Poll: Should the Gophers look for a new bball coach?

Should the Gophers find a new men’s basketball coach?

  • Yes, no matter the next choice. I’ve lost hope.

    Votes: 97 38.2%

  • Yes, but this is conditional based on whom we get

    Votes: 74 29.1%

  • No, give Pitino another year

    Votes: 56 22.0%

  • No, there are one or more reasons we should not change

    Votes: 27 10.6%
  • Total voters
    254
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builtbadgers said:
It is a disease, not touching reality. Tons of programs have terrible breaks with injuries, transfers,close loses, bad characters (that one is a coaches fault ) Lose a ton more to the NBA than Coffey but never make excuses or pretend that it would have turned out better. Comparisons to PSU make me want to puke. That is the standard, one decent year after 10 ! Then to talk about it like they have arrived. To be good one year is not a program in my mind. Damn,win the conference one year, then be top 4 year after year. What the hell kind of standards do we want ? Success has to be demanded not diluted. For the mention about how a practice is run have you been ? Have you been to others so you have a comparison ?
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FYI....I'm generally a big fan of what you contribute to the board. I think you add more insight than most. But I have a hard time reconciling your viewpoint on Pitino.

On the one hand, you have routinely compared the Pitino regime to other programs unfavorably when viewing conference record, culture, practices, etc. etc. as in the post above. You have mentioned that everybody can have their own standard/opinion of the direction of the program but you have been pretty clear on your overall opinion. I have no problem with that.

On the other hand, you have been very bullish on the direction of this year's team. At one point, you predicted a 15-5 conference finish, compared the talent level on this team favorably to that of Virginia's, and routinely predicted wins throughout the course of the year (including tonight).

Is it your opinion they should have turned a corner this year? Or the whole is not nearly as good as the sum of its parts? Or you have always liked their roster better than their results? I'm not following. Thanks
 

builtbadgers said:
To be good one year is not a program in my mind.
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Absolutely true. My standards are not as high as yours but the primary reason that a continuation of Pitino's tenure is unacceptable to me is that he has not managed to have two consecutive good years over his seven year tenure. If he had managed to make the NIT this season and have a least a mini-run in that tournament to go along with last year's NCAA tournament appearance, then I probably would feel good enough about him staying.
 

golfing18now said:
FYI....I'm generally a big fan of what you contribute to the board. I think you add more insight than most. But I have a hard time reconciling your viewpoint on Pitino.

On the one hand, you have routinely compared the Pitino regime to other programs unfavorably when viewing conference record, culture, practices, etc. etc. as in the post above. You have mentioned that everybody can have their own standard/opinion of the direction of the program but you have been pretty clear on your overall opinion. I have no problem with that.

On the other hand, you have been very bullish on the direction of this year's team. At one point, you predicted a 15-5 conference finish, compared the talent level on this team favorably to that of Virginia's, and routinely predicted wins throughout the course of the year (including tonight).

Is it your opinion they should have turned a corner this year? Or the whole is not nearly as good as the sum of its parts? Or you have always liked their roster better than their results? I'm not following. Thanks
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Absolutely agree. His comments just make no sense this year.
 

cjbfbp said:
Absolutely true. My standards are not as high as yours but the primary reason that a continuation of Pitino's tenure is unacceptable to me is that he has not managed to have two consecutive good years over his seven year tenure. If he had managed to make the NIT this season and have a least a mini-run in that tournament to go along with last year's NCAA tournament appearance, then I probably would feel good enough about him staying.
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NIT is still easily in play.
 


cjbfbp said:
Absolutely true. My standards are not as high as yours but the primary reason that a continuation of Pitino's tenure is unacceptable to me is that he has not managed to have two consecutive good years over his seven year tenure. If he had managed to make the NIT this season and have a least a mini-run in that tournament to go along with last year's NCAA tournament appearance, then I probably would feel good enough about him staying.
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Isn't that still quite possible?
 



Ope3 said:
Isn't that still quite possible?
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Well, if we win this game against Maryland tonight (more possible than I thought!) that sure helps. Probably need to be at least 18-15 though.
 





35% of the respondents to this poll have absolutely no clue about sports, but thanks for being a fan.
 

cjbfbp said:
Well, if we win this game against Maryland tonight (more possible than I thought!) that sure helps. Probably need to be at least 18-15 though.
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We lost.
 



I would've liked to see us win tonight, but after the loss it feels better knowing that would've just been more fools gold. I think it's safe to say you need to get a new guy in there with more consistency and establish a consistent program. You should be constantly improving the program and we're not there. Pitino might do alright in his coaching career but you don't wanna settle for mediocre years. This is a program that can compete at the top. It's alright about finding the right guy. And those guys are out there.
 

golfing18now said:
FYI....I'm generally a big fan of what you contribute to the board. I think you add more insight than most. But I have a hard time reconciling your viewpoint on Pitino.

On the one hand, you have routinely compared the Pitino regime to other programs unfavorably when viewing conference record, culture, practices, etc. etc. as in the post above. You have mentioned that everybody can have their own standard/opinion of the direction of the program but you have been pretty clear on your overall opinion. I have no problem with that.

On the other hand, you have been very bullish on the direction of this year's team. At one point, you predicted a 15-5 conference finish, compared the talent level on this team favorably to that of Virginia's, and routinely predicted wins throughout the course of the year (including tonight).

Is it your opinion they should have turned a corner this year? Or the whole is not nearly as good as the sum of its parts? Or you have always liked their roster better than their results? I'm not following. Thanks
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Agree. It feels like two years in a row the view has been "12-8 minimum" and yet not high on Pitino. I don't get it.
 

golfing18now said:
FYI....I'm generally a big fan of what you contribute to the board. I think you add more insight than most. But I have a hard time reconciling your viewpoint on Pitino.

On the one hand, you have routinely compared the Pitino regime to other programs unfavorably when viewing conference record, culture, practices, etc. etc. as in the post above. You have mentioned that everybody can have their own standard/opinion of the direction of the program but you have been pretty clear on your overall opinion. I have no problem with that.

On the other hand, you have been very bullish on the direction of this year's team. At one point, you predicted a 15-5 conference finish, compared the talent level on this team favorably to that of Virginia's, and routinely predicted wins throughout the course of the year (including tonight).

Is it your opinion they should have turned a corner this year? Or the whole is not nearly as good as the sum of its parts? Or you have always liked their roster better than their results? I'm not following. Thanks
Click to expand...
Liked this roster far more than the roster at UVA. UVA lost 3 guys early to the NBA, lost 2 guards to the Charlottesville race riots, broken wrist to Key and never complained. Their horrific offense is a reflection of less ability but that defense takes them places when the offense can not. Worse for me is if this roster played defense like that we would be a top 10 team. Fans will continue to make excuses and some will think that no coach could win big with this roster but they would be wrong. There are coaches that would win the conference with this team. Everyone liked this roster more than UW's, even pointing out players that we would not even want ! Check out the UW record, they are smoking us in the standings again.
 

I don’t see how you can like this roster. Two good players and three players who probably are reserves at any other High Major. Do like the potential of the two freshmen who play. I’m not sure there’s coaching that can teach you how to make open shots. Roster management has been atrocious. If we had Oturu back I would probably give Richard another year.
 

Blackhammer said:
If we had Oturu back I would probably give Richard another year.
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So, an underachieving coach has been given ample time to demonstrate whether he deserves to remain in this job and has failed. But, he should be given another year if his star player, who many expect to be a first rounder, decides to forego his opportunity after this season in order to save that underachieving coach. Why would Oturu's decision to stay indicate that Pitino should be retained? In the unlikely event that Oturu does come back, I'd rather see him have the opportunity to play for a better coach.
 

skiumah1 said:
Pitino might do alright in his coaching career but you don't wanna settle for mediocre years.
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Most coaches will have mediocre years but 4 out of 7 of Pitino's years have been mediocre or worse.
 


So Pitino leaves, what does team look like next year? Gabe, Carr, Willis, Omersa, Curry? Ihnen, Freeman, Williams, and (Greenlee) probably gone, Mashburn (coming because of connection with Pitinos) and Mitchell likely gone, Oturo gone for sure (more than likely anyways). If he comes back he has a great core even better if Oturo does shock us and come back. And the year after that we only lose Willis. Pitino took some time to figure things out but this looks like a promising core going forward. If he is gone we start all over with another unknown. Just because guys are promising like Craig Smith and Niko doesn't mean they are going to be a homerun here. Look at Texas with Shaka, Indiana with 5 coaches since Knight (some success, some not), USC with Enfield. I could keep going. Firing and hiring is high risk, sometimes high reward, sometimes low reward move. Pitino was probably not the best hire 7 years ago (I agree some bumps along the road) but we are finally starting to see some sort of depth and roster construction going into next year and you want to blow it up? I have a feeling most people on there first job were great in the first couple years and took sometime to master it. Bet most of you are glad your boss didn't fire you just because you were raw but showed flashes of potential.
 

ole1710 said:
I have a feeling most people on there first job were great in the first couple years and took sometime to master it. Bet most of you are glad your boss didn't fire you just because you were raw but showed flashes of potential.
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First, this isn't Pitino's first job.

Second, every boss I've ever had would have fired me after a year of failure, two tops. None would have given me 7, nor should they. Nor would I, once I was the boss.
 

ole1710 said:
So Pitino leaves, what does team look like next year? Gabe, Carr, Willis, Omersa, Curry? Ihnen, Freeman, Williams, and (Greenlee) probably gone, Mashburn (coming because of connection with Pitinos) and Mitchell likely gone, Oturo gone for sure (more than likely anyways). If he comes back he has a great core even better if Oturo does shock us and come back. And the year after that we only lose Willis. Pitino took some time to figure things out but this looks like a promising core going forward. If he is gone we start all over with another unknown. Just because guys are promising like Craig Smith and Niko doesn't mean they are going to be a homerun here. Look at Texas with Shaka, Indiana with 5 coaches since Knight (some success, some not), USC with Enfield. I could keep going. Firing and hiring is high risk, sometimes high reward, sometimes low reward move. Pitino was probably not the best hire 7 years ago (I agree some bumps along the road) but we are finally starting to see some sort of depth and roster construction going into next year and you want to blow it up? I have a feeling most people on there first job were great in the first couple years and took sometime to master it. Bet most of you are glad your boss didn't fire you just because you were raw but showed flashes of potential.
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It's year 7 and we're still dangling that carrot? In my opinion, that's the most damning case against Pitino that has been brought forward.
 




I had the chance, while visiting my son in California, to see the SDSU Colorado State basketball game on Tuesday night. What a game and what an environment. CS was poised, disciplined, and well coached in a very hostile environment. Coach Medved, his staff , and his team outplayed the Aztecs for 35 minutes. A late offensive drought allowed SDSU to make a late charge to secure a 3 point win.

The Rams started 2 freshman and a sophomore, including our very own David Roddy, against a veteran Aztec lineup. Roddy who I thought coming out of high school was a tweener, not big enough to play inside and to slow to play outside, is a player who can ball.

I came away thinking this guy can coach. He is young, composed, energetic, and has a strong Minnesota connection (Roseville HS, U of M grad, Clem Haskins manager) which would help in getting some of the Minnesota hs talent. They went from 11 wins to 19 (currently) in his 1st year at Fort Collins. I am officially on the Medved bandwagon. Plus with the new one transfer without penalty he might bring some of those talented players with him to Minneapolis. Roddy would start right now for the Gophers.

PS. His Drake team almost beat the Gophers at the barn 2 years ago.
 

GrampaGopher said:
I had the chance, while visiting my son in California, to see the SDSU Colorado State basketball game on Tuesday night. What a game and what an environment. CS was poised, disciplined, and well coached in a very hostile environment. Coach Medved, his staff , and his team outplayed the Aztecs for 35 minutes. A late offensive drought allowed SDSU to make a late charge to secure a 3 point win.

The Rams started 2 freshman and a sophomore, including our very own David Roddy, against a veteran Aztec lineup. Roddy who I thought coming out of high school was a tweener, not big enough to play inside and to slow to play outside, is a player who can ball.

I came away thinking this guy can coach. He is young, composed, energetic, and has a strong Minnesota connection (Roseville HS, U of M grad, Clem Haskins manager) which would help in getting some of the Minnesota hs talent. They went from 11 wins to 19 (currently) in his 1st year at Fort Collins. I am officially on the Medved bandwagon. Plus with the new one transfer without penalty he might bring some of those talented players with him to Minneapolis. Roddy would start right now for the Gophers.

PS. His Drake team almost beat the Gophers at the barn 2 years ago.
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I thought he was a little unproven compared to some other guys, but looking into him I like this more and more. He's got a great staff with him out in Colorado (Thorson who coached DeLaSalle to all those great years). Lots of Minnesota connection. Farokmanesh from Northern Iowa also on the staff. I like this.
 

builtbadgers said:
Liked this roster far more than the roster at UVA. UVA lost 3 guys early to the NBA, lost 2 guards to the Charlottesville race riots, broken wrist to Key and never complained. Their horrific offense is a reflection of less ability but that defense takes them places when the offense can not. Worse for me is if this roster played defense like that we would be a top 10 team. Fans will continue to make excuses and some will think that no coach could win big with this roster but they would be wrong. There are coaches that would win the conference with this team. Everyone liked this roster more than UW's, even pointing out players that we would not even want ! Check out the UW record, they are smoking us in the standings again.
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100% agree with you on this roster is plenty good enough. I actually and still do like it more than last years. Bad shooting was something I didn't project and not always something you can control, but if we defend we win. Pretty simple formula. This team is built of guys who can defend capably if they choose to do so.
 

ole1710 said:
So Pitino leaves, what does team look like next year? Gabe, Carr, Willis, Omersa, Curry? Ihnen, Freeman, Williams, and (Greenlee) probably gone, Mashburn (coming because of connection with Pitinos) and Mitchell likely gone, Oturo gone for sure (more than likely anyways). If he comes back he has a great core even better if Oturo does shock us and come back. And the year after that we only lose Willis. Pitino took some time to figure things out but this looks like a promising core going forward. If he is gone we start all over with another unknown. Just because guys are promising like Craig Smith and Niko doesn't mean they are going to be a homerun here. Look at Texas with Shaka, Indiana with 5 coaches since Knight (some success, some not), USC with Enfield. I could keep going. Firing and hiring is high risk, sometimes high reward, sometimes low reward move. Pitino was probably not the best hire 7 years ago (I agree some bumps along the road) but we are finally starting to see some sort of depth and roster construction going into next year and you want to blow it up? I have a feeling most people on there first job were great in the first couple years and took sometime to master it. Bet most of you are glad your boss didn't fire you just because you were raw but showed flashes of potential.
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You can't care about rosters anymore. They can be turned over so quick due to transfers and how they hand out waivers. Also with transfers, you don't know who would stay with Pitino either.
 

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