Assistant Coaches


Official announcement expected today for Dave Thorson & Jason Kemp

Then why not announce them as soon as they got to work??

Just weird. Something is going on. Wild guess.
Officially announce them for who? Who cares as long as they working on recruiting which is the only thing that matters in April.
 


He was a very well ranked SHOOTING (it was too easy, lol). Guard. HE also rocks the headband much cooler than Gabe IMO.

#14 ranked SG by 24/7 and #24 SG overall.

So he’s listed as a shooting guard but other places indicate he may be more of a COMBO GUARD. No worries. If he comes here, no clue if this is at all likely, we’ll find out. See attached link:
Combo guard?
 

So he’s listed as a shooting guard but other places indicate he may be more of a COMBO GUARD. No worries. If he comes here, no clue if this is at all likely, we’ll find out. See attached link:
Combo guard?

Thanks my East Coast brother. I'd love to play 2 true combo guards at that same time, if you don't have a true point, like: Harris, McDonald, Nolan etc...
 


It reminds me of the process although I think Johnson is more well-established in the college ranks than Brewster was. Brewster just started grabbing guys, some without reasonable resumes, and tossed them in a room and basically said "Say hello to your fellow assistant coaches." I don't see Johnson doing that. Thorson is a known commodity. Can't say much about the other guys, but they have a track record.
 

It depends on what your definition of long-term is. I think long-term is getting shorter and shorter in the eyes of many. I am in the camp that sees this fall's recruiting cycle as absolutely critical in Ben's tenure. He was brought in to revive local recruiting, the class of 22 is loaded, and they have been recruited and established relationships for a few years now. Every minute the new staff has to recruit them makes a difference. Nearly three weeks to get a staff together does mean something.

I know you believe he has not been working solo, and you could be right, but you don't have any more data on that than all the posters who assume a set of facts behind the scenes that have not been verified. It's all complete speculation and should not be accepted as fact.
Somewhat true, but I’m not speculating. And, if you look at other programs that hired coaches, many still announcing their staff. It will be fine
 

Official announcement expected today for Dave Thorson & Jason Kemp

Then why not announce them as soon as they got to work??

Just weird. Something is going on. Wild guess.
Just a guess but assume U has a process by which they review background of applicants to resume nothing negatove could come back after they are hired. Due diligence.
 




The question seems to be:

has the length of the hiring and announcing process prevented the Gophers from landing an assistant coach that they wanted (and was interested)?

And, has the length of the hiring process prevented the Gophers from recruiting any players they wanted (and were interested)?

If that's the case, that Coach X or Player Y wanted to come here, but changed their minds because of the length of the process, then that would be an issue.

if that is NOT the case, then it's all a moot point.

My personal feeling is to take all the time you need to make the right choice. I certainly do not want the Gophers to rush into something and wind up with a coach or a player who might not be a good long-term fit. Measure twice, cut once.
 

I don't know if he's failing, but I think this can be attributed to the fact that as a coach with no head coaching experience, he really hasn't developed a "coaching tree." I hope Johnson doesn't meet the same fate, but this is shades of Tim Brewster to some extent.
Brewster was still able to stumble his way into a decent OC and DC initially. But couldn't keep Roof and couldn't decide what he wanted on offense. Hopefully Ben can avoid this.
 

Brewster was still able to stumble his way into a decent OC and DC initially. But couldn't keep Roof and couldn't decide what he wanted on offense. Hopefully Ben can avoid this.
Yup. Brew had a great OC hire from Cal. Dont remember the DC guy. Then you're right, he could not decide on the style of play that he wanted. That part is definitely something BJ needs to define in order to get top players here. Gritty basketball is not going to cut it.
 

The question seems to be:

has the length of the hiring and announcing process prevented the Gophers from landing an assistant coach that they wanted (and was interested)?

And, has the length of the hiring process prevented the Gophers from recruiting any players they wanted (and were interested)?

If that's the case, that Coach X or Player Y wanted to come here, but changed their minds because of the length of the process, then that would be an issue.

if that is NOT the case, then it's all a moot point.

My personal feeling is to take all the time you need to make the right choice. I certainly do not want the Gophers to rush into something and wind up with a coach or a player who might not be a good long-term fit. Measure twice, cut once.
Good analysis. My gripe on the length of the process is that it was presented publicly that assistant coaches were part of the plan and by extension that they were all but ready to go. It appears that was not the case. And I have no doubt that it affected recruiting transfers. The process took too long. I hope he has put together a great staff that will stick around for a while.
 



Good analysis. My gripe on the length of the process is that it was presented publicly that assistant coaches were part of the plan and by extension that they were all but ready to go. It appears that was not the case. And I have no doubt that it affected recruiting transfers. The process took too long. I hope he has put together a great staff that will stick around for a while.
Plenty of recruiting to be had in the next 60 days, get your popcorn ready!
 

Good analysis. My gripe on the length of the process is that it was presented publicly that assistant coaches were part of the plan and by extension that they were all but ready to go. It appears that was not the case. And I have no doubt that it affected recruiting transfers. The process took too long. I hope he has put together a great staff that will stick around for a while.
One of the transfers we got was at the same school as an assistant. I doubt this had any affect on recruiting players. Only ones moaning & groaning about it are fans on here. These hires have probably been in the works since the Elite 8
 

One of the transfers we got was at the same school as an assistant. I doubt this had any affect on recruiting players. Only ones moaning & groaning about it are fans on here. These hires have probably been in the works since the Elite 8
If that’s the case, great. I’m not convinced personally but no one is answerable to me. Compared to most coaching transitions ours took longer to figure out staff. I hope it’s worth the wait and the process isn’t done yet. We need bodies now and need to be all over 22 who will be committed before the season starts.
 




Yup. Brew had a great OC hire from Cal. Dont remember the DC guy. Then you're right, he could not decide on the style of play that he wanted. That part is definitely something BJ needs to define in order to get top players here. Gritty basketball is not going to cut it.
It does and it doesn't... Gritty would be one of the first words that comes to mind if I had to describe Michigan St. for the last 20 years or so.
 


Bryan Schnettler from Wayzata would be an interesting choice for a player development role. Great coach, grinder, and he is on the verge of developing the next powerhouse in Minnesota.
 
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The hiring process has been fine. It wasnt as quick as people wanted, but were not running the program. We have coaches now and still a million guys in the portal. No need to panic.
 

I’m beginning to think there should be an adjunct position created on the coaching staff. A position that is open, rotating, advisory and highly paid - and available annually to the parent of an in-house ranked 5 star recruit.
Has a certain Roy Williams elegance don’t you think?🤔
 

Our coaches need to be better at recruiting. When Robbins and Carr were not on the floor. We couldn’t compete. We were left with a bunch of role players. Keeping all of these kids allows us to fight for 11th place in the conference, again. ( We failed last year.) The Gophers will not compete in the top half of the conference until their personnel improves.
 
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Our coaches need to be better at recruiting. When Robbins and Carr were not on the floor. We couldn’t compete. We were left with a bunch of role players. Keeping all of these kids allows us to fight for 11th place in the conference, again. ( We failed last year.) The Gophers will not compete in the top half of the conference until their personnel improves.

We'll be fine. BJ assembled a good staff. Originally Kemp did nothing for me solely based on his resume and watching the one video from W&M.

I take that back, just watched the press conference from yesterday, Kemp has the IT factor and I loved his answers and energy. When kids meet him, they will fall in love with him. The guy can't stop smiling, it's awesome.
 

Right, playing tough D, chasing 50/50 balls, and hitting the boards - like, say, Baylor - will never work and couldn’t possibly attract top recruits.
I think the point is “gritty basketball” sounds more like coach speak than anything. There is not many coaches who don’t say they will play tough D, win 50/50 balls and rebound. That doesn’t really differentiate you from anyone. I’ll put it this way, no coach is going to come out and say, “we will definitely not play gritty basketball, that’s not who we want to be.”
 

I think the point is “gritty basketball” sounds more like coach speak than anything. There is not many coaches who don’t say they will play tough D, win 50/50 balls and rebound. That doesn’t really differentiate you from anyone. I’ll put it this way, no coach is going to come out and say, “we will definitely not play gritty basketball, that’s not who we want to be.”
The question is WILL you rebound, not will you talk about it. Like, for instance, Utah State, who out-rebounded every single opponent last year.
 
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