GopherLady's Strib Blog: Gopher Fans Excitement Kill(ed) by Joel Maturi

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Good article, GL!

This still has potential to be a Tubby-like hire. And by that I mean that a good coach landed into Maturi's lap, and Maturi will get credit for a good hire (eventually) even though he really didn't do much to earn it. We were a convenient place for Tubby to land when he escaped Kentucky. We all thought Tubby was too good for us. With Kill, it is just the opposite (though it will wind up a positive for Maturi): we think that we are too good for Jerry Kill.

I have every confidence that Kill will find that he is just the right fit for Minnesota, just like fellow humble, family-oriented southern guy, Tubby Smith, has done.
 

Agree with the blog entirely. If JM hadn't set expectations high with his initial remarks over the kind of coach he was looking for, the Kill hire would be seen in a different light. Sounds like he's a good coach, just not the rock start Maturi claimed he wanted. From a PR perspective this is a big FAIL on Maturi's part IMO.
 

Oh the irony...

picture this - Brunicks standing at his desk....."if we've lost GopherLady we've lost the nation..."
 


Spot on analysis by GL.
 

MrGopher said:
This still has potential to be a Tubby-like hire.
Click to expand...

No, it doesn't. Kill may turn out to be a fabulous hire (let's hope so!), but what was different about the Tubby hire was the immediate impact it had. The basketball team was struggling and fan apathy was at a level I had not seen in my years as a fan. The Tubby hire brought instant credibility to the program and re-energized the fan base before he even coached a single game. Kill has brought none of that and his hire will likely push some of the more casual fans away from the program.
 

Thanks, guys!

holereader said:
picture this - Brunicks standing at his desk....."if we've lost GopherLady we've lost the nation..."
Click to expand...

Oh - no one has lost me, and trust me, Brunicks doesn't know me from any other fan. I'd also like to reiterate, I have nothing against Jerry Kill - this was about the process and how it was handled...and that dates back to firing Mason. When you fire a mediocre coach for one that's never coached a game, or even been a coordinator, that doesn't bode well for your decision making. Then, you pump up fans again, and hire a good mid-major coach...but that doesn't deliver on your talk. After 4 years of Brew, I'm just done with big talk, and I want some big actions. Hopefully Jerry Kill is the guy that can do that!
 

My guess is that people have been saying "Jerry Kill?" to Jerry Kill for a long time.

He's not counting on a welcoming parade.
 



Studwell55 said:
My guess is that people have been saying "Jerry Kill?" to Jerry Kill for a long time.

He's not counting on a welcoming parade.
Click to expand...

Exactly. There is no possible way Kill could care any less about the media.

We will see if that changes now that he is in a different sort of spotlight. My guess is no, but will his apathy rub the media the wrong way? Will his lack of "quotability" mean that the average MN fan won't even follow the team?

Kill was hired to win, period. Not to sell tickets. Not to recruit. Not to invoke renewed passion in the program. The problem is that winning is the only think we haven't been able to do in the last half-century.
 

josh087 said:
Exactly. There is no possible way Kill could care any less about the media.

We will see if that changes now that he is in a different sort of spotlight. My guess is no, but will his apathy rub the media the wrong way? Will his lack of "quotability" mean that the average MN fan won't even follow the team?

Kill was hired to win, period. Not to sell tickets. Not to recruit. Not to invoke renewed passion in the program. The problem is that winning is the only think we haven't been able to do in the last half-century.
Click to expand...

He wasn't hired to recruit? I think we're screwed if he wasn't!!!

Personally, I think he's way more quotable than Brew - his stories and honesty are refreshing and funny!
 

josh087 said:
Exactly. There is no possible way Kill could care any less about the media.

We will see if that changes now that he is in a different sort of spotlight. My guess is no, but will his apathy rub the media the wrong way? Will his lack of "quotability" mean that the average MN fan won't even follow the team?

Kill was hired to win, period. Not to sell tickets. Not to recruit. Not to invoke renewed passion in the program. The problem is that winning is the only think we haven't been able to do in the last half-century.
Click to expand...

No quotability?

First day on the job and we already heard him say he wants to "stroke the post", what more do you want than that? :clap:
 

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