Nice job by SDSU and their fine coach

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Gold Rush

Gold Rush

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OK -- so again -- why didn't we hire Brian Dutcher, who has coveted the Gopher coaching position for some time? We should have hired him about 3 coaching searches ago. They just knocked off the #1 team - Alabama- in the nation and are driving into the Elite 8.

This was a no brainer and the Gophers blew it. We should not be hiring guys who are still learning how to coach. Best wishes to Ben Johnson and we have got to give him some time but I don't think I have ever seen things so bleak as Gopher basketball the last couple years. Pretty tough watching these NCAA games because it just shows how far away we are from even competing at this level. I guess Johnson can sell playing time because guys could step right in here and play.

Best wishes to Dutcher though. I hope he takes the Aztecs all the way.
 






Gold Rush said:
OK -- so again -- why didn't we hire Brian Dutcher, who has coveted the Gopher coaching position for some time? We should have hired him about 3 coaching searches ago. They just knocked off the #1 team - Alabama- in the nation and are driving into the Elite 8.

This was a no brainer and the Gophers blew it. We should not be hiring guys who are still learning how to coach. Best wishes to Ben Johnson and we have got to give him some time but I don't think I have ever seen things so bleak as Gopher basketball the last couple years. Pretty tough watching these NCAA games because it just shows how far away we are from even competing at this level. I guess Johnson can sell playing time because guys could step right in here and play.

Best wishes to Dutcher though. I hope he takes the Aztecs all the way.
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Ben blew Coyle away in the interview.
 

I feel bad for us, but I also feel bad for Johnson. His big salary is a consolation, but he can't be enjoying any of this, and he'll never get out from under the shadow of who the Gophers could have hired instead and each of their respective successes the last couple years and going forward.
 

I still have reasonable hope that BJ will be successful here, but I also see Brian Dutcher as a missed opportunity. I'm not mystified as to why we chose Johnson over Dutcher, but I don't think our reasons were 100% valid.
 

You hire someone with a winning pedigree. To date, Ben has not been around winning basketball outside of high school. There is a slim possibility that he is a reason for the losing.
 



Bad Gopher said:
I feel bad for us, but I also feel bad for Johnson. His big salary is a consolation, but he can't be enjoying any of this, and he'll never get out from under the shadow of who the Gophers could have hired instead and each of their respective successes the last couple years and going forward.
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Being underqualified at his salary is no picnic, this is why I wish both sides could figure out a way to agree to a reduced buyout to move on now. Another year of this pays Ben $2M more but only further hurts his chances at getting back to the HC level someday.
 

goldengophers said:
Being underqualified at his salary is no picnic, this is why I wish both sides could figure out a way to agree to a reduced buyout to move on now. Another year of this pays Ben $2M more but only further hurts his chances at getting back to the HC level someday.
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Agreed.
 









cheeseheadgophfan said:
I’m too lazy to look it up but the jury on here was split on Dutcher at the time Ben was hired. Was he too old? Could he win at this level? Blah blah blah.
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To be fair that split was compared with other established HC's and not Ben "Training Wheels" Johnson. It's all been an unexplainable nightmare since the rumor of the hire was leaked.
 

goldengophers said:
To be fair that split was compared with other established HC's and not Ben "Training Wheels" Johnson.
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I understand what you’re saying, but let’s not sit here and say that Dutcher was a no-brainer hire on the Gopherhole Lots of posters preferred Smith, Medved , or others. Hindsight is 20/20.
 

goldengophers said:
To be fair that split was compared with other established HC's and not Ben "Training Wheels" Johnson. It's all been an unexplainable nightmare since the rumor of the hire was leaked.
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cheeseheadgophfan said:
I understand what you’re saying, but let’s not sit here and say that Dutcher was a no-brainer hire on the Gopherhole Lots of posters preferred Smith, Medved , or others. Hindsight is 20/20.
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Right. Because we were assuming it was Craig Smith, whose Utah State program had done well against SDSU. Younger, also MN roots, etc. Made sense

Same probably true of Medved+Thorson with Roddy.
 

All I can say is we need to get the next hire right.

The womens' hire was a good sign. Paid a little more for a coach that has had a lot of success.
 

cheeseheadgophfan said:
I understand what you’re saying, but let’s not sit here and say that Dutcher was a no-brainer hire on the Gopherhole Lots of posters preferred Smith, Medved , or others. Hindsight is 20/20.
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I was advocating for Dutcher back in 2021 and am even louder now (a lot of good that does!). What I really liked about Dutcher in 2021 were these things:

  • He's been a highly successful coach in a good conference. His team was coming off a 30-2 record and likely #1 seed when the tournament was cancelled for COVID in 2020. And in the two seasons before our job came open (2019-21) he was a combined 53-7! In the two years since he was passed over, SDSU is 53-15 and is on the precipice of the Final Four. We've won 51 games total over our last FOUR YEARS! Can anyone imagine Ben Johnson having anything remotely close that level of success, in the Big Ten or anywhere? It's laughable.
  • He's proven he can elevate a program. SDSU became competitive and relevant under Steve Fisher, but Dutcher is making it even better. To me, he was (and is) the perfect coach to come in, right the ship, recruit much better players into the program, and get us on solid ground to build something long-term. I didn't care then and I don't care now that he's in his 60s. I'm convinced the dude can coach at a high level for another decade, and in that time he can set up his successor like Fisher did with him at SDSU for program continuity, something we haven't has since, well, ever. To me, that's the best hope we have.
  • He has Big Ten roots, not only at the U, but as the lead recruiter at Michigan. Speaking of recruiting...
  • The MF'er can recruit elite talent! He is widely credited for bringing in the Fab Five to Michigan and Kawhi Leonard to SDSU.
  • I love his teams' style of play built around physical, rock solid defense, something that would easily translate to the Big Ten.
  • I mean, the guy wants to coach at the U, and has an out in his contract specifically for that purpose. He's from here (I know, provincial), his wife is from here (and is a U alum), his parents are still here. It matters to him, and I bet he knows he can be the one to turn this program's fortune around, and wants to be that guy.

Coyle made one of the worst hiring mistakes an AD can make two years ago. It may be too late to get Dutcher here, especially if he takes SDSU to the Final Four and they move to the Pac 12, but I'm hoping the basketball gods finally smile on us and it happens.
 


goldengophers said:
Being underqualified at his salary is no picnic, this is why I wish both sides could figure out a way to agree to a reduced buyout to move on now. Another year of this pays Ben $2M more but only further hurts his chances at getting back to the HC level someday.
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Excellent take. The longer this shit twister stays on the ground, the worst the damage and clean up.

I'm resigned to the fact I'll be watching hoops next season in a storm cellar.
 



TNGophfan said:
Was Dutcher considered when we hired Pitino?
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I remember both Hartman and Walters boostering Dutcher for years. Those two guys have always been big on the local angle, and Dutch was a local guy done good as an assistant to Fisher at Michigan and SDSU. He wasn't a secret, especially to people who followed his career, as those columnists did. He was a steadily rising star the whole time.

Musselman was another guy that Sid and Charlie couldn't stop talking about for the longest time. Hey, maybe some journalists have a clue!
 



How many championships would the Gophers have if Dutcher was the coach and Greenlee was our star player?
 

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