Amelia: Smith has gotten a star-less team to compete in almost every Big Ten game

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Amelia Rayno had a chat today. Nothing earth shattering, but she did say she has not heard any rumors about transferring yet, which is good. Other than that, not a ton of info:

http://www.startribune.com/sports/gophers/140610743.html

Comment From Markee
Are you surprised by the level of angst from fans towards Tubby? Or does it seem about right to you?


Amelia:
I understand it. Fans want results, and so far Tubby hasn't given them that. I also think that people have a hard time stepping out of their perspective to see that in the very least, Smith has gotten a star-less team to compete in almost every Big Ten game.

Go Gophers!!
 

whether he deserves another year or not he certainly does not deserve any praise for moral victories.
 

Lawrence Westbrook, we didn't know how valuable you really were...

Smith has gotten a star-less team to compete in almost every Big Ten game.
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You are correct. We don't have a star this year.

Other than the Illinois game at the Barn we have not won any of the close games.

We have competed up until almost the end of our games. The fact that we have no star (or go to guy) has proven fatal.

Oh to have Lawrence Westbrook back here. He was not afraid to take charge at the end.
 

The best players that have played under Tubby ar DJ and Hoff. Both courtesy of Monson. Trevor could have joined them this year, but got hurt.
 

trev is Way better than those 2. rodney williams, sampson, devoe are in the same league as those two
 


minngg said:
The best players that have played under Tubby ar DJ and Hoff. Both courtesy of Monson. Trevor could have joined them this year, but got hurt.
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Yup and they had their best games with Tubby as coach. I know that you'll say, "Well yeah, Blake was a Freshman and DJ was only a Sophomore under Monson/Molinari." If that's your comeback, then there is no way that you can say that this year's group of core of underclassmen won't get better next year and the year after. You can't have it both ways.
 

Devoe carried them into the tournament his sophmore year, without him they would never have made it, just having him on this team would have made a huge difference.
 

jovs said:
Devoe carried them into the tournament his sophmore year, without him they would never have made it, just having him on this team would have made a huge difference.
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Agreed. I don't think devoe was a cancer and I won't say he was addition by subtraction, but he is and always will be a quitter in my eyes.
 





I can't disagree with Amelia's take. I think she's onto something. The obvious question is, of course, why no stars? Beyond the injuries and defections, you have to look at the four-star recruits that are not playing like you'd hope four-star recruits play as juniors and seniors. Ralph has been discussed ad-nauseum. As for Rodney, I KNOW the guy has skills that can be refined and developed, but it hasn't happened. Each fall we expect to see the mid-range jumper and the free throw...and yet, no. I can't help but wonder what Rodney might have developed into under different circumstances and leadership. Or, perhaps, one can lead a horse to water but can't make him drink.
 

savagerube said:
Yup and they had their best games with Tubby as coach. I know that you'll say, "Well yeah, Blake was a Freshman under Monson/Molinari."
Click to expand...

Blake never played under Monson or Molinari. His freshman year was Tubby's first year.
 

tjgopher said:
Blake never played under Monson or Molinari. His freshman year was Tubby's first year.
Click to expand...


Would you people stop with real facts and let the experts keep spewing venom?
 




Should have read.....

"Tubby smith has gotten a starless team."





Seriously. That headline is something that should be a negative not a positive. Year five and the team is so bad we should just be happy to be within 10?
 

THE SCOUT! said:
trev is Way better than those 2. rodney williams, sampson, devoe are in the same league as those two
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Hoff and DJ were both far more valuable than Sampson and Rodney...Devoe was better than them but left.
 

savagerube said:
Yup and they had their best games with Tubby as coach. I know that you'll say, "Well yeah, Blake was a Freshman and DJ was only a Sophomore under Monson/Molinari." If that's your comeback, then there is no way that you can say that this year's group of core of underclassmen won't get better next year and the year after. You can't have it both ways.
Click to expand...

Given Tubby's very bad track record of developing players, there's a very good chance they won't get much better.
 


My issue with this season isn't that different that it has been since last spring.

Tubby knew he was going to be losing Al for ages. He knew since at least January that he was losing Devoe. He knew down the stretch that this team struggled in the conference without a true point guard.

Yet he did nothing to fix that. He recruited two shooting/combo guards and expected them to be able to play point guard. I think Tubby should have known better than that.

Yes, this team would have been better with a healthy Trevor. I think they would score more points and shoot more foul shots because of the amount of foul pressure he puts on other teams. But I don't think they would be that much better. I think they'd have eight or nine Big Ten wins at this point with one game to play.

The reason is that a healthy Trevor still has to get the ball. Even with Trevor, the Gophers would still have guards throwing the ball all over the place and struggling in a slow-down, half-court situation.

To me, that inability to recruit a true point guard is the biggest reason why this team isn't successful.
 

anonymous said:
My issue with this season isn't that different that it has been since last spring.

Tubby knew he was going to be losing Al for ages. He knew since at least January that he was losing Devoe. He knew down the stretch that this team struggled in the conference without a true point guard.

Yet he did nothing to fix that. He recruited two shooting/combo guards and expected them to be able to play point guard. I think Tubby should have known better than that.

Yes, this team would have been better with a healthy Trevor. I think they would score more points and shoot more foul shots because of the amount of foul pressure he puts on other teams. But I don't think they would be that much better. I think they'd have eight or nine Big Ten wins at this point with one game to play.

The reason is that a healthy Trevor still has to get the ball. Even with Trevor, the Gophers would still have guards throwing the ball all over the place and struggling in a slow-down, half-court situation.

To me, that inability to recruit a true point guard is the biggest reason why this team isn't successful.
Click to expand...
Agreed, he recruits athletes and not positions, which can be fatal longterm against our biggest rival Wisconsin.
 

Tubby and Monson have posted very similar Big Ten records for the length of time each was/has been at Minnesota. Both have had some adversity to deal with. Perhaps Minnesota is a pretty tough place to win a lot of Big Ten Basketball Games at? I fear THAT is a fact of life. It's not good...it's not bad: it just appears to be a fact of life.

The thing that's funny about hoops fans is the fact that they ignore the reality of the Big Ten won/loss record and think any year that the team beats enough cupcakes during the ooc portion of the schedule and manages to go close to .500 in Big Ten play and then be a "bubble-in or bubble-out" team for the NCAA tourney that it has been a successful year. A "one and done..." in the NCAA tourney is not a successful year.

It is best to pay attention only to the Big Ten wins vs. the Big Ten losses. THAT, and that alone tells us where our program ranks within the Big Ten Conference. Graduating ever increasing numbers of student athletes, running a completely honest and clean program AND winning a competetive number of Big Ten Basketball Games is the only way to judge a coach. It takes the emotion out of the process. Dan Monson was what his Big Ten record says he was. Tubby Smith is what his Big Ten record says he is. And...NEVER forget that the history of our basketball program shows us that the Big Ten Conference is a difficult conference for the U of M to win a LOT of Big Ten games in and has been for quite a while. Our very best periods of time within the past 25 or 35 years have coincided with some sad and disasterous times of scrutiny for our program. It's been the "boom" during controversy/scandal phase vs. the "bust in the aftermath of the scandal..." phase.

I'm certainly not proud of that, but will always root for the Maroon & Gold Hoopsters. I do know that Big Ten basketball as well asBig Ten football has provided a very difficult environment for our Gophers during the past thirty or forty years. We have had a few moments...but not too many of them lately...

Still, I wouldn't be fan of any other college revenue sports programs. Life is STILL very good and; "...Go Gophers!"

; 0 )
 

My issue with this season isn't that different that it has been since last spring.

Tubby knew he was going to be losing Al for ages. He knew since at least January that he was losing Devoe. He knew down the stretch that this team struggled in the conference without a true point guard.

Yet he did nothing to fix that. He recruited two shooting/combo guards and expected them to be able to play point guard. I think Tubby should have known better than that.

Yes, this team would have been better with a healthy Trevor. I think they would score more points and shoot more foul shots because of the amount of foul pressure he puts on other teams. But I don't think they would be that much better. I think they'd have eight or nine Big Ten wins at this point with one game to play.

The reason is that a healthy Trevor still has to get the ball. Even with Trevor, the Gophers would still have guards throwing the ball all over the place and struggling in a slow-down, half-court situation.

To me, that inability to recruit a true point guard is the biggest reason why this team isn't successful.
 

imthewalrus said:
Tubby and Monson have posted very similar Big Ten records for the length of time each was/has been at Minnesota. Both have had some adversity to deal with. Perhaps Minnesota is a pretty tough place to win a lot of Big Ten Basketball Games at? I fear THAT is a fact of life. It's not good...it's not bad: it just appears to be a fact of life.

The thing that's funny about hoops fans is the fact that they ignore the reality of the Big Ten won/loss record and think any year that the team beats enough cupcakes during the ooc portion of the schedule and manages to go close to .500 in Big Ten play and then be a "bubble-in or bubble-out" team for the NCAA tourney that it has been a successful year. A "one and done..." in the NCAA tourney is not a successful year.

It is best to pay attention only to the Big Ten wins vs. the Big Ten losses. THAT, and that alone tells us where our program ranks within th Big Ten Conference. Graduating ever increasing numbers of student athletes, running a completely honest and clean program AND winning a competetive number of Big Ten Basketball Games is the only way to judge a coach. It takes the emotion out of the process. Dan Monson was what his Big Ten record says he was. Tubby Smith is what his Big Ten record says he is. And...NEVER forget that the history of your basketball program shows us that the Big Ten Conference is a difficult conference for the U of M to win a LOT of Big Ten games in and has been for quite a while. Our very best periods of time within the past 25 or 35 years have coincided with some sad and disasterous times of scrutiny for our program. It's been the "boom" during controversy/scandal phase vs. the "bust in the aftermath of the scandal..." phase.

I'm certainly not proud of that, but will always root for the Maroon & Gold Hoopsters. I do know that Big Ten basketball as well asBig Ten football has provided a very difficult environment for our Gophers during the past thirty or forty years. We have had a few moments...but not too many of them lately...

Still, I wouldn't be fan of any other college revenue sports programs. Life is STILL very good and; "...Go Gophers!"

; 0 )
Click to expand...
You don't read many posts on here do you?
 



imthewalrus said:
Tubby and Monson have posted very similar Big Ten records for the length of time each was/has been at Minnesota. Both have had some adversity to deal with. Perhaps Minnesota is a pretty tough place to win a lot of Big Ten Basketball Games at? I fear THAT is a fact of life. It's not good...it's not bad: it just appears to be a fact of life.

The thing that's funny about hoops fans is the fact that they ignore the reality of the Big Ten won/loss record and think any year that the team beats enough cupcakes during the ooc portion of the schedule and manages to go close to .500 in Big Ten play and then be a "bubble-in or bubble-out" team for the NCAA tourney that it has been a successful year. A "one and done..." in the NCAA tourney is not a successful year.

It is best to pay attention only to the Big Ten wins vs. the Big Ten losses. THAT, and that alone tells us where our program ranks within the Big Ten Conference. Graduating ever increasing numbers of student athletes, running a completely honest and clean program AND winning a competetive number of Big Ten Basketball Games is the only way to judge a coach. It takes the emotion out of the process. Dan Monson was what his Big Ten record says he was. Tubby Smith is what his Big Ten record says he is. And...NEVER forget that the history of our basketball program shows us that the Big Ten Conference is a difficult conference for the U of M to win a LOT of Big Ten games in and has been for quite a while. Our very best periods of time within the past 25 or 35 years have coincided with some sad and disasterous times of scrutiny for our program. It's been the "boom" during controversy/scandal phase vs. the "bust in the aftermath of the scandal..." phase.

I'm certainly not proud of that, but will always root for the Maroon & Gold Hoopsters. I do know that Big Ten basketball as well asBig Ten football has provided a very difficult environment for our Gophers during the past thirty or forty years. We have had a few moments...but not too many of them lately...

Still, I wouldn't be fan of any other college revenue sports programs. Life is STILL very good and; "...Go Gophers!"

; 0 )
Click to expand...

I know there's a quote about small-mindedness that would be perfect about now, but I just can't put my hands on it.
 



Bad Gopher said:
I know there's a quote about small-mindedness that would be perfect about now, but I just can't put my hands on it.
Click to expand...

Your hands are THAT small????? Your memory is that short????? You must be quie the short...little dude/dudette bad gopher.

At any rate: a Big Ten coach is as good...or as bad...as his Big Ten won/loss record in any given season...The Big Ten w/l record does NOT lie...it can't be spun...it is REAL truth.

; 0 )
 

gall0249 said:
And when Lawrence was here everybody ripped him for not being a team player.
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So true. Just like they ripped Humphries when he was here for not being a team player. Humphries was not only the best option he was the ONLY option yet he still got blasted just because he wanted to win.
 

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