Minnesota Head Basketball Coach Want List

46Gophers

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So who does everyone want as the head coach for the 2020-2021 basketball season? Coach Pitino seems like a nice enough guy but I think its a matter of when, not if, he is let go.
 

It’s only Minnesota Nice to call him a “nice enough guy”. He was here only to find a better coaching job. Time to give him a lower level job that he deserves.
 



It’s only Minnesota Nice to call him a “nice enough guy”. He was here only to find a better coaching job. Time to give him a lower level job that he deserves.

Did you meet him and he told you that? Ridiculous statement.

Dude has been here 7 years. Raised his young kids here. Been very supportive of the University and the state. Quit acting you know shit about him or his motivations.
 



John Boehlein
Craig Smith
Eric Musselman
Shaka Smart
Nikko Medved
Mike Brey
LaVall Jordan
Mike Rhoades
 

Someone who has a coaching philosophy/style that they can clearly articulate, and
someone who can then go out, identify recruits who fit that style, and
get them to commit.

I really don't care what that style is. just that the coach has a philosophy, and knows what type of players he need to execute that philosophy on the court.

Oh - and a coach who will have more than one PG on the bleepin' roster.
 

Definitely don't want an old ass man like Boehlein. Or a loser like Shaka Smart.

Nikko Medved has won at more than one school, and has the UMn connection that may keep him here if he's all of a sudden really successful.
 






I think Musselman turns it around fastest and perhaps is able to keep the core together. He is very good at digging the transfers/ jucos His buyout is hefty but I think he would come if the money is there.
 



Some of you need to get your name on record. I assume that a new winning coach will have everyone claiming they supported his hire. A coach that does worse than Pitino, Lord help us, and I assume everyone will be pointing fingers.

I can still remember the day that I was sitting at the Big Ten Tournament (I think in Indy) and reading GH on my phone. It was slow to download back then. I remember leaning over to my father in law and mentioning that someone said Tubby Smith was coming to MN long before it was announced. I still wish I knew who that was because that dude had some serious inside info.

I thought we were saved and the Haskins scandal/Monson years were finally over. Little did I know. Before you get too excited about the next John Wooden you better do a gut check. The next year or two is going to be pretty bumpy...
 


USU is 22-7, looks like they can easily finish the regular season 24-7, pick up another couple wins in the MWC tourny, then a showdown with SDSU for the champ game.

Had a couple nice years at South Dakota (not North, not State :cool: ) as well.

I hope Coyle has had feelers out to him for a while and will be giving him a soft offer soon (if not already tonight).

Seems like a potential Fleck hire to me.
 

Some of you need to get your name on record. I assume that a new winning coach will have everyone claiming they supported his hire. A coach that does worse than Pitino, Lord help us, and I assume everyone will be pointing fingers.

I can still remember the day that I was sitting at the Big Ten Tournament (I think in Indy) and reading GH on my phone. It was slow to download back then. I remember leaning over to my father in law and mentioning that someone said Tubby Smith was coming to MN long before it was announced. I still wish I knew who that was because that dude had some serious inside info.

I thought we were saved and the Haskins scandal/Monson years were finally over. Little did I know. Before you get too excited about the next John Wooden you better do a gut check. The next year or two is going to be pretty bumpy...
I totally agree. It takes really good coaches two to three years to make the transition even when handed an okay roster. It is very likely going to be painful and that's why I have been rooting so hard against it happening.
 

Some of you need to get your name on record. I assume that a new winning coach will have everyone claiming they supported his hire. A coach that does worse than Pitino, Lord help us, and I assume everyone will be pointing fingers.

I can still remember the day that I was sitting at the Big Ten Tournament (I think in Indy) and reading GH on my phone. It was slow to download back then. I remember leaning over to my father in law and mentioning that someone said Tubby Smith was coming to MN long before it was announced. I still wish I knew who that was because that dude had some serious inside info.

I thought we were saved and the Haskins scandal/Monson years were finally over. Little did I know. Before you get too excited about the next John Wooden you better do a gut check. The next year or two is going to be pretty bumpy...
Tubby was the right hire at that time. It was a HR. It didn't work out. It doesn't mean it was a mistake.
 


The notion that you can’t fire a coach because it’s going to be painful for a few years doesn’t make any sense whatsoever.

If the program is heading in the right direction and has much talent as some on this board think a change in coaching isn’t going to do the damage you think.

Besides it can’t get a whole lot worse than 33 games under .500 in 6+ conference seasons.
 

Tubby was the right hire at that time. It was a HR. It didn't work out. It doesn't mean it was a mistake.
I for one was thrilled. It turned out terribly for us. We became the school even Tubby Smith couldn't win at. We are a coach killer job until someone nails it here. Whoever we get, I want someone who is a lot luckier than the last three. :) Monson might have gotten over the hump if not for the Illinois game and Rickert leaving too soon. Tubby might have gotten it done if Royce....and Pitino might have if not for Lynch, Curry, Coffey gone early, no Carr last year. None of them caught a break to get momentum.
 


I totally agree. It takes really good coaches two to three years to make the transition even when handed an okay roster. It is very likely going to be painful and that's why I have been rooting so hard against it happening.
But this has already been correctly countered: unless you have a perfect, forever coach, this has to happen some time. Would rather it happen now than three years from now with little else to show for it.
 

Mark Few took til his 7th season to get to the Sweet 16 with his own players. That means he had two #3 seeded teams not get to the Sweet 16. He got to the Sweet 16 in his 10th season but then couldn't get beyond the 2nd round again until his 16th season which was the first time he got to the Elite 8. That means he couldn't get a #1 seeded 2013 squad past the 2nd round.

All I am saying is that MAYBE, just maybe, playing in the very competitive B1G Conf, expecting someone like Pitino to already be at a level comparable to someone like Mark Few might not be fair? Doesn't mean I'd be upset if he was fired, IF whoever comes in to replace him can keep all the good players on the team, on the team. But Pitino did a good job of coaching in the past, maybe so many guys having shooting issues makes it impossible to coach em? I'm not a bb expert, so don't hate me if you disagree, I just hate the idea of having to start over. So if we do let go of Pitino, we better get a kick ass hire, someone who can keep the guys we currently have and who can keep bringing in the Oturus and Mashburns and Ilnens of the world while avoiding the Hurts and Greenlees and Jamir Harris' of the world.

Btw, I was just checking 247's list of all-time Gopher recruits, and couldn't figure out why Omersa's ranking changed from 25th best from 20 minutes ago maybe, to 26th best 10 minutes ago but it seems Pitino just landed a highly rated 4 star recruit Treyton Thompson, ranked 80th best recruit in the 2021 class, the Gopher's 7th best in the 247 era?
 

The University has to make a coaching change or they will have an empty basketball area just like the hockey team has had as a result of the AD waiting too long to replace Coach Lucia. By getting Coach Motzko they are on their way back but while waiting too long they lost many or most season ticket holders along with interest from the general public which will take some work to get back. It isn’t so fun or exciting to attend or play in a game in an empty arena.
 

Since we are throwing out names:
Craig Smith - Utah St
John Becker - Vermont
Steve Forbes - E Tennessee St
Gregg Marshall - Wichita St
Chris Jans - New Mexico St
 

Mark Few took til his 7th season to get to the Sweet 16 with his own players. That means he had two #3 seeded teams not get to the Sweet 16. He got to the Sweet 16 in his 10th season but then couldn't get beyond the 2nd round again until his 16th season which was the first time he got to the Elite 8. That means he couldn't get a #1 seeded 2013 squad past the 2nd round.

All I am saying is that MAYBE, just maybe, playing in the very competitive B1G Conf, expecting someone like Pitino to already be at a level comparable to someone like Mark Few might not be fair? Doesn't mean I'd be upset if he was fired, IF whoever comes in to replace him can keep all the good players on the team, on the team. But Pitino did a good job of coaching in the past, maybe so many guys having shooting issues makes it impossible to coach em? I'm not a bb expert, so don't hate me if you disagree, I just hate the idea of having to start over. So if we do let go of Pitino, we better get a kick ass hire, someone who can keep the guys we currently have and who can keep bringing in the Oturus and Mashburns and Ilnens of the world while avoiding the Hurts and Greenlees and Jamir Harris' of the world.

Btw, I was just checking 247's list of all-time Gopher recruits, and couldn't figure out why Omersa's ranking changed from 25th best from 20 minutes ago maybe, to 26th best 10 minutes ago but it seems Pitino just landed a highly rated 4 star recruit Treyton Thompson, ranked 80th best recruit in the 2021 class, the Gopher's 7th best in the 247 era?

Apples to oranges in my opinion to compare us to the Zags. They are a small private university and we are a large public university in one of the top conferences (if not the top).
 

The University has to make a coaching change or they will have an empty basketball area just like the hockey team has had as a result of the AD waiting too long to replace Coach Lucia. By getting Coach Motzko they are on their way back but while waiting too long they lost many or most season ticket holders along with interest from the general public which will take some work to get back. It isn’t so fun or exciting to attend or play in a game in an empty arena.

It wasn't Lucia's fault. EVERY Blue Blood has struggled the last decade or two. Combine that with the creation of the B1G Conf which broke up the WCHA and all of our traditional Gopher rivalries and it may not have been Lucia's fault at all?

And Motzko hasn't proven diddly squat yet, cept that he knows how to lose early in the NCAA tourney with a top ranked team.
 

Mark Few took til his 7th season to get to the Sweet 16 with his own players. That means he had two #3 seeded teams not get to the Sweet 16. He got to the Sweet 16 in his 10th season but then couldn't get beyond the 2nd round again until his 16th season which was the first time he got to the Elite 8. That means he couldn't get a #1 seeded 2013 squad past the 2nd round.

All I am saying is that MAYBE, just maybe, playing in the very competitive B1G Conf, expecting someone like Pitino to already be at a level comparable to someone like Mark Few might not be fair? Doesn't mean I'd be upset if he was fired, IF whoever comes in to replace him can keep all the good players on the team, on the team. But Pitino did a good job of coaching in the past, maybe so many guys having shooting issues makes it impossible to coach em? I'm not a bb expert, so don't hate me if you disagree, I just hate the idea of having to start over. So if we do let go of Pitino, we better get a kick ass hire, someone who can keep the guys we currently have and who can keep bringing in the Oturus and Mashburns and Ilnens of the world while avoiding the Hurts and Greenlees and Jamir Harris' of the world.

Btw, I was just checking 247's list of all-time Gopher recruits, and couldn't figure out why Omersa's ranking changed from 25th best from 20 minutes ago maybe, to 26th best 10 minutes ago but it seems Pitino just landed a highly rated 4 star recruit Treyton Thompson, ranked 80th best recruit in the 2021 class, the Gopher's 7th best in the 247 era?
Mark Few went to 3 Sweet Sixteens in his first 7 years as HC and finished 1st in the conference 6 of those years. Tell the bartender to call you a cab. Time to go home.
 





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