Mah.

+1

 

[Bad Gopher]

The funny thing is, he did almost average double digit points last year. I know I'm in the minority here, but I think Welch was just misused this year. No doubt he struggled at times, but I don't think he was always given much of an opportunity sometimes as well. It's hard to get into much of a flow when you're only getting fives minutes a game sometimes.

When people ponder what all went wrong this year, the Welch situation has to be looked at as an indicator or a microcosm. There was a comment on one of the other threads that talked about how this team was mismanaged, and I think that's a good way to put it. The inconsistent rotation, the weirdo substitution patterns, the mixed messages given to players. I still can't believe Smith yelled at Dre tonight for shooting the ball, meanwhile Oto shoots airballs with impunity. If it's true that the players are bewildered and demoralized, I can understand why. They should have been able to get more out of players like Welch, and Smith and his staff have to be held to account on that.

 

[GopherJake]

I looked over the box scores from tonight's games to see how long the rotations are for other teams at this time of year. Not shockingly, we play BY FAR the most players. Most rotations are at 7 or 8, with a couple other players logging about 5 minutes. Example:

The Mayor had this for the Cyclones:

33 minutes
37
38
39
15

6
6
26

Tubby had:

21
30
37
31
31

7
6
12
6
4
15

I'm sick of it. If guys aren't good enough to play, they shouldn't play. Period!

 

[principalguy]

Being a Gopher fan is a yearly exercise in pain tolerance, but this year hurts a little more than usual.
If Norwood pulls the trigger he 100% must have a home run pick on deck, you don't give Tubby Smith his walking papers to bring in a random up and coming assistant. There is no question Tubby Smith is a good coach, but the critical question Teague has to answer must be "is Tubby the right coach?" If asked today I would have to answer "no".

I like the overall analysis. I agree with the quote wholeheartedly. Unless you have Brad Stevens or Shaka-like candidates available, you really can't make the move. I'm not in the Flip bandwagon either. It's a tough deal with the potential recruits this next year brings. Without a change, you can watch them play for the rest of the powers in the next 3-4 years.

 

[westcoastgopher11]

"be careful what you wish for".

This isn't properly reflected on in the face of big personnel changes. The waiting game is going to be painful, although once word comes down from Teague we'll have direction. If Teague has someone big lined up I'd expect any moves to be made fairly quickly; if all's quiet in Bierman then Tubby might be making adjustments to the staff.