Shama: What uw has achieved in basketball during the last 20-plus years is remarkable; what U coaches and administrators have done is embarrassing

Gates would not even interview. As far as I know they never even talked to to Niko. But he's from Minneapolis. Do you think he would turn down a B1G job in his home town to stay in the Mountain West. Nothing in his job history suggests he's averse to moving up.
Gates wanted nothing to do with us? I'm not sure with Niko, sounded like he was pretty content out West, would need some insider info.
 

Gates wanted nothing to do with us? I'm not sure with Niko, sounded like he was pretty content out West, would need some insider info.
I suspect Gates has been told the Florida State job is his in a couple years.

Every coach is very content where they are until the day they leave. "They love it here!"
 

Gates would not even interview. As far as I know they never even talked to to Niko. But he's from Minneapolis. Do you think he would turn down a B1G job in his home town to stay in the Mountain West. Nothing in his job history suggests he's averse to moving up.
It's interesting (to me) to think about the hypothetical comparison:

Ben Johnson + Thorson + Kemp + Jenkins + the guys we got = what we have this year
vs.
Niko + Thorson + ??? + ??? (takes whole CSU staff?) + Roddy comes with them + ??? = ????

Both are Mpls natives, though obviously BJ has the playing chops, while Niko has proven himself at lower levels as a head coach.
 

It's interesting (to me) to think about the hypothetical comparison:

Ben Johnson + Thorson + Kemp + Jenkins + the guys we got = what we have this year
vs.
Niko + Thorson + ??? + ??? (takes whole CSU staff?) + Roddy comes with them + ??? = ????

Both are Mpls natives, though obviously BJ has the playing chops, while Niko has proven himself at lower levels as a head coach.
Niko probably would have had a better year 1, assuming he would bring Roddy and a few other CSU players with him. Long-term who knows. To not even consider him, when you interviewed Ben Jacobsen and Sam Mitchell was pretty inexplicable to me.
 

Will be interesting to see what he (and CS obviously) can do with a PAC job.

Speaking of which, what the hell happened to Oregon State???? Fell off a cliff.
 


Will be interesting to see what he (and CS obviously) can do with a PAC job.

Speaking of which, what the hell happened to Oregon State???? Fell off a cliff.
For sure on Oregon State. They did sign a talented kid from Germany, and I think they'll get it back on track next season.
 

Yeah we should go out and hire former national champion coaches who have been to multiple Sweet Sixteens with multiple teams! What could go wrong!

Yes, Tubby underachieved here given his stature at the time he was hired but if a coach came here and duplicated Tubby's 6 year record, that would look pretty good compared to the last nine years.
 





Will be interesting to see what he (and CS obviously) can do with a PAC job.

Speaking of which, what the hell happened to Oregon State???? Fell off a cliff.
They weren't actually that good last year. They only made the NCAA's because they won the Pac 12 tournament. Basically they had an incredible March after being pretty bad November-February.
 

Was Bo Ryan or Greg Gard ever publicly censured for not filling up a rental car before dropping it off?

That incident tells you all you need to know about the University of Minnesota and its priorities.
This is the dumb shit I see on here that just makes no sense. You know why Wisconsin has had a better program? Their coaches had a vision for what they wanted to run, recruited to suit that vision and then developed players to execute their system. It's as simple as that. The rest of it is window dressing.
 

This is the dumb shit I see on here that just makes no sense. You know why Wisconsin has had a better program? Their coaches had a vision for what they wanted to run, recruited to suit that vision and then developed players to execute their system. It's as simple as that. The rest of it is window dressing.
Ummmmm…. There were institutional controls handed over.
 

Niko probably would have had a better year 1, assuming he would bring Roddy and a few other CSU players with him. Long-term who knows. To not even consider him, when you interviewed Ben Jacobsen and Sam Mitchell was pretty inexplicable to me.
Well, there is always that other narrative. Not to put too fine a point on it, but let's just say it's a colorful conversation. Jacobsen nothing more than to give plausible deniability?? Probably a reach, but there really was no rhyme or reason to who got interviews and who didn't. Gates, Smith, Niko ... none.
 



Well, there is always that other narrative. Not to put too fine a point on it, but let's just say it's a colorful conversation. Jacobsen nothing more than a reverse-Rooney, to give plausible deniability?? Probably a reach, but there really was no rhyme or reason to who got interviews and who didn't.
I don't desire to go down that rabbit hole. We'll never know. They also made no attempt to take a run at Shaka Smart. But maybe they were too far down the road with Ben when he got fired.
 

Yeah we should go out and hire former national champion coaches who have been to multiple Sweet Sixteens with multiple teams! What could go wrong!

And sorry but we are exactly the types of programs that should take fliers on coaches. Gopher Mens and Women's basketball is not some sort of historical powerhouse the great years are far far far outnumbered by the bad and mediocre years. The Men have been to the NCAA Tourny a whopping 14 times. In my 42 years on this Earth they have made the NCAA tourny 30% of the time and that is if you count the years that have been vacated. We are an also ran. And don't even get me started on the Women's team...

This team has no advanced history to fall back on, no previous glory days like at least the football team has. This is a program that has been riddled with scandal and underachieving since the 1970s. I remember years as a youth where we celebrated making runs to the NIT so...yeah. Taking a flier is exactly what we should be doing.
You're right. What was I thinking? I mean, we've been awful for so long now, why not just wing it and hope like all heck it just magically gets better. Or maybe hopefully gets better possibly someday, but we really don't know. Or even really care, so any warm body that applies is a legit option. Brilliant strategy. A true way to build a winner.
 

More sloppy reporting as usual. Minnesota and that other state do not have similar demographics.
 

More sloppy reporting as usual. Minnesota and that other state do not have similar demographics.
Ah...wut?

Virtually identical.

Not that that has a single thing to do with this article in the first place.
 

Not entirely true, we do have claim to the 1902 and 1919 Helms National Championships. But frustratingly the Badgers have 3 Helms Natty's during that time and your Chicago Maroon's won 3 straight Natty's in this era.


Go Gophers!!

Well I always preferred maroon to gold so...
 

You're right. What was I thinking? I mean, we've been awful for so long now, why not just wing it and hope like all heck it just magically gets better. Or maybe hopefully gets better possibly someday, but we really don't know. Or even really care, so any warm body that applies is a legit option. Brilliant strategy. A true way to build a winner.

Way to ignore the actual point to spout off nonsense. That isn't what I said and you know it.

Lets list all the coaches that have been here since the 1960s. How many of them were successful? How many did it without cheating? I will hang up and listen.

Oh wait, before you go off on a Barreiro style tangent that has nothing to do with reality...what were the backgrounds and coaching histories of all those coaches?
 


Way to ignore the actual point to spout off nonsense. That isn't what I said and you know it.

Lets list all the coaches that have been here since the 1960s. How many of them were successful? How many did it without cheating? I will hang up and listen.

Oh wait, before you go off on a Barreiro style tangent that has nothing to do with reality...what were the backgrounds and coaching histories of all those coaches?
What "reality" do you think there is? We've sucked or cheated for decades, so now we just wing it? Yeah, okay. After all, you literally said the the U should be taking total fliers on coaches. That isn't a plan. And to be honest, the U's past is exactly the reason taking a flier on multiple coaches with literally NO head coaching experience isn't a way to build a winner. Thank God you aren't an athletic administrator at a big time school.
 


I will say it again.
The MN Presidents hire the ADs
The ADs hire the coaches.
It starts at the top. Unless you are a drunk and a serial sexual predator it takes too long a time for ADs at MN to be fired for hiring non-performers.
I do not bring in Fleck, for next year he fields mostly his recruits.
 

what we don't know is this:

what restrictions were placed on Coyle as far as salary for hiring a head coach and assistants? How much micro-management was taking place by or from the Administration?

Now, if the Administration told Coyle "you have a blank check - go out and hire the best head coach and staff regardless of cost," then that is one thing.

But, if the Administration said "don't spend more than X on your coaching staff," then that is a whole 'nother kettle of fish.

Hey, Maybe Coyle isn't good at hiring coaches.

But maybe, the candidates looked at the job, the conditions, the history and the salary, and said "I can do better than that."

In the end, the Gopher men's basketball program has finished with a winning conference record in 3 of the last 25 seasons. Under multiple coaches.

so, maybe this is just a crappy job and they wind up having to hire people who are willing to work here.
Coyle hired exactly who he wanted to hire. Give Ben a chance to get a few regular recruiting classes under his belt. I suspect he will also find some transfer gems along the way as well. Only takes one HC with the right stuff to turn around a college Basketball program.
 

I will say it again.
The MN Presidents hire the ADs
The ADs hire the coaches.
It starts at the top. Unless you are a drunk and a serial sexual predator it takes too long a time for ADs at MN to be fired for hiring non-performers.
I do not bring in Fleck, for next year he fields mostly his recruits.
He's been fielding mostly his recruits for 3 years now?
 

Hasn't Texas A & M demonstrated the key to future success. Top recruits will go where they get paid the most.
 

Yes, Tubby underachieved here given his stature at the time he was hired but if a coach came here and duplicated Tubby's 6 year record, that would look pretty good compared to the last nine years.
Suppose it would be like voting for the smartest retard
 

Niko probably would have had a better year 1, assuming he would bring Roddy and a few other CSU players with him. Long-term who knows. To not even consider him, when you interviewed Ben Jacobsen and Sam Mitchell was pretty inexplicable to me.

The Gophers never interviewed Sam Mitchell. He said he was interested in the job and that was it.
 

Colorado St signed Niko to an extension for several years at $1M+ per year.

They are pretty serious in Ft Collins.
 





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