All Things Pitino rumor mill thread

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TruthSeeker said:
Word on the street is that Pitino isn't happy with the facilities, the cold doesn't sit well with him and recruits, and the media doesn't play ball like they do at other schools. He is disappointed that he didn't make the tourney this year because he would have leveraged that to get out immediately. He covets the Florida job and thought it would open up because he knew Billy D was on his way out to potential NBA jobs months ago. Now he is likely stuck here for another couple years, and he doesn't like it.
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Word on GH is Pitino still hasn't done crap here at the U. 1.2 million is perfect for a coach good enough to make the NIT every other year. He makes the salary he does because he had a big ONE year of experience before getting a major conference job. Facilities are getting better here as will the recruiting whether or not Pitino stays or not. I hope he stays, but won't shed a tear if he doesn't.
 

Sparlimb said:
Word on GH is Pitino still hasn't done crap here at the U. 1.2 million is perfect for a coach good enough to make the NIT every other year. He makes the salary he does because he had a big ONE year of experience before getting a major conference job. Facilities are getting better here as will the recruiting whether or not Pitino stays or not. I hope he stays, but won't shed a tear if he doesn't.
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I agree, if he's unhappy he should just resign. The program is a lot bigger than he is.
 

TNGophfan said:
Some of that may be true but give me a break about the weather thing. It's no warmer in East Lansing, Ann Arbor or Madison and recruits handle it just fine. That's a total cop out.
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Thank you for saying that. It drives me up the wall when Wisconsin does well, we don't, and then people say the cold is holding us back.
 


I kind of wish that Pitino and/or Teague would come out and address the issue publicly either way, because even if this rumor has no validity to it whatsoever, I have to believe that it cannot be in any way helpful for recruiting purposes, in fact rival coaches would be crazy to not bring that up as a major negative point when recruiting against Minnesota..."Well, you don't even know if the coach is going to be there."

If he's gonna go, he's gonna go, and like others, I won't be brokenhearted if he did decide to do so. I just wish there would be some clarity on it either way and just as soon as possible, because this crap does get really old really fast. It's just a drag.
 


The thing is, anybody can claim Pitino is unhappy at Minnesota and use the following reasons: the weather, the facilities, the media (though I think this one is overblown). Those reasons fit the story line of why any coach would be unhappy at Minnesota. I could claim to be an insider at Iowa or Nebraska and claim their coaches are unhappy because of the weather, the limited recruiting base, and lack of diversity that is unattractive to recruits. That would seem to make sense and nobody could call me a liar because it fits the narrative of why a coach would be unhappy at those schools. The same could be true of Illinois where it is know that the recruiting scene around Chicago is shady and why numerous coaches turned them down when they hired Groce.

We are not ever going to have a coach that loves the weather in Minnesota, but hopefully we can take care of the facilities issue. Almost every school has drawbacks that could potentially make a coach unhappy.
 

bleedsmaroonandgold said:
Thank you for saying that. It drives me up the wall when Wisconsin does well, we don't, and then people say the cold is holding us back.
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Wisconsin's cold is different than Minnesota's cold. Madison, being south and east of Minneapolis has a more southeastern character to its cold which makes it uniquely different from the peculiar nature of the more northwestern cold which we experience and enjoy so much here. Anyhow, this is how I understand it, as explained to me by meteorologist Paul Douglas at a charity fundraiser hosted by the Minnesota Craft Brewers Guild. I'm sure Paul could speak to it in more detail if you're at all interested. He's a really nice guy!
 

Seany said:
I kind of wish that Pitino and/or Teague would come out and address the issue publicly either way, because even if this rumor has no validity to it whatsoever, I have to believe that it cannot be in any way helpful for recruiting purposes, in fact rival coaches would be crazy to not bring that up as a major negative point when recruiting against Minnesota..."Well, you don't even know if the coach is going to be there."

If he's gonna go, he's gonna go, and like others, I won't be brokenhearted if he did decide to do so. I just wish there would be some clarity on it either way and just as soon as possible, because this crap does get really old really fast. It's just a drag.
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It would be nice. Usually a rumor floats and either a contract extension gets announced or the coach makes it clear he's staying. But it take MN 5 years to do a contract extension so we just let the rumor mill run.
 

I'm not buying the weather bs. I've lived a majority of my life in both Madison and MN and they are both cold. Fight all you want about a few degrees but they are more similar than not. That excuse is bs in my opinion. The issue that it comes down to bear is in his ability to win quickly or not. MN is in the B1G and it's more difficult to raise a program in that league than the SEC. Heading to Bama is more or less a lateral move, everyone can argue the pros and cons, but bottom line, there are not a lot of teams in the SEC that compare to the B1G. You got Kentucky, Florida and a few others, but it's not like competing with all the B1G teams. With Donovan potentially leaving it opens a door to get to the tourney quicker. The positive about MN is that he can make this program his own and win the hearts of the state.

Izzo has done it and so has Bo. Sure, it's more competitive with UM and OSU always looming but a place like MN, where it's possible to grow the program should be alluring to Richard. I think Pitino has the chance to build this program and when the time is right move on to bigger pastures of a blue blood program than I would understand. Leaving now, after all he has said about this opportunity would be disheartening. I think he sees the potential and will continue to build our program. After succeeding and making MN relevant again, I wouldn't blame him for taking on a Florida or bigger program. But for now, I would imagine its in his best interest to prove himself in a top tier league.
 



Moonlight said:
You can joke about it but: No. Way. I hate Florida. A realtor in our neighborhood worked the Twin Cities and Ft. Meyers markets before the bubble burst. His partner was a nurse and worked in the Coral Gables hospital (where Sir M. waited for 6 hours in the ER to be seen). He said when people asked him what the best thing was about Florida, his response was, "Its proximity to the United States." He and his partner had a pact that they would have the other medi-lifted out in case of illness.
Now, a trailer home in San Diego...thats another story!
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The joke was obviously somewhat tongue in cheek. Florida is basically a sh%thole until you get to about half a mile from the beach.
 

Blitzkrieg said:
I'm not buying the weather bs. I've lived a majority of my life in both Madison and MN and they are both cold. Fight all you want about a few degrees but they are more similar than not. That excuse is bs in my opinion. The issue that it comes down to bear is in his ability to win quickly or not. MN is in the B1G and it's more difficult to raise a program in that league than the SEC. Heading to Bama is more or less a lateral move, everyone can argue the pros and cons, but bottom line, there are not a lot of teams in the SEC that compare to the B1G. You got Kentucky, Florida and a few others, but it's not like competing with all the B1G teams. With Donovan potentially leaving it opens a door to get to the tourney quicker. The positive about MN is that he can make this program his own and win the hearts of the state.

Izzo has done it and so has Bo. Sure, it's more competitive with UM and OSU always looming but a place like MN, where it's possible to grow the program should be alluring to Richard. I think Pitino has the chance to build this program and when the time is right move on to bigger pastures of a blue blood program than I would understand. Leaving now, after all he has said about this opportunity would be disheartening. I think he sees the potential and will continue to build our program. After succeeding and making MN relevant again, I wouldn't blame him for taking on a Florida or bigger program. But for now, I would imagine its in his best interest to prove himself in a top tier league.
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I agree, if he wants to be one of the big boys he needs to prove he's worthy. You can't finesse your way to the top regardless of parentage.
 

It may be cold here, but it's a dry cold.

More fossil fuels, but less deodorant.
 

GoodasGold said:
Wisconsin's cold is different than Minnesota's cold. Madison, being south and east of Minneapolis has a more southeastern character to its cold which makes it uniquely different from the peculiar nature of the more northwestern cold which we experience and enjoy so much here. Anyhow, this is how I understand it, as explained to me by meteorologist Paul Douglas at a charity fundraiser hosted by the Minnesota Craft Brewers Guild. I'm sure Paul could speak to it in more detail if you're at all interested. He's a really nice guy!
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Do you realize how used to the cold you would have to be to appreciate the differences in cold from Madison to Minneapolis? To a kid from TX or FL, it's just. . .cold.

As to TruthSeeker's post, I've actually heard the exact same thing. I have a good friend in the athletic department. I never come on here and try to give "inside info", so you can believe it or not. But, I've heard the exact same thing that TruthSeeker is posting. The guy that I know doesn't know Richard personally, so it could just be a rumor around the Athletic Department.
 



TruthSeeker said:
This thread is great to come home to. There is nothing like cracking a beer, and reading people in full hyperbolic, meltdown over nothing.

Please, carry on.
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TruthSeeker said:
Word on the street is that Pitino isn't happy with the facilities, the cold doesn't sit well with him and recruits, and the media doesn't play ball like they do at other schools. He is disappointed that he didn't make the tourney this year because he would have leveraged that to get out immediately. He covets the Florida job and thought it would open up because he knew Billy D was on his way out to potential NBA jobs months ago. Now he is likely stuck here for another couple years, and he doesn't like it.
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you were saying...........
 

Bob_Loblaw said:
As to TruthSeeker's post, I've actually heard the exact same thing. I have a good friend in the athletic department. I never come on here and try to give "inside info", so you can believe it or not. But, I've heard the exact same thing that TruthSeeker is posting. The guy that I know doesn't know Richard personally, so it could just be a rumor around the Athletic Department.
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He toured the facilities before he came didn't he?

If this is true and he's this unhappy then I hope he goes somewhere where he is happy because our program deserves someone who loves the Gophers as much as we do. Somewhere out there is our Izzo. I thought Pitino might be it but if he's not let's not waste anymore time with someone who doesn't want to be here.
 

GoodasGold said:
Wisconsin's cold is different than Minnesota's cold. Madison, being south and east of Minneapolis has a more southeastern character to its cold which makes it uniquely different from the peculiar nature of the more northwestern cold which we experience and enjoy so much here. Anyhow, this is how I understand it, as explained to me by meteorologist Paul Douglas at a charity fundraiser hosted by the Minnesota Craft Brewers Guild. I'm sure Paul could speak to it in more detail if you're at all interested. He's a really nice guy!
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I grew up in Madison and went to school at the U (living in MSP another 12 years after graduating). Madison winters may be nominally better than Twin Cities winters, but cold and snow are cold and snow, so I don't buy that...it's an excuse and nothing more.
 

Bob_Loblaw, we may be talking with the same people. Anyway, no one here has to worry, Pitino isn't leaving because he didn't make the tournament this year. He was going to leverage the tourney appearance with his NIT title as part of the young Pitino prodigy narrative to land a big job like Florida or Texas. But he failed.

The team probably won't make much headway next year, so you'll likely see Pitino stay for at least two more seasons. However, those of you who believe he means it when he says this place is so great need to realize that kind of talk is all salesmanship. He wants out. This was always a stepping stone.
 

97alumni said:
He toured the facilities before he came didn't he?

If this is true and he's this unhappy then I hope he goes somewhere where he is happy because our program deserves someone who loves the Gophers as much as we do. Somewhere out there is our Izzo. I thought Pitino might be it but if he's not let's not waste anymore time with someone who doesn't want to be here.
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If his team had gone 12-6 instead of 6-12 he would probably feel better about the media (Amelia and Marcus weren't exactly tough this year. Maybe Sid got to him.), the facilities would be looking up because of the groundbreaking and the winter wouldn't have seemed so cold.

If these rumors are an accurate reflection of his day to day mood then it is up to Norwood to properly manage Richard's departure. I think that the balance of recruiting for this year is shot. Whether Rich gets another job or not, the damage has been done. If Rich leaves do the ones who have signed stay or do they get released? Does Norwood try to keep Rich for one more year to at least get the four new players in here? If Rich leaves does Norwood hire Ben Johnson for purposes of continuity and because he's "one of us" which means that he's less likely to leave at the first offer?

If Rich leaves for Bama or even VCU after two non productive years, his reputation takes a pretty big hit. However, these guys don't seem to care. It's a business that doesn't have many rules.
 

I really don't even mind being a "stepping stone", I'd just like someone to actually put some solid stones that can be stepped on here. I want Pitino to want success here badly, I don't really care if the only reason he wants success here badly is so he can parlay it into something better in his mind. If Pitino makes a Sweet 16 appearance, or a top 4 finish in the B1G, then hey, it'll hurt if he leaves but at least we got something out of the deal. Still makes our program more attractive, and should allow us to possibly land a decent replacement at that point with the facilities on their way.
 

The bright side to Pitino leaving would be we get to go through another coaching search, and those can be particularly awesome and fun here on Gopherhole.
 


Monty519 said:
I really don't even mind being a "stepping stone", I'd just like someone to actually put some solid stones that can be stepped on here. I want Pitino to want success here badly, I don't really care if the only reason he wants success here badly is so he can parlay it into something better in his mind. If Pitino makes a Sweet 16 appearance, or a top 4 finish in the B1G, then hey, it'll hurt if he leaves but at least we got something out of the deal. Still makes our program more attractive, and should allow us to possibly land a decent replacement at that point with the facilities on their way.
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Excellent summation.
 

If he wants to leave, good riddance. He should put an end to these rumors if he is in it for the long haul.

There are much better fits for our school/team out there than Richard.
 

scher215 said:
The bright side to Pitino leaving would be we get to go through another coaching search, and those can be particularly awesome and fun here on Gopherhole.
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I'll go undercover in Austin!
 


jamiche said:
If his team had gone 12-6 instead of 6-12 he would probably feel better about the media (Amelia and Marcus weren't exactly tough this year. Maybe Sid got to him.), the facilities would be looking up because of the groundbreaking and the winter wouldn't have seemed so cold.

If these rumors are an accurate reflection of his day to day mood then it is up to Norwood to properly manage Richard's departure. I think that the balance of recruiting for this year is shot. Whether Rich gets another job or not, the damage has been done. If Rich leaves do the ones who have signed stay or do they get released? Does Norwood try to keep Rich for one more year to at least get the four new players in here? If Rich leaves does Norwood hire Ben Johnson for purposes of continuity and because he's "one of us" which means that he's less likely to leave at the first offer?

If Rich leaves for Bama or even VCU after two non productive years, his reputation takes a pretty big hit. However, these guys don't seem to care. It's a business that doesn't have many rules.
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Honestly, I think his reputation will only take a big hit if he does mediocre to poorly at his next stop (assuming he leaves). That's my opinion.
 

Minnesota though not a top job is still a good job in a Power 5 conference. I can understand someone looking at one of the bigger programs and wanting to get one of those gigs but for me is not whether the Minnesota job is used as a stepping stone but if a person dislikes the job as much as some are indicating I would rather have that person leave now regardless of what they have or haven't built.

If the Alabama job or even the VCU job is offered to RP he should go ahead and take it if he is so unhappy at Minnesota and let the program move on.
 

Bob_Loblaw said:
Do you realize how used to the cold you would have to be to appreciate the differences in cold from Madison to Minneapolis? To a kid from TX or FL, it's just. . .cold.
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Exactly. Madison is on average ~2° warmer than MSP during the winter. MSP is actually ~2° warmer than Madison during the summer, so overall it's a wash.
 

scher215 said:
The bright side to Pitino leaving would be we get to go through another coaching search, and those can be particularly awesome and fun here on Gopherhole.
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I get nothing done at home when there is a coaching search for the Gophers. Some of the best threads ever!
 

97alumni said:
I get nothing done at home when there is a coaching search for the Gophers. Some of the best threads ever!
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The amount of times I load up Gopherhole during this time of the year is mind numbing. And I just get more and more irritated at the lack of news and rehashing of the same concepts....

****ing offseason sucks ass when we aren't pulling in recruits.
 

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