If Eric Musselman was our coach

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Some guy said:
i don’t understand how people see how cheaply we hired and then say we could’ve gotten a guy that would’ve probably required the gophers to pay a top 10-20 salary in hoops to get him to move.

4 million for sure IMO
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Tubby was in a the top 10 when he first came to MN IIRC. Top 20 for sure.
 

howeda7 said:
Tubby was in a the top 10 when he first came to MN IIRC. Top 20 for sure.
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The economics of 2007 college sports is really different than 2022 college sports. I’m not sure MN jumping into top 10 in 2007 is as crazy to think about.


The jump from monsons last year to tubby’s first year was like a 22% increase. (I think monson was around 1.3 and tubby around 1.75)


The jump from Johnson to 4 million is more than a 100% difference.
 

Some guy said:
The economics of 2007 college sports is really different than 2022 college sports. I’m not sure MN jumping into top 10 in 2007 is as crazy to think about.


The jump from monsons last year to tubby’s first year was like a 22% increase. (I think monson was around 1.3 and tubby around 1.75)


The jump from Johnson to 4 million is more than a 100% difference.
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B10 TV deals support a higher level of spend for us.

There was an article last year indicating MN was top 15 or 20 in Mens basketball revenue at $18.8M. I didn’t fact check it, but our ranking has been reported at a similar level for years elsewhere too. The money should be there for a top 20 salary.
 

Some guy said:
The economics of 2007 college sports is really different than 2022 college sports. I’m not sure MN jumping into top 10 in 2007 is as crazy to think about.


The jump from monsons last year to tubby’s first year was like a 22% increase. (I think monson was around 1.3 and tubby around 1.75)


The jump from Johnson to 4 million is more than a 100% difference.
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Johnson is making less than Pitino did. And I believe we avoided paying Pitino any buyout. Certainly $4 million is a stretch, but it's not impossible.
 

howeda7 said:
Johnson is making less than Pitino did. And I believe we avoided paying Pitino any buyout. Certainly $4 million is a stretch, but it's not impossible.
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No. And my criticism with the Johnson hire has nothing to do with Johnson and everything to do with them clearly not wanting to spend money that they should have on a big time coach (I don’t consider some of the other “contenders” big name coaches)

I actually don’t mind Johnson compared to other pay level type coaches. He probably has more upside and downside.
 


Some guy said:
No. And my criticism with the Johnson hire has nothing to do with Johnson and everything to do with them clearly not wanting to spend money that they should have on a big time coach (I don’t consider some of the other “contenders” big name coaches)

I actually don’t mind Johnson compared to other pay level type coaches. He probably has more upside and downside.
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Agreed. And conservatively, if hiring Musselman sells 2,000 more season tickets, that's $2.5-$3 million and more than makes up for the difference in salaries.
 

howeda7 said:
Agreed. And conservatively, if hiring Musselman sells 2,000 more season tickets, that's $2.5-$3 million and more than makes up for the difference in salaries.
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And if they make one sweet 16 between 2022 and 2025 they probably sell millions of extra dollars worth of apparel
 

millions2spare said:
Eric musselman should have been hired as gopher coach (my opinion)….

We would already be in the NCAA tournament…….we are a long way from that with Ben Johnson, if we ever get there…..how much fun would it be for the Gophers to actually be
Here!

Ben is a good guy but in my opinion, will never get the Gophers back to the Tournaments.
Coyle mad a huge mistake not hiring Musselman….
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Harvard or Yale?
 

howeda7 said:
After we make the tournament next year, Northwestern will be backing up the brinks truck to bring him home. :cool:
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There is no zero indication of making the tournament let alone the top half of the gig ten…..this hole program is a sham and mark coyle is the culprit, for a time i thought his desire was to be competitive in Minnesota hoops and footbed,,,,,

We,are a long way away ,,,,
 




millions2spare said:
There is no zero indication of making the tournament let alone the top half of the gig ten…..this hole program is a sham and mark coyle is the culprit, for a time i thought his desire was to be competitive in Minnesota hoops and footbed,,,,,

We,are a long way away ,,,,
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Basketball may be a long ways away yet, depending on transfers over the next few weeks, but how are Coyle's football and hockey hires doing?
 







Three 5 stars and six top 100 recruits versus hoping to entice lower college level Minnesota high school players to transfer back home. Hmmm, which one has a better chance to be cutting down any post season nets? Time will tell...
 

GopherNuts said:
Not sure we ever had the financial backing off the court for Muss to truly thrive here. Just a different game they’re playing at Arkansas when you have Jerry Jones and Warren Stephens on speed dial.
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Not to meantion that Walton, JB Hunt and Tyson money. Despite all the Fortune 500 companies here, the donors do not come through. I was in Fayetteville last week and toured UA facilities. They are second to none. Their baseball facility would put some MLB teams to shame.
 

Gilthorp57 said:
Not to meantion that Walton, JB Hunt and Tyson money. Despite all the Fortune 500 companies here, the donors do not come through. I was in Fayetteville last week and toured UA facilities. They are second to none. Their baseball facility would put some MLB teams to shame.
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Interesting, thanks.

MN isn't interested in winning big. Firm commitment is needed and it doesn't happen here.
 


BarnBurner said:
Interesting, thanks.

MN isn't interested in winning big. Firm commitment is needed and it doesn't happen here.
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I think it has improved here over the last 10-15 years with the new stadium and practice facility, but we have a long ways to go to catch the programs who win big, or want to win big.

But for now, we're 'just in the neighborhood'.
 

BarnBurner said:
Interesting, thanks.

MN isn't interested in winning big. Firm commitment is needed and it doesn't happen here.
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We actually have a similar budget to Arkansas (within a million dollars). Donors are different and that's where the spread happens. University shells out a lot already, but of course that's just an excuse I'm sure.
 

Musselman is great…but can he recruit enough to win in the B1G??
 

GopherWeatherGuy said:
I think it has improved here over the last 10-15 years with the new stadium and practice facility, but we have a long ways to go to catch the programs who win big, or want to win big.

But for now, we're 'just in the neighborhood'.
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It's a catch 22. If potential donors around town sense the the Gophers are going to be good and they become a perennial hot ticket then the attitude changes and they might want to be involved.

But, if we are never really good, fewer people want to pitch into the program. That's why a big time coach can change the vibe and get those people involved.

It is what it is. Ben is going to have try to build it from scratch without much help and hope people come along side as time goes on.
 

If GopherHole represents an accurate cross-section of our overall fan base, it is no surprise that we have no major donors lined up in this community to lift our program higher. Many posters here are quick to point out the failings of the program but are not willing to truly invest in being part of the solution. I think we have a very fickle fan base supporting the U that only rides with front runners or primarily follows the pro sports.

I also get the sense that most MN corporations and individuals value education and the arts over athletics. There is a reason that the Twin Cities has such a strong amount of cultural institutions. The extremely wealthy find great value in exposing their community to culture instead of watching a bunch of college students running around after a ball.

The U will not be a national power until some of the diehard fans on GopherHole become independently wealthy and start truly supporting their team financially.
 

howeda7 said:
Agreed. And conservatively, if hiring Musselman sells 2,000 more season tickets, that's $2.5-$3 million and more than makes up for the difference in salaries.
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I was in college during the Musselman the Elder era and there's no doubt he sparked interest (good and bad) in the program, but I think a lot of people somehow think that Musselman the Younger would generate the same amount of buzz. Musselman the Elder belonged in a Psych Ward, but he brought a high-energy show (and it was a show) to town that was so outside of the box people lined up to see the circus.

The problem is, that was 50 years ago and I don't think the average basketball fan--especially among the younger set--wants to see a hyped-up warm-up routine complete with George Schauer doing tricks on a unicycle with Sweet Georgie Brown playing in the background. I think the only way they would fill the place would be to either: (1) win big, or (2) provide free transportation from every nursing home in the Twin Cities and don't tell folks which Musselman is coaching.

Not saying Musselman the Younger couldn't achieve (1), but that is what it would take. Watching them the other night, his team plays great defense (which appears to be a Musselman trademark passed down through the generations), but their offense was an unholy mess. Of course, he had to throw together a team for this season and it will be interesting to see what happens when he gets through a couple of recruiting cycles.
 

Gopherfan84 said:
We actually have a similar budget to Arkansas (within a million dollars). Donors are different and that's where the spread happens. University shells out a lot already, but of course that's just an excuse I'm sure.
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So, it isn't Coyle's job to ensure MN has donors? Isn't is Coyle's job to eliminate the "spread", your words?

Well, since the U "shells out a lot already", that is all anyone should expect! All good to go!! REEKS of an excuse right from your fingertips!!!

You are learning about excuses, just not quite there yet.
 

GopherWeatherGuy said:
I think it has improved here over the last 10-15 years with the new stadium and practice facility, but we have a long ways to go to catch the programs who win big, or want to win big.

But for now, we're 'just in the neighborhood'.
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In terms of bball, we're not in the neighborhood. We're in the shittiest projects in the country.
 

ecoperson said:
If GopherHole represents an accurate cross-section of our overall fan base, it is no surprise that we have no major donors lined up in this community to lift our program higher. Many posters here are quick to point out the failings of the program but are not willing to truly invest in being part of the solution. I think we have a very fickle fan base supporting the U that only rides with front runners or primarily follows the pro sports.

I also get the sense that most MN corporations and individuals value education and the arts over athletics. There is a reason that the Twin Cities has such a strong amount of cultural institutions. The extremely wealthy find great value in exposing their community to culture instead of watching a bunch of college students running around after a ball.

The U will not be a national power until some of the diehard fans on GopherHole become independently wealthy and start truly supporting their team financially.
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What a load of garbage!!

There are quite a few GH'ers that have financially supported U athletics for decades. Off base doesn't begin to describe your bent.
 

Allshade said:
In terms of bball, we're not in the neighborhood. We're in the shittiest projects in the country.
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Our practice facilities are new, Williams Arena is historic and fills when we are competitive (needs a remodel though), and we have a ton of talent in our backyard.

There are plenty of pieces for the right coach. The jury is still out on Ben. This program has been bad for so long, it's hard to blame donors for not wanting to shell out a bunch of money. Plus Minnesotan's are naturally cheap.
 

GopherWeatherGuy said:
Our practice facilities are new, Williams Arena is historic and fills when we are competitive (needs a remodel though), and we have a ton of talent in our backyard.

There are plenty of pieces for the right coach. The jury is still out on Ben. This program has been bad for so long, it's hard to blame donors for not wanting to shell out a bunch of money. Plus Minnesotan's are naturally cheap.
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Everything you say is true. Hopefully the tide will turn. I guess I just feel hopeless. Sorry to be so negative.
 

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