PiPress: "I want to build something special here," Richard Pitino says

[BleedGopher]

per Marcus, a nice Q&A:

Did you have to address coaching rumors with recruits this offseason with your name being circulated as a candidate for Tennessee and other openings?

I'm not going to get into addressing every single rumor every single year. That's not smart. But I will say, if we continue to build on the success we had this year, that goes with the territory. I didn't have to worry about ensuring anybody I would be here because everybody knew it. I don't think people understand. I have moved so much. I love it here. I want to build something special here. I think people who are with me every single day know that. I'm excited about Year 2 here and really looking forward it.

Have you spoken to Gophers athletics director Norwood Teague about a raise or contract extension?

I speak to Norwood several times a day. I'm not sure there's a head coach or an AD who have a closer relationship out there. We've talked about more than anything building off this positive momentum and improving the program as much as possible. He's got as much of a building project as I do. And I think we both understand that we're going to do this together. He's been unbelievably supportive. We understand this is just the beginning. He's so willing to figure out a way to make it work. That's why I love working for him. We're not waiting for a practice facility to be built. We're making best of the situation we have now. We have a brand new weight room upstairs that looks beautiful. We're redoing the gym at Bierman to make it look like a good-looking practice court. We're redoing locker rooms over at (Williams Arena).

http://www.twincities.com/gophers/ci_25784748/gophers-basketball-i-want-build-something-special-here

Go Gophers!!

 

[cncmin]

Sounds like the AD and the coach have a great relationship.

 

[Bayfieldgopher]

Brick by brick or whatever is appropriate for hoops. Pitino is in a great spot being an inexperienced HC in a great basketball conference.

If Minnesota is to be in a position to compete with the "helmet" schools for top football and basketball talent, Norwood has to do his part to improve facilities. Coach Kill may be wondering when that will happen. Pitino seems content with second rate facilities at this point but that may change if there is no progress in better facilities.

 

[Dr.Don]

"He's got as much of a building project as I do."

Sounds to me like they are gonna work together to make Gopher Sports a national favorite.

GO GOPHERS!!!

 

[60's Guy]

Very Fun Read

Listening to Pitino generally gets a person inspired, fired up, and anxious for the next game. This
article was very fun to read. Exciting times ahead.

 

[beavergopher]

Listening to Pitino generally gets a person inspired, fired up, and anxious for the next game. This
article was very fun to read. Exciting times ahead.

Yes!

 

[gopherhoopsguy]

This is the Big Ten why would he leave.

 

[GopherHomer]

This is the Big Ten why would he leave.

There are plenty of better jobs out there.

 

[Dr.Don]

There are plenty of better jobs out there.

Define better jobs. Coach P claims to wanting to build a program. Why would he suddenly change his Coaching Philosophy???

 

[corcoran1]

Brick by brick or whatever is appropriate for hoops. Pitino is in a great spot being an inexperienced HC in a great basketball conference.

If Minnesota is to be in a position to compete with the "helmet" schools for top football and basketball talent, Norwood has to do his part to improve facilities. Coach Kill may be wondering when that will happen. Pitino seems content with second rate facilities at this point but that may change if there is no progress in better facilities.

No offense intended to anyone but it is not Norwood's problem, it is our problem. A lot of fans are waiting for some rich guy to give the U all the money they need to build these facilities. I don't know if that can happen, but if 20% of the people who watch Goph hoops on TV gave $100, or even $50 it would make a big difference.

 

[shickmyjanski]

Yay! Another thread that's going to turn into a debate about when and why our coach will leave us. Been about a week since the last one.

 

[DeathClutch]

Brick by brick or whatever is appropriate for hoops. Pitino is in a great spot being an inexperienced HC in a great basketball conference.

If Minnesota is to be in a position to compete with the "helmet" schools for top football and basketball talent, Norwood has to do his part to improve facilities. Coach Kill may be wondering when that will happen. Pitino seems content with second rate facilities at this point but that may change if there is no progress in better facilities.

Maybe Pitino would rather not waste his time complaining about the lack of facilities and is confident Norwood is taking care of his end. The best thing Pitino can do to help expedite the building of a new practice facility is win basketball games.

 

[Dr.Don]

Maybe Pitino would rather not waste his time complaining about the lack of facilities and is confident Norwood is taking care of his end. The best thing Pitino can do to help expedite the building of a new practice facility is win basketball games.

100% right on.

 

[GophersInIowa]

No offense intended to anyone but it is not Norwood's problem, it is our problem. A lot of fans are waiting for some rich guy to give the U all the money they need to build these facilities. I don't know if that can happen, but if 20% of the people who watch Goph hoops on TV gave $100, or even $50 it would make a big difference.

I think they're really missing the boat with the practice facility. Offer us regulars the opportunity to donate $500 ($250 over the next two years) and we get a brick with our name on the facility. If you give $1000, you get the brick and a chance to tour the facility once it is open. Or something like that.

Maybe I've missed it, but have they really promoted a way for any of us to donate for this project?

 

[Dr.Don]

I think they're really missing the boat with the practice facility. Offer us regulars the opportunity to donate $500 ($250 over the next two years) and we get a brick with our name on the facility. If you give $1000, you get the brick and a chance to tour the facility once it is open. Or something like that.

Maybe I've missed it, but have they really promoted a way for any of us to donate for this project?

Why does one need an incentive to donate? Just frikking donate if ya can!!!

A true donation is given anonymously. Otherwise it's just looking for an ego booster.

 

[hungan1]

Maybe Pitino would rather not waste his time complaining about the lack of facilities and is confident Norwood is taking care of his end. The best thing Pitino can do to help expedite the building of a new practice facility is win basketball games.

Then they will say that is the house that Richard build if the Gophers start winning titles...

 

[Bad Gopher]

Then they will say that is the house that Richard build if the Gophers start winning titles...

Exactly. Pitino is ambitious by nature. The great accomplishments are building something from the ground up, not being merely the next in a lineage.

 

[GophersInIowa]

Why does one need an incentive to donate? Just frikking donate if ya can!!!

A true donation is given anonymously. Otherwise it's just looking for an ego booster.

Is there even a way to donate directly to the practice facility? Maybe it's because I'm not in Minnesota, but I haven't read anything about how to donate directly to this campaign.

And I wasn't talking specifically about me, more the average person. It's just that when you give an incentive, even if it is small, you usually get more people participating. I've been a part of fundraisers that involve names on bricks before, and you'll be surprised how many people use that opportunity to honor a loved one who has passed away. Having something tangible in return can make a big difference.

 

[diehard]

There are plenty of better jobs out there.

Yes, but Pitino is actively making this a better job with each passing day.

It is possible that Minnesota could be the best basketball job in the country by the time he is 50, still a young man. Once the team is filled with his kind of athlete and the Gophers are playing his brand of ball the right kind will be knocking on our door in come here. That won't be so long either.

We need Woody to stay put.

 

[bemidjigopher]

Why does one need an incentive to donate? Just frikking donate if ya can!!!

A true donation is given anonymously. Otherwise it's just looking for an ego booster.

I would call this more fundraising then donating. If fundraising is an issue at your school then you gotta creative to raise money

 

[Winasota Gopher]

a "donation" of $50, $100 or heck even a $1,000 to this facility isn't available because it isn't worth while. They need to announce a couple large donors before they start asking the masses to chip away at the sum.

In one other posters suggestion of $50/fan would require 1 million fans to pay for our supposed $50 million dollar facility (i could be off, it could have been $5 million, but then its 500,000 fans, the point is still there). We need a big boy to come in and plop down a couple mil here and a couple mil there, then the "fundraising" begins. Think girl scout cookie style, they'll call you, your brother, and your dog for a dime.

 

[hungan1]

Is there even a way to donate directly to the practice facility? Maybe it's because I'm not in Minnesota, but I haven't read anything about how to donate directly to this campaign.

And I wasn't talking specifically about me, more the average person. It's just that when you give an incentive, even if it is small, you usually get more people participating. I've been a part of fundraisers that involve names on bricks before, and you'll be surprised how many people use that opportunity to honor a loved one who has passed away. Having something tangible in return can make a big difference.

One way to do it is like the MPR matching fund donations. Let's say a large institution pledge to donate $50 mil with a condition that they'll match a dollar for every two dollars donated by the general public or other institutions effectively having the potential to raise $150 mil.

 

[mnsportsgeek]

There are plenty of better jobs out there.

Yes, there are. There are many more jobs than VCU too, but Shaka is still there. College hoops coaches tend to stay put when they know they have the resources they need. Pitino isn't there yet, but he's hopeful.

If we get him what he needs, I think he'll be here for a while. If the department doesn't make a move on facilities, I think we'll lose him.

 

[WBLGold]

Right now our best resource is Norwood. He will be the reason Richard stays around

 

[BarnBoy]

Agree with many. If Pitino bolts for greener pastures it will be because of facilities, support, etc.... It won't be because we are Minnesota.

 

[BleedGopher]

Expanded Q&A:

http://blogs.twincities.com/gophers/2014/05/18/gophers-basketball-richard-pitino/

How much did winning an NIT title in your first year speed up expectations for this program to accomplish more?

I don’t know if anyone knew how to take this year. Normally, when a coach is fired and a new coach comes in, you inherit a bit of a disaster. This was not a train wreck. I thought we had some good solid pieces. We were fortunate to add some very good pieces with DeAndre Mathieu, Malik Smith and Joey King after losing three starters. As far as expectations, I really don’t get into that. That’s up for the (fans and media) to decide. With that being said, I think we improved this year. We were playing our best basketball at the end. Hopefully, we continue to build off this year. After being here for a year, the way I look at it is that I’m building something. Year one was great. Hopefully, we continue to build off that.

How can you get better defensively by studying every play made against the Gophers last season (mentioned that in print article)?

We’ve got to evaluate everything as a whole. It’s not just about playing harder. I think we got better at the end of the year. But the numbers don’t lie. They’ve got to improve. If they don’t, we’re probably going to be in the same spot we were (this past season). Moving forward, competition is huge with everybody. You want to get to a point in your program where if somebody isn’t doing something on the court, you can pull them out and you’ve got somebody on the bench who is just as good who can come in. You want to get to a point if (leading scorer and starting guard) Andre Hollins gets injured, it’s not going to substantially affect your team like it did.

Go Gophers!!

 

[Bad Gopher]

Expanded Q&A:

http://blogs.twincities.com/gophers/2014/05/18/gophers-basketball-richard-pitino/

How much did winning an NIT title in your first year speed up expectations for this program to accomplish more?

I don’t know if anyone knew how to take this year. Normally, when a coach is fired and a new coach comes in, you inherit a bit of a disaster. This was not a train wreck. I thought we had some good solid pieces. We were fortunate to add some very good pieces with DeAndre Mathieu, Malik Smith and Joey King after losing three starters. As far as expectations, I really don’t get into that. That’s up for the (fans and media) to decide. With that being said, I think we improved this year. We were playing our best basketball at the end. Hopefully, we continue to build off this year. After being here for a year, the way I look at it is that I’m building something. Year one was great. Hopefully, we continue to build off that.

How can you get better defensively by studying every play made against the Gophers last season (mentioned that in print article)?

We’ve got to evaluate everything as a whole. It’s not just about playing harder. I think we got better at the end of the year. But the numbers don’t lie. They’ve got to improve. If they don’t, we’re probably going to be in the same spot we were (this past season). Moving forward, competition is huge with everybody. You want to get to a point in your program where if somebody isn’t doing something on the court, you can pull them out and you’ve got somebody on the bench who is just as good who can come in. You want to get to a point if (leading scorer and starting guard) Andre Hollins gets injured, it’s not going to substantially affect your team like it did.

Go Gophers!!

This morning on KFAN, Sludge asked when was the last time any coach anywhere said something interesting. And all I could shout back at the radio was, Richard Pitino, every day.

Agree with many. If Pitino bolts for greener pastures it will be because of facilities, support, etc.... It won't be because we are Minnesota.

If we had better self esteem around here, we'd realize - and say - that when someone DOESN'T bolt for another place, it's because we ARE Minnesota. This is a good place to live and work.

 

[WBLGold]

Here is a podcast with Andy Katz. It gives me hope on why Rick will stay around. They talk about quality of life around 3minute mark.

http://espn.go.com/espnradio/play?id=10861270

 

[Winasota Gopher]

As someone who lived in MPLS and left for work reasons, MPLS is a great place to live. Granted I did not move to another major market, nor am I the big city type of guy.

 

[bottlebass]

a "donation" of $50, $100 or heck even a $1,000 to this facility isn't available because it isn't worth while. They need to announce a couple large donors before they start asking the masses to chip away at the sum.

In one other posters suggestion of $50/fan would require 1 million fans to pay for our supposed $50 million dollar facility (i could be off, it could have been $5 million, but then its 500,000 fans, the point is still there). We need a big boy to come in and plop down a couple mil here and a couple mil there, then the "fundraising" begins. Think girl scout cookie style, they'll call you, your brother, and your dog for a dime.

I disagree. You don't need a big donation to start things off. If they get good interest with smaller donations they could go to a big donor and say "hey, all we need is another x million, you can be the hero and have your name all over it". Or as hungan said the matching with a big donor would be a good way to go too. I think true fans know how important training facilities are and there could be a significant number of $100-500 donations that would add up fast. The brick idea gophersiniowa mentioned is a good idea. Heck they could just advertise it when you re-new your season tickets. Put a box to check to add an extra $50 or $100 donation and say you will get a gophers t'shirt if you do or something. I'm with gophersiniowa. I am disappointed in the fundraising thus far. WE HAVE TO GET THESE FACILITIES BUILT! otherwise I see our football and basketball programs plateauing where they are now and never making that next big step.