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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I can see Coyle contacting Tauer they know each other. I could see Tauer using the Gophers interest level whatever it may be to leverage and get himself positioned to coach at UST for a long time… Tauer is a very good coach. Like Bobby Hurley said their offense is unique they cut and move very fast. There are much easier teams ASU could of paid to play.. Shaka said the same thing last year told his team leading up to the UST this team better than Notre Dame who they just played.. Tauer is well thought of nationally especially what they run on O.. it’s funny it’s the little narrow minded people on this board that wanna over look him it’s not the people who really know and understand the game both locally and nationally…it’s hilarious.
 



kix4kix said:
Amazing? Yes, surprising? Unfortunately not
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I predicted this would happen. I just didn't think it would happen so soon.

Also, I can't imagine anyone takes Shama seriously. He has to have a readership <10 if that.
 





Strongazzoffer said:
About 100 guys I would hope Coyle calls before Tauer.
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No you wouldn't, but maybe 30 is a better over/under number. I take the under with his ability and local ties.

I would expect more of a PJ type personality hire that can also sell the program.
 




serious question: why would Tauer want the job at MN?

he's got a good gig at St. Thomas. getting a new arena paid for by boosters. the expectations are not unreasonable - just put a decent team on the court and be competitive AT HIS LEVEL. and the all-caps are the key - at his level.

going up to the B1G is jumping in shark-infested waters. you might come out alive, but the odds are not in your favor.

I don't see Tauer at MN unless they offer him so much money he can't turn it down. and MN is not going to offer Tauer that kind of money.
 


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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No I think they hired him because he worked there previous and had experience at another stop as well. It was probably a bit of a stretch...but Tauer is a quantum leap in comparison.

I don't dismiss St. Thomas (I dont much care about them period) and that has nothing to do with my opinion. If this guy had a resume worthy of a Big Ten job I would feel differently. He just doesn't. He is definitely better than a MIAC coach or HS that is for sure. I would need to see him go to a school that is a step up from the Summit though.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
serious question: why would Tauer want the job at MN?

he's got a good gig at St. Thomas. getting a new arena paid for by boosters. the expectations are not unreasonable - just put a decent team on the court and be competitive AT HIS LEVEL. and the all-caps are the key - at his level.

going up to the B1G is jumping in shark-infested waters. you might come out alive, but the odds are not in your favor.

I don't see Tauer at MN unless they offer him so much money he can't turn it down. and MN is not going to offer Tauer that kind of money.
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There not unreasonable now but I would be curious how Tommy fans would feel if we get to say 2028 (If Trump hasn't gotten us all killed ) and they haven't broken through and won the summit league yet . I don't think they'll very patient once they are NCAA eligible. It's a nice fallback plan B school but they really are a delusional bunch over there
 



Roland Brooks said:
I can see Coyle contacting Tauer they know each other. I could see Tauer using the Gophers interest level whatever it may be to leverage and get himself positioned to coach at UST for a long time… Tauer is a very good coach. Like Bobby Hurley said their offense is unique they cut and move very fast. There are much easier teams ASU could of paid to play.. Shaka said the same thing last year told his team leading up to the UST this team better than Notre Dame who they just played.. Tauer is well thought of nationally especially what they run on O.. it’s funny it’s the little narrow minded people on this board that wanna over look him it’s not the people who really know and understand the game both locally and nationally…it’s hilarious.
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And Tom Izzo compliments every coach the Gophers have. Come on man that is beyond a stretch...

I am sure he is a very good coach and maybe if we weren't coming off two very mediocre coaches that destroyed the fanbase and set the program back I would think about it more. But we are in that situation and taking a flyer is just not in the cards. He would have been a better hire than our last one though...but that is a low bar to clear.
 



The truth is, Will Wade’s McNeese squad has been a big disappointment so far this season. I’ll take a hard pass on him.

If we’re going the sleaze route, give me Sean Miller. He’s won big at two major (Arizona, Xavier) programs. Yes, he’s dirty, but he’s a much more proven coach than Wade. And I’d welcome a coach that works the officials more than once a blue moon. Miller excels at that, too.
 

Dave H said:
No I think they hired him because he worked there previous and had experience at another stop as well. It was probably a bit of a stretch...but Tauer is a quantum leap in comparison.

I don't dismiss St. Thomas (I dont much care about them period) and that has nothing to do with my opinion. If this guy had a resume worthy of a Big Ten job I would feel differently. He just doesn't. He is definitely better than a MIAC coach or HS that is for sure. I would need to see him go to a school that is a step up from the Summit though.
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I think you can make the argument that TJ's (I'm sick of trying to spell his last name) level of success in the Summit is much higher than Tauer's. There are other variables to that as well. However, I just don't buy that his time at UNLV improved his stock to the people at Iowa State. I also don't buy that his time as an assistant improved his stock at Iowa State, except for the increase in familiarity. My point is that if TJ was an assistant at Boston College, then coached in the Summit, then went .500 at UNLV, the Iowa State AD would not have given weight to his time as an assistant at BC. It was given weight because of the familiarity factor and not the experience factor (IMO).

We're in agreement. I'm a Gopher fan and I think we can go hire someone that has proven it at a higher level than Tauer. I think highly of him but his ceiling at the Big 10 level is an unknown to me. I think he definitely has a pretty high floor.
 

Strongazzoffer said:
There not unreasonable now but I would be curious how Tommy fans would feel if we get to say 2028 (If Trump hasn't gotten us all killed ) and they haven't broken through and won the summit league yet . I don't think they'll very patient once they are NCAA eligible. It's a nice fallback plan B school but they really are a delusional bunch over there
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I know a ton of St. Thomas basketball fans and the largest area of delusion that they have is that they think they're better than us every year.

If St. Thomas is aggressively bad the next couple of years Tauer could be on the hot seat. If they are decent and even competing for a potential NCAA tournament, Tauer will have 100% job security. The guys is revered there.
 


Strongazzoffer said:
There not unreasonable now but I would be curious how Tommy fans would feel if we get to say 2028 (If Trump hasn't gotten us all killed ) and they haven't broken through and won the summit league yet . I don't think they'll very patient once they are NCAA eligible. It's a nice fallback plan B school but they really are a delusional bunch over there
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Talk about delusional.
 

The truth is, Will Wade’s McNeese squad has been a big disappointment so far this season. I’ll take a hard pass on him.

If we’re going the sleaze route, give me Sean Miller. He’s won big at two major (Arizona, Xavier) programs. Yes, he’s dirty, but he’s a much more proven coach than Wade
Bob_Loblaw said:
I know a ton of St. Thomas basketball fans and the largest area of delusion that they have is that they think they're better than us every year.

If St. Thomas is aggressively bad the next couple of years Tauer could be on the hot seat. If they are decent and even competing for a potential NCAA tournament, Tauer will have 100% job security. The guys is revered there.
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St. Thomas guy here, and like to think I’m not in that delusional portion of the UST fanbase. I will say as a season-ticket holder for both programs (until dropping Gophers this season) since UST moved to D1, this is the first season I think UST is better. So much more functional, have a plan, and genuinely can go 9 deep without missing a beat. Fun watch.

I’m not advocating nor not advocating Tauer for the Gophers job, but am confident he’ll have Tommies competing at the top of the Summit with SDSU & NDSU regularly. Am really curious to find out if what I see will translate to a conference title in just 4th D1 season. They have a shot.
 
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short ornery norwegian said:
serious question: why would Tauer want the job at MN?

he's got a good gig at St. Thomas. getting a new arena paid for by boosters. the expectations are not unreasonable - just put a decent team on the court and be competitive AT HIS LEVEL. and the all-caps are the key - at his level.

going up to the B1G is jumping in shark-infested waters. you might come out alive, but the odds are not in your favor.

I don't see Tauer at MN unless they offer him so much money he can't turn it down. and MN is not going to offer Tauer that kind of money.
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Summit League coaches don't turn down B1G jobs. The "woe is us, we can't even get the coach form St. Thomas" stuff has to stop. He shouldn't be the next coach because Summit League to B1G is too big of a jump, not because he would turn it down.
 

This hire is gonna be a rate example where local ties might hurt a candidate. With how bad the Johnson deal ended up, Coyle would catch a lot flak for not looking like he knows anyone in the basketball world outside of MN.
 

howeda7 said:
Summit League coaches don't turn down B1G jobs. The "woe is us, we can't even get the coach form St. Thomas" stuff has to stop. He shouldn't be the next coach because Summit League to B1G is too big of a jump, not because he would turn it down.
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Actually, that kind of thing does happen relatively frequently. The Horizon League has seen a few. But it happens for guys who were assistants at big programs, then took a head coach at a small, then got the big job. Tauer doesn’t have that first part.
 

SelectionSunday said:
If we’re going the sleaze route, give me Sean Miller. He’s won big at two major (Arizona, Xavier) programs. Yes, he’s dirty, but he’s a much more proven coach than Wade. And I’d welcome a coach that works the officials more than once a blue moon. Miller excels at that, too.
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Concur.

My post in the Potential Candidates thread:

"Go get Sean Miller from Xavier and give him plenty of cash to buy players.

The guy can recruit.

He'll cheat, if there even is such a thing any more, but who cares?"
 

WoodburyTim said:
This hire is gonna be a rate example where local ties might hurt a candidate. With how bad the Johnson deal ended up, Coyle would catch a lot flak for not looking like he knows anyone in the basketball world outside of MN.
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I hope this is the case but I'm not sure I believe it. Nobody cares more about "local ties" than this fan base and I'm not sure why. Do we think recruits care about "local ties"? Does it energize the fan base to have "local ties"? The current situation wouldn't support either conclusion.

Whether the last hire was a DEI hire or "local ties' hire (he didn't have a B1G-worthy resume), I hope the next hire isn't bound by such parameters. Can he coach should be the only parameter.
 

SelectionSunday said:
The truth is, Will Wade’s McNeese squad has been a big disappointment so far this season. I’ll take a hard pass on him.

If we’re going the sleaze route, give me Sean Miller. He’s won big at two major (Arizona, Xavier) programs. Yes, he’s dirty, but he’s a much more proven coach than Wade

St. Thomas guy here, and like to think I’m not in that delusional portion of the UST fanbase. I will say as a season-ticket holder for both programs (until dropping Gophers this season) since UST moved to D1, this is the first season I think UST is better. So much more functional, have a plan, and genuinely can go 9 deep without missing a beat. Fun watch.
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I haven't watched them yet but they don't seem to have much size. How do they handle the boards and post defense against other bigs?
 

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