Shama: If there is a change in Golden Gophers basketball head coaches after this season, St. Thomas’ John Tauer should be a level one candidate.

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BleedGopher

BleedGopher

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Per Shama:

If there is a change in Golden Gophers basketball head coaches after this season, St. Thomas’ John Tauer should be a level one candidate. Tauer, whose Tommies won the 2016 NCAA Division III national title, has his D1 team at No. 113 in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Net Rankings. Minnesota is No. 163.


Go Gophers!!
 


Does Shama even know Tauer goes by Johnny?

No idea if Tauer would be interested, but I suspect he'd at least want to see the Tommies through the 2025-26 season, when it's expected they'll be eligible for the NCAA Tournament for the first time (bumped up from 2026-27).

UST has been building to that day. I would think Tauer would like at least one crack at the NCAA tourney while at UST. ... fruits of his labor type deal.
 


SelectionSunday said:
Does Shama even know Tauer goes by Johnny?

No idea if Tauer would be interested, but I suspect he'd at least want to see the Tommies through the 2025-26 season, when it's expected they'll be eligible for the NCAA Tournament for the first time (bumped up from 2026-27).

UST has been building to that day. I would think Tauer would like at least one crack at the NCAA tourney while at UST. ... fruits of his labor type deal.
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That all makes logical sense from a Tommie POV, but it's wishful thinking. Any Summit League coach offered a B10 job is probably leaving - unless perhaps that Summit League job is on track to becoming a Big East job....
 





Well...at least we can't start searching for a new coach any lower than Level One.
 



No. He shouldn't, any more than Marc Trestman or Mike Grant were for football. But Shooter and Shama mentioned them every time too.

For God sake's aim higher and quit mentioning every local candidate at the top of every list. Go get the best coach.
 

formerlybis said:
That all makes logical sense from a Tommie POV, but it's wishful thinking. Any Summit League coach offered a B10 job is probably leaving - unless perhaps that Summit League job is on track to becoming a Big East job....
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I like the way you think!

But Big East is down the road a bit. I’m thinking 2032 or so. 😉
 


howeda7 said:
No. He shouldn't, any more than Marc Trestman or Mike Grant were for football. But Shooter and Shama mentioned them every time too.

For God sake's aim higher and quit mentioning every local candidate at the top of every list. Go get the best coach.
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1000%

A defibrillator isn't going to cut it at this point. We gotta be thinking Frankenstein-level electricity if we are going to bring this steaming pile to life. ;)
 



DarthGopher said:
1000%

A defibrillator isn't going to cut it at this point. We gotta be thinking Frankenstein-level electricity if we are going to bring this steaming pile to life. ;)
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I have nothing against Tauer. But he very much violates the "would any other Power 6 program consider hiring this guy?" rule. No one would. So we shouldn't. Maybe next time after he makes a few NCAA's.
 







howeda7 said:
I have nothing against Tauer. But he very much violates the "would any other Power 6 program consider hiring this guy?" rule. No one would. So we shouldn't. Maybe next time after he makes a few NCAA's.
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It might be true that no other big school would hire him, but this type of resume (especially championships at a lower division) makes me look twice and not rule him out so fast. There will be safer and inside-the-box traditional candidates (probably). I’m not sure those will actually be better coaches, though.
 

This hire will not excite the fanbase though. Most people in St Paul don't even know who he is.

The only three names that will excite this fanbase at this point are Brian Dutcher, Eric Mussellman, and J.B. Bickerstaff if we go for someone with MN connections. Otherwise it better be a big BIG name.
 

Ski-U-Mahed said:
This hire will not excite the fanbase though. Most people in St Paul don't even know who he is.

The only three names that will excite this fanbase at this point are Brian Dutcher, Eric Mussellman, and J.B. Bickerstaff if we go for someone with MN connections. Otherwise it better be a big BIG name.
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4d9c159200975b875a3fdd46d7737d6e.gif

None of those guys are coming here. They've got to find a green banana.
 


Bob_Loblaw said:
It would never happen but we could and have done a lot worse.
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That doesn't mean we should do it.

And your TJ Otzelberger example is not exactly a good one since he coached at UNLV for 2 years before moving on to Iowa State. He didn't go from Summit to Iowa State. Plus he was an assistant at Washington and Iowa State. Tauer has literally none of that.

Look I am sure he is a good coach...but I think this is one of those "familiarity" things where if he coached a Summit School somewhere else no one would be even putting him in the "others receiving consideration" category of coaches.
 

Tauer can flat out coach. Maybe folks want a splashier name, but this guy would be solid.

But yes, still unlikely on both sides.
 

Dave H said:
That doesn't mean we should do it.

And your TJ Otzelberger example is not exactly a good one since he coached at UNLV for 2 years before moving on to Iowa State. He didn't go from Summit to Iowa State. Plus he was an assistant at Washington and Iowa State. Tauer has literally none of that.

Look I am sure he is a good coach...but I think this is one of those "familiarity" things where if he coached a Summit School somewhere else no one would be even putting him in the "others receiving consideration" category of coaches.
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This. Will Nebraska consider him if they fire Hoiberg? No. So Minnesota shouldn't either.
 

Dave H said:
That doesn't mean we should do it.

And your TJ Otzelberger example is not exactly a good one since he coached at UNLV for 2 years before moving on to Iowa State. He didn't go from Summit to Iowa State. Plus he was an assistant at Washington and Iowa State. Tauer has literally none of that.

Look I am sure he is a good coach...but I think this is one of those "familiarity" things where if he coached a Summit School somewhere else no one would be even putting him in the "others receiving consideration" category of coaches.
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I never said we should do it. I don't think we should. I said comparing him to HS coaches is way crazier than the thought of the U hiring a Summit League coach.

As to your point about TJ Otzelberger, you think it was his time at UNLV that piqued Iowa State's interest? Do you think Iowa State thought to themselves, we're really looking for someone who can go 8-10 in the Mountain West? He took over a team that went 11-7 in the Mountain West and left with an 8-10 record in conference.

TJ is a really bad example. He was hired IN SPITE of his time at UNLV not because of his time. He was a really good Summit coach who had really strong ties to the state of Iowa. It was definitely a "familiarity" thing with TJ much more than it was going under .500 in the Mountain West. If you're saying Tauer would somehow become a more viable candidate if he went to San Jose State and went 8-10, I'm just not seeing it.

Again, I'm not saying we should hire him. I don't think we should. I am just saying that comparing him to a coach in the MIAC or a HS coach is just insane. I'm not saying this is you but there is a group of Gopher fans who pretend to be dismissive of St. Thomas while also being unrealistically terrified of playing them.
 


Bob_Loblaw said:
I never said we should do it. I don't think we should. I said comparing him to HS coaches is way crazier than the thought of the U hiring a Summit League coach.

As to your point about TJ Otzelberger, you think it was his time at UNLV that piqued Iowa State's interest? Do you think Iowa State thought to themselves, we're really looking for someone who can go 8-10 in the Mountain West? He took over a team that went 11-7 in the Mountain West and left with an 8-10 record in conference.

TJ is a really bad example. He was hired IN SPITE of his time at UNLV not because of his time. He was a really good Summit coach who had really strong ties to the state of Iowa. It was definitely a "familiarity" thing with TJ much more than it was going under .500 in the Mountain West. If you're saying Tauer would somehow become a more viable candidate if he went to San Jose State and went 8-10, I'm just not seeing it.

Again, I'm not saying we should hire him. I don't think we should. I am just saying that comparing him to a coach in the MIAC or a HS coach is just insane. I'm not saying this is you but there is a group of Gopher fans who pretend to be dismissive of St. Thomas while also being unrealistically terrified of playing them.
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Very well said.
 

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