CBS: Grading notable coaching hires from 2013 (MN: Richard Pitino "B")

[BleedGopher]

per CBS:

Richard Pitino to Minnesota

Grade: B

Pitino's accumulated a 75-61 mark in four seasons. He just pulled off the biggest turnaround in college basketball this past season, going from eight wins in 2015-16 to 24 — and a 5 seed in the NCAAs — before getting upended by Middle Tennessee. Pitino took the Minnesota job after just one season at FIU, and though he's been rumored in college hoops circles to be peeking elsewhere for possible jobs in the past two years, the truth is this job has been beneficial for both sides. Pitino got a power-conference gig before the age of 35 and crafted his coaching chops. He'll likely, eventually, wind up at a bigger job, but this is the right phase for him to be going through. Minnesota should be a top-25 team again next season.

http://www.cbssports.com/college-ba...and-the-moves-after-four-years-of-recruiting/

Go Gophers!!

 

[Biggsohnasty]

Hard to argue with any of that.

I guess the B is a little "prisoner of the momentish" given his overall tenure here. I would probably give him a C given he missed the tourney 3 times and coached his way into a disaster season but given his youth, it was understandable. He's got the program heading in the right direction it would appear with recruiting and player development so hopefully he sticks around long enough to to the point that when he does leave, it will be a more desirable job than when he took it.

 

[Tim1406]

I am still not convinced he ever leaves if we don't want him to leave. Either that or it's off to a Duke/Kentucky/Kansas/Louisville/UNC/UCLA post for him and we are a better team for it. At which point i just hope we can maintain it and don't do what Illinois did after losing Bill Self.

 

[EG#9]

I am still not convinced he ever leaves if we don't want him to leave. Either that or it's off to a Duke/Kentucky/Kansas/Louisville/UNC/UCLA post for him and we are a better team for it. At which point i just hope we can maintain it and don't do what Illinois did after losing Bill Self.

If he does a good job here, I don't think it makes sense for him to leave for basketball reasons unless it's for one of the programs you mentioned. He'd be in a position to compete with everyone outside of the top 8-10 schools, he'd be paid a top 25 salary in the country, and he wouldn't have to rebuild a program. I personally don't see him wanting to take over at Louisville as that could be a no win situation for him. If he wins it's because of dad and if he loses it's because dad got him a job he wasn't qualified for/didn't deserve.

I could obviously see him leaving because his family would like to live elsewhere or he doesn't feel like he's Coyle's "guy".

It's so refreshing to open this thread and not see people clamoring for Minnesota to get an "A" for the Pitino hire. I am so used to seeing the grades on the football board with posters handing out A's like candy during the Kill/Claeys regime. I've felt like those low expectations have definitely moved over to the basketball board as well as the program has struggled post Clem. I think Pitino could become an A hire if they look back again in a few years, but for now he'd have to at least have a sweet 16 to his name (or better conference finishes/records, tournament title, etc) to earn that through 4 years.

 

[adchester]

Illinois won the Big Ten two years in a row after losing Self, I'd take that lol.

 

[bemidjigopher]

As annoyed as I was with the process of the Claeys firing, the way it shook out was that Mark Coyle will clearly pay top dollar for a coach the wants. Coyle may be a spineless coward, but Minnesotan's penny pitching days of clearly over. We won't lose Pitino over dollars and with the new village going up January, Pitino will have basketball facilities on par with most schools in the country. Pitino will have the best of both worlds, new facilities and a charmng old arena. The Barn is only a dump when it's half full and the team is losing, but when the Gophers are rolling, the Barn is truly a gem. Pitino also has a program that is the only D1 school in the state with an ever improving amount of high school talent. As far as the bluebloods, you can probably rule out anywhere dad has coached, Louisville and Kentucky, the rest of the big ten. Duke will stay inside the family imo, guessing if we still have this rolling, Pitino won't want to touch UNC with a 10 ft pole when Roy leaves after hammer comes down. I guess whenever Self hangs it up at Kansas or Behiem at Syracuse could be causes for concern if Pitino has things rolling, but I am confident Coyle will pay top dollar to keep him here and if he leaves that means we are winning!

 

[Bad Gopher]

Illinois won the Big Ten two years in a row after losing Self, I'd take that lol.

They went to the national final, in fact.

As far as him moving on to a "bigger job," I'll believe it when I see it. This city is a hard bitch to quit.

 

[oak_street1981]

As annoyed as I was with the process of the Claeys firing, the way it shook out was that Mark Coyle will clearly pay top dollar for a coach the wants. Coyle may be a spineless coward, but Minnesotan's penny pitching days of clearly over. We won't lose Pitino over dollars and with the new village going up January, Pitino will have basketball facilities on par with most schools in the country. Pitino will have the best of both worlds, new facilities and a charmng old arena. The Barn is only a dump when it's half full and the team is losing, but when the Gophers are rolling, the Barn is truly a gem. Pitino also has a program that is the only D1 school in the state with an ever improving amount of high school talent. As far as the bluebloods, you can probably rule out anywhere dad has coached, Louisville and Kentucky, the rest of the big ten. Duke will stay inside the family imo, guessing if we still have this rolling, Pitino won't want to touch UNC with a 10 ft pole when Roy leaves after hammer comes down. I guess whenever Self hangs it up at Kansas or Behiem at Syracuse could be causes for concern if Pitino has things rolling, but I am confident Coyle will pay top dollar to keep him here and if he leaves that means we are winning!

I was very annoyed with Coyle, but he is no dummy, even though I'd like him to get rid of that southern Kansas twang seems to have.

Ok, the post above by BemidjiG was great, and I agree 100 percent. The barn is pretty dumpy, but when it is full it creates a massive impression on TV during a big game. I hate sitting in some of the seats but it does not matter when we all are standing and Gophers are beating #1 or #2. I was convinced the Gophers needed to blow up the Barn and start over and build something like the UVA, Missouri, or Oregon BB arenas.

I think if much of the current interior space cold be gutted and space to the west( the Pavilion, old Hockey space) could be encroached upon to create more room and a build out to the sidewalk on University Avenue could be added, Williams Arena could live for another 75 years.

I think the quality of some of the upper seating could be improved, but he general feel of the interior would remain, while adding a bit of capacity or more high buck seating, while adding massive amounts of concourse space and ease of access into and out of the seats. I hope they make use of all the space they could add and save the old barn. Previously I wanted it torn down with a new building built on the site, leading two a year or two in the Xcel Energy Center.

 

[Tim1406]

Illinois won the Big Ten two years in a row after losing Self, I'd take that lol.

They went to the national final, in fact.

As far as him moving on to a "bigger job," I'll believe it when I see it. This city is a hard bitch to quit.

I forgot that! I just see Illinois now and forgot how successful that Bruce Webber was there to start.

 

[WindyCityGopher]

They went to the national final, in fact.

As far as him moving on to a "bigger job," I'll believe it when I see it. This city is a hard bitch to quit.

Weber won big with Self's guys, not so much with his own. Recruiting, not coaching, was what ultimately did Weber in at Illinois.

 

[Otis]

I've always wondered if there would be a way to "gut" Williams arena and add a new roof with supports which don't impede sight lines. Add new second tier and lower bowl seating with suites and widen out the concessions area while keeping the brick exterior (by making it an interior and adding pass-throughs to new concessions and bathrooms). I don't think there is enough room though without going into University and the street to the north.