Next Gopher Head Coach

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alchemy2u said:
The major exception is Musselman. He has one of the top scoring teams in the country. It gets to be obvious, you need to bring in Musselman if you want to complete for B1G championships.
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Or Mark Few.

Both equally interested and relevant names in Gophers search.
 

Bad Gopher said:
This. I'd posted before that Bo Ryan finished 4th and 5th in the Horizon before going to Madison. Granted he inherited a nice team there, but you get better resources, assistant coaching candidates, and, most importantly, access to recruits at the higher levels.
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Access at to the higher level doesn't mean success at the higher level.

It will be a roll of the dice on a mid-major coach, no matter what, in this regard. Just accept it and live with it.
 

MplsGopher said:
He recruited him ... from Air Force? Hmm..

Alabama will never be a comparable situation to Minnesota. Location, culture towards winning (*cough*bag men*cough), etc. They were recruiting 4* and 5* there before Oats showed up. He's just a much better coach of the talent they already had. So that example does nothing for me.


BUT, you do bring up a fair, valid point in my opinion. It does "change the game" more than zero, certainly.
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Avery Johnson recruited Herb Jones, John Petty, and Alex Reese. Oats has coached 'em up, but Avery brought them in and deserves some credit for current talent on that roster.
 

Bad Gopher said:
Obviously their game plan was to shoot better from the outside than they did. That does happen in basketball from time to time.
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Man. I hate this concept.

"Well, we just had a bad shooting night. There's nothing you can do when the shots won't go down."

Obviously I'm not a basketball guy. But I hate this excuse.

Then change what you're doing!!!!! Don't just take the same shots that aren't falling. Try something different!

"Well, we just had a bad night running up the middle, on every single first and second down. Every single drive. It just wasn't getting first downs."

That's what that feels like, to me.
 

alchemy2u said:
But the regular B1G season is like the tournament. It isn’t a cakewalk in a weaker conference. If they have no game plan and get manhandled by a bottom half ACC team in the first round, they will not be posting 20 win seasons in the B1G!
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I think Dutcher brings that consistency and toughness to the regular season as he has done the past couple of years. Big 10 clearly is much more than the Mountain West, I just like the foundation of defense and I think Dutcher brings in better talent than a guy like Smith would as they move up a level. I like Dutcher to make us .500 or better in the Big 10 year in and out. I could be wrong.
 



MplsGopher said:
Access at to the higher level doesn't mean success at the higher level.

It will be a roll of the dice on a mid-major coach, no matter what, in this regard. Just accept it and live with it.
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As it was a roll of the dice when Wisconsin hired Ryan. How can any hire not be? There are no sure things in the world. What you have to be is clear headed, analytical, and logical about it. I don't want to get too much on your case, but you've got a lot of agenda and assumptions and bias and emotion going on, and that's no way to approach something like this.
 


Dutcher is the right choice. His kids didn’t get the drops and the Syracuse was hot it happens. Jeez you guys lose yer mud at a red light.
 



Bad Gopher said:
How can any hire not be?
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By hiring a proven recruiter. You can either do that, or you can hire a proven coach.

You can't do both, because that would already be a head coach at a major program.

I'd rather hire a proven coach, and hope he can figure out the major recruiting part of it, than the other way around.
 

MplsGopher said:
Man. I hate this concept.

"Well, we just had a bad shooting night. There's nothing you can do when the shots won't go down."

Obviously I'm not a basketball guy. But I hate this excuse.

Then change what you're doing!!!!! Don't just take the same shots that aren't falling. Try something different!

"Well, we just had a bad night running up the middle, on every single first and second down. Every single drive. It just wasn't getting first downs."

That's what that feels like, to me.
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I've seen the same fate befall other teams and much better teams. An outside-shooting team or game plan is an inherently high-risk proposition. That's what Syracuse does to you if you don't match up to them physically. That's why size and good feet will always be a key to good defense and winning basketball.
 

MplsGopher said:
By hiring a proven recruiter. You can either do that, or you can hire a proven coach.

You can't do both, because that would already be a head coach at a major program.

I'd rather hire a proven coach, and hope he can figure out the major recruiting part of it, than the other way around.
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Plenty of people fitting those descriptions have changed jobs and bombed.
 

Block M said:
Coyle rolled the dice on his own employment by firing a competent coach. While, Pitino did a poor job coaching to the strengths of his roster this year, he was likely going to get an experienced squad into the tourney next year barring major injuries/transfers. Time will tell, but the names being floated for the Gophers HC position are not very impressive and this hire could go sideways or worse.
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I think Coyle will hire the best coach Minnesota has had in 2 decades.
 



Bad Gopher said:
Plenty of people fitting those descriptions have changed jobs and bombed.
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By "proven recruiter", I meant at the P5/6 level already, as an assistant.

I don't like those hires, and usually I don't think they work as well as hiring a proven coach from a lower level. At least, that's my observation for football.
 

The top coaches in the B1G are all elite. Which coaches mentioned are going to outsmart Izzo, Holtmann, Howard, Underwood or Painter. Or even a second tier of Turgeon, Gard, Pikiell or McCaffery (does Hoiberg make this list?).

Musselman is the only guy mentioned that automatically joins the elite list. Most of the others have to prove they fit in that second tier I listed.
 

MplsGopher said:
If it came down to it, I’d still take Niko over Miles.

Muss - never was coming, used us to get a raise
Dutcher - says no thanks, staying with his good thing
Smith - decides to stay out West in the easier PAC, goes with Utah
Gates - decides not to take our offer (make up whatever reason you want)
Moser - DePaul or Marquette
DrVries - never interested, waiting for Iowa — or shocks the world and takes whichever of DePaul/Marquette that Moser turns down
Mitchell/Saunders - lol no

That leaves Miles and Niko, doesn’t it?
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There sure is a lack of confidence in the guy who brought PJ Fleck to Minnesota. I’m sure you were expecting that right?
 

cemba99 said:
For those few of you who still think Dutcher has a chance to be our next HC:
1. I repeat my earlier post saying that Dutcher is not coming here regardless of what Mike Max or others have "implied."
2. Would agree with oldrodent on the assessment of yesterday's game.
3. The additional point I wanted to make is that not only is Dutcher 62 years-old, but he has never rebuilt a program. His predecessor, Steve Fischer, built SDSU into a powerhouse (before Fischer the team was a perennial bottom dweller). Dutcher is simply continuing the tradition. The last thing I want to have happen now is to have the new Gopher HC continue our "traditions" of the last 20 years. And for some people locally to think that the "Dutcher name" is somehow magic to some high school recruit from say, Chicago, is rather far-fetched imo.
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You do have a point. I didn't realize SDSU had won the conference in Fishers 5 of his last 7 years before retiring.
I would counter the argument by saying that if you're around that type of success then you just understand how to win. It is a continuation of high level success. Dutcher has now won the conference back-to-back years. Dutcher was also 30-2 last year before NCAA cancelled. That was a better season than Fisher ever had (though Fisher did have some very very good seasons as well).
 

Not that my opinion matters, but after a week of thinking this over I believe Medved would be my choice. I think he is a quality coach who can hopefully keep in state kids home. I believe if he’s successful he’d be here until he wasn’t wanted anymore.

I like Gates and wouldn’t be disappointed with him if he’s the choice, I just prefer Medved.
 

Mikie S said:
The top coaches in the B1G are all elite. Which coaches mentioned are going to outsmart Izzo, Holtmann, Howard, Underwood or Painter. Or even a second tier of Turgeon, Gard, Pikiell or McCaffery (does Hoiberg make this list?).

Musselman is the only guy mentioned that automatically joins the elite list. Most of the others have to prove they fit in that second tier I listed.
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I've watched both Smith and Dutcher out-coach Musselman in the Mountain West.
 


MplsGopher said:
Man. I hate this concept.

"Well, we just had a bad shooting night. There's nothing you can do when the shots won't go down."

Obviously I'm not a basketball guy. But I hate this excuse.

Then change what you're doing!!!!! Don't just take the same shots that aren't falling. Try something different!

"Well, we just had a bad night running up the middle, on every single first and second down. Every single drive. It just wasn't getting first downs."

That's what that feels like, to me.
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Syracuse zone dares you to shoot 3's and if you don't make enough you probably lose. The Gophers fell into that trap every game, even though they were rarely facing a zone and certainly not one of Syracuse's calibur.

SDSU had a terrible shooting night. I'm not changing my opinion of Dutcher over one game. I still prefer Musselman, Belein or Smith though.
 

Ritchie McKay is a name I also would not mind at all. I know he has been brought up for the Marquette search. I'd give him an interview here as well. Love the way those Liberty teams play. Were in the R32 2 years ago. Tight loss to OK St. last night. Won the conference 3 years in a row. Spent 6 years under Bennett at UVA before taking the Liberty job back over and dominating. I really like his resume and I really like the way Liberty plays. He just knows how to win.

This guy can coach and believe he would up his recruiting level with a move to the Big 10.
 

Some Day...Maybe said:
There sure is a lack of confidence in the guy who brought PJ Fleck to Minnesota. I’m sure you were expecting that right?
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PJ had a specific list of schools he would say yes to. For whatever reason, we were on it. Don't think Coyle figured much into PJ's grand plans, other than to just promise to stay out of his way and get him what he needed.
 

howeda7 said:
Syracuse zone dares you to shoot 3's and if you don't make enough you probably lose. The Gophers fell into that trap every game, even though they were rarely facing a zone and certainly not one of Syracuse's calibur.

SDSU had a terrible shooting night. I'm not changing my opinion of Dutcher over one game. I still prefer Musselman, Belein or Smith though.
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So it's just that easy? You can just snap your figures and make the other team only be allowed to shoot 3pts?

I know you're not saying that, and hopefully you know I'm not being literally serious.

But .... my point about "don't just keep doing the same thing that isn't working" still stands.


In general, I have a disdain for the idea of "we worked on this game plan all week, and we're either winning with it or going down with this ship!".
 

skiumah1 said:
Ritchie McKay is a name I also would not mind at all. I know he has been brought up for the Marquette search. I'd give him an interview here as well. Love the way those Liberty teams play. Were in the R32 2 years ago. Tight loss to OK St. last night. Won the conference 3 years in a row. Spent 6 years under Bennett at UVA before taking the Liberty job back over and dominating. I really like his resume and I really like the way Liberty plays. He just knows how to win.

This guy can coach and believe he would up his recruiting level with a move to the Big 10.
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He was also a head coach at 4 D1 schools before Liberty. Portland State, Oregon State, Colorado State and New Mexico. His combined conference record at those schools was 60-100.
 

howeda7 said:
He was also a head coach at 4 D1 schools before Liberty. Portland State, Oregon State, Colorado State and New Mexico. His combined conference record at those schools was 60-100.
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I understand that but to go work under Bennett for 6 years has gotta help and looks like it has. I understand he's not the splash name but I really like his Liberty teams and the way they play.

Could probably put him in the same category as Moser if you want to talk about guys who really struggled before finding their way. Do we rule those guys out?

Final 4 is a hell of an achievement though if we're talking Moser.
 

Block M said:
Coyle rolled the dice on his own employment by firing a competent coach. While, Pitino did a poor job coaching to the strengths of his roster this year, he was likely going to get an experienced squad into the tourney next year barring major injuries/transfers. Time will tell, but the names being floated for the Gophers HC position are not very impressive and this hire could go sideways or worse.
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acrazypersonsayswhat?
 




There are only three rumored candidates that fit this description:

1. Musselman - LSU, Nevada, Arkansas
2. Smith - ND State, Colorado St, Nebraska, Utah St.
3. Medved - Minnesota, Colorado St
 
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