Everyone of these guys is a gamble. Look at Tim Miles and his resume before he went to Nebraska. i'm sure everyone thought he was going to be a way safe pick and now no one wants to hire him...
I tend to think that would be the reason he would consider taking the job. His old man's connection.People have been saying this regarding Musselman and the idea that he'd come to Minnesota... and that's OK. This is a place to discuss such silliness. We're all just waiting for an announcement.
What nobody has brought up, however... Is whether or not Musselman is a big enough egomaniac to think that he can finish what his father was unable to accomplish? He certainly does show signs of those characteristics.
And neither Dean Smith or Boheim would get those jobs today. I'm all for getting Ben back on the staff, but if he wants to coach in the B1G, he should get a job in a lower conference first.
The difference to an AD is that if you make an unconventional hire you are going to get more criticism if it doesn’t work, especially in football or men’s basketball. Obviously any hire that doesn’t work will result in criticism, but it’s magnified if you are going out on a limb. For example, PJ and Motzko were pretty conventional. Good resumes at lower tier programs that they had punching above their weight class — giving them a shot at a B1G program was logical. Hiring someone like that (in this case, say Craig Smith) won’t result in the same blowback if it doesn’t work out as hiring someone with a less qualified resume (like a Ben Johnson) if that doesn’t work.
I'll agree with that. I just thought it was strange that both Wolfson and JG mentioned Ben Johnson today when it seems that they know something that they aren't sharing. For me....the most frustrating part of Pitino was the lack of any connection to the local basketball scene. If Minnesota is going to become a top program, they have to get WAY MORE of those top kids in the state. If we don't...I don't care how good of a coach Craig Smith is....we are going to be in the bottom 6 in the conference year after year. That's why I prefer Niko Medved.
If you could guarantee Thorson come with Niko, I might prefer him. But I think it's at least 50/50 he would take over at Colorado State. If Smith is the guy, I hope the go steal Ben back from Xavier.
Just spitballing here, but what if Smith could bring in Tim Miles as his top assistant instead of Thorson then? Those 2 are tight and Miles doesn’t appear to be getting a head gig anywhere.
Craig Smith and Richard are completely different. Also how do you know that Tim Miles might not of recruited MN better? I guarantee if Ben or Niko only win 35% of their conference games they won’t get MN kids either. I think we are overvaluing the local connections right now.
If Miles will take an assistant gig. He can live off Husker $ and do podcasts if he chooses.
I'm intrigued. Some sort of insider connection on Mussleman?
If any coach wins 35% of their conference games in the first two years they will have that problem. Based on Smith’s past it’s very unlikely for that to be the case. Any coach is a risk, but Smith is probably the lowest risk of the realistic choices.
I'll fully admit, when Tubby was announced, I thought that was a home run. Turns out, it wasn't... it's definitely a crap-shoot. I just don't want the Gophers to gamble on this particular hire...
The whole idea of hiring any coach to get their assistant just seems crazy to me. 1) Coaches want to pick their own staff. And for good reason. 2) if an assistant is really good then the chances of them leaving for a head coaching job are pretty high. So the assistant leaves after a year or two and then we are stuck with the head coach that we only picked because of an assistant that is no longer on their staff?
Niko , Thorson are great but I don’t think I’ve seen Ali Farokhmanesh mentioned as a plus from a staff perspective.... Ali is a big time up n coming coach , too notch on player development spectrum
Haven't heard this but interested. Still think I'd probably go Smith.
Tubby was as big of a home run as we could have hit. It didn't work out.
Only if Musselman, Shaka, Belein, Smith, Medved, Dutcher, Moser and Gates all said no.
He wouldn’t be anywhere near the top of my list, but I’d hire him over some of the names mentioned here.
I remember being shocked when I heard the hire was Tubby. It didn't work out the way we all hoped but it was a really exciting hire at the time.
He did instantly elevate the program. He pretty much made the team he inherited from Monson better right away.
If the 2009 team hadn't gotten blown up and had made a Sweet 16 or better run, it might have put him on a path to have a shot at Reid Travis etc. and maybe even Tyus. We'll never know.
To me I'm scared that's what Craig Smith will be....not that there is anything wrong with Tim Miles....but it seems like a hire that puts us at best in the 8th, 9th or 10th best program in the B1G. The relationship between the Gophers and the basketball community seems fractured right now....and I feel we need someone to help heal it.
Oh the day when Reusse said that he had inside info of Reid was coming to the u. He got played and then acted like he was joking. Never listened to him again
Probably a great coach. No known Midwest connections makes me very nervous about that possible hire. Bolting back to Carolina at first chance doesn’t inspire confidence. Roy is at the end of the line.
