BleedGopher
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Gotta respect Coach Monson. A great guy in a very tough profession.
per Marcus:
Q: When you look back on leaving Gonzaga after the Elite Eight run what did you remember about taking the Gophers job after the scandal?
A: Part of that was that I was very naïve coming in. I had only been a head coach for a couple years. There was a reason so many people turned that job down that were more established. I remember I turned the job down twice. I remember looking at [then-Gophers athletics director] Mark Dienhart and saying, ‘I don’t want to be the guy between Clem Haskins and the next coach here. I didn’t want to be the cleanup guy.’ Ultimately, I think that’s what happened. I went in there with my eyes open. I was compensated very well for going in there and cleaning up.
Q: How did you feel about the job that was done to move the Gophers forward? How difficult was the experience when your tenure ended?
A: I’m very proud that I did what they hired me to do. The job was to come in after the biggest academic situation the NCAA had incurred and change that program into one of respect and one that people could look at and say they’re doing it the right way. But at the end of the day, college athletics and revenue come from success on the court and winning. So, you know years later the cleanup process was over and they moved on. I felt like I left there a better coach than when I came in. I had to endure a lot of circumstances that I would’ve never imagined I was going to in my career. I got married two weeks after taking the job. I felt like I became a good father and a good husband, because I had to rely on my family. It felt like going through those times there was no one to really turn to, because we didn’t know anybody back there. It ended up being very positive for me personally and professionally. I know ultimately for fans and the administration in the end it wasn’t quick enough, but it was done the right way with the foundation that it was able to come back relatively quick from the situation and the penalties that were incurred.
Q: You were able to recruit the only McDonald’s All-Americans and players who have been drafted by the Gophers in the last two decades. Did that help the perception of the program getting Rick Rickert and Kris Humphries to stay home?
A: Absolutely. I’ll always be indebted to Rick and Kris for that matter. Two guys who had a lot of options. One of the innate advantages to the University of Minnesota basketball job is kids deep down grow up as Gophers. There’s no other Division I school in the state. By in large kids grow up following that team and wanting to be a part of it. For Rick who originally committed to Arizona and had everybody in the world. Kris had Duke and Kansas in those opportunities. For those kids to believe in our program, come back and say, ‘It’s ok. This program is back. We can go anywhere in the country, but we chose to stay here and help bring that honor and prestige back to the state of Minnesota.’
Q: Have you seen Athletes Village, the Gophers new facility?
A: I went to the Final Four and [basketball assistant of operations] Caitlin Mahoney gave us a tour of the new facilities there. How proud I am to see what [Gophers AD] Mark Coyle and Richard have done there as far as that. The facilities there are second to none. At the University of Minnesota, they should be very proud of where that program is after 20 years. Because the fact of the matter was, even though I don’t believe it was a [big] factor with us in our success or failure, there was a lot of places in the country that had won the arms race [in facilities]. We didn’t even enter them, because we had other things that were a pressing issue.
Q: What do you think of the fan base who have been through a lot with Gophers basketball?
A: With it being the only Division I school in the state those are the things we focused on in recruiting. That was a huge thing through a tough time that the fan base was truly loyal. Certainly, at the end they wanted a different coach in there, but they didn’t quit being loyal to the program in itself. I always had tremendous respect for that fan base. To think they can get 13,000 and the lowest they’ve been is 9 or 10,000 in the last 30 years … it’s unbelievable with very little marketing and just loyal fans who just love Gophers basketball. As tough as times as they’ve had there, it’s always stayed there. I think that’s something that has really helped it not to be an SMU football situation, one of apathy it could’ve been for a long time for what those people went through and endured.
www.startribune.com
Go Gophers!!
per Marcus:
Q: When you look back on leaving Gonzaga after the Elite Eight run what did you remember about taking the Gophers job after the scandal?
A: Part of that was that I was very naïve coming in. I had only been a head coach for a couple years. There was a reason so many people turned that job down that were more established. I remember I turned the job down twice. I remember looking at [then-Gophers athletics director] Mark Dienhart and saying, ‘I don’t want to be the guy between Clem Haskins and the next coach here. I didn’t want to be the cleanup guy.’ Ultimately, I think that’s what happened. I went in there with my eyes open. I was compensated very well for going in there and cleaning up.
Q: How did you feel about the job that was done to move the Gophers forward? How difficult was the experience when your tenure ended?
A: I’m very proud that I did what they hired me to do. The job was to come in after the biggest academic situation the NCAA had incurred and change that program into one of respect and one that people could look at and say they’re doing it the right way. But at the end of the day, college athletics and revenue come from success on the court and winning. So, you know years later the cleanup process was over and they moved on. I felt like I left there a better coach than when I came in. I had to endure a lot of circumstances that I would’ve never imagined I was going to in my career. I got married two weeks after taking the job. I felt like I became a good father and a good husband, because I had to rely on my family. It felt like going through those times there was no one to really turn to, because we didn’t know anybody back there. It ended up being very positive for me personally and professionally. I know ultimately for fans and the administration in the end it wasn’t quick enough, but it was done the right way with the foundation that it was able to come back relatively quick from the situation and the penalties that were incurred.
Q: You were able to recruit the only McDonald’s All-Americans and players who have been drafted by the Gophers in the last two decades. Did that help the perception of the program getting Rick Rickert and Kris Humphries to stay home?
A: Absolutely. I’ll always be indebted to Rick and Kris for that matter. Two guys who had a lot of options. One of the innate advantages to the University of Minnesota basketball job is kids deep down grow up as Gophers. There’s no other Division I school in the state. By in large kids grow up following that team and wanting to be a part of it. For Rick who originally committed to Arizona and had everybody in the world. Kris had Duke and Kansas in those opportunities. For those kids to believe in our program, come back and say, ‘It’s ok. This program is back. We can go anywhere in the country, but we chose to stay here and help bring that honor and prestige back to the state of Minnesota.’
Q: Have you seen Athletes Village, the Gophers new facility?
A: I went to the Final Four and [basketball assistant of operations] Caitlin Mahoney gave us a tour of the new facilities there. How proud I am to see what [Gophers AD] Mark Coyle and Richard have done there as far as that. The facilities there are second to none. At the University of Minnesota, they should be very proud of where that program is after 20 years. Because the fact of the matter was, even though I don’t believe it was a [big] factor with us in our success or failure, there was a lot of places in the country that had won the arms race [in facilities]. We didn’t even enter them, because we had other things that were a pressing issue.
Q: What do you think of the fan base who have been through a lot with Gophers basketball?
A: With it being the only Division I school in the state those are the things we focused on in recruiting. That was a huge thing through a tough time that the fan base was truly loyal. Certainly, at the end they wanted a different coach in there, but they didn’t quit being loyal to the program in itself. I always had tremendous respect for that fan base. To think they can get 13,000 and the lowest they’ve been is 9 or 10,000 in the last 30 years … it’s unbelievable with very little marketing and just loyal fans who just love Gophers basketball. As tough as times as they’ve had there, it’s always stayed there. I think that’s something that has really helped it not to be an SMU football situation, one of apathy it could’ve been for a long time for what those people went through and endured.
Former Gophers coach Dan Monson on his tenure: "I did what they hired me to do."
Former Gophers coach Dan Monson, now at Long Beach State, talked more about the challenges of taking over post-scandal and being proud of his time in Minnesota during an interview earlier this season.
www.startribune.com
Go Gophers!!
