Ezra: Firing Richard Pitino is Looking Like a Massive Mistake by Minnesota

[BleedGopher]

Per Ezra (Better Than…):

Richard Pitino > Ben Johnson​

Sure, Richard Pitino had a hard time keeping the borders closed (because he didn’t really care to). And yeah, he had a hard time winning crucial conference road games. Obviously, the man has his flaws, but did Mark Coyle move to fast in firing him?

Pitino’s held a 141-123 career record as Gophers head coach. His 54-96 record in Big Ten play felt like a disappointment three years ago, now looks a lot more palatable. His replacement, Ben Johnson, holds a 30-41 record as Minnesota’s head coach, including an absolutely dreadful 7-33 conference record.

When the Gophers hired Ben Johnson, many fans saw it as a breath of fresh air. He was a hometown kid who played at DeLaSalle and wore a Minnesota uniform in college. He was known for his recruiting skills, which generated even more excitement among fans convinced that closing the recruiting borders around the state would lead to consistent NCAA tournament runs.

I’m going to be honest. I worried about what would happen after Pitino was fired, even before it happened. I mean, every season, regardless of record, the Gophers had a competitive team under Richard and he had a way of finding talent that others didn’t, whether he had to go international or into the transfer portal (before it was popular).

When Richard Pitino coached the Gophers it felt like they had a shot at victory, no matter who, when or where they played. I’m not surprised in the slightest how easily he seems to be putting the New Mexico basketball program back together. I get sad thinking about what could’ve been…

Firing Richard Pitino is Looking Like a Massive Mistake by Minnesota

Richard Pitino is absolutely crushing it since being fired at Minnesota and hired at New Mexico. In hindsight, it appears the Gophers made a mistake.

www.minnesotasportsfan.com

Go Gophers!!

 

[Zeppelin Gopher]

54-96 in the Big Ten and this is a serious piece?? Unreal

 

[Spaulding!No!]

Hit piece! Now back to my break of not posting til 2024.

 

[Cayman]

I like that it mentioned Pitino's teams always being competitive. With the exception of 2015-16, the Gophers had reasonable hopes of making the tournament at some point of every single season he was here. Pitino's effectiveness at spring recruiting might also prove to be a very valuable skill in the new college basketball landscape.

As someone who backed Pitino pretty much until the bitter end, I think it was time for him to go. There would have been very little enthusiasm for year 9 of Pitino. There was no momentum left, and you can only sell hope for so long. Even if every failure of the program could be chalked up to bad luck and outside forces beyond Pitino's control, it's tough to just keep saying you need more time. A fresh start might have been exactly what both Pitino and Minnesota needed.

It's why I also would be on board with firing Ben Johnson if we end up in last place in the Big Ten again. Year 3 is still pretty early in a coach's tenure, but there need to be signs of life, which we may be getting this year, if you feel like 6 to 10 conference wins in a down Big Ten constitutes positive momentum.

 

[gopherbadgerman]

It was a good fire followed by a bad hire.

 

[Holy Man]

It was a good fire followed by a bad hire.

Bingo!

 

[Ewert86PC]

It was a good fire followed by a bad hire.

So much this.

 

[Holy Man]

Complete nonsense.

 

[GoodasGold]

54-96 in the Big Ten and this is a serious piece?? Unreal

He was too young to sit on a stool on the raised floor looking tired like Tubby.

 

[50PoundHead]

Things aren't pretty right now, but I just tired of Pitino's aimless dribbling offense.

 

[Rocksoldier]

Things aren't pretty right now, but I just tired of Pitino's aimless dribbling offense.

I agree I supported him but in the end I was ready

 

[LesBolstad]

I agree I supported him but in the end I was ready

Lil' Ricky was down 6 going into every B10 game based on coaching matchup. Good fire.

 

[chip90]

Per Ezra (Better Than…):

Richard Pitino > Ben Johnson​

Sure, Richard Pitino had a hard time keeping the borders closed (because he didn’t really care to). And yeah, he had a hard time winning crucial conference road games. Obviously, the man has his flaws, but did Mark Coyle move to fast in firing him?

Pitino’s held a 141-123 career record as Gophers head coach. His 54-96 record in Big Ten play felt like a disappointment three years ago, now looks a lot more palatable. His replacement, Ben Johnson, holds a 30-41 record as Minnesota’s head coach, including an absolutely dreadful 7-33 conference record.

When the Gophers hired Ben Johnson, many fans saw it as a breath of fresh air. He was a hometown kid who played at DeLaSalle and wore a Minnesota uniform in college. He was known for his recruiting skills, which generated even more excitement among fans convinced that closing the recruiting borders around the state would lead to consistent NCAA tournament runs.

I’m going to be honest. I worried about what would happen after Pitino was fired, even before it happened. I mean, every season, regardless of record, the Gophers had a competitive team under Richard and he had a way of finding talent that others didn’t, whether he had to go international or into the transfer portal (before it was popular).

When Richard Pitino coached the Gophers it felt like they had a shot at victory, no matter who, when or where they played. I’m not surprised in the slightest how easily he seems to be putting the New Mexico basketball program back together. I get sad thinking about what could’ve been…

Firing Richard Pitino is Looking Like a Massive Mistake by Minnesota

Richard Pitino is absolutely crushing it since being fired at Minnesota and hired at New Mexico. In hindsight, it appears the Gophers made a mistake.

www.minnesotasportsfan.com

Go Gophers!!

Is this article for real??

 

[Holy Man]

Is this article for real??

I’m not sure who Ezra is, but I suspect he knows little about basketball and not much about Gopher history.

Maybe Ezra is AI?

 

[EasyThere Pilgrim]

Coaching??? We're seriously talking about coaching?

Put me as the coach of a paying team....and I'll beat Coach K, Calipari, or any of those geniuses if they had to coach the Gophers.

 

[GopherOhana]

huh. an H instead of an F and that sentence works

"Firing Richard Pitino is Looking Like a Massive Mistake by Minnesota"

 

[tikited]

One should have been fired years earlier. The other should never have been interviewed let alone hired.

 

[Spaulding!No!]

Hard Pass Montana St

 

[MNVCGUY]

It was a good fire followed by a bad hire.

Yep, very similar to when Mason was fired on the football side. It was time to make a move the school just screwed up with the replacement (assuming Johnson fails and gets fired).

 

[short ornery norwegian]

the two things are not connected, despite the efforts of many people to make them connected.

they are two separate decisions.

at the time, I thought letting Pitino go was the right move. the program seemed to have stagnated.

because the hiring of Johnson has not worked out, some people think that makes Pitino look better by comparison. but - in 8 seasons - Pitino had 4 seasons with an overall winning record and 4 seasons with an losing record. in B1G play, 1 season with a winning record; 3 seasons with a winning % in the 40's; and 4 seasons with a conference winning percentage of 33% or lower.

"he didn't stink as bad as the next guy" is not a ringing endorsement.

 

[forever a gopher]

Whoever Ezra is, is a moron. I don’t dare click on that link and give that garbage a “hit”.

 

[Chucklehead]

Terrible. Pitino seemed like a nice guy. He was also lazy and did not recruit well. New Mexico is a step below and better for him.

 

[Gilthorp57]

Things aren't pretty right now, but I just tired of Pitino's aimless dribbling offense.

Basketballs not bleeding from excessive dribbling in the Cities are thankful.

 

[WayOfTheGopher]

Better than average team in a weaker conference.

 

[howeda7]

54-96 in the Big Ten and this is a serious piece?? Unreal

54-96 is all you need to know. Pitino 100% deserved to be fired. Anyone who says otherwise is an idiot. Hiring Ben was a separate and wrong decision.

 

[DarthGopher]

Most years Pitino's teams were national talk with fast starts and gaudy records. Then conference play happened and his teams crumbled. New Mexico did the same thing. It will happen again this year.

 

[Spaulding!No!]

Yeah, when you fire a head coach you should not hire the past assistant who was told to ‘quit or be fired’. What a mess.

 

[Gopher_In_NYC]

Hard Pass Montana St

Stop posting - practice self-control - it’s only two more weeks.

 

[Gopher_In_NYC]

Per Ezra (Better Than…):

Richard Pitino > Ben Johnson​

Sure, Richard Pitino had a hard time keeping the borders closed (because he didn’t really care to). And yeah, he had a hard time winning crucial conference road games. Obviously, the man has his flaws, but did Mark Coyle move to fast in firing him?

Pitino’s held a 141-123 career record as Gophers head coach. His 54-96 record in Big Ten play felt like a disappointment three years ago, now looks a lot more palatable. His replacement, Ben Johnson, holds a 30-41 record as Minnesota’s head coach, including an absolutely dreadful 7-33 conference record.

When the Gophers hired Ben Johnson, many fans saw it as a breath of fresh air. He was a hometown kid who played at DeLaSalle and wore a Minnesota uniform in college. He was known for his recruiting skills, which generated even more excitement among fans convinced that closing the recruiting borders around the state would lead to consistent NCAA tournament runs.

I’m going to be honest. I worried about what would happen after Pitino was fired, even before it happened. I mean, every season, regardless of record, the Gophers had a competitive team under Richard and he had a way of finding talent that others didn’t, whether he had to go international

He Lives!

or into the transfer portal (before it was popular).

When Richard Pitino coached the Gophers it felt like they had a shot at victory, no matter who, when or where they played. I’m not surprised in the slightest how easily he seems to be putting the New Mexico basketball program back together. I get sad thinking about what could’ve been…

Firing Richard Pitino is Looking Like a Massive Mistake by Minnesota

Richard Pitino is absolutely crushing it since being fired at Minnesota and hired at New Mexico. In hindsight, it appears the Gophers made a mistake.

www.minnesotasportsfan.com

 

[UpAndUnder43]

Pitino >>> Johnson

Doesn’t mean Pitino should have kept his job any longer. Making what seems like a bad hire doesn’t mean you don’t move on from the previous coach. Whoever wrote this is an idiot.