Any buzz about Tubby looking around?

[GopherinPhilly]

RE: MN Winters - it isn't like Tubby is living in Lakeville and commuting to work everyday.

He lives downtown and can get to about 500 restaurants, clubs, theaters etc without putting on coat. No shoveling, scraping, etc.

A lot is made of our winters, but when I live in Mpls I hardly noticed. Now when I lived in rural Wisc. I noticed the winters.

IMO, UVA is a bunch of self righteous stuck up d bags and I don't see any lure for Tubby with that bunch.

 

[Plinnius]

But honestly... can he compete for a national championship at Minnesota?

Sure. Why wouldn't next year's team have a chance at competing for one?

 

[Plinnius]

I don't recall Ga Tech competing for many NCAA titles lately. Under Bobby Cremins, maybe.

Paul Hewitt took them to the finals just five years ago.

 

[bsb76]

Can Tubby win a NCAA Championship here? Why not? Many of you don't remember the Final Four (that didn't happen?) but we could have won the NCCA that year had not Eric Harris got hurt and Bobby Jackson had to play more point guard. It was the most fun March I have ever had! Tubby will recruit well and he will win here!

 

[Friend Of Tubby]

RE: MN Winters - it isn't like Tubby is living in Lakeville and commuting to work everyday.

He lives downtown and can get to about 500 restaurants, clubs, theaters etc without putting on coat. No shoveling, scraping, etc.

A lot is made of our winters, but when I live in Mpls I hardly noticed. Now when I lived in rural Wisc. I noticed the winters.

IMO, UVA is a bunch of self righteous stuck up d bags and I don't see any lure for Tubby with that bunch.

And he walks to work. Wonder how many Div I coaches do that?

 

[cncmin]

Hey I've heard many similar rumors at Georgia Tech. Paul Hewitt will likely be on his way out after next year, and the Ramblin' Wreck boosters have deep pockets to go after a premier coach. I see Tubby is very happy in Minnesota, and I wish him nothing but the greatest success. But honestly... can he compete for a national championship at Minnesota? My guess - and it is nothing more than that - is he would at a minimum consider going to a place where he can compete for another championship banner; if not at a current powerhouse program, then at a second-tier ACC or Big East program?

LOL. Tubby's recruiting classes and the support for this program from the community, the media, and the school all suggest that Tubby has a GREAT chance for a championship here.

If personnel is the kicker as far as taking this team far, well the Gophers of next year will be the most talented Gopher bunch since 1997, when they won the Big Ten and went to the Final Four* with 5 future NBA players; and probably since 1982 before that, with, I believe, 4 future NBA players, where they won the Big Ten. In two seasons, the Gophers will be even more talented than next year (I assume, from the last two recruiting classes). In terms of personnel alone, I expect them to compete for not only Big Ten titles, but also to start to go far in the NCAA tournament.

The Gophers should have Michigan State-type talent beginning next year, already.

*apparently they never actually went in 1997, going about 0-34.

 

[cncmin]

And he walks to work. Wonder how many Div I coaches do that?

JoePa walks to work too. Or at least did up until recently, when he started having knee and hip problems.

 

[Ski U Mah Gopher]

LOL. Tubby's recruiting classes and the support for this program from the community, the media, and the school all suggest that Tubby has a GREAT chance for a championship here.

If personnel is the kicker as far as taking this team far, well the Gophers of next year will be the most talented Gopher bunch since 1997, when they won the Big Ten and went to the Final Four* with 5 future NBA players; and probably since 1982 before that, with, I believe, 4 future NBA players, where they won the Big Ten. In two seasons, the Gophers will be even more talented than next year (I assume, from the last two recruiting classes). In terms of personnel alone, I expect them to compete for not only Big Ten titles, but also to start to go far in the NCAA tournament.

The Gophers should have Michigan State-type talent beginning next year, already.

*apparently they never actually went in 1997, going about 0-34.

Actually, I think it was officially 0-3

The victories were vacated, not forfeited. Only the losses counted

 

[Dr.Don]

They may have been vacated, but to me we were still 31-3 and made the Final 4. Period.

 

[cncmin]

They may have been vacated, but to me we were still 31-3 and made the Final 4. Period.

31-4. got beat by:
at Alabama
at Illinois
at Wisconsin
in Final Four vs. Kentucky.

 

[Dr.Don]

ok, I stand corrected...

 

[MRJ]

Hey I've heard many similar rumors at Georgia Tech. Paul Hewitt will likely be on his way out after next year, and the Ramblin' Wreck boosters have deep pockets to go after a premier coach. I see Tubby is very happy in Minnesota, and I wish him nothing but the greatest success. But honestly... can he compete for a national championship at Minnesota? My guess - and it is nothing more than that - is he would at a minimum consider going to a place where he can compete for another championship banner; if not at a current powerhouse program, then at a second-tier ACC or Big East program?

Ummm no. He stated about a week or two ago that he has long term plans to build a championship team at Minnesota and was quite adamant about it. Right now, the Rambling Wreck is definitely more of a wreck then rambling. Why would he want to take over a rebuilding job when he already has a foundation set in Minnesota? I know you guys have some good recruits coming in and already have some nice talent in place, but G'Tech is still aways from competing for an upper ACC finish.

Tubby sees he has an opportunity at Minnesota, already has one full recruiting class in and another, better (on paper anyway) class coming in next year with a lot of returners from a team that has already won 22 games and counting. If it comes down to money, it will probably take quite a bit and if the GT alums want to fork it over, I guess that might be something to consider. But I highly doubt Maturi would let him go anywhere else without a serious fight. In other words, no, I can't see him leaving for Georgia Tech.

 

[Bronko Nagurski Gopher]

1) It's cold up here. Both Tubby and his wife Donna have remarked on that. It's not a show-stopper, but it is a factor.
2) Tubby' s been successful at 4 different places (Tulsa, GA, KY, and here) and obviously could do so at another place if he wants to.
3) He wants a new practice facility up here, and there are financial issues holding that up....

These things being said, by all reports Tubby is quite happy here. (as is his wife). We were lucky and opportunistic to grab him, but a lot of this is *timing*. After only two years here, there really isn't any reason for Tubby to leave - his favorable rating is probably above ~ 95% up here, there's no signfiicant alumni pressure like there was on him at KY, and he has a lot of very very good recruits coming in this next year. I suspect he will retire here and hand the coaching job off to his son Saul when he's ready to do so, and about the only job he might jump from here to is the one at your hated/storied rival Maryland.

yeah, well there was just a huge blizzard that covered the entire state of kentucky 2-3 days ago and a huge ice storm about 1-2 months before that that wiped out electricity in half the state of kentucky. sounds like great weather down that way as well.

 

[Bronko Nagurski Gopher]

I always thought Minnesota winters were something you can get used to. XC skiing, ice fishing and snowmobling make many people hate to see winter end. Those damn mosquitoes are another story.

yeah, because there aren't mosquitoes in the rest of the upper-midwest states (wi, michigan, etc.) i love how we always seem to think eveything is somehow unique to just minnesota in the midwest (good or bad depending on your point of view).

 

[vagopher]

I Doubt Weather Will be A factor

As Tubby once said, they play basketball indoors. Like calminnfan, I'm married to a Californian who almost literally had never heard of Minnesota before she met me. I have taken her to Minnesota when it was as cold as -29, and she has nevertheless learned to love the Twin Cities as much as I do. We live in Virginia and while we prefer to visit Minnesota in summer, they do have winter here in Virginia, and when it snows here it is often very heavy and very disruptive. Plus the fact that temperatures often hover aorund freezing means that icy road conditions are more common than I recall in Minnesota.

Everything I have heard sugggests that winter weather notwithstanding, Tubby and his wife like Minneapolis, and certainly he has every reason to be optomistic about the future of the Gophers' Basketball Program.

By the way, I am the proud parent of a UVA grad, and I take issue with the "hoitie-toitie snob" comment.

 

[howeda7]

Tubby's not going anywhere like GT or UVA for all of the reasons listed above. Minnesota is an under-rated job by most national people. It's the 4th best job in the Big 10 behind only MSU, Indiana and Illinois. It's in a major metro area that produces fairly good talent, has a fairly unique, historic building, fans that basically sell it out, and academic standards that are respectable but not unreasonable for getting in marginal recruits.

Frankly, it is simply a better job then UVA and GT. Much better then UVA for sure. I always had the impression that UVA was a pretty good basketball school before I moved here. I guess just based of seeing old Ralph Sampson highlights and the fact that they made the NCAA's now and then. In reality, I have been completely underwhelmed since living in Charlottesville. The first game I went to was a conference game in the old arena. There were 4,000 people there. It was pathetic. The Barn has never been like that for a conference game. Never. Even with the brand-new sparkly JPJ they still can't sell out even games against NC or thier hated rival Va. Tech. I know they were down this year, but come on. So UVA has nothing on MN. Nothing. It is not even really a basketball school. It is a football school, with tough academic standards and almost no local recruiting base. Hardly ideal. Nice city, but not a good job.

GT is not a bad job. But not really better then MN in any way. It is also in a large metro area that produces good talent. But it has tougher admission standards and plays in a tougher conference where getting over the UNC/Duke wall will always be tough. It is also a private school versus a large public university. No advantages that I can see.

The only schools that remotely worry me are Maryland and Arizona. Maryland for the local ties. Arizona for the weather and perhaps delicate balance of a great tradition without quite the insane expectations. But frankly, I'm not too worried about it. I think Tubby will stay. I hope he does. If he chooses to leave it's his choice. Minnesota is a good and desirable job. Especially with the recruits we have coming. Flip Saunders or Bobby Knight on the sidelines is not a disaster.

 

[RamblinWreck]

I don't recall Ga Tech competing for many NCAA titles lately. Under Bobby Cremins, maybe.

Well Georgia Tech did go to the national championship game in 2004 (where UConn beat them).

Nowhere did I suggest I think Tubby will leave for Ga Tech, just that I would not be surprised to see Tubby leave for another top tier program if a position opens up (e.g. Kansas, UCLA, etc.). If not, I would not be surprised to see him move to a team better positioned to compete for a NC. I was just giving an example to further the point the UVA fan made about the constant rumor mill that having a big-time coach generates.

I don't think GT will compete for any national championships in the near future, or even ACC titles at least while Paul Hewitt is here. But I have heard from copious sources that the rich alumns are ready to go after SOME big time coach; Tubby just among them. As both an avid Gopher and Yellow Jacket fan, I'm neutral on this. But with all due respect, I think the position at GT is better due to (a) recruiting base - Atlanta is, year after year, one of the recruiting hotbeds that coaches salivate over and (b) it's the ACC... while always being second tier to UNC/Duke/Maryland year after year does not fit some coaches' preferences, I would think that any coach wanting a title would at least like a chance at an ACC school. Of course this is not to say the job at Minnesota is not good; it is clearly one of the top jobs in the Big Ten, and therefore the country. Rather, I think it has to do with the Big Ten/ACC dichotomy, and I think this argument could be made for almost any ACC school.

 

[PlayHosea]

I've always suspected that Tubby's plan was to come in and build the program up to the point where he could basically be "coach for life" if he wanted, then seamlessly transfer the reigns to Saul when the time was right.

 

[dinkything]

Tubby's not going anywhere like GT or UVA for all of the reasons listed above. Minnesota is an under-rated job by most national people. It's the 4th best job in the Big 10 behind only MSU, Indiana and Illinois. It's in a major metro area that produces fairly good talent, has a fairly unique, historic building, fans that basically sell it out, and academic standards that are respectable but not unreasonable for getting in marginal recruits.

Frankly, it is simply a better job then UVA and GT. Much better then UVA for sure.

GT is not a bad job. But not really better then MN in any way...

howeda,
you have interesting...ummm...how shall i say it...opinions...yeah, you have interesting opinions
how did you formulate such opinions???
just kinda curious...

 

[howeda7]

howeda,
you have interesting...ummm...how shall i say it...opinions...yeah, you have interesting opinions
how did you formulate such opinions???
just kinda curious...

I'm not really sure what you're asking...why do I think it's the 4th best job in the Big 10? Well, I think MSU, Indiana and Illinois are clearly better, so I assume you're not questioning that.

So I assume you think that several of the other 7 are better? Clearly, Northwestern, Penn State and Iowa are not better jobs, I hope can agree on that. That leaves a group of Purdue, Ohio State, Wisonsin and Michigan.

I would submit that Michigan is simply not a better job. It is a football school where basketball is an afterthougt. Crisler arena is no prize, and as recently as last year they frequently drew poor crowds. They had a nice run from about 89-96 but outside of that not much.

You can argue that Ohio State and Wisconsin are equal or better, but I would disagree. The main advantage they have on MN is thier new buildings. But the Barn has its own charms and I don't think it's that big a gap. Minnesota's main advantage is two things: First, it is a basketball school. When both are going well, there's no doubt which team has more support here. No matter what Thad Motta does, he will always be second fiddle to what the 2nd string QB did in Spring Practice. That wears on you after a while. The same is true to a lesser degree at Wisconsin. Minnesota second advantage is again being in a major metro area and having a larger recruting base close at hand.

So, in my mind the 4th best job in the Big Ten is either Minnesota or Purdue. We are both basketball schools. Indiana is a more basketball crazy state for sure. But Purdue plays second fiddle to IU. And again, we have an advantage in recruitng base, so I give MN the nod.

 

[RamblinWreck]

While Ohio State is a football school, they have the largest athletics budget in the country. I have been to an OSU game before in Columbus and I thought the place would be dead because of the "football" school. They had fans that were absolutely rabid; their non-student section even stood for a good chunk of the second half. With their budget, I think it would be hard to say OSU is not a top BT job.

While not in a major metro area, I would say Wisconsin is also near the top considering they can draw from three metro areas: Twin Cities, Milwaukee, and Chicago. Kohl center is a marvelous facility, and they (unfortunately) have a very boisterous fan base.

Also, I think history has to be factored in somewhat. These schools have also been to final fours recently which is an obvious bonus.

I would argue Minnesota is, at absolute best, fifth place in the hierarchy.

 

[Friend Of Tubby]

While Ohio State is a football school, they have the largest athletics budget in the country. I have been to an OSU game before in Columbus and I thought the place would be dead because of the "football" school. They had fans that were absolutely rabid; their non-student section even stood for a good chunk of the second half. With their budget, I think it would be hard to say OSU is not a top BT job.

While not in a major metro area, I would say Wisconsin is also near the top considering they can draw from three metro areas: Twin Cities, Milwaukee, and Chicago. Kohl center is a marvelous facility, and they (unfortunately) have a very boisterous fan base.

Also, I think history has to be factored in somewhat. These schools have also been to final fours recently which is an obvious bonus.

I would argue Minnesota is, at absolute best, fifth place in the hierarchy.

Minnesota has the 8th highest total of players ever making in to NBA. HS basketball is plenty strong all over the state. The Twin Cities are a very desirable lifestyle with lots to do and very tolerant attitudes towards all.

 

[dinkything]

I'm not really sure what you're asking...why do I think it's the 4th best job in the Big 10? Well, I think MSU, Indiana and Illinois are clearly better, so I assume you're not questioning that.

So I assume you think that several of the other 7 are better? Clearly, Northwestern, Penn State and Iowa are not better jobs, I hope can agree on that. That leaves a group of Purdue, Ohio State, Wisonsin and Michigan.

I would submit that Michigan is simply not a better job. It is a football school where basketball is an afterthougt. Crisler arena is no prize, and as recently as last year they frequently drew poor crowds. They had a nice run from about 89-96 but outside of that not much.

You can argue that Ohio State and Wisconsin are equal or better, but I would disagree. The main advantage they have on MN is thier new buildings. But the Barn has its own charms and I don't think it's that big a gap. Minnesota's main advantage is two things: First, it is a basketball school. When both are going well, there's no doubt which team has more support here. No matter what Thad Motta does, he will always be second fiddle to what the 2nd string QB did in Spring Practice. That wears on you after a while. The same is true to a lesser degree at Wisconsin. Minnesota second advantage is again being in a major metro area and having a larger recruting base close at hand.

So, in my mind the 4th best job in the Big Ten is either Minnesota or Purdue. We are both basketball schools. Indiana is a more basketball crazy state for sure. But Purdue plays second fiddle to IU. And again, we have an advantage in recruitng base, so I give MN the nod.

howeda7,

i could be slightly off target, but i draw 3 conclusions when reading your posts...

1. you are prolly in your early teens, or younger...not that there is anything wrong with being young...i used to be, once upon a time...
2. you likely have never been outside the state of minnesota...which is ok, but limits one's perspective...
3. you seem to place great emphasis on the 'venue' in which the contests take place...like somehow, the structure that is the barn, though quaint and filled with history and tradition, provides more of a home-court advantage than does other d1 teams' facilities...

as a side note...we all need to be careful how much emphasis we give to tcf stadium as it relates to the football-playing gophers...no doubt, the dome hasn't provided much of a home field advantage during the last 28 years (except during the holtz years), but i'm not sure tcf will be 'better' to the gophers than kinnick is to iowa, camp randall is the badgers, etc.

ultimately, it boils down to coaches coaching and players playing...

 

[howeda7]

While Ohio State is a football school, they have the largest athletics budget in the country. I have been to an OSU game before in Columbus and I thought the place would be dead because of the "football" school. They had fans that were absolutely rabid; their non-student section even stood for a good chunk of the second half. With their budget, I think it would be hard to say OSU is not a top BT job.

While not in a major metro area, I would say Wisconsin is also near the top considering they can draw from three metro areas: Twin Cities, Milwaukee, and Chicago. Kohl center is a marvelous facility, and they (unfortunately) have a very boisterous fan base.

Also, I think history has to be factored in somewhat. These schools have also been to final fours recently which is an obvious bonus.

I would argue Minnesota is, at absolute best, fifth place in the hierarchy.

If all that matters in taking the job is straight cash, then sure, they will always be able to outbid us. But being IN a major metro area, not just near one is a signficant advantage in basketball. Prior to the mid 90's Wisconsin was a flat-out joke in basketball. The new building helps, but the primary reason they've risen to respectibility is Bennett and Ryan. But they've also hit a wall. Thier a nice team that makes the tournament as a 6-10 seed and loses in the first or second round most of the time. The one time they made the Final Four they were an 8 seed, so I'd argue it was pretty much a fluke. It is true that Minnesota has only made one Final Four in the same time frame. But we were a #1 seed, and if not for an injury, may well have played for the National Title. Our sucess also extends back much further, to McHale, Brewer, etc. If not for the academic scandal I don't think this would even be debatable. If Tubby stays around I think we will pass Wisconsin in short order if we haven't already.

As for Ohio State, they have had intermitent success. From Randy Ayers, to O'Brien to Matta. But they've never been able to keep a coach around long enough to have any extended runs of greatness. Maybe Matta will be that guy. Certainly they have tons of money, a nice arena and decent fans. But to me there is something to knowing that you will always be second fiddle to football. And again, being in a metro area is an adtanage that cannot be over-looked.

 

[howeda7]

howeda7,

i could be slightly off target, but i draw 3 conclusions when reading your posts...

1. you are prolly in your early teens, or younger...not that there is anything wrong with being young...i used to be, once upon a time...
2. you likely have never been outside the state of minnesota...which is ok, but limits one's perspective...
3. you seem to place great emphasis on the 'venue' in which the contests take place...like somehow, the structure that is the barn, though quaint and filled with history and tradition, provides more of a home-court advantage than does other d1 teams' facilities...

as a side note...we all need to be careful how much emphasis we give to tcf stadium as it relates to the football-playing gophers...no doubt, the dome hasn't provided much of a home field advantage during the last 28 years (except during the holtz years), but i'm not sure tcf will be 'better' to the gophers than kinnick is to iowa, camp randall is the badgers, etc.

ultimately, it boils down to coaches coaching and players playing...

Wrong on all 3 counts. Not even close really. Hey, I wish I was 18 again. And I don't even live in Minnesota now. If my grammer is poor, I apologize. Know that I'm a CPA not an English Major, spell check ruined me, and it's 2:000 AM EST. But whatever. I appreciate your attempt to 'figure me out' based on 2 posts on an internet message board. We are free to have differing opinions.

On the venue, I was trying to downplay actually the signifance of Ohio State and Wisconsin having new arena's since I expected it to be raised as a point in thier favor.

I do place perhaps too high a value on being a 'basketball school.' But I just feel that it must be frustrating for someone like Billy Donvan to win two national titles and still not be able to sell out every game while the Spring football game draws 70,000. I think it's part of why he flirted with the NBA and I think similar points apply to Ohio State.

 

[ChuckTownHoo]

So UVA has nothing on MN. Nothing. It is not even really a basketball school. It is a football school, with tough academic standards and almost no local recruiting base. Hardly ideal. Nice city, but not a good job.

With current conditions of the program I'd have a hard time arguing your points about Minnesota being a better job right now than UVA, except the point about recruiting. I've always felt UVA was a potential jackpot location for a good recruiter. The state of VA puts out alot of talent, DC-Balt metro is a couple of hours down the road, and we're in the middle of NYC & Atlanta. Pretty much the whole mid-Atlantic region is less than a days drive from our campus.

 

[howeda7]

With current conditions of the program I'd have a hard time arguing your points about Minnesota being a better job right now than UVA, except the point about recruiting. I've always felt UVA was a potential jackpot location for a good recruiter. The state of VA puts out alot of talent, DC-Balt metro is a couple of hours down the road, and we're in the middle of NYC & Atlanta. Pretty much the whole mid-Atlantic region is less than a days drive from our campus.

I guess it depends how you define local, but to get a kid out of DC, UVA basically has to 'steal' them from Maryland and Georgetown, so I don't consider it part of UVA's local recruiting base. The Richmond area maybe. I would certainly rather me in the heart of Minneapolis/St. Paul then 3 hours away from Baltimore/DC.

 

[Handsome Pete]

How on earth is being "in the ACC" a selling point? The ACC is a step down from the Big Ten.

 

[Handsome Pete]

I've always suspected that Tubby's plan was to come in and build the program up to the point where he could basically be "coach for life" if he wanted, then seamlessly transfer the reigns to Saul when the time was right.

This is my thought exactly. His kids have some great coaching opportunities in town here and the whole family are celebrities. I think he sees Minnesota- team, school, and state- as just a fun, change of pace in the second half of his great career. I also thinks he likes being in a big city for once and UVA and Alabama just do not offer that.

 

[MRJ]

Well Georgia Tech did go to the national championship game in 2004 (where UConn beat them).

Nowhere did I suggest I think Tubby will leave for Ga Tech, just that I would not be surprised to see Tubby leave for another top tier program if a position opens up (e.g. Kansas, UCLA, etc.). If not, I would not be surprised to see him move to a team better positioned to compete for a NC. I was just giving an example to further the point the UVA fan made about the constant rumor mill that having a big-time coach generates.

I don't think GT will compete for any national championships in the near future, or even ACC titles at least while Paul Hewitt is here. But I have heard from copious sources that the rich alumns are ready to go after SOME big time coach; Tubby just among them. As both an avid Gopher and Yellow Jacket fan, I'm neutral on this. But with all due respect, I think the position at GT is better due to (a) recruiting base - Atlanta is, year after year, one of the recruiting hotbeds that coaches salivate over and (b) it's the ACC... while always being second tier to UNC/Duke/Maryland year after year does not fit some coaches' preferences, I would think that any coach wanting a title would at least like a chance at an ACC school. Of course this is not to say the job at Minnesota is not good; it is clearly one of the top jobs in the Big Ten, and therefore the country. Rather, I think it has to do with the Big Ten/ACC dichotomy, and I think this argument could be made for almost any ACC school.

Again, no. If there was a job opening at Duke or North Carolina, then yes. At Georgia Tech? No.