Mark Coyle just divided the fan base

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SanDiegoGopherFan

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There is a wide division with this hire. Mark definitely took a gamble, but I am curious if he calculated how divided the fans we're going to become over this. Every post on social media, from IG, to FB, Twitter, etc.
 

We have angry people on this board. When I read posts during either a basketball game or football game, the anger is clearly evident. Players are bashed, coaches are bashed. I don't see this type of behavior typically on other boards that I've peeked at see what the mood is. Yes they get upset, but the anger doesn't come close to the people on this board.
 

#2Gopher said:
We have angry people on this board. When I read posts during either a basketball game or football game, the anger is clearly evident. Players are bashed, coaches are bashed. I don't see this type of behavior typically on other boards that I've peeked at see what the mood is. Yes they get upset, but the anger doesn't come close to the people on this board.
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Decades of losing with minimal success compared to rivals and comparible teams will do that.
 

#2Gopher said:
We have angry people on this board. When I read posts during either a basketball game or football game, the anger is clearly evident. Players are bashed, coaches are bashed. I don't see this type of behavior typically on other boards that I've peeked at see what the mood is. Yes they get upset, but the anger doesn't come close to the people on this board.
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It’s pretty harsh but there really hasn’t been much to be positive about the last 20 years. We (season ticket holders) have been paying good money supporting a program that is well below average and shows no ambition of taking the next step. Sometimes emotions cloud judgment. I’m not saying all of the anger is warranted but being financially invested in something and not seeing the same level of dedication given in return gets old.

Do I think Ben Johnson was a good hire on paper?
No

Will I support him and cheer for the program to succeed under him?
Yes

Is it okay for me to admit that I am utterly disappointed with the hire?
Yes

Could Ben Johnson succeed?
It is possible.
 

That's dramatic. Why don't you just sit back and see what happens. It's just a sport, it shouldn't be your life. Let's see who he pulls in during the next few weeks from the transfer portal. Wisconsin, Nebraska, and Iowa will all be young next year. Illiniois will likely lose their top two players to the nba. Just give it a shot..
 


Spottedmuskie said:
That's dramatic. Why don't you just sit back and see what happens. It's just a sport, it shouldn't be your life. Let's see who he pulls in during the next few weeks from the transfer portal. Wisconsin, Nebraska, and Iowa will all be young next year. Illiniois will likely lose their top two players to the nba. Just give it a shot..
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Problem is that the program relies on people spending money. If you have been a season ticket holder for decades this hire stings because this program is a big part of your life. If you are of the opinion it's just a sport, don't waste your time telling other people how to feel about a program they are more invested in than you. This move clearly risks losing more of an already dwindling fan base if results do not come quick. Problem isnt that he wasnt our first choice, he was no ones first choice and not in most people's top 8 for this job.
 


We aren't the proving ground, something Pitino made very evident, we are a major college basketball program in a major conference. Why after 8 years waiting for an inexperienced coach to develop is our replacement a guy who is equally as inexperienced? Ben could end up being a success but this is a very tough sell to the fansbase. Unfortunately for Ben after keeping Pitino for far too long there's going to be very little patience to see a coach develop on the job, he's going to need to prove it early.
 

goldengophers said:
We aren't the proving ground, something Pitino made very evident, we are a major college basketball program in a major conference. Why after 8 years waiting for an inexperienced coach to develop is our replacement a guy who is equally as inexperienced? Ben could end up being a success but this is a very tough sell to the fansbase. Unfortunately for Ben after keeping Pitino for far too long there's going to be very little patience to see a coach develop on the job, he's going to need to prove it early.
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He’ll get minimum 5 years, unless there are major scandals.
 



#2Gopher said:
We have angry people on this board. When I read posts during either a basketball game or football game, the anger is clearly evident. Players are bashed, coaches are bashed. I don't see this type of behavior typically on other boards that I've peeked at see what the mood is. Yes they get upset, but the anger doesn't come close to the people on this board.
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wrong. go look at the u’s Instagram, Facebook and Twitter accounts when they announced this hire, fans blasted them worse than here, and that’s the u’s official accounts
 

Chicago Gophers said:
If I've learned one thing about the internet, it's that the loudest, angriest people get the most attention.

If I've learned one thing about coaching searches, it's that you have no idea if it was a good hire until five years later.
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most coaching hires you know within 2-3 years which way this will trend
 

Go4 said:
most coaching hires you know within 2-3 years which way this will trend
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Scott Drew certainly was an exception. His first four years at Baylor were losing seasons.
 

this board was going to be divided regardless of who was hired.....thats how the world works now....with everything....you either hate it or love it.....you cant be anywhere in between
 



I'd say the hire united the fan base for the most part. Just united them in their disappointment. It's a hire that sucks away all hope from the program for the time being. Hopefully the new coach can restore that hope with what he puts on the floor in the next two years.
 

TheBarnyard said:
It’s pretty harsh but there really hasn’t been much to be positive about the last 20 years. We (season ticket holders) have been paying good money supporting a program that is well below average and shows no ambition of taking the next step. Sometimes emotions cloud judgment. I’m not saying all of the anger is warranted but being financially invested in something and not seeing the same level of dedication given in return gets old.

Do I think Ben Johnson was a good hire on paper?
No

Will I support him and cheer for the program to succeed under him?
Yes

Is it okay for me to admit that I am utterly disappointed with the hire?
Yes

Could Ben Johnson succeed?
It is possible.
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This is spot on.

for myself I would add....


Would’ve hiring a coach like Craig Smith, Niko Medved, or Tim Miles moved the needle much more than Ben Johnson for me? No
 

Gophs24 said:
this board was going to be divided regardless of who was hired.....thats how the world works now....with everything....you either hate it or love it.....you cant be anywhere in between
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Disagree, most would have been happy with at least 6 other choices. I find it funny though that once this hire was announced a bunch of users I've never seen show up and start telling the board how to feel. People have been speculating on this hire for months if not years, and Johnson was essentially on no one's radar especially since he was recently a part of the staff that just got let go.
 


Some guy said:
This is spot on.

for myself I would add....


Would’ve hiring a coach like Craig Smith, Niko Medved, or Tim Miles moved the needle much more than Ben Johnson for me? No
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Craig Smith has proven it in a step conference, why that wouldn't excite someone more is beyond me. This is just backend justification...
 

TheBarnyard said:
It’s pretty harsh but there really hasn’t been much to be positive about the last 20 years. We (season ticket holders) have been paying good money supporting a program that is well below average and shows no ambition of taking the next step. Sometimes emotions cloud judgment. I’m not saying all of the anger is warranted but being financially invested in something and not seeing the same level of dedication given in return gets old.

Do I think Ben Johnson was a good hire on paper?
No

Will I support him and cheer for the program to succeed under him?
Yes

Is it okay for me to admit that I am utterly disappointed with the hire?
Yes

Could Ben Johnson succeed?
It is possible.
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In an odd sort of way, it may be that Johnson has a better chance than Smith would have because of the basketball community support he has at the AAU level.

I wanted Musselman ( who was gettable if the program was thinking big) but I am moving on to support Ben and the Gophers as I always have. This 6 months will be exciting! Let's see if the local gurus come through and give Ben a pipeline.

I think if Ben gets talent, he will coach well enough to succeed. Smart guy who connects. I'm a Ben Johnson guy now!
 

GopherBlood666 said:
Problem isnt that he wasnt our first choice, he was no ones first choice and not in most people's top 8 for this job.
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Well, if you're going to piss off people with a hiring decision, then you might as well not hire anyone's favorite and piss off everyone equally.

You know, Johnson's background isn't substantially different than Matt Painter's. Like Painter, Johnson played at the school he coached, a real rarity in the Big Ten. Like Painter, Johnson played high school basketball in the same state as his university. Johnson was a better player than Painter.

Painter spent his first two years at small, lower division schools. Then, he spent a combined 7 years as an assistant at two mid-major D1 schools: Eastern and Southern Illinois, the latter as Bruce Webber's assistant. When Webber left for Illinois, Painter was named the head coach but he only spent a year in that job before moving to his alma mater to be Keady's Associate Head Coach (obviously, he was being groomed for the HC job). Keady retired a year later and Painter was named HC.

Johnson has spent about 15 years as an assistant coach (Texas Pan American, Northern Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota, and Marquette). That's a longer assistant coaching record than Painter and Painter had only one year of HC experience prior to be named as Purdue's HC.
 

goldengophers said:
Craig Smith has proven it in a step conference, why that wouldn't excite someone more is beyond me. This is just backend justification...
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Justification for doing what?
I think Johnson is a bad hire and am super disappointed.


Craig smith has proven what exactly?
He had his best season his first season and has been bounced in the first round twice.


Craig smith has proven he has a better resume than Ben Johnson for sure. He hasn’t done anything to prove he can win at a high level in a major conference. I don’t think the gophers are getting a candidate that could really get me excited without breaking the bank.
 

GopherBlood666 said:
Disagree, most would have been happy with at least 6 other choices. I find it funny though that once this hire was announced a bunch of users I've never seen show up and start telling the board how to feel. People have been speculating on this hire for months if not years, and Johnson was essentially on no one's radar especially since he was recently a part of the staff that just got let go.
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Tubby Smith wasn't on anyone's radar.
Richard Pitino wasn't on anyone's radar.

Where did anyone get the impression that the random internet people who make coaching lists have any information whatsoever?
 

cjbfbp said:
Well, if you're going to piss off people with a hiring decision, then you might as well not hire anyone's favorite and piss off everyone equally.

You know, Johnson's background isn't substantially different than Matt Painter's. Like Painter, Johnson played at the school he coached, a real rarity in the Big Ten. Like Painter, Johnson played high school basketball in the same state as his university. Johnson was a better player than Painter.

Painter spent his first two years at small, lower division schools. Then, he spent a combined 7 years as an assistant at two mid-major D1 schools: Eastern and Southern Illinois, the latter as Bruce Webber's assistant. When Webber left for Illinois, Painter was named the head coach but he only spent a year in that job before moving to his alma mater to be Keady's Associate Head Coach (obviously, he was being groomed for the HC job). Keady retired a year later and Painter was named HC.

Johnson has spent about 15 years as an assistant coach (Texas Pan American, Northern Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota, and Marquette). That's a longer assistant coaching record than Painter and Painter had only one year of HC experience prior to be named as Purdue's HC.
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1 more yr hc experience and seemingly hand picked by keady a coaching legend. If it went down like that here, this board's tone would be significantly more positive.
 



SanDiegoGopherFan said:
There is a wide division with this hire. Mark definitely took a gamble, but I am curious if he calculated how divided the fans we're going to become over this. Every post on social media, from IG, to FB, Twitter, etc.
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Consider the source on some of the quick social media responses so far. Experts? Probably not. And interestingly, basketball players, families, and others closer to the program (and other programs) have had a more positive reaction. The squeaky wheel is operating right now.
 


bga1 said:
In an odd sort of way, it may be that Johnson has a better chance than Smith would have because of the basketball community support he has at the AAU level.

I wanted Musselman ( who was gettable if the program was thinking big) but I am moving on to support Ben and the Gophers as I always have. This 6 months will be exciting! Let's see if the local gurus come through and give Ben a pipeline.

I think if Ben gets talent, he will coach well enough to succeed. Smart guy who connects. I'm a Ben Johnson guy now!
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I'm curious, you keep saying Muss was getable. Do you have inside knowledge or a relationship with him or his agent? Others, like Built, say he had no interest in coming here. Be interesting to know what you can spill.
 

GopherBlood666 said:
1 more yr hc experience and seemingly hand picked by keady a coaching legend. If it went down like that here, this board's tone would be significantly more positive.
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Well, sure, but Johnson didn't have the advantage of playing for a coach or assisting a coach who created a successful program and then departed. Both of Painter's head coaching positions came that way (first by the head coach leaving for a bigger program and second by a retirement). Johnson played for and assisted young head coaches who were not secure in their jobs.
 

cjbfbp said:
Well, sure, but Johnson didn't have the advantage of playing for a coach or assisting a coach who created a successful program and then departed. Both of Painter's head coaching positions came that way (first by the head coach leaving for a bigger program and second by a retirement). Johnson played for and assisted young head coaches who were not secure in their jobs.
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Which is exactly why there is so much skepticism on this hire. No one will complain if the team looks well coached and is winning in 3 years. If they aren't winning by then or getting high end commits, it is probably going to get far worse than what we are seeing now in terms of criticism.
 

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