Next Gopher Head Coach

Donate To GopherHole



If we hire Brian Dutcher, it will be the second time the Dutcher family will be competing in a hyper-talented Big Ten as Gopher coach. In Jim Dutcher’s first six years the conference won three national championships with two teams playing in the championship game in 1976; sent two teams to the 1980 Final Four; had two regular season top five teams in 1976-1977 (that’s us); and add a seventh year for our 1982 Big Ten championship—we had good to great teams in those years with plenty of heartbreak: ineligible in 1977; missed the tourney by one game in 1980 (losing critical game to Iowa at home); missed the tourney by one game in 1981 (losing the last game of the season in double OT in Madison). Of course, the field was smaller in those years. We would have comfortably made a 64 team tourney in those years —toss in 1983 as well. Of course, Brian Dutcher will not start with Mychal Thompson & Osborne Lockhart and Ray Williams transferring in and a kid from Hibbing playing his senior year in high school...
 

manderson1984 said:
Pitino level suck while Smith kills it at Utah. That’s what would be the worst. This program can’t really handle another huge word imo. I don’t think Gates will be, but I think Smith is a really safe bet.
Click to expand...
Not with St Thomas coming
 



2nd Degree Gopher said:
Appreciate the response and, either way, my quibble isn't with you. I just get frustrated with the public/media narrative of how these things go. I could easily foresee a circumstance where Musselman stays in Arkansas with a new contract and Dutcher decides to ride things out in San Diego. To a sizeable portion of the public the perception will be that Coyle had to "settle for his third or fourth choice because nobody wanted the job" when in reality neither of them may have ever had a serious interest in the job or been realistic candidates.
Click to expand...
I mean if those two are 1 and 2 for him, by definition isn't that settling?
 

If you follow the Star Tribune, Coyle is supposed to hire anyone but a white man, regardless of their resume. I whether how many non -whites are on their management team?
 

everybody knows my name said:
A few thoughts on candidates:

Brian Dutcher - I'll tell you right up front this is my first pick. Dutcher is a gifted coach with a Minnesota pedigree. He's got huge respect from players and peers, he's gotten great results at San Diego State, and the reduced buyout is as obvious a signal as he could give that he badly wants the Minnesota job. I have to admit that I didn't vote for his sister, but I won't hold her politics against him.

Dennis Gates - He might turn out to be a great coach. Certainly a lot of people are on the Dennis Gates bandwagon, but as of now his sample size is just too small. His overall record is just 30-28 in two seasons. What does that mean? It means that he might be another Richard Pitino.

Anthony Grant - This guy has a good overall record (271-150) and so far in his career has put together a bunch of good seasons and one great one (last year). Grand has never had any connection to Minnesota that I know of - ever - and it's rumored that he might be too happy at Dayton to entertain offers, but he is near the top of my list.

Niko Medved - Niko is a mover. He has eight seasons under his belt as a head coach, and he's already on his third job. If the U hires him, that'll be four different jobs in nine seasons. I'd like some confidence that my coach will stick around if things go well. IF things go well, and that's not a given. Medved has made Furman and Colorado State pretty good, but neither of them has reached the point of being really good under his leadership. Of course that might be because he has yet to stay in one place more than four years.

Sam Mitchell - I loved Sam Mitchell as a Timberwolf. He was my favorite player (I was a teen when the Wolves entered the league) and he has the knowledge and ability to coach. I don't know whether he has the ability to recruit, though. He's never had to do it. Also, does NBA experience translate to coaching 18 year-olds? I don't know.

Porter Moser - On the positive side, this guy looks like a type-A alpha male, and he's gotten good - occasionally great - results at Loyola. Will it translate? Will opposing fans call him "Hoser" or "Poser?" Can he handle that kind of emotional abuse? What about his relationship with that nun? I'm not sure I'm comfortable with this guy.

Eric Musselman - There's no question that he wanted the Gophers coaching job at one time. But he might be feeling settled in Pig Land. If we can get him (which I doubt) Muss looks like a home run. Unless...is he crazy like his dad? I liked his dad, I really did. But I wasn't an emotionally fragile teenaged recruit. I might insist on a visit with a psychiatrist before hiring anyone named Musselman.

Ryan Saunders - He isn't Flip. I had a dream scenario where Flip left the Wolves and took over the Gophers basketball program, and under his leadership the program embraced its legendary alumni and thrived on the court. But Ryan isn't Flip; he's kind of an empty vessel. He has the name, but what qualities do you ascribe to him? I think the answer to that question is different for everyone.

Craig Smith - I like Smith a lot. I like that he's a Midwestern small-town guy, that he's a Minnesotan (even if he did betray the state by going to school in North Dakota), that he has a youthful look and can lead the Minnesota team with pride and fire. Smith has gotten impressive results everywhere he's been, and he has been recognized by coaches and media as a rising star in the coaching ranks a number of times.

Verdict: I like Dutcher first, Smith second, and Musselman third. I would pursue them in that order.
Click to expand...
This is a pretty good summary; with one exception for me. I honestly think that I'm the only person that is praying and hoping and begging Coyle not to hire Dutcher. He was a willing assistant coach for 34 years. He didn't have one opportunity to become a head coach in 3.5 decades? Now he is 62. I hope it's not him. If it is, I will root for him and the team and wish him well, but I don't want someone just waiting for his head coach to die or retire so he can have a coaching job.
 



Pete smith said:
If you follow the Star Tribune, Coyle is supposed to hire anyone but a white man, regardless of their resume. I whether how many non -whites are on their management team?
Click to expand...
Yer saying We are stuck and have to hire a non white
 

Tom Izzo. He seemed really angry at halftime tonight and just might be looking for a change.....
 

PMWinSTP said:
I mean if those two are 1 and 2 for him, by definition isn't that settling?
Click to expand...
My view is that we should not care who is on the list until Coyle knows who is interested in the job for something he could pay. If, in his heart of hearts, Coyle believes that the four absolute best potential coaches for the U are Mark Few, Eric Musselman, Brian Dutcher and Craig Smith, but Few won’t takes his calls, Musselman is only interested at $5M per year, and Dutcher decides he has it too good in San Diego to leave, I wouldn’t consider it settling to hire Smith. In that hypothetical, the first three aren’t really candidates for the job.
 

Let me know your thoughts.
Tom Brown, grew up in Woodbury, played basketball at Winona State. Head assistant coach at Winona State when they went to championship game 3 years, 2-time national champs. Took head coaching job at West Texas A & M. Program was in shambles, turned it around and have been to elite 8 last 3 years in DII and are equipped to make a run this year.
Assistant coach Chris Gove played hoops at Winona State and was a coach for both runs at Winona State and West Texas A & M with Brown.
Current assistant at West Texas A & M, Quincy Henderson played in all the championship games under Brown and Gove at Winona State.
Gove and Henderson both grew up in Wisconsin.
Proven track record, ties in the Midwest. All of the players these three played with now have kids in high school.
Brand new to this forum, what do you think?
 



4MyBoyz said:
Let me know your thoughts.
Tom Brown, grew up in Woodbury, played basketball at Winona State. Head assistant coach at Winona State when they went to championship game 3 years, 2-time national champs. Took head coaching job at West Texas A & M. Program was in shambles, turned it around and have been to elite 8 last 3 years in DII and are equipped to make a run this year.
Assistant coach Chris Gove played hoops at Winona State and was a coach for both runs at Winona State and West Texas A & M with Brown.
Current assistant at West Texas A & M, Quincy Henderson played in all the championship games under Brown and Gove at Winona State.
Gove and Henderson both grew up in Wisconsin.
Proven track record, ties in the Midwest. All of the players these three played with now have kids in high school.
Brand new to this forum, what do you think?
Click to expand...

You should be a fun addition here. 🤫
 

Ho Jon said:
This is a pretty good summary; with one exception for me. I honestly think that I'm the only person that is praying and hoping and begging Coyle not to hire Dutcher. He was a willing assistant coach for 34 years. He didn't have one opportunity to become a head coach in 3.5 decades? Now he is 62. I hope it's not him. If it is, I will root for him and the team and wish him well, but I don't want someone just waiting for his head coach to die or retire so he can have a coaching job.
Click to expand...

I'm with you. l do not want Dutcher, and I'm pretty sure it's not going to happen anyways. I do think SDSU has a chance to do well in the tournament though this year.
 

4MyBoyz said:
Let me know your thoughts.
Tom Brown, grew up in Woodbury, played basketball at Winona State. Head assistant coach at Winona State when they went to championship game 3 years, 2-time national champs. Took head coaching job at West Texas A & M. Program was in shambles, turned it around and have been to elite 8 last 3 years in DII and are equipped to make a run this year.
Assistant coach Chris Gove played hoops at Winona State and was a coach for both runs at Winona State and West Texas A & M with Brown.
Current assistant at West Texas A & M, Quincy Henderson played in all the championship games under Brown and Gove at Winona State.
Gove and Henderson both grew up in Wisconsin.
Proven track record, ties in the Midwest. All of the players these three played with now have kids in high school.
Brand new to this forum, what do you think?
Click to expand...
Welcome.

That is outside the box thinking.

But a lifetime winning %of .750 is worth noticing.
Most wins (98) in the NCAA over the last 3 years.

Big jump to the BT but he can obviously coach and build a team.
 

4MyBoyz said:
Let me know your thoughts.
Tom Brown, grew up in Woodbury, played basketball at Winona State. Head assistant coach at Winona State when they went to championship game 3 years, 2-time national champs. Took head coaching job at West Texas A & M. Program was in shambles, turned it around and have been to elite 8 last 3 years in DII and are equipped to make a run this year.
Assistant coach Chris Gove played hoops at Winona State and was a coach for both runs at Winona State and West Texas A & M with Brown.
Current assistant at West Texas A & M, Quincy Henderson played in all the championship games under Brown and Gove at Winona State.
Gove and Henderson both grew up in Wisconsin.
Proven track record, ties in the Midwest. All of the players these three played with now have kids in high school.
Brand new to this forum, what do you think?
Click to expand...
This is interesting. Both Dick Bennett & Bo Ryan were successful D3 coaches in Wisconsin - it's an unusual path to a high major coaching job, but it's not unheard of. Nobody goes straight there, though - even those two both had stints as HC at lower tier D1 programs before going to UW. Brown's worth keeping an eye on, for sure, but probably not this time. Some D1 program should be looking at him.
 

4MyBoyz said:
Let me know your thoughts.
Tom Brown, grew up in Woodbury, played basketball at Winona State. Head assistant coach at Winona State when they went to championship game 3 years, 2-time national champs. Took head coaching job at West Texas A & M. Program was in shambles, turned it around and have been to elite 8 last 3 years in DII and are equipped to make a run this year.
Assistant coach Chris Gove played hoops at Winona State and was a coach for both runs at Winona State and West Texas A & M with Brown.
Current assistant at West Texas A & M, Quincy Henderson played in all the championship games under Brown and Gove at Winona State.
Gove and Henderson both grew up in Wisconsin.
Proven track record, ties in the Midwest. All of the players these three played with now have kids in high school.
Brand new to this forum, what do you think?
Click to expand...

Nice to meet you, Tom.
 

The more I research it, I really think Gates will be an excellent hire. He seems to be a great leader of young men. He brought in a bunch of juco guys because they needed bodies. They are not as talented as some other teams in the Horizon but they play with heart. Looks like his guys have really bought in. He is an impressive young man and I think he would have a chance to be special here.
 


4MyBoyz said:
Let me know your thoughts.
Tom Brown, grew up in Woodbury, played basketball at Winona State. Head assistant coach at Winona State when they went to championship game 3 years, 2-time national champs. Took head coaching job at West Texas A & M. Program was in shambles, turned it around and have been to elite 8 last 3 years in DII and are equipped to make a run this year.
Assistant coach Chris Gove played hoops at Winona State and was a coach for both runs at Winona State and West Texas A & M with Brown.
Current assistant at West Texas A & M, Quincy Henderson played in all the championship games under Brown and Gove at Winona State.
Gove and Henderson both grew up in Wisconsin.
Proven track record, ties in the Midwest. All of the players these three played with now have kids in high school.
Brand new to this forum, what do you think?
Click to expand...
That 2006 exhibition game was something.
 

4MyBoyz said:
Let me know your thoughts.
Tom Brown, grew up in Woodbury, played basketball at Winona State. Head assistant coach at Winona State when they went to championship game 3 years, 2-time national champs. Took head coaching job at West Texas A & M. Program was in shambles, turned it around and have been to elite 8 last 3 years in DII and are equipped to make a run this year.
Assistant coach Chris Gove played hoops at Winona State and was a coach for both runs at Winona State and West Texas A & M with Brown.
Current assistant at West Texas A & M, Quincy Henderson played in all the championship games under Brown and Gove at Winona State.
Gove and Henderson both grew up in Wisconsin.
Proven track record, ties in the Midwest. All of the players these three played with now have kids in high school.
Brand new to this forum, what do you think?
Click to expand...
4MyBoyz, I don't know whether you are coach Tom Brown, or a disaffected player on his WTA&M team trying to get rid of him, or a dedicated Gophers fan who performed exhaustive research to find the greatest under-the-radar option for U of M mens' basketball coach.

I only know that if I was basketball coach for West Texas A&M in beautiful Canyon TX, I wouldn't leave for anything. Not even to replace coach K. You hang on to a great job like that!
 



-- Additionally, Gates may be the clear favorite and with them playing tonight, things could move quickly this weekend.
 






You must log in or register to reply here.



Top Bottom