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Gopher Teeth said:
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.”
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If you played against Coach Thorson's De La Salle teams you know what gritty means. Not a single easy pass in the half court. Will be interesting to see how this translates to the U, but his teams always played with a mindset that it wasn't going to be easy for the other team offensively. Look at what Baylor did this year; yes, they had high level athletes, but not every one of those kids is a lottery pick. They played hard, they made life difficult, and they never backed down.
 



Good interview with Dave Thorson. Really enjoyable listening to him talk ball. Hopefully we get one with Kemp and McNeilly when he gets here.
 

Juicer said:
If you played against Coach Thorson's De La Salle teams you know what gritty means. Not a single easy pass in the half court. Will be interesting to see how this translates to the U, but his teams always played with a mindset that it wasn't going to be easy for the other team offensively. Look at what Baylor did this year; yes, they had high level athletes, but not every one of those kids is a lottery pick. They played hard, they made life difficult, and they never backed down.
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Can you tell a coach that would flat out deny that they will play gritty basketball?
 






GopherNuts said:

Good interview with Dave Thorson. Really enjoyable listening to him talk ball. Hopefully we get one with Kemp and McNeilly when he gets here.
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Liked this. As I’ve said before, everybody should have a hype man like Thorson is for Ben. Listening to him makes me excited for what’s to come.
 



builtbadgers said:
Lets assume most say it but few do it. Dave does.
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You just made my original point, thank you. Most coaches say it, but don’t do it, thus it is just words that don’t mean much, thus coach speak, thus you saying it doesn’t make you sound any different than the next guy, thus it is not a differentiator to a recruit because they hear it from most coaches. I don’t deny that Dave does it, that is not the point.
 

BleedGopher said:
The Grinnell College coach would flat out deny they play gritty basketball.

Go Gophers!!
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Wow, just checked out the Grinnell scores. Who the hell consistently gives up 100+ point games?! I guess if you like watching entertaining end-to-end basketball head south to Grinnell, Iowa and check out the action.
 

Gopher Teeth said:
Can you tell a coach that would flat out deny that they will play gritty basketball?
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I doubt the Ridgeview State coach would say they play gritty basketball. I think he might have also been a secret consultant for the Gophers' offense last year.

 

Gopher Teeth said:
Can you tell a coach that would flat out deny that they will play gritty basketball?
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Just because some coaches may lie about doesn’t mean that the ones that really do it shouldn’t talk about it. Also, it is obvious to see who really does it by watching some game film. Then trust the coaches that are being honest with you.
 



Gopher Teeth said:
You just made my original point, thank you. Most coaches say it, but don’t do it, thus it is just words that don’t mean much, thus coach speak, thus you saying it doesn’t make you sound any different than the next guy, thus it is not a differentiator to a recruit because they hear it from most coaches. I don’t deny that Dave does it, that is not the point.
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Most recruits and families are smart enough to know which coaches actually implement it. If Fran said it we know he does not or will not coach it. If Bennett or IZZO say it we have proof. Thorson and Ben can demonstrate in practice films, clinics etc.. Where as if Richard Pitino said it then we know it is not stressed, not built into the culture.
 

Gopher Teeth said:
Can you tell a coach that would flat out deny that they will play gritty basketball?
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Sure, there are a lot of programs who won't label themselves as gritty. Especially at blue blood programs. I doubt John Calipari is in a recruit's living room saying come to Kentucky and play a gritty style of basketball.

There are teams who have that identity of being gritty. Purdue is one. Rutgers has become one. Texas Tech is one. Houston is gritty. Even Michigan State is a rich man's gritty. UCLA plays gritty now with Cronin. Ben Johnson wants to have Minnesota in this group with a gritty identity.

North Carolina, Kentucky, Gonzaga, Kansas, Michigan.....none of them are using "gritty" as a recruiting tool. To a lesser extend, Iowa isn't branding itself as gritty, Ohio State isn't, Baylor isn't. Some of them play great defense, but they aren't using gritty as an identity.
 

builtbadgers said:
Most recruits and families are smart enough to know which coaches actually implement it. If Fran said it we know he does not or will not coach it. If Bennett or IZZO say it we have proof. Thorson and Ben can demonstrate in practice films, clinics etc.. Where as if Richard Pitino said it then we know it is not stressed, not built into the culture.
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This is so true. So many people want to put errors on players, and they do make the errors. However, errors are reduced by what you emphasize in practice. It was so evident that our previous staff did not emphasize how to pass the ball, how to catch the ball in position to do something with it, etc. They taught defensive positioning because the team would do it, inconsistently. They didn't hold players accountable to doing it consistently. Thorson will. College or high school, it is always evident which coaches teach, and then hold their players accountable to consistently implement what they teach. Doesn't matter the level, a good coach is a good coach.
 

GopherJack said:
Wow, just checked out the Grinnell scores. Who the hell consistently gives up 100+ point games?! I guess if you like watching entertaining end-to-end basketball head south to Grinnell, Iowa and check out the action.
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That feels like it's worth a road trip!
 

GopherJack said:
Wow, just checked out the Grinnell scores. Who the hell consistently gives up 100+ point games?! I guess if you like watching entertaining end-to-end basketball head south to Grinnell, Iowa and check out the action.
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When you only defend with 3 guys, it’s easier to score on. Unless you’re the Pitino Gophers vs Alabama.
 


GopherJack said:
Wow, just checked out the Grinnell scores. Who the hell consistently gives up 100+ point games?! I guess if you like watching entertaining end-to-end basketball head south to Grinnell, Iowa and check out the action.
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My cousin went to Grinnell, and I attended a couple games while he was there. He didn’t play on the team, but went to many basketball games. It’s certainly an entertaining style to watch. Grinnell is a very small and very selective liberal arts school in small town Iowa, so there is no way they could ever compete for NCAA titles even at the D3 level.

They full court press everything and only shoot 3s. There is some controversy around it (basically that the coach only uses the style to get attention), but the program won a lot more games with that style than before. The NCAA record holder for most point in a game (Jack Taylor - 138 points) was a Grinnell player.

They’ve been doing it for many years (the current HC is the son of the coach who started it), so one could they were ahead of the curve of what basketball has evolved to today with the importance of the 3 pointer.
 

My "small...selective liberal arts school", also D3, led the nation in technical fouls--true story! Grinnell sounds far more watchable.

The full court press sounds 'gritty'!
 

GopherNuts said:

Good interview with Dave Thorson. Really enjoyable listening to him talk ball. Hopefully we get one with Kemp and McNeilly when he gets here.
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Yes, that was good. Thanks for posting it.
 

Any news on coach McNeilly? Do we have any confirmation on his hire or was it just twitter talk?
 

JoshuaT81 said:
Any news on coach McNeilly? Do we have any confirmation on his hire or was it just twitter talk?
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Took a look at a TA&M board and some say that he was not renewed and expect he and his son end up at MN. Some are confused as why his son did not see the floor at A&M. They have lots of players in portal as well
 

Bayfieldgopher said:
Took a look at a TA&M board and some say that he was not renewed and expect he and his son end up at MN. Some are confused as why his son did not see the floor at A&M. They have lots of players in portal as well
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FYI it's his nephew, not his son. Thanks for the info from the A&M board, interesting to hear that they said he was not renewed.
  • Cashius McNeilly & Emanuel Miller haven't posted a "top 10" list is a good sign.
  • McNeilly has not come out and denied the rumors is a good sign (like that one Patriot League coach did when someone floated a rumor he was joining the Gophers
  • The interview with Buzz where he said Emanuel Miller was looking for a fresh start and he wished him well made it sound like he was for sure gone, and fits the narrative of going along with McNeilly.
  • Ben Johnson has an open spot this late with zero rumors about other coaches makes me think it is pretty likely.
  • Not a done deal until it's announced. Maybe McNeilly is negotiating to stay and get a raise? Who knows.
 


I sure hope waiting for this coach make us miss out on a coach or player
 


To quote my physics professor, "...and then we do what?"
 

I would be surprised if this has anything to do with his visa or the U administration, considering how many international students attend the U and foreign professors teach there, but also they approved the Thor hire (some were skeptical that would be allowed).

If it doesn't pan out, it could be a money issue or it could be a basketball philosophy issue. If Nuness can say "it's not the right time for me to come home", McNeilly can certainly decide to change his mind about coming to work with Ben.
 

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