BleedGopher
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per Shooter:
Gophers coach Richard Pitino suddenly is the favorite to become Big Ten coach of the year.
Last Sunday, among the Williams Arena crowd of 12,091 that watched the surging Gophers outlast Michigan 83-78 in overtime was a pleased Rick Pitino, noted father of Gophers coach Richard Pitino.
Last season, Richard’s third at Minnesota, his Gophers finished 8-23 overall. It has been a roller-coaster four years for Rick’s son.
“We had a long discussion about it,” the elder Pitino told the Pioneer Press last week.
Rick Pitino, 64, coached Louisville to the NCAA championship four years ago. He coached Kentucky to the NCAA championship in 1996. The basketball hall of famer is the only coach in history to lead two schools to national titles. His current Louisville team (22-6) was ranked No. 7 before Wednesday’s 74-63 loss at North Carolina.
“Before he took the (Gophers) job, I said, ‘Richard, here’s what’s going to happen,’ ” Rick recalled. “You’re going to have a good team for one year, and then you’re going to be in total rebuilding mode. I said, “Do you want to take over that?’ It’s not like having freshmen and sophomores. So you’re taking over a good job in terms of having talent for one year, but then you’re at square zero.
“And he said, ‘Yeah, but if I can get it going in that first year, then we can attract some good recruits.’ ”
In Richard’s second year, the Gophers finished 18-15, 6-12 in the Big Ten. His third season, last year, was catastrophic.
“Then,” Rick Pitino said, “they brought in Big Ten players. And now they’re no longer a team that’s going to play without a first-, second- or third-team all-Big Ten player. They now can compete with anybody in that league.”
http://www.twincities.com/2017/02/25/charley-walters-gophers-success-has-rick-pitino-beaming/
Go Gophers!!
Gophers coach Richard Pitino suddenly is the favorite to become Big Ten coach of the year.
Last Sunday, among the Williams Arena crowd of 12,091 that watched the surging Gophers outlast Michigan 83-78 in overtime was a pleased Rick Pitino, noted father of Gophers coach Richard Pitino.
Last season, Richard’s third at Minnesota, his Gophers finished 8-23 overall. It has been a roller-coaster four years for Rick’s son.
“We had a long discussion about it,” the elder Pitino told the Pioneer Press last week.
Rick Pitino, 64, coached Louisville to the NCAA championship four years ago. He coached Kentucky to the NCAA championship in 1996. The basketball hall of famer is the only coach in history to lead two schools to national titles. His current Louisville team (22-6) was ranked No. 7 before Wednesday’s 74-63 loss at North Carolina.
“Before he took the (Gophers) job, I said, ‘Richard, here’s what’s going to happen,’ ” Rick recalled. “You’re going to have a good team for one year, and then you’re going to be in total rebuilding mode. I said, “Do you want to take over that?’ It’s not like having freshmen and sophomores. So you’re taking over a good job in terms of having talent for one year, but then you’re at square zero.
“And he said, ‘Yeah, but if I can get it going in that first year, then we can attract some good recruits.’ ”
In Richard’s second year, the Gophers finished 18-15, 6-12 in the Big Ten. His third season, last year, was catastrophic.
“Then,” Rick Pitino said, “they brought in Big Ten players. And now they’re no longer a team that’s going to play without a first-, second- or third-team all-Big Ten player. They now can compete with anybody in that league.”
http://www.twincities.com/2017/02/25/charley-walters-gophers-success-has-rick-pitino-beaming/
Go Gophers!!