A long as Mona is on the radio

[Iceland12]

Again why did Maturi say he didn't think any BCS coach would want to come here? What does that say about his attitude? Has he given up?

Since nearly everybody in the country was saying the same thing the question should be, honestly with no disrespect intended, why do some Gopher fans think they would?

 

[glovedgopher]

Probably based on the current ones who either said no or reportedly made unrealistic demands for the job. The job isn't the same as when Holtz took over, some things are better about it and some things are worse.

I think the biggest factor is they were asking a coach already at a BCS school to take a job where is Boss and his Boss's Boss are both going to be new in the first year or two on the job. Add in the fact that the gophers are playing in one of the two toughest divisions in all of college football from a top to bottom. In my mind, at this time, those two items make this job have unnecessary risk for the work (and probably) time needed to succeed here.

Very True. However, we do know that Kaler is going to be the next President. So would you say that Maturi is part of the problem? It sounds like most people think Maturi won't be around very long. Why is that?

 

[glovedgopher]

Since nearly everybody in the country was saying the same thing the question should be, honestly with no disrespect intended, we do some Gopher fans think they would?

I agree. I made some of these very points when people were voting Minnesota a better job than Colorado and Pitt.

 

[glovedgopher]

That Weasel needed a pay check for a couple of years after being run out of Arkansas and the U and their boosters were happy to take him. Look how that turned out. Nobody had the "personal" experience of dealing with the guys the way they had in dealing with Leach at the Insight Bowl.

Oh, in the interest of full disclosure, they way many people around here have an almost irrational hatred for Maturi I have the same for Holtz.

I think both are rational. Hell, Lou Holtz quit the Jets with one game left. I think Joel Maturi may have done the same thing.

 

[Silvio]

I don't know if Maturi is part of the problem or the solution.

My understanding is that Maturi is/was planning to retire but will stay on if asked by the new President. All indications point to the fact that if Maturi isn't around very long it will be mainly due to his choice.

It sounds like Joel has been good at running a somewhat fiscally sound AD, he seemed to combine the two departments into one well when he got here. It also appears that he has squared away the Basketball program finally after the Clem debacle and the underwhelming performance by Monson. He should be credited with working to get TCF Stadium built (he gets some not all of the credit). He is reported to have a good relationship with most boosters. However, he has made a mess of his hiring and firing of coaches indicating that he doesn't have a terribly strong opinion of what he wants but caves to outside pressure.

I don't think that he is the problem, but I do think he has provided all the solutions he can to improving the AD (and sports as a whole). I hope the new President decides to offer the job to someone else and lets Maturi retire. Joel's work with the program (and current reputation) will make this job more attractive to candidates than it was when he was hired.

 

[Iceland12]

I think both are rational. Hell, Lou Holtz quit the Jets with one game left. I think Joel Maturi may have done the same thing.

That's why I typed "almost" gloved one, that's why I typed almost.

 

[glovedgopher]

There is an old saying in Tennessee: If you are not part of the solution than you are part of the problem. The fact that you can't tell should answer this question about Maturi.

 

[Silvio]

Sayings are nice, but the real world isn't as cut and dry. I think the general perception of Maturi by Gopher fans would be much better if he wouldn't have had to make tough decisions regarding a couple of players charged with either serious or multiple crimes on the basketball team. No one seems to be on Tubby for sitting players for violating team rules, but Maturi caught some heat for sitting a player charged with felony assault.

If the Kill hire works out (gets the U back to Mason level or better) then I think Maturi's only real failure in his time as AD will be the way he handled the Brewster firing and his dislike of Brewster boiling over and promising to much in relation to the next hire.

 

[glovedgopher]

Besides Tubby who has Maturi hired that has been good? I'm trying to think of some examples. Baseball? No
Wrestling? No
Women's Bball ? No
Women's Volleyball? No
Men's Hockey? No
Baseball, wrestling and women's volleyball might be a big reason why we do so well in the AD's Cup.
Our three main sports have all struggled under Maturi's watch but people still try to defend him. The only reason Joel Maturi has a job is because of Tubby Smith.

 

[glovedgopher]

Sayings are nice, but the real world isn't as cut and dry. I think the general perception of Maturi by Gopher fans would be much better if he wouldn't have had to make tough decisions regarding a couple of players charged with either serious or multiple crimes on the basketball team. No one seems to be on Tubby for sitting players for violating team rules, but Maturi caught some heat for sitting a player charged with felony assault.

If the Kill hire works out (gets the U back to Mason level or better) then I think Maturi's only real failure in his time as AD will be the way he handled the Brewster firing and his dislike of Brewster boiling over and promising to much in relation to the next hire.

What about the Hockey team? People are not happy over at Mariucci.
Women's Bball sucks again. The Mason firing and timing. Dan Monson firing and timing. The fact that we had co-coaches for our softball team and the St. Thomas coach refused the job. The Tubby smith lawsuit. The in-fighting with Brew. The leaks in the department. Whatever is going on with the golf team right now. Where is Tubby's bball building? Trevor Mbakwe. How he handled the Kill hiring. He is from Wisconsin. Anything else I can pin on him?

 

[Silvio]

1. Football has struggled under every ones watch for far too long. I would argue that the foundation for success is stronger now then it was when Maturi got here. If Kill can turn it around remains to be seen.
2. Basketball was dealing with the Clem Haskins scandal when he got here. Monson couldn't turn it around, but he did operate most of his tenure here under sanctions for the NCAA. By most accounts the Tubby hire has been a success and the program is headed in the right direction.
3. Hockey. The current coach won national titles in the AD's first couple years here. The teams continued to be strong for several more years. Recently the teams have been a disappointment with Minnesota being to slowest to adapt to the changing college hockey landscape. No matter the sport you can't win when you are expecting your team to be led by freshmen every year. Coach is probably still in place due to the national titles won and fact that previous couple of years he dealt with health issues. His contract hasn't been extended and there is probably a 50/50 chance a change will be made at the end of the year.
4. Maturi is being forced to make large $ decisions about revenue sports coaches during a recession. Many of his decisions have probably been hampered by the almighty dollar. He has made plenty of PR mistakes.


I am not suggesting that he is a great AD, but he is better than a lot of people give him credit for.
The football team was terrible this year, but lets not forget that last year the U was one of only a few schools to have a football team in a bowl game and a basketball team in the NCAA tournament.

 

[Iceland12]

1. Football has struggled under every ones watch for far too long. I would argue that the foundation for success is stronger now then it was when Maturi got here. If Kill can turn it around remains to be seen.
2. Basketball was dealing with the Clem Haskins scandal when he got here. Monson couldn't turn it around, but he did operate most of his tenure here under sanctions for the NCAA. By most accounts the Tubby hire has been a success and the program is headed in the right direction.
3. Hockey. The current coach won national titles in the AD's first couple years here. The teams continued to be strong for several more years. Recently the teams have been a disappointment with Minnesota being to slowest to adapt to the changing college hockey landscape. No matter the sport you can't win when you are expecting your team to be led by freshmen every year. Coach is probably still in place due to the national titles won and fact that previous couple of years he dealt with health issues. His contract hasn't been extended and there is probably a 50/50 chance a change will be made at the end of the year.
4. Maturi is being forced to make large $ decisions about revenue sports coaches during a recession. Many of his decisions have probably been hampered by the almighty dollar. He has made plenty of PR mistakes.


I am not suggesting that he is a great AD, but he is better than a lot of people give him credit for.
The football team was terrible this year, but lets not forget that last year the U was one of only a few schools to have a football team in a bowl game and a basketball team in the NCAA tournament.

All true but if you would have thrown in a "but Maturi stills sucks" it may be better received...

 

[Uffda]

Name 1-19

Quit defending Maturi he is an idiot that needs to resign. He obviously botched this process. When Wacker was fired the AD got Mason, a coach offered by Georgia. When Brewster was fired (by the way Macturi's choice) we get our 20th choice.

Name 1 - 19 who turned us down.

Maturi made a really good hire. Talk is cheap so list the others.

 

[Maximus]

Besides Tubby who has Maturi hired that has been good? I'm trying to think of some examples. Baseball? No
Wrestling? No
Women's Bball ? No
Women's Volleyball? No
Men's Hockey? No
Baseball, wrestling and women's volleyball might be a big reason why we do so well in the AD's Cup.
Our three main sports have all struggled under Maturi's watch but people still try to defend him. The only reason Joel Maturi has a job is because of Tubby Smith.

By my count he has hired 8 coaches in the minor sports. 6 of them have won at least one BT title since being hired.

He hired a soccer coach that took over the worst program in the BT. Won a title and reached two sweet 16s in the last four years

He hired a men's track coach who in four tries has won four BT titles

The two head coaches for womens swimming won back to back titles

His womens track coach has four titles since 2006. Only titles in school history.

Used this as reference:

http://www.gophersports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=8400&ATCLID=284497

 

[calminnfan]

we will never know how badly they botched this search process. You need not look any further than Maturi as the reason coaches turned us down. Maturi is on his way out and the candidates knew it.
Congrats to coach Kill and to Marquise Gray who should be the happiest person next to coach Kill in the state today.

So says the one who wrote "pen meet paper"...Welcome to ignore.