BleedGopher
Well-known member
- Joined
- Nov 11, 2008
- Messages
- 61,971
- Reaction score
- 18,165
- Points
- 113
What are a couple of things that you want to get done quickly?
We need to build a couple of new facilities. Our basketball practice facility, it is imperative that we build that. It's not just Tubby (Smith) wanting that, but it's me too, and (Gophers women's coach) Pam Borton. It has so many of the amenities in there that other schools do have. And I'll be honest with you, for us, it's also necessary from a space standpoint and a practice-floor standpoint. Right now, they are jammed into Williams (Arena) trying to play there every day. If we ever have anything going on in Williams, be it construction or something, they are displaced and we don't really have a place to put them. That is just unacceptable for a Big Ten program to have that. Northwestern is the only other Big Ten school that doesn't have a practice facility, and some of the other (practice facilities in the Big Ten) are already being refurbished.
You recently signed Gophers men's basketball coach Tubby Smith to a three-year extension. Not everybody thought Smith was worthy of this, with Minnesota having finished 6-12 the last two seasons in Big Ten play. Why did you pull the trigger on it?
A lot of (the contract-extension dealings) were done before I got here. I was OK with where we were going as it relates to Tubby. He has had some tough luck (with injuries in his program). I've been criticized by some in the media as to why I would (sign him to an extension). Certainly it is an extension, but it is a well-thought-out extension from a financial standpoint. I think we did a great job of giving Tubby a great opportunity, yet protecting the university at the same time.
http://www.postbulletin.com/news/stories/display.php?id=1506453
Go Gophers!!
We need to build a couple of new facilities. Our basketball practice facility, it is imperative that we build that. It's not just Tubby (Smith) wanting that, but it's me too, and (Gophers women's coach) Pam Borton. It has so many of the amenities in there that other schools do have. And I'll be honest with you, for us, it's also necessary from a space standpoint and a practice-floor standpoint. Right now, they are jammed into Williams (Arena) trying to play there every day. If we ever have anything going on in Williams, be it construction or something, they are displaced and we don't really have a place to put them. That is just unacceptable for a Big Ten program to have that. Northwestern is the only other Big Ten school that doesn't have a practice facility, and some of the other (practice facilities in the Big Ten) are already being refurbished.
You recently signed Gophers men's basketball coach Tubby Smith to a three-year extension. Not everybody thought Smith was worthy of this, with Minnesota having finished 6-12 the last two seasons in Big Ten play. Why did you pull the trigger on it?
A lot of (the contract-extension dealings) were done before I got here. I was OK with where we were going as it relates to Tubby. He has had some tough luck (with injuries in his program). I've been criticized by some in the media as to why I would (sign him to an extension). Certainly it is an extension, but it is a well-thought-out extension from a financial standpoint. I think we did a great job of giving Tubby a great opportunity, yet protecting the university at the same time.
http://www.postbulletin.com/news/stories/display.php?id=1506453
Go Gophers!!
