Mike Max: Pitino inquiring about a private workout area across from his office

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BleedGopher

BleedGopher

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I've always wondered why the basketball department didn't try to do something with the quasi-court space in the open area right by the basketball offices at least as a temporary stop gap, or why the football team didn't take that space to add to the weight room. Per Mike Max:

Richard Pitino is starting to make his imprint, including inquiring about a private workout area across from his office for personal player workouts.

http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2013/05/18/mike-maxs-news-notes-for-may-18/

Go Gophers!!
 

Good for him. From what I have seen, that is the most wasted space in the Athletic Deprtment. I have visited the building 15 times and I don't remember it ever being in use.
 

I heard that this is one of the first things he did, and is already well on its way to becoming a reality. Probably one of the reasons why he's downplayed the absolute necessity of a practice facility to this point.
 

corcoran1 said:
Good for him. From what I have seen, that is the most wasted space in the Athletic Deprtment. I have visited the building 15 times and I don't remember it ever being in use.
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As a former student-athlete, I can tell you that it was used many times...walking through it to reach the weight room.

But in all seriousness, the only "real" times I've seen it used was when Trent Tucker was working out Rick Rickert. That space truly isn't being utilized to it's full potential.
 



Difference between Tubby and Ricco...Tubby looks at this window and wishes for what he does not have, Ricco looks out his window and starts yelling for someone to bring him a hammer!
 

The space was the basketball practice facility until around 1998/1999. Then Mason took half of it for the football weight room.

Outside of some epic Track vs Baseball basketball games, it doesn't get used for much.
 

GopherinPhilly said:
Difference between Tubby and Ricco...Tubby looks at this window and wishes for what he does not have, Ricco looks out his window and starts yelling for someone to bring him a hammer!
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I'm sure that's what you want to believe.
 

BPGopher said:
The space was the basketball practice facility until around 1998/1999. Then Mason took half of it for the football weight room.

Outside of some epic Track vs Baseball basketball games, it doesn't get used for much.
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http://www.recsports.umn.edu/assets/pdf/Publications/facilities_guide.pdf - Page 12? PII renovation '98.

So we had a practice facility and cut it in half and gave it up? Smart thinking! 8 hoops, floor looks good... whats left should be give full-time to gophers basketball until we get a new practice facility.

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what in the heck? how has this not been taken over by the basketball department? especially since the football team has a newly renovated weight room from a few years back from what i understand...
 



pharmacygopher said:
Where is this???
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It's literally right outside of the basketball office. The staff walks by this every single day. They overlook it from above. The court is rarely in use.

It baffles me that this isn't a stop-gap option. I wonder what Tubby and Staff thought each time they walked by an empty gym every single day. They either never asked if this is an option or were told no at some point and continued to walk by the empty gym every single day, yet complained that our guys didn't always have an empty gym to shoot in. Strange.

Go Gophers!!
 



Parski1 said:
I'm sure that's what you want to believe.
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Agreed.

Here's a quote from the description of the space:
"The gym space is shared by both athletics and recreation for sports such as volleyball, football, martial
arts, and ballroom dance."

Maybe previous basketball coaches preferred to use Williams when the aforementioned groups needed the space in Bierman, rather than having said groups displaced.
 

So we spend how many years trying to raise $20m to get a practice facility, when essentially we have one in Bierman already? Tell Martial Arts and Ballroom Dance to find another place, make it strictly BB and stop talking about all this 'we don't have a prac facility' non-sense.
 

sonnygarcia said:
So we spend how many years trying to raise $20m to get a practice facility, when essentially we have one in Bierman already? Tell Martial Arts and Ballroom Dance to find another place, make it strictly BB and stop talking about all this 'we don't have a prac facility' non-sense.
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Picture a $20 million dollar facility, then look at that gym... Stop-gap? Yes. Solution? No
 

sonnygarcia said:
So we spend how many years trying to raise $20m to get a practice facility, when essentially we have one in Bierman already? Tell Martial Arts and Ballroom Dance to find another place, make it strictly BB and stop talking about all this 'we don't have a prac facility' non-sense.
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I think it is reasonable to be frustrated about all the "we don't have anywhere to shoot hoops" complaints that we have been hearing, but this would be nothing more than a stop-gap solution. Clearly we haven't heard much about this option for this very response. They want a practice facility commensurate with what other schools are building to help with recruiting. Last I checked there were still a couple hoops behind the dorm that I lived at. That doesn't quality as a modern day practice facility. Neither would this.
 

Golden13 said:
Stop-gap? Yes. Solution? No
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Correct. But if it used to be the basketball practice facility it still should be. Look at the pdf I linked above, plenty of gyms to send the ballroom dancers and ninjas in training.
 

sonnygarcia said:
So we spend how many years trying to raise $20m to get a practice facility, when essentially we have one in Bierman already? Tell Martial Arts and Ballroom Dance to find another place, make it strictly BB and stop talking about all this 'we don't have a prac facility' non-sense.
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There hasn't been a fundraising campaign started yet for a practice facility. What I am hearing is that nobody in the Maturi administration every even asked for money for such a facility. They constantly "built relationships" with donors and corporate sponsors but never made the ask. It sounds stupid, but it feels true. You can't raise money if you never actually ask.

An actual fundraising campaign for the practice facility will actually begin once the facilities master plan is unveiled sometime next month. My faith in the Teague administration actually asking people for money and making it a reality is exponentially greater than the previous ineptitude.

But in the meantime - duh - use that space. Should be easier to work the politics with the non-basketball users once the Rec expansion opens this fall, too.
 

I think the biggest issue is can these courts be open 24 hours? That'd be huge if they could.

Also, wonder if a facelift would be a reasonable expense?
 

Parski1 said:
I'm sure that's what you want to believe.
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Unlike you FOT II, I don't have an agenda...what I do have is a memory. I remember Joe Coleman complaining that he had to leave campus to shoot hoops and Tubby quoting Mr. Coleman as he whined for a practice facility.

I wasn't for firing Tubby, I love the Ricco hire more every day...if for no other reason than he isn't preparing us for failure by preloading his excuses. Tubby, from day 1, complained about not having a practice facility and used it as an excuse.
 

This is pretty scandalous, and the media doesn't look good not asking about this either.
 

From the Barn said:
This is pretty scandalous, and the media doesn't look good not asking about this either.
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How could the media know about it? Tubby had his office over looking the damn thing and he didn't see it for years. This Ricco guy must have xray vision or some super spidey thing going on...
 

GopherinPhilly said:
How could the media know about it? Tubby had his office over looking the damn thing and he didn't see it for years. This Ricco guy must have xray vision or some super spidey thing going on...
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How do you know tubby didn't bring this up behind closed doors? I know you think pitino is the second coming and all but just because tubby didn't go to the media about it doesn't mean it didn't happen
 

I never actually saw this place but had heard about it when I was on the women's basketball practice team. I know the women's team used it for practice before, but for whatever reason it was a rare occurrence when they did. I think it was usually when they needed to practice, but the men's team had priority at Williams.
 

golfing18now said:
They want a practice facility commensurate with what other schools are building to help with recruiting. Last I checked there were still a couple hoops behind the dorm that I lived at. That doesn't quality as a modern day practice facility. Neither would this.
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Of course we need a modern one to move forward; but in the meantime, instead of telling everyone we dont' have one and the ESPN announcers beating it like a dead horse we could avoid the bad PR and use it and market it as such.
 

lakesgopher said:
How do you know tubby didn't bring this up behind closed doors? I know you think pitino is the second coming and all but just because tubby didn't go to the media about it doesn't mean it didn't happen
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If Tubby had a chance to complain about something, it was never behind closed doors.
 

sonnygarcia said:
Of course we need a modern one to move forward; but in the meantime, instead of telling everyone we dont' have one and the ESPN announcers beating it like a dead horse we could avoid the bad PR and use it and market it as such.
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I don't completely disagree with your comment here. Your original post seemed to suggest that we already have a practice facility as long as we can move the ballroom dancers and karate trainees. I do worry about all the stadium/practice facility naysayers latching onto what appears to be equivalent to a high school gym and claiming problem solved. Stop-gap sure. But definitely not the answer.
 

I'm looking forward to the release of the facility master plan, so we can get some momentum on the practice facility. Disappointed it's not out now, it was supposed to be part of the road trip.
 

I'm like mouth open mystified. As Scher stated, devising 24 hour access would need to be addressed.
Install a security system with cameras. Beyond that, everything you need "for basketball" is nice. Nice wood floor, solidly hung multiple baskets with big glass backboards are all in place. You need nothing else for basketball. You can bring in all your toys: gun, rebounding machines, noah, big balls, tennis balls, weighted balls, ladders, jump ropes, rubber bands, vests, etc. and everything you need is there. Absolutely, no needs, no wants for basketball. None!

Now, you go on the Nebraska tour: this gym does not look that much different to me. What really can you do to a practice gym? What is missing is the video room, the hot tubs, tvs, headphones, computers, leather couches, the steam room, the sauna, lockers like studio apartments etc etc but for basketball only...the ability to elevate your game....you need nothing more. Nothing! Incredulous.

They already spent a million bucks on the locker rooms at Williams and it has many of those amenities in place as well. The whole practice facility thing as Pitino has stated is BULL.... Plus, who knew? We got one. Is it Nebraska like? Iowa State like? No! Would that be nice? Yes! But, it is not why we lose or can't win.

There is always a way to find a gym as a coach if you want to bad enough. Trust me, I know. I just never had it this easy. My goodness.
 

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