builtbadgers
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This one may have some truth to it but he is not their 1st choice. they like most openings want Archie Miller which for anyone is a grand slam hire.
I saw on the ESPN crawl that Bobby Hurley is going to interview at Depaul. If St.Johns does open up and Hurley is still available you would certainly think there would be mutual interest there.
Also, Pitino's resume is nothing compared to Lavin's, who they are firing.
I'd be pretty surprised if Pitino left for St. John's. It's a lesser conference in a city/state/region of the country with lots of competition, both on the court and off. Pitino would also become a carpet beggar of sorts, having never lasted more than two seasons among the 3 teams he's coached. I think he knows he can cultivate east coast talent from Minneapolis, so I don't think SJU is as big of a draw as it may seem. Also, Pitino's resume is nothing compared to Lavin's, who they are firing.
Recruiting would be much easier there and their conference is still a pretty good draw for elite players. I would also say that St. John's is a more competitive destination within its conference than Minnesota is within the Big Ten.
Except for his first year, Lavin has stumbled at St. John's (granted, he's had some health issues). He is 0-2 in his NCAA appearances and only 1-2 in NIT appearances (lost the opening round as a #1 seed in 2014). He's managed to recruit some pretty good talent but has had a number of premature departures.
As for Pitino, his resume, while thin, is better than it was when he came here. To my knowledge, he has head coached only 2 teams (not three). At least he has won an NIT championship at MSG (something Lavin didn't get close to doing on a court that is more or less home).
Lavin update-- Sporting News NCAAB @sn_ncaab 15m15 minutes ago SN source: St. John's in talks with Steve Lavin about contract extension http://dlvr.it/96V2Kz
Pitino is going nowhere. He loves it here. I heard him say so.
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Go Gophers!!
Am I the only one who wouldn't be upset if he did leave? I think there are much more proven candidates who are less likely to leave at the next big thing down the line (e.g. Michael White at LA Tech, Jeff Jones at ODU, Chris Mooney at Richmond, or even Saul Phillips).
Am I the only one who wouldn't be upset if he did leave?
Agreed Tennessee got turned down by the Louisiana Tech coach last year maybe they go after him again or the Murray State guy.Pitino ain't going to Tennessee of all places.
Would like to see how it plays out with Pitino, but I see what you're saying. Now might be the time he'd actually think about moving because if he has two more years no better than the past two (which appears likely) Richard is savvy enough to know his number/name won't be anywhere near as hot as it is right now (not that it's steaming hot after a postseason-less Year 2). At a place like Tennessee (SEC country) with solid basketball tradition there'd still be some cache to hiring the Pitino name.
I would imagine Tennessee will want to go the squeaky clean route after what just happened with Tyndall, so it will be interesting to see who they hire. If I were Gregg Marshall I'd take the Tennessee job before I'd take Texas or Alabama (hoops too much of a second fiddle in Austin & Tuscaloosa), but that's just me.
Tennessee fired head coach Donnie Tyndall after just one season on Friday, amid an NCAA probe into impropriety during his tenure at Southern Miss. The firing of Tyndall means the Volunteers will be seeking their fourth coach in the last six seasons.
Departed: Tyndall. Tyndall was not jettisoned because he can't coach, though he went just 16-16 in his lone campaign in Knoxville, and 7-11 in SEC play. The Vols, who lost the core of a Sweet 16 team in 2014, were 4-11 over their final 15 games.
Program situation: It seems like an eternity ago that Bruce Pearl had this program truly relevant. Sure, Cuonzo Martin surprisingly took them to the Sweet 16 a year ago, but let's remember: Pearl had this program in the NCAA tournament all six of his seasons, and the Vols advanced to the Sweet 16 three times in his tenure. The issue right now is that there's not much talent in the cupboard (and that's being kind).
Realistic candidates
Michael White, Louisiana Tech: He turned it down last season, but things have changed. White had his top three players coming back the last time. Now, Speedy Smith and Raheem Appleby are graduating.
Richard Pitino, Minnesota: He hasn't gone to the NCAA tourney in his two seasons at Minnesota, but he's young and his last name is Pitino. That helps.
Bobby Hurley, Buffalo: He's in the mix for DePaul, and he has the name and also an NCAA tourney on his résumé.
Steve Prohm, Murray State: Turned down the Mississippi State job a couple years ago, and probably makes more sense for Alabama (he's an alum). However, he's not at the top of the list for the Crimson Tide.
Brad Underwood, Stephen F. Austin: The former Kansas State and South Carolina assistant has gone to the NCAA tournament in each of his two seasons with the Lumberjacks.
Ben Jacobson, Northern Iowa: He's now taken UNI to the NCAA tournament three times -- in 2009, 2010 and this season. He also has the reputation of being squeaky-clean, which definitely helps with this one.
Will Wade, Chattanooga: He helped build the program at Harvard and also at VCU. Wade has been at Chattanooga for the past two years, would come on the cheap and certainly knows the area.
Long-shot candidate
Gregg Marshall, Wichita State: Alabama is going to make a run at Marshall, and Tennessee could do the same. But my guess is that Marshall holds out for a more attractive job.
My choice
Pitino. He's done a good job at Minnesota, especially when you factor in what he inherited from the Tubby Smith regime. The Golden Gophers won the NIT in his first season, and while some may view this year (the team went 18-15) as a disappointment, he really didn't have that much talent to work with. Pitino is young and while he doesn't have the energy of a Pearl, he has a personality that would work in Knoxville.
Am I the only one who wouldn't be upset if he did leave? I think there are much more proven candidates who are less likely to leave at the next big thing down the line (e.g. Michael White at LA Tech, Jeff Jones at ODU, Chris Mooney at Richmond, or even Saul Phillips).
since this is a rumor thread: there are three open scholarships. If he were to be leaving he wouldn't sign anyone else would he?
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Myron oh Myron, just please never speak of Minnesota again.
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Myron oh Myron, just please never speak of Minnesota again. He may be right about the current facilities, but their is plenty of HS talent in Minnesota.