Amir: Great hire Minnesota; Gopher ball is in good hands! Oturu: Best thing I’ve read in a while. Major reason why i put that maroon and gold on

Donate To GopherHole
leib0039 said:
I'm glad all these guys like Ben, but honestly what did people expect them to say? Ohh man we hate Ben, he's awful, they suck! Of course they aren't going to say that. If you ask me my opinion of one of my friends I'm not going to tell you the are morons who you shouldn't talk to. Again I appreciate these guys are saying the right thing but to me results mean more. Even Coyle made it known local recruiting is a priority. That means we better start landing the Garcia's, Macura's, Nnaji's of the world. I'm hoping he can do that but because a few of his local friends endorse him does nothing for me personally.
Click to expand...
No, but they could just not comment at all instead of going all in.
 


WriterGoph said:
Dude, he has been a successful high school coach in the Cities for a few years now. Would not be a bad guy to have on the staff.
Click to expand...
Might as well hire Ken Novak, Zach Goring and Larry McKenzie. We’re clearly not a big ten program if we’re trying to hire former players who are successful high school coaches. Just double down. Entire coaching staff will be $1 mil per year. Maybe buy a bus to travel in like the minor leagues
 





Bob_Loblaw said:
Yeah. I think the rush of former players to support Ben does mean something.
Click to expand...
It does. Certainly more than fans on a message board like us. I’m given some hope by hearing comments from former players. However, I will temper that with the knowledge that many times an organization will give into players that back an interim coach because “they like him”, or sign guys because they lobby for it, and it often ends in disaster. KAT lobbied to have Dangelo Russell, but I wouldn’t say that’s gone swimmingly. Players have a different perspective than say, a GM (AD Coyle in this analogy), and it’s often who they like the most, and not who will do the best job.
 

Well, Coyle just bet his B1G AD job on this hire. He better be right or he'll be out of a job in 2 years.
We'll see if more current players go to the portal or react positively to the news.
After the abysmal showing of the B1G in the tournament I wonder if recruiting just got harder, especially for a coach with no head coach experience, no NBA pedigree and no proven X&O system to promote.
This seems like buying a new car on a below zero day that's been sitting on the lot for a year and hoping it cold starts. If it runs you rejoice, but there's always a chance it never turns over.
 

forever a gopher said:
It does. Certainly more than fans on a message board like us. I’m given some hope by hearing comments from former players. However, I will temper that with the knowledge that many times an organization will give into players that back an interim coach because “they like him”, or sign guys because they lobby for it, and it often ends in disaster. KAT lobbied to have Dangelo Russell, but I wouldn’t say that’s gone swimmingly. Players have a different perspective than say, a GM (AD Coyle in this analogy), and it’s often who they like the most, and not who will do the best job.
Click to expand...

I thought you were trying to cheer me us up :).
 





bga1 said:
This hire hit 4 check boxes:

Diversity hire- first and foremost
Local hire
Cheap
High quality person

Missing the following boxes:

Proven track record
D1 head coaching experience
Excitement for the fans

Sometimes an underwhelming pick can get it done- let's hope this is that guy.
Click to expand...

I'm excited for this hire....this is the most excited I've been about Gopher basketball in 8 years. Based on the number of fans in the stands at the last game I attended most fans haven't been excited for a long time.
 

Nothing any of these guys say means a damn thing. People fell all over themselves gushing about Pitino when he was hired too. It all means jack squat.

Bottom line seems to recruiting locally. But can he actually coach? Nobody has a flipping clue...
 




Ben has a great chance to change perceptions right away this spring. If he really has the support of local basketball people in a big way, maybe some Minnesota kids at other schools come back home. Convince Mashburn to stay. Bring in some really good transfers. Find a spring HS recruit or two. Convince Mitchell, Freeman and Ihnen that they can be good players here. Robbins?

Any Minnesotans want to come back?Garcia? Walton? Would Wright be able to get a free year? Battle?
 

MennoSota said:
Well, Coyle just bet his B1G AD job on this hire. He better be right or he'll be out of a job in 2 years.
We'll see if more current players go to the portal or react positively to the news.
After the abysmal showing of the B1G in the tournament I wonder if recruiting just got harder, especially for a coach with no head coach experience, no NBA pedigree and no proven X&O system to promote.
This seems like buying a new car on a below zero day that's been sitting on the lot for a year and hoping it cold starts. If it runs you rejoice, but there's always a chance it never turns over.
Click to expand...
Coyle can survive if johnson fails. If fleck becomes one year wonder and johnson fails, he'll probably be in trouble
 

All these former players reached such significant heights that their success will never be replicated.
Imagine going 32-40 in conference play over 4 seasons like Al Nolen. Pitino would have taken it I guess!
Oh, but don’t you worry! Coffey went 17-37 so clearly recognizes greatness when he sees it. Just a tad below Pitino’s career conference winning %.
 

UpAndUnder43 said:
All these former players reached such significant heights that their success will never be replicated.
Imagine going 32-40 in conference play over 4 seasons like Al Nolen. Pitino would have taken it I guess!
Oh, but don’t you worry! Coffey went 17-37 so clearly recognizes greatness when he sees it. Just a tad below Pitino’s career conference winning %.
Click to expand...
I think you should start drinking
 


GophersInIowa said:
I think you should start drinking
Click to expand...
I have been. I’m so sad about this hire. Honestly ruined my day. I shouldn’t care but I do. It’s programmed into me. I’ve spent so many hours and dollars on this program. If I could choose any team to win a title it would be the Vikings (so my dad sees one before he dies) followed by gopher hoops. But I’m 34 now. Just wasted 8 years of fandom. This will be another 5. At that point? 1/2 way dead if not more!
 


UpAndUnder43 said:
I have been. I’m so sad about this hire. Honestly ruined my day. I shouldn’t care but I do. It’s programmed into me. I’ve spent so many hours and dollars on this program. If I could choose any team to win a title it would be the Vikings (so my dad sees one before he dies) followed by gopher hoops. But I’m 34 now. Just wasted 8 years of fandom. This will be another 5. At that point? 1/2 way dead if not more!
Click to expand...
Not telling you what to do but a suggestion would be to give it a week or two. The initial reaction is almost always irrational, good or bad.
 

GophersInIowa said:
Not telling you what to do but a suggestion would be to give it a week or two. The initial reaction is almost always irrational, good or bad.
Click to expand...
You’re for sure right. But can I ask what you like about the hire?
 

UpAndUnder43 said:
You’re for sure right. But can I ask what you like about the hire?
Click to expand...
I don’t love the hire. Think it’s risky but with potential high reward. Don’t like that he’s had no head coaching experience. Feel like there were safer options. Who he hires as assistants will be huge. I do like that it sounds like he is well respected in AAU which Pitino wasn’t. Like it or not, AAU can have a big influence over where some guys go.
 

GophersInIowa said:
I don’t love the hire. Think it’s risky but with potential high reward. Don’t like that he’s had no head coaching experience. Feel like there were safer options. Who he hires as assistants will be huge. I do like that it sounds like he is well respected in AAU which Pitino wasn’t. Like it or not, AAU can have a big influence over where some guys go.
Click to expand...
Agreed on AAU. My concern with that is he hasn’t exactly lit it up recruiting Minnesota. Some gets when here for 5 years. Lots of misses. 0 Minnesota commits on 3 years at X
 


UpAndUnder43 said:
Agreed on AAU. My concern with that is he hasn’t exactly lit it up recruiting Minnesota. Some gets when here for 5 years. Lots of misses. 0 Minnesota commits on 3 years at X
Click to expand...
I think there’s also a difference between being the head coach and being the assistant. For some recruits, it may not be enough even if they love the assistant but don’t care for the head coach.
 

UpAndUnder43 said:
Has Damian ever coached? May as well just drop to D3 if we’re hiring former players as assistants when they have no coaching experience. MIAC doesn’t have any openings but the UMAC does
Click to expand...
He's one of the really good young high school coaches in the Twin Cities. Up and coming big time talent.
 

gopherlaney said:
Admittedly I was not happy when I saw this title. That being said, the credibility of our best two players during the Pitino era outweighs my emotion.
Click to expand...
Add Jarvis. He couldn’t play so we don’t know how good he could have been. Jarvis credits Ben for recruiting him to the U
 

MRJ said:
Nothing any of these guys say means a damn thing. People fell all over themselves gushing about Pitino when he was hired too. It all means jack squat.

Bottom line seems to recruiting locally. But can he actually coach? Nobody has a flipping clue...
Click to expand...

Guys that had played for Pitino were gushing about him?
 

You must log in or register to reply here.



Top Bottom