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I don't have a good feeling about this year. We have a bunch of nice players but together it doesn't work well. We have one go to player we can rely on but when defense puts a lid on that we don't have an alternative. We don't have a guy in the paint that can dominate or be relied on like in the past. I don't fault Pitino for taking who we have but roster makeup is his responsibility so it is on him to be able to adjust to what the D gives us. It's only one game so not jumping ship just yet but moving closer definitely. Tough loss last night. One of those you don't even look at the tape on. Hopefully it turns around and they play better but without anyone reliable in the paint it will likely be a rough year.
 

BarnBurner said:
Based on what criteria? The past 50 years? 20 years?

FRAUD
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Obviously fans are concerned with where the programs stand now. As a old man i love all the history but most fans i talk too care what we have done in the now, like during any coaching regime present or a generation. Pick your own opinion of what matters to you instead of attacking other opinions. COWARD,LIAR
 


CentralGopher said:
I don't have a good feeling about this year. We have a bunch of nice players but together it doesn't work well. We have one go to player we can rely on but when defense puts a lid on that we don't have an alternative. We don't have a guy in the paint that can dominate or be relied on like in the past. I don't fault Pitino for taking who we have but roster makeup is his responsibility so it is on him to be able to adjust to what the D gives us. It's only one game so not jumping ship just yet but moving closer definitely. Tough loss last night. One of those you don't even look at the tape on. Hopefully it turns around and they play better but without anyone reliable in the paint it will likely be a rough year.
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Disagree.

Roll the tape of MN players standing still, watching, while Illinois rebounds.

This team is soft. Horribly soft. Coaching.
 

CentralGopher said:
I don't have a good feeling about this year. We have a bunch of nice players but together it doesn't work well. We have one go to player we can rely on but when defense puts a lid on that we don't have an alternative. We don't have a guy in the paint that can dominate or be relied on like in the past. I don't fault Pitino for taking who we have but roster makeup is his responsibility so it is on him to be able to adjust to what the D gives us. It's only one game so not jumping ship just yet but moving closer definitely. Tough loss last night. One of those you don't even look at the tape on. Hopefully it turns around and they play better but without anyone reliable in the paint it will likely be a rough year.
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You'd think Gach would be a reliable #2. But man, he really s__t the bed last night. Did not get on the plane.

I knew he was doomed from the moment he took that first, awkward shot. Too much pressure on himself, too much psyched out, from the git go.
 

CentralGopher said:
I don't have a good feeling about this year. We have a bunch of nice players but together it doesn't work well. We have one go to player we can rely on but when defense puts a lid on that we don't have an alternative. We don't have a guy in the paint that can dominate or be relied on like in the past. I don't fault Pitino for taking who we have but roster makeup is his responsibility so it is on him to be able to adjust to what the D gives us. It's only one game so not jumping ship just yet but moving closer definitely. Tough loss last night. One of those you don't even look at the tape on. Hopefully it turns around and they play better but without anyone reliable in the paint it will likely be a rough year.
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Pretty much how i see things as well. Is there enuf talent in this roster to compete at the highest level? That is what we will discover over the next 2 1/2 months.
 

builtbadgers said:
Obviously fans are concerned with where the programs stand now. As a old man i love all the history but most fans i talk too care what we have done in the now, like during any coaching regime present or a generation. Pick your own opinion of what matters to you instead of attacking other opinions. COWARD,LIAR
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Ah yes. Now it is "now". And I am NOT, for the millionth time, attacking your opinions. I am pointing out your obvious bias against RP; it is continuous and obvious. Backstabbing comments, garbage from you BADGER. Those are not opinions, they are cheap shots.

One the past 20 years, WI BB has been very good. Most anyone will not argue that point. I watched every game, in person, during the FF run at the Barn and one road game that season. It happened. I was there.

Stop taking potshots at RP. Just stop. You have been asked before and refused. We continue.....
 



They are not cheap shots, just opinions and observations. You been asked to stop with the name calling and refused. I was there for every game in 97 and it was a great time but i accept we cheated. Your right, it all happened, including the betrayal of cheating.
 

I feel like we have good players that don't seem to mix together very well, kind of like having great ingredients that are poorly matched. Fresh vegetables and choice meats don't make for a very good cake.

Carr- Too damn worried about his own shot to be a first class point guard. It's going to cost him.

Gach - I don't know what happened to him. I have nothing bad to say about him.

Gabe - Man needs a boost in confidence and a new offense. Feel like he could do so much better playing somewhere else, like Wisconsin.

Ihnen - Too soft for a starting PF. Gets sneaky rebounds cause he is quick and lean but has yet to master blocking out to control the defensive glass. Can't get his shot in rhythm like Gabe.

Robbins - Needs to man up. God knows you don't have to be a superman to play in the B1G, but you have to hold your own. Cockburn OWNED him. Frank Kaminsky would of done better and he was no physical specimen, but he played hard.

Johnson - Jury needs more info.

Williams - Seems to be not quite grasping what it takes to make the next leap.

Mashburn - Like to see him in the starting lineup and see if it would improve the ball movement. But afraid it wouldn't because the offense being used sucks.

The rest - Who knows? I don't get to watch practice. Hard to believe a kid the size of Freeman couldn't go out and beat on Cockburn's arms for 5 minutes.

This brings us to the cook. Most coaches, good coaches, that I know don't have a set style. They adapt to the players they have for the particular season. If you have a bunch of lumbering bigs, you probably shouldn't play fast break, press basketball. If your team is short and fast, you probably shouldn't slow it down and play half court ball and should focus on running the other team out of the gym. But this is how a High School coach approaches it.

The Gophers play in the B1G. The B1G is not a run and gun fancy basketball league. It can be. But those teams that score big points can also beat the hell out of you in the half court.

YOU HAVE TO RECRUIT PLAYERS WHO CAN PLAY IN THAT ENVIRONMENT!

I think these Gopher players are too naturally passive for the league they are in and the coach is incapable of inspiring them to play the way they need to compete on a game by game basis. Pitino can't make guys run through walls like Clem Haskins could. Of course, Clem recruited guys like Richard Coffey who literally would run through walls to play!

This team plays like it's coach's personality, likeable but soft. That's not going to work.
 

builtbadgers said:
They are not cheap shots, just opinions and observations. You been asked to stop with the name calling and refused. I was there for every game in 97 and it was a great time but i accept we cheated. Your right, it all happened, including the betrayal of cheating.
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As soon as you stop with your rubbish, backstabbing, potshots at RP......the potshots are not opinion.
OWN them.
 

Offense has evolved into "PG tries to score, many times taking bad shots, dribbles the ball flat, passes sometimes, rarely sets up a teammate". Easily called out by the TV crew last night.

Defense is "bad" to "very bad" ... many on the team "look the part", but very few are willing to really work on that end of the court. Of the few that are willing to work, many of them lack the fundamentals of a good defender let alone understand how to play defense as a team. Again, easily called out by the TV crew last night.

Even with good to great players, this will not work. It's a team sport and what took place in the first 6 games was nothing more than instilling bad Offense and Defense.

Last night was the reality check ... maybe it can shock them into taking a hard look in the mirror and learning a very hard lesson about being a team.
 



I wanted him gone years ago but am not going to give money to make that happen.
 

A few of us told you guys that this harum scarum approach to team building doesn’t work in basketball. Here is what happens next- Gophs will have a bad loss and the kids will quit on Pitino. 3 Embarrassing losses In a row and The following day the notification will be sent that RP is done.
 

I've been on record saying the Gophers can do better in the way of a head coach and that we should have moved on a couple, three years ago. That said, I don't believe there is any way that a broke athletic department will make any kind of a move until the financial ship is stabilized. Bringing in anyone with any kind of a track record is going to be expensive, on top of a buyout. And hiring an unproven commodity to replace a guy who was hired as an unproven commodity...come on. I'd be floored if anything happened before the end of NEXT season.
 

golf said:
Maybe. But for me it is much more fun as a fan to stay positive throughout the season and support the program. Pitino's teams tend to improve thru the season so expect that again. To each his own.
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Can support the program without supporting the coach. In fact, I want a new coach because I support the program.
 

About as down about Gopher BB as I have ever been. That was brutal last night. After all these years Pitino still hasn't put a team out there with an identity. It's become cobbling together a lineup with little depth and a lot of hope that whoever you pick up in the spring will mesh with what you're trying to do. You've got 3 transfers trying to adjust in a physical league; playing with a guard who dominates the ball and another guy whose confidence has gone all to hell. In back of them are several young guys still figuring it out and an undersized scrapper without much in the way of skills.

Keep trying to convince myself that it's just game but haven't talked myself off the ledge yet.
 

To me, it all boils down to can we even get a better coach? Seems like Monson and Pitino are the same style of coach. Mediocre to maybe competent.

I still think Tubby got screwed a little bit with the Royce White scandal and all the freak injuries to Nolan, Mbakwe, etc. He just collected a check the last few seasons and lost his desire to coach a high level program.

If we can land Dutcher I am all in. But, why would he want to leave San Diego State to come to the tundra and low to middle of the pack BIG team?
 


WhoFellDownTheGopherHole? said:
Can support the program without supporting the coach. In fact, I want a new coach because I support the program.
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Agree. You can choose to support the program, like the coach, think he is terrible etc.. No one can pull some mythical fan card. In fact i fully support demanding excellence. It is rare, it is difficult and few achieve it. Other programs of mediocrity had leadership, boosters and networking demand it. They went outside the box to find a consensus on hiring someone they knew was great.
 

WhoFellDownTheGopherHole? said:
Can support the program without supporting the coach. In fact, I want a new coach because I support the program.
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Respect for that. But also we dont know how this season is going to play out. Certainly not crazy to think we make the tourney, then what if we win a game or two. What if our young players stabilize and excel. Maybe recruiting looks good for next year.

We will disagree regarding Pitino's performance over the last 7 years, but point is that none of us know how things will play out this season as well. To me it is not that far-fetched that the above paragraph plays out. If not, will probably be right there with you.
 

golf said:
Respect for that. But also we dont know how this season is going to play out. Certainly not crazy to think we make the tourney, then what if we win a game or two. What if our young players stabilize and excel. Maybe recruiting looks good for next year.

We will disagree regarding Pitino's performance over the last 7 years, but point is that none of us know how things will play out this season as well. To me it is not that far-fetched that the above paragraph plays out. If not, will probably be right there with you.
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None of us know, but many of us haven't known and have still been right each of the last few years about the lack of recruiting success and unsatisfactory on-court performance. 8 years. The one consistent, is Pitino. When so many fans have nice things to say about a coach, but still want to fire him - he's probably not good. It's not about anything other than his incapability of getting these guys to crash boards, move around on offense, or look like they want to finish an opponent...or relative game clock management competency.
 

Bad Gopher said:
I've been on record saying the Gophers can do better in the way of a head coach and that we should have moved on a couple, three years ago. That said, I don't believe there is any way that a broke athletic department will make any kind of a move until the financial ship is stabilized. Bringing in anyone with any kind of a track record is going to be expensive, on top of a buyout. And hiring an unproven commodity to replace a guy who was hired as an unproven commodity...come on. I'd be floored if anything happened before the end of NEXT season.
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Chicken, egg. If this season goes poorly and you bring Pitino back, the Barn will be almost as empty next year as it is now. Can we really afford that? No. You're talking $1.75 million buyout and maybe paying a new coach $1 million more than we pay Pitino. Unless it's Beilein I don't see us paying big bucks, but it's not going to take $5 million a year to get Dutcher or Musselman etc.
 

I can't help myself, Brian Dutcher let's go! Go Gophs
 

Gopherfan1000 said:
To me, it all boils down to can we even get a better coach? Seems like Monson and Pitino are the same style of coach. Mediocre to maybe competent.

I still think Tubby got screwed a little bit with the Royce White scandal and all the freak injuries to Nolan, Mbakwe, etc. He just collected a check the last few seasons and lost his desire to coach a high level program.

If we can land Dutcher I am all in. But, why would he want to leave San Diego State to come to the tundra and low to middle of the pack BIG team?
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He has a low buyout for Minnesota. There must be some interest on his end.
 

BarnBurner said:
As soon as you stop with your rubbish, backstabbing, potshots at RP......the potshots are not opinion.
OWN them.
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I own them on my opinion based on facts of performance. Like i believe poor defensive rankings leads to a large part of 48-83. Some people think that he is a top 8 coach based on how they look at the facts or how they perceive them. I own exactly what i have said. He built the program poorly from day one. He recruited poor character early. He never instilled a culture or identity. With all that said, he is our coach and i hope he wins, win the job, show something that says you can bring championships here without cheating.
 

I support the program, like the coach, like the players he's recruited and still want him fired like a member of Trump's cabinet!

I just don't think he can coach in this league.
 

It seems odd to me that MN high school kids have the capability of seeing what's in front of them regarding this program but many of our fans cannot...or at least they refuse to accept it. This program is flailing, the coaching is inadequate and our in-state recruiting remains abysmal. I'm extremely passionate about UMN sports of both genders but this isn't a program I'd have any interest playing for under it's current coaching staff if I was a high-level local recruit.

With that said, factoring in the current financial situation at the U, I'd be stunned if Coyle made a change after this season even when one is necessary for the health of the program. This demise hasn't happened overnight nor is it "localized" to this board...the significant decline in Attendance over the last 4-5 years is representative of the apathy that has set in with Gopher Men's Hoops. One (1) NCAA tourney win in 8 years, consistently finishing in the bottom half of the Big 10 and missing out on a grossly high % of highly ranked in-state kid is not my idea of success but apparently I have my standards set too high as a loyal fan.
 

any team that has problems with North Dakota is NOT going to do well in the BIG10. No improvement in 8 years....wow.
 

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