BREAKING!!!! Dennis Evans ask for release….

[From the Parkinglot]

I was afraid this would happen. Christie next? Program has to get with the times, NIL is real. Being aggressive in the portal, like it or not, is real, and here to stay. Is it time to blow this up?

How do you be aggressive in the portal when you can just be out bid for the players by a college with a larger NIL? Whether you are recruiting in the portal or high school kids you need the NIL funds to land the players unless you are a blue blood.

 

[Otis]

Our basketball program is now at a place (actually worse) than our football program was after Brew. For all of his goofiness, Coach Kill is a competent coach. At this point, if we can't get the HR hire, just go get someone competent.

I was kind of kidding, but I'd absolutely take Tauer over Ben Johnson (but he might not take the job). Go find someone who can coach basketball and has some sort of track record.

I think we could do better with a coach who has a record

 

[Wet_Blanket_Guy]

it's really becoming a catch-22. in today's world, you need NIL to land top recruits. but if a program is struggling, how does it attract the $$ for a competitive NIL option?

shoot - the Gophers just don't have the kind of boosters or fat-cats needed in this climate. If they did, then the buyout would not be an issue. at a lot of programs, if they needed $8-million to buy out a coach, you could get it with a couple of phone calls. But at MN, we don't go in for that sort of stuff. we would rather be honorable......and poor......

I think this would be different if Coyle went around and said (behind the scenes). We have an agreement with Rick Pitino (or another high profile coach), but we can only do this if we get 15M...buyout + money for the high annual salary.

If the booster / boosters know what they are getting then it might work. If it is just the buy of CBJ to get shafted again by the administration for a woke hire...then that is bad ROI

 

[MaxyJR1]

Again, all the Ben Johnson hire did was waste 2-3 years and inevitably cost the University a ton of money. They will REALLY need to pay up big dollars for the correct hire now, plus put some sort of guarantee around NIL funding to get their guy.

You assume it's the coach and not the school. I doubt any of the other hires would be that much further ahead at this point. (No one knows) I don't even know what a NIL guarantee means. Schools and coaches can't really be involved, can they? You're asking a non-profit group basically to guarantee funds to the program.

 

[bmb5270]

I am hearing that NIL deals are a factor on this one. Ugh.

Sounds like people around him pushing him to better NIL. Why the hell is it that a Big Ten school in a major metropolitan area has no money to pay up for coaches and no NIL.

 

[Bob_Loblaw]

How do you be aggressive in the portal when you can just be out bid for the players by a college with a larger NIL? Whether you are recruiting in the portal or high school kids you need the NIL funds to land the players unless you are a blue blood.

I think you just allocate more scholarships to portal players than to HS players. We won't ever get the ones with NIL deals but we should be able to get 2 decent players per year through the portal.

 

[Gophers_4life]

Our basketball program is now at a place (actually worse) than our football program was after Brew. For all of his goofiness, Coach Kill is a competent coach. At this point, if we can't get the HR hire, just go get someone competent.

I was kind of kidding, but I'd absolutely take Tauer over Ben Johnson (but he might not take the job). Go find someone who can coach basketball and has some sort of track record.

Does Ben go in there and like, actively sabotage practice?

Thorson? Any of the other assistants?


I doubt that they don't run a practice the same as pretty much every DI bball team. I doubt Izzo figured out some way to practice basketball that no one else has ever figured out.

You put the round thing in the hoop.

 

[GopherTheJugular]

We have had some...and ticked them off. This woke U stuff doesn't sell that well with business people that toss cash around.

Can I like this 10,000,000 times?

 

[MaxyJR1]

Sounds like people around him pushing him to better NIL. Why the hell is it that a Big Ten school in a major metropolitan area has no money to pay up for coaches and no NIL.

You answered your own question. Major Metropolitan area with every pro league in town.

 

[Holy Man]

Really Ben doesn't believe is what you are going with? Mix this group with a couple of transfers of the right fit and they will make progress next season. How much we'll see.

If they don't and get a new coach, I'll still be my positive supporting self with the new coach.

True, but when you are at historical rock-bottom, it's basically impossible to not make progress. That's the problem.

 

[GopherTheJugular]

Really Ben doesn't believe is what you are going with? Mix this group with a couple of transfers of the right fit and they will make progress next season. How much we'll see.

If they don't and get a new coach, I'll still be my positive supporting self with the new coach.

So at all times the glass is always half-full for you. Got it.

 

[goldengophers]

Our basketball program is now at a place (actually worse) than our football program was after Brew. For all of his goofiness, Coach Kill is a competent coach. At this point, if we can't get the HR hire, just go get someone competent.

I was kind of kidding, but I'd absolutely take Tauer over Ben Johnson (but he might not take the job). Go find someone who can coach basketball and has some sort of track record.

His name was Craig Smith at the time, the biggest no brainer.

 

[Gophers_4life]

You answered your own question. Major Metropolitan area with every pro league in town.

Yep.

Northwestern will never have a good year in basketball!

 

[MaxyJR1]

So at all times the glass is always half-full for you. Got it.

Why not, it gets people through the toughest of times.

 

[GibsonSG]

If they let Evans out of his LOI, Johnson is a dead man walking for sure (if he wasn't already before this.)

Can somebody show me ANY coach from ANY power conference in the last 40 years who was (1-19) in conference play in his second season at a school and then went on to become an exceptional coach? And by exceptional I mean regularly challenging for conference titles and winning numerous NCAA tournament games.

 

[GopherTheJugular]

How do you be aggressive in the portal when you can just be out bid for the players by a college with a larger NIL? Whether you are recruiting in the portal or high school kids you need the NIL funds to land the players unless you are a blue blood.

I'm sorry, but you're going to have to explain the Northwestern and NIL situation to MplsGopher, I mean Gophers_4Lyfe, I mean Gophers_4life.

 

[goldengophers]

If they let Evans out of his LOI, Johnson is a dead man walking for sure (if he wasn't already before this.)

Can somebody show me ANY coach from ANY power conference in the last 40 years who was (1-19) in conference play in his second season at a school and then went on to become an exceptional coach? And by exceptional I mean regularly challenging for conference titles and winning numerous NCAA tournament games.

Good coaches find a way to be far better than we have been with the same talent, the X's and O's aren't there.

 

[Gophers_4life]

If they let Evans out of his LOI, Johnson is a dead man walking for sure (if he wasn't already before this.)

Can somebody show me ANY coach from ANY power conference in the last 40 years who was (1-19) in conference play in his second season at a school and then went on to become an exceptional coach? And by exceptional I mean regularly challenging for conference titles and winning numerous NCAA tournament games.

Forget the coach.

How many schools have gone 1-19 in a P-whatever conference in the last 20 years and at some point later on emerged from the dead to challenge for the conference title?

 

[Otis]

Well, it’s been fun, somebody let me know when the administration decides to compete in basketball again.

 

[GopherTheJugular]

You put the round thing in the hoop.

And that level of coaching is why the team has the record it does.

 

[GopherTheJugular]

Why not, it gets people through the toughest of times.

So has alcohol, and other things.

It's fine if you want to be like that, but then don't debate like you have a leg to stand on. If it's just wishful thinking....

 

[MaxyJR1]

Yep.

Northwestern will never have a good year in basketball!

New facilities, private school, 67% of rotation Jr's/Sr's.

 

[gophereric30]

I thought Evans wasn't about the NIL? Must be a great deal! Is Henley in his ear saying it's not worth it?

 

[skiumah1]

His name was Craig Smith at the time, the biggest no brainer.

Such an easy hire. I honestly thought he was the fall back if missing on Musselman-Type.

 

[Ski U Mah Gopher]

Say no.

Make Evans make the choice between the U, Prep School, G-League or Europe.

 

[MaxyJR1]

So has alcohol, and other things.

It's fine if you want to be like that, but then don't debate like you have a leg to stand on. If it's just wishful thinking....

Debating on the positive potential and data is not a leg to stand on, just the negative?

 

[Obi-Wan Okogie]

This is just going to make the Gopher redemption story next season all the more epic! Ya love to see it!

 

[Bfan]

And just like that, one if the few elite players to play for Minnesota never did

"Sources close to Evans confirmed to 247Sports on Friday that Minnesota will honor his request for a release and that paperwork for the release should be completed by early next week."

Top 20 senior Dennis Evans requests release from Minnesota

A tough 2022-23 season at Minnesota just got a little bit tougher as top 20 senior Dennis Evans has requested a release from his letter of intent.Ranked as the No. 18 player

247sports.com

And with that, me hyping Evans so much as the bright future next year, I will excuse myself from this men's basketball forum chastised. AKA wingspan.

 

[Gophers_4life]

New facilities, private school, 67% of rotation Jr's/Sr's.

We have old facilities. You got me there.

Private -- so??

Last OK. That's probably a good thing? There have been no successful teams in March Madness with underclassmen dominated starters?

 

[Gopher_In_NYC]

If they let Evans out of his LOI, Johnson is a dead man walking for sure (if he wasn't already before this.)

Airball.
Stay classy

Can somebody show me ANY coach from ANY power conference in the last 40 years who was (1-19) in conference play in his second season at a school and then went on to become an exceptional coach? And by exceptional I mean regularly challenging for conference titles and winning numerous NCAA tournament games.