BleedGopher
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Very classy comments from Monson and a nice interview from Marcus:
http://www.twincities.com/gophers/ci_13860557?nclick_check=1
Monson: Gophers got 'right coach'
Smith made it easy to keep rooting for Minnesota, former coach says
By Marcus R. Fuller
The odds aren't great that former Minnesota basketball coach Dan Monson's Long Beach State team will play the Gophers in this week's 76 Classic in Anaheim, Calif.
Monson's new program and old program are on opposite sides of the bracket, so they would meet only in the championship or consolation finals. Monson said the Miners have a chance to be competitive, but they are heavy underdogs against No. 8 West Virginia in the opening round. He wishes Minnesota coach Tubby Smith well against No. 12 Butler on Thursday.
But Monson, who was fired in 2006 after more than seven seasons with the Gophers, hopes he doesn't play against Smith and Minnesota.
"Nobody has anything really to gain that way," he said. "It would be good for the media maybe. You rather not play against friends. But if it happens, it happens."
Q Did Smith reach out to you before he took over the Gophers' basketball program in 2007?
A Some guys are first-class guys in the media, but Tubby lives his life that way. Who people perceive him to be in the media is who he is. He's one of those guys that everybody roots for. He called me before his press conference when he first got the job. We haven't talked this year, but the first year or so he reached out a lot to me. I've seen so many coaches in this business that have been fired and even though it's their players playing for that school, they would root against them. It's because the other coach didn't give them any credit or because it's out of jealousy that another coach is doing well with their players. Tubby has made it so easy for me to cheer for those guys, and not have that animosity toward the University of Minnesota. It's because of the way he represented himself and reached out to me.
Once he got to town, after his first day, it was probably 11 o'clock at night before he came. But he came out to the house and sat with Darci (Monson's wife) and I. We just talked about from where to live, to the media, to the boosters, and whatever. We sat out there for a couple of hours. He formed his own opinion on the players. We talked in general that first week about what was left there. I just really respect the fact that he was never negative to me about what was left for him. He said I left good players there and a good foundation for him.
Q What do you think about the job that Smith has done turning the Gophers into a top-20 program?
A I've seen coaches come in, and they want their own guys. They force other guys out. But he's still playing Blake (Hoffarber), Al (Nolen), Damian (Johnson) and Lawrence (Westbrook). All those guys are very integral parts of his program. They will always be my guys, but they're his guys now, too. He's treated them like his guys. It doesn't surprise me (the success they're having.) Those players fit Tubby's style so well. They were very fortunate to get the right coach for the way they like to play, the way they defend and their toughness.
Damian's length really fits well to how coach Smith likes to play defensively. Secondly, they were always going to be good players, no matter who coached them. I'm really looking forward to seeing them. I haven't spoken to any of those kids since the week of my firing. Not just for Tubby, but I wanted them to have space when Jim Molinari (interim coach) took over. I didn't want them to get mixed messages. I've left those kids to their career. I might text one of them. When Blake was in a shooting slump last year, I texted him that: "You're a good shooter. Believe in yourself." Al is a kid that I got really close to in recruiting but I never got to coach.
Q Do you look back at your time at Minnesota and regret anything that happened?
A Minnesota wasn't all a great experience for me, but it was a great life experience for me. I don't regret going to Minnesota. I don't regret the job I did at Minnesota, none of those things. I know two things: I know I'm a better coach because I went through that situation. And I know that I'm a better person because I know myself a lot better after going through that.
Q You went from Gonzaga to Minnesota. Now you've gone back from a high-major school to a mid-major school. Has anything changed?
A No. Every job in Division I is a good job. That's how I feel. But all of them have certain things that are better than others. Certain things that are bonuses. I didn't apply for this job. I didn't know much about it. I just feel fortunate to have landed in a place that fits me well. It's a great community. You would think you're going to California from Minnesota, and you're going to be in traffic more. But I live three miles from campus. Our games are local. Our recruiting is local. It's been a great situation for me to balance my family and the job. It's different than Gonzaga. It's substantially different from Minnesota. But it's a good job that fits me right now.
Q Did you use your experience recruiting in Minnesota to land Columbia Heights guard Jacob Thomas? How did you end up signing the state's top senior player without being here?
A To be honest, we have not recruited there. He's the only kid we recruited in that area since I left. Vic Couch (former Gophers and current Long Beach State assistant) went to watch the Howard Pulley team play this summer because his nephew was on the team. He saw Jacob. And it certainly helped since we had a relationship with the Pulley organization. We usually don't go that far, though. There are so many players in this area. Eleven of our 13 players are within 40 miles of here. But one of our big priorities was to get a good shooter and scorer as a freshman. Jacob fits exactly what we needed.
Go Gophers!!
http://www.twincities.com/gophers/ci_13860557?nclick_check=1
Monson: Gophers got 'right coach'
Smith made it easy to keep rooting for Minnesota, former coach says
By Marcus R. Fuller
The odds aren't great that former Minnesota basketball coach Dan Monson's Long Beach State team will play the Gophers in this week's 76 Classic in Anaheim, Calif.
Monson's new program and old program are on opposite sides of the bracket, so they would meet only in the championship or consolation finals. Monson said the Miners have a chance to be competitive, but they are heavy underdogs against No. 8 West Virginia in the opening round. He wishes Minnesota coach Tubby Smith well against No. 12 Butler on Thursday.
But Monson, who was fired in 2006 after more than seven seasons with the Gophers, hopes he doesn't play against Smith and Minnesota.
"Nobody has anything really to gain that way," he said. "It would be good for the media maybe. You rather not play against friends. But if it happens, it happens."
Q Did Smith reach out to you before he took over the Gophers' basketball program in 2007?
A Some guys are first-class guys in the media, but Tubby lives his life that way. Who people perceive him to be in the media is who he is. He's one of those guys that everybody roots for. He called me before his press conference when he first got the job. We haven't talked this year, but the first year or so he reached out a lot to me. I've seen so many coaches in this business that have been fired and even though it's their players playing for that school, they would root against them. It's because the other coach didn't give them any credit or because it's out of jealousy that another coach is doing well with their players. Tubby has made it so easy for me to cheer for those guys, and not have that animosity toward the University of Minnesota. It's because of the way he represented himself and reached out to me.
Once he got to town, after his first day, it was probably 11 o'clock at night before he came. But he came out to the house and sat with Darci (Monson's wife) and I. We just talked about from where to live, to the media, to the boosters, and whatever. We sat out there for a couple of hours. He formed his own opinion on the players. We talked in general that first week about what was left there. I just really respect the fact that he was never negative to me about what was left for him. He said I left good players there and a good foundation for him.
Q What do you think about the job that Smith has done turning the Gophers into a top-20 program?
A I've seen coaches come in, and they want their own guys. They force other guys out. But he's still playing Blake (Hoffarber), Al (Nolen), Damian (Johnson) and Lawrence (Westbrook). All those guys are very integral parts of his program. They will always be my guys, but they're his guys now, too. He's treated them like his guys. It doesn't surprise me (the success they're having.) Those players fit Tubby's style so well. They were very fortunate to get the right coach for the way they like to play, the way they defend and their toughness.
Damian's length really fits well to how coach Smith likes to play defensively. Secondly, they were always going to be good players, no matter who coached them. I'm really looking forward to seeing them. I haven't spoken to any of those kids since the week of my firing. Not just for Tubby, but I wanted them to have space when Jim Molinari (interim coach) took over. I didn't want them to get mixed messages. I've left those kids to their career. I might text one of them. When Blake was in a shooting slump last year, I texted him that: "You're a good shooter. Believe in yourself." Al is a kid that I got really close to in recruiting but I never got to coach.
Q Do you look back at your time at Minnesota and regret anything that happened?
A Minnesota wasn't all a great experience for me, but it was a great life experience for me. I don't regret going to Minnesota. I don't regret the job I did at Minnesota, none of those things. I know two things: I know I'm a better coach because I went through that situation. And I know that I'm a better person because I know myself a lot better after going through that.
Q You went from Gonzaga to Minnesota. Now you've gone back from a high-major school to a mid-major school. Has anything changed?
A No. Every job in Division I is a good job. That's how I feel. But all of them have certain things that are better than others. Certain things that are bonuses. I didn't apply for this job. I didn't know much about it. I just feel fortunate to have landed in a place that fits me well. It's a great community. You would think you're going to California from Minnesota, and you're going to be in traffic more. But I live three miles from campus. Our games are local. Our recruiting is local. It's been a great situation for me to balance my family and the job. It's different than Gonzaga. It's substantially different from Minnesota. But it's a good job that fits me right now.
Q Did you use your experience recruiting in Minnesota to land Columbia Heights guard Jacob Thomas? How did you end up signing the state's top senior player without being here?
A To be honest, we have not recruited there. He's the only kid we recruited in that area since I left. Vic Couch (former Gophers and current Long Beach State assistant) went to watch the Howard Pulley team play this summer because his nephew was on the team. He saw Jacob. And it certainly helped since we had a relationship with the Pulley organization. We usually don't go that far, though. There are so many players in this area. Eleven of our 13 players are within 40 miles of here. But one of our big priorities was to get a good shooter and scorer as a freshman. Jacob fits exactly what we needed.
Go Gophers!!
