Does anybody else still want a new coach or have those feelings settled?

[Mitchieboi]

I was pretty excited to see back in 07 that the gophers hired tubby. Having a .700 winning percentage and a national championship under his belt, i thought he might bring us to the top of the conference. But there are way too many things he does that tells me he does not know what is going on. The line change substitutions, the lack of any offense, the lack of confidence he has in his players to drive towards the basket, the lack of any knowledge to hire any assistants to help him out with coaching offense, etc.
I know i am going to get ripped apart on this board 1) because this idea is outside the box and 2) because i am new but....
What would be the board's thoughts on making a run after Bruce Pearl? After he was let go by tennessee because of the lies I know he would be a HUGE risk and the gophers probably dont want to go through that after Clem BUT the fact cannot be denied that it would make a huge splash in our program. The guy has won at an unbelievably high level at no elite jobs. He can flat out coach and is a relentless recruiter. Please, share your opinions!

 

[Eye of the Gopher]

I agree with your first paragraph, and while I don't doubt Bruce Pearl's ability to coach and recruit, I just don't see him being a candidate that we would consider because of his prior history, as well as our University's. Maturi (as well as the "U" as a whole) is going to want a guy with no prior blemishes on his record.

 

[akoch6767]

It seems as if the Gophers would benefit by looking more outside the box for a new head coach. So far proven winners, Monson, and Smith have done absolutely nothing to better this program. Looking for a mid-majors coach who would be a cheap hire, and for someone who can motivate their troops to actually win a ball-game.

Some of you may disagree that Monson was a proven winner when we hired him as head coach, but he did take Gonzaga to the elite-8. Now he has Long Beach State playing and beating some of the hardest teams in America. For some reason, Monson just couldn't make a go of it on the big stage.

Smith on the other hand is just taking this job for the money in my opinion. Every single loss is blamed on his team not being up to full strength. He never really takes the complete blame for a loss, or stand behind his players for that matter.

If we could find someone like a Tom Crean at Indiana this team would flourish. Crean is a hot head, but he stands behind his players, and he made Indiana a relevant program again. Tubby has failed to do that in his 5 years here at Minnesota. Oh yeah and Crean can get the best recruits in the nation.

I have no clue if there are any coaches available out there that could spark this program, put aside all of the B.S with the offense and defensive struggles, and get us to that next level, but I would sure hope we are looking at this point.