Next Gopher Head Coach


Swing for the fences and offer the kingdom to Beilein.

If he says no (highly likely), Medved, Nagy, and Smith all would be fine with me. All have built programs at multiple places.

And I know there are those who have cooled on Miles because he got fired at Nebraska, but I still think he'd be a good fit here. Minnesota certainly is an easier place to win at than Nebraska. The Mayor is finding out how difficult it is to win there in a state with a lot less high school talent than Minnesota has. I wouldn't bark if Miles got the job.

If I were to order those 5, I'd go:

1 Beilein
2 Medved
3 Nagy
4 Smith
5 Miles
 
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Swing for the fences and offer the kingdom to Beilein.

If he says no (highly likely), Medved, Nagy, and Smith all would be fine with me. All have built programs at multiple places.

And I know there are those who have cooled on Miles because he got fired at Nebraska, but I still think he'd be a good fit here. Minnesota certainly is an easier place to win at than Nebraska. The Mayor is finding out how difficult it is to win there in a state with a lot less high school talent than Minnesota has. I wouldn't bark if Miles got the job, I really wouldn't.

If I were to order those 5, I'd go:

1 Beilein
2 Medved
3 Nagy
4 Miles
5 Smith
Interesting. I dont think Beilein would come here, especially at his age. And his age worries me a bit.

Curious as to putting Smith in the bottom of this particular list - others seem high on him. And the reverse with Medved. What makes Medved more attractive to you than Smith?

Dont know anything about Nagy.
 

I'm all for firing Pitino and throwing offers at Dutcher and Musselman.

I'd be happy with either of them.

The only way I want Pitino coaching the Gophers next year is if his name is Rick.
Dutcher would take this job in a heartbeat. This is his out clause at SDSU.
 

Swing for the fences and offer the kingdom to Beilein.

If he says no (highly likely), Medved, Nagy, and Smith all would be fine with me. All have built programs at multiple places.

And I know there are those who have cooled on Miles because he got fired at Nebraska, but I still think he'd be a good fit here. Minnesota certainly is an easier place to win at than Nebraska. The Mayor is finding out how difficult it is to win there in a state with a lot less high school talent than Minnesota has. I wouldn't bark if Miles got the job.

If I were to order those 5, I'd go:

1 Beilein
2 Medved
3 Nagy
4 Smith
5 Miles
IMO, Tim Miles is the most underrated coaching candidate/prospect out there. He did about as well as could be expected in Lincoln. The thing is, my guess is that the demands of major-conference basketball and trying to build a program over there burned him out to a degree. I get the feeling he likes the pace of what he's doing now.
 


Interesting. I dont think Beilein would come here, especially at his age. And his age worries me a bit.

Curious as to putting Smith in the bottom of this particular list - others seem high on him. And the reverse with Medved. What makes Medved more attractive to you than Smith?

Dont know anything about Nagy.
I like Medved because he steadily built or drastically improved several programs in a short amount of time. Furman, Drake, and now Colorado State all are pretty solid programs now, and he's the guy that got them going. I also like that he's a U of M grad and has coached here and is likely very familiar with the recruiting landscape.

Nothing against Smith, I like all these guys, but ever since Medved's steady success at Furman he's kind of been the guy I've zoned in on. I'm sure there are a lot of qualified guys out there, it's Coyle's job to find one. If he decides to make a move, hope he finds one that 2-3 years from now has all of us pining for bigger and better things than being a perennial bubble team!
 
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I like Medved because he steadily built or drastically improved several programs in a short amount of time. Furman, Drake, and now Colorado State all are pretty solid programs now, and he's the guy that got them going. I also like that he's a U of M grad and has coached here and is likely very familiar with the recruiting landscape.

Nothing against Smith, I like all these guys, but ever since Medved's steady success at Furman he's kind of been the guy I've zoned in on. I'm sure there are a lot of qualified guys out there, it's Coyle's job to find one. If he decides to make a move, hope he finds one that 2-3 years from now has all of us pining for bigger things than being a perennial bubble team!
I too would take Medved over Smith.
 

IMO, Tim Miles is the most underrated coaching candidate/prospect out there. He did about as well as could be expected in Lincoln. The thing is, my guess is that the demands of major-conference basketball and trying to build a program over there burned him out to a degree. I get the feeling he likes the pace of what he's doing now.
Tim Miles wouldn't be a terrible hire. He's a likeable guy, which also helps. He wouldn't be super high on my list because I get more of a Monson-type feel from him- a guy that may be more successful at a place with lower expectations and less stress. Of course, I have no intel to back this up, just my own personal take.

I would agree that Hoiberg may prove it's really hard to win at NE, which would probably raise Miles' stock. Fair or not, a Miles hire would not get me all excited.
 

Tim Miles wouldn't be a terrible hire. He's a likeable guy, which also helps. He wouldn't be super high on my list because I get more of a Monson-type feel from him- a guy that may be more successful at a place with lower expectations and less stress. Of course, I have no intel to back this up, just my own personal take.

I would agree that Hoiberg may prove it's really hard to win at NE, which would probably raise Miles' stock. Fair or not, a Miles hire would not get me all excited.
Miles actually has some very small ties to my dad through previous work so I speak highly of the guy as well, but with that said we already have a likeable guy as a coach. I do think Miles is a better basketball coach than Pitino could ever be, but I still just don't know about hiring someone who was fired and hasn't coached in a few years.

My guess is he isn't the type of guy Coyle is going to hire.
 



Right...plus Coyle came from Syracuse which is a basketball school. I'm honestly surprised he didn't make a coaching change already having his connections and what not from before coming here.

Who knows? Maybe he was sitting on a guy until this year, who he couldn't get last year?

I love Richard and wish he was the guy, but he's not; I think he could be a good low to mid major coach and that might be his ceiling.
 

As long as we're throwing names out on this thread....

How about a guy with a BETTER Big Ten track record than Beilein and who is 15 years younger???

What does Thad Matta do for anyone?

It is hard to believe, but Matta is only 53 years old (only five and six years older than Smith and Medved).

He apparently is being courted by Wichita State and is believed to be interested.

He has interviewed with, but turned down Georgia, Pitt and Ole Miss in recent years, so at least has some interest in a return.

Would a Big Ten job in a big city be something that he is more interested in?

His list of accomplishments is quite impressive and he recruited at a VERY high level.

Two Final Fours
Six Sweet 16s
Five Big Ten regular season titles
Four Big Ten tournament titles
Eight regular season conference titles in 17 years as a head coach
Seven postseason conference tournament titles in 17 years as head coach

I would think his hire would generate an uptick in interest and ticket sales.

Question is how healthy is he? And, what led to the team's drop-off and his ouster the final year at OSU?

Seems if there is a change for the Gophers, Coyle has to at least make a phone call, right?
 

I know, really? Is it just me, but Saunders comes across as not very intelligent, (maybe even slow) in his interviews. As noted in another post, I doubt he ever lands another head coaching job again.
Saunders is the poster child of nepotism in Minnesota sports. If you dislike Pitino, Saunders will be more of the same.
 




Saunders is the poster child of nepotism in Minnesota sports. If you dislike Pitino, Saunders will be more of the same.
I'm not huge on Pitino, but Pitino could run circles around Saunders as a coach and a recruiter.
(that's my fear at least with Saunders).
 

Saunders is the poster child of nepotism in Minnesota sports. If you dislike Pitino, Saunders will be more of the same.

I'm sure it happens at a lot of places, but Minnesota is a 'breeding ground' for this, no pun intended.

The Minnesota Chapter of the Famous Father's Club includes:

Richard Pitino - head coach Gopher men's basketball.

Ryan Saunders - head coach of the Timberwolves.

Toby Gardenhire - new manager of the new Twins' Triple A affiliate St. Paul Saints.

Adam Zimmer - co-defensive coordinator for the Vikings

Klint Kubiak - new offensive coordinator for the Vikings.


Am I missing any?
 


Been reading this thread for a bit now and gonna throw a different spin on it. Most of the posters want people who have built up programs at mid-majors and that makes sense.

I started thinking about it a little bit differently, what would 4 star and higher recruits want?

My guess is someone who can develop them and give them their best shot at an NBA career.

in that case, might doing some research to find out which assistants a blue blood programs (or not) have had major influence in the development of drafted players be of interest in the potential HC position here?
 


Love the idea of the home run like Musselman. But also really like Medved maybe just slightly over Smith. Dutcher probably 4th just because he hasn't built a program ground up but Dutcher might end up being the best of the bunch. Throw in guys like Nagy, DeVries, Porter Moser. Each of these final 3 seem happy where they're at in the smaller school/conference setting but I don't really know.

There's plenty of quality coaches out there to vet and go get. Hiring a coach is exciting times. Getting to sweet 16s would be more exciting yet though.
 
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I am on the Medved train but also like Smith. I realize there is a bit of a risk with those two mainly with the recruiting angle. I like the local angle because it probably means this is their destination job . I think they teach the game really well with an emphasis on defense and would really bring an identity

But one guy that could no doubt turn the ship around and who I believe should be considered but probably won't, I believe in 2nd chances, who is more of a known commodity, and who brings the coaching and the recruiting is University of Houston Kelvin Sampson. (He may have been mentioned in earlier posts.) He is a proven winner where ever he has been, but the red flag is a history of NCAA violations and the U probably would not over look that past. In this day and age with the way some people react or overreact the U would be scared off.
The U would never hire Sampson for the reasons you mention. He's also 65 years old.
 

I'm not trying to be a troll, but how much does it really matter who the next coach is?
 


As long as we're throwing names out on this thread....

How about a guy with a BETTER Big Ten track record than Beilein and who is 15 years younger???

What does Thad Matta do for anyone?

It is hard to believe, but Matta is only 53 years old (only five and six years older than Smith and Medved).

He apparently is being courted by Wichita State and is believed to be interested.

He has interviewed with, but turned down Georgia, Pitt and Ole Miss in recent years, so at least has some interest in a return.

Would a Big Ten job in a big city be something that he is more interested in?

His list of accomplishments is quite impressive and he recruited at a VERY high level.

Two Final Fours
Six Sweet 16s
Five Big Ten regular season titles
Four Big Ten tournament titles
Eight regular season conference titles in 17 years as a head coach
Seven postseason conference tournament titles in 17 years as head coach

I would think his hire would generate an uptick in interest and ticket sales.

Question is how healthy is he? And, what led to the team's drop-off and his ouster the final year at OSU?

Seems if there is a change for the Gophers, Coyle has to at least make a phone call, right?
BADGER has said too many health issues.
 

As long as we're throwing names out on this thread....

How about a guy with a BETTER Big Ten track record than Beilein and who is 15 years younger???

What does Thad Matta do for anyone?

It is hard to believe, but Matta is only 53 years old (only five and six years older than Smith and Medved).

He apparently is being courted by Wichita State and is believed to be interested.

He has interviewed with, but turned down Georgia, Pitt and Ole Miss in recent years, so at least has some interest in a return.

Would a Big Ten job in a big city be something that he is more interested in?

His list of accomplishments is quite impressive and he recruited at a VERY high level.

Two Final Fours
Six Sweet 16s
Five Big Ten regular season titles
Four Big Ten tournament titles
Eight regular season conference titles in 17 years as a head coach
Seven postseason conference tournament titles in 17 years as head coach

I would think his hire would generate an uptick in interest and ticket sales.

Question is how healthy is he? And, what led to the team's drop-off and his ouster the final year at OSU?

Seems if there is a change for the Gophers, Coyle has to at least make a phone call, right?

Good Gosh - I forgot about him - what an amazing career.

Looky at his overall record and dream of when The Barn is once again the toughest ticket in town. Oh and Reusse is s fink!!

Head coaching record[edit]

Statistics overview
SeasonTeamOverallConferenceStandingPostseason
2000–01Butler24–811–31stNCAA Division I Round of 32
Butler:24–8 (.750)11–3 (.786)
2001–02Xavier26–614–21stNCAA Division I Round of 32
2002–03Xavier26–615–11stNCAA Division I Round of 32
2003–04Xavier26–1110–6T–4thNCAA Division I Elite Eight
Xavier:78–23 (.772)39–9 (.813)
2004–05Ohio State20–128–86thIneligible
2005–06Ohio State26–612–41stNCAA Division I Round of 32
2006–07Ohio State35–415–11stNCAA Division I Runner-up
2007–08Ohio State24–1310–85thNIT Champion
2008–09Ohio State22–1110–8T–4thNCAA Division I Round of 64
2009–10Ohio State29–814–4T–1stNCAA Division I Sweet 16
2010–11Ohio State34–316–21stNCAA Division I Sweet 16
2011–12Ohio State31–813–5T–1stNCAA Division I Final Four
2012–13Ohio State29–813–5T–2ndNCAA Division I Elite Eight
2013–14Ohio State25–1010–85thNCAA Division I Round of 64
2014–15Ohio State24–1111–76thNCAA Division I Round of 32
2015–16Ohio State21–1411–77thNIT Second Round
2016–17Ohio State17–157–11T–10th
Ohio State:337–123 (.733)150–78 (.658)
Total:439–154 (.740)
 

Not being a smart alex, but ask yourself that question regarding football coaching hiring and I think there is your answer.
I just mean that I don't think it matters because we cannot get any lower at this point. I'd prefer any coach that has had to work to get to where they are at.
 



Here’s another guy worth a look.

Dennis Gates at Cleveland State. Remarkable job turning Vikings around from garbage program to competing for conference title in 2nd year.
 






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