Sid Hartman: Gophers' Pitino gets $400K pay increase

Donate To GopherHole
I'm not in control of the outcome

dpodoll68 said:
Three times in the next four years just to match. Care to make a wager whether that happens?
Click to expand...
If Pitino's plans don't derail, I think the Gophers expect to be in the NCAA 3x in the next four years. I'm not expecting next year but anything is possible. I do expect they will be in the following 3 years.
And if they are not in 3x, then the trajectory better be somehow ascending or we'll be talking about a new coach or should be...certainly he has to make it 2 out of 4 just to keep his job?
Pitino can coach basketball on the court. He is a better coach than Miles. Can he manage a roster? If we recruit 7 new guys again in any one year in the next four, that's part of coaching and not acceptable.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
This may well be the cost of doing business, but it's an image issue. Coach has less-than-successful season (for a number of reasons) and gets a raise. Hard-core sports fans may understand why he got the raise, but less rabid fans see a very young coach getting a raise after a losing season. In almost any other profession, a "losing season" - i.e. lower sales/performance - does not earn you a raise.

Norwood Teague may be a very good AD when it comes to managing an athletic department and hiring coaches, but I get the sense that he is tone-deaf when it comes to understanding image and public reaction.
Click to expand...

But, remember, at the time Pitino was reportedly being wooed by Alabama, most Gopher fans were saying no way would Pitino leave for that job, its a lateral move, why would he leave here for there? Etc.

So, in Norwood's world, at the time, he's probably thinking "I can't lose Pitino to Bama when most of my fan base thinks that job is not better than this one." So, Norwood likely is figuring he better do something to make sure the coach stays. He probably was trying to understand "image and public relations" too much at that time, figuring he'd look bad if he lost a coach to a job that most in his fan base thought was a lateral move. So, he did what he had to to keep his coach.

And, I'm not debating whether the Bama job is better than Minnesota. Not the topic here. What I'm saying is the perception of many was the job was a lateral move and if Norwood can't keep his coach from making a lateral jump, he'd have looked bad. That has to be much of what drove this at the time.

You know darn well, if Pitino had bolted, the narrative from the genius sports talk hosts in this town (and many fans) would have been Norwood can't even keep his coach from taking the basketball job at Alabama. Is Norwood really up for this job? So, Norwood gives the coach the money.
 

Someone mentioned something about this being a raise based on recruiting. That doesn't seem to make sense. Pitino is attracting essentially all 3-star players (except for Dorsey according to Rivals), which is right around average for this program. I'm not sure an extra 400K is going to do much good if a higher-profile program comes calling either. Ok, so he makes 1.3M now. Let's say the Gophers make the NCAAs next year and he's offered a job at 2.7M. It wouldn't matter, he'd be gone. Plus, the timing is awful. If Teague was planning on giving him a raise, at least wait until we see the results of his third season and hand it out if he wins.
 

Pitino 's original contract had raises built in. In the absence of exceeding the expectations associated with original contract ,additional raises are not warranted. Last season was a failure! A coach using interest from other programs rather than performance, as leverage for contract modifications does not deserve extra compensation. That is a poor precedent to set. As a matter of principal and ethics no extra raise should have been given. The 400K a year will have to come from somewhere . The 400k could have been used to fund improved facilities which in turn could improve recruiting , facilitate more wins, increase revenue and generate just cause for increased levels of compensation for the BBall coach.
 

I wish most of you guys were on the board of directors for a lot of companies and got to decide CEO pay. This is just the world we live in. it doesn't matter if you do well or not if you are the top dog you get a raise until you get fired and then you get a golden parachute.
 


60's Guy said:
He is a better coach than Miles.
Click to expand...

Ha. Based on what? The fact that Miles has more wins, multiple Tournament appearances (as opposed to zero), has taken multiple schools to the NCAA Tournament (as opposed to zero), has lifted himself from a no-name farm boy to a Big Ten coaching job as opposed to merely having the right last name? Or maybe Richard Pitino's 1-2 record against Tim Miles is evidence that he is a better coach.
 

dpodoll68 said:
Ha. Based on what? The fact that Miles has a better winning percentage, more wins, more Tournament appearances, has taken multiple schools to the NCAA Tournament (as opposed to zero), has lifted himself from a no-name farm boy to a Big Ten coaching job as opposed to merely having the right last name? Or maybe Richard Pitino's 1-2 record against Tim Miles is evidence that he is a better coach.
Click to expand...

Hold on there

Tim miles career 326-296(.542) and in the BIG 21-33(.389)
Richard Pitino career 61-42(.592) and in the BIG 14-22(.389)
 

Tim1406 said:
Hold on there

Tim miles career 326-296(.542) and in the BIG 21-33(.389)
Richard Pitino career 61-42(.592) and in the BIG 14-22(.389)
Click to expand...

Correct. It was my mistake in posting it initially, which is why I edited it out.
 

Gopher Warrior said:
If you're a taxpayer that is certainly debatable.
Click to expand...

How much did this raise cost you or me personally? Since I only watch games on TV, I want to know how much I should be outraged. Thanks in advance.
 



dpodoll68 said:
Tim Miles is far more accomplished than Richard Pitino. He has proven himself successful at multiple schools. Pitino has proven himself successful at zero.
Click to expand...

Couldn't say it any better. What exactly has Richard Pitino accomplished other than the NIT title? That said, I'd be willing to give him the benefit of the doubt AND the money if I wasn't well convinced that he and papa Rick are just waiting for a better offer.
 

Lots of penny-wise, pound-foolish in this thread. Do you want to be in the big leagues or not? The university needs to take calculated risks to get there. Period. Some of you sound like you would prefer the mush of Maturi, rather than the aggressiveness of NT. Go cheer for some D3 team and leave us to try to figure out how to get this ship sailing. Tubby went to 3 NCAAs? Big effing deal. What did he do there? He won, what, one game? That's a pathetically low bar. It's irrelevant.
 

GopherJake said:
Lots of penny-wise, pound-foolish in this thread. Do you want to be in the big leagues or not? The university needs to take calculated risks to get there. Period. Some of you sound like you would prefer the mush of Maturi, rather than the aggressiveness of NT. Go cheer for some D3 team and leave us to try to figure out how to get this ship sailing. Tubby went to 3 NCAAs? Big effing deal. What did he do there? He won, what, one game? That's a pathetically low bar. It's irrelevant.
Click to expand...

That's the Minnesota way! That's one of the reasons we have many successful people, and a great economy, but that's also probably why we are consistent losers in every sport.
 

dpodoll68 said:
Correct. It was my mistake in posting it initially, which is why I edited it out.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't call it a mistake at all. Personally, I think a .542 career winning percentage with 326 career wins means more than a .592 career winning percentage with 61 wins. There is also the issue of where they coached. Miles took a DII school into DI and a coach doing that isn't likely to have a great record. Miles also took over a basement dwelling Big Ten team that had very few accomplishments in its entire history.

Having said that, Miles was probably the only Big Ten coach with a more disappointing team performance than Pitino this year. Nevertheless, I agree that Pitino hasn't shown so far that he is worth more than Miles and I wouldn't say he is worth more than McCaffrey although he might be a little better recruiter.
 



We need to close down this thread. It is just the same few imbeciles rambling on about how they hate Pitino.

Turning around program expectations takes time and if you are too stupid to see through one "catastrophic" season then just go back to yelling at kids on the playground.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

GopherJake said:
Lots of penny-wise, pound-foolish in this thread. Do you want to be in the big leagues or not? The university needs to take calculated risks to get there. Period. Some of you sound like you would prefer the mush of Maturi, rather than the aggressiveness of NT. Go cheer for some D3 team and leave us to try to figure out how to get this ship sailing. Tubby went to 3 NCAAs? Big effing deal. What did he do there? He won, what, one game? That's a pathetically low bar. It's irrelevant.
Click to expand...

Yup see a problem ...throw more of others people money at it ,close your eyes and it will be fixed. If only the Gophs would have payed Monson a couple more million a year he would have won an NCAA championship.
 


alchemy2u said:
We need to close down this thread. It is just the same few imbeciles rambling on about how they hate Pitino.

Turning around program expectations takes time and if you are too stupid to see through one "catastrophic" season then just go back to yelling at kids on the playground.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

+19
 

The Brain Trust said:
Yup see a problem ...throw more of others people money at it ,close your eyes and it will be fixed. If only the Gophs would have payed Monson a couple more million a year he would have won an NCAA championship.
Click to expand...
Men's basketball operates in the black, DieHard. It's their money.
 

To be clear - if the Gophers go out next year, win 20+ games, make the NCAA - essentially exceed all (or most) expectations - I would have NO problem with Pitino getting a salary bump. I just think that a raise should be earned, not given out automatically. I don't hate Pitino - I just want to see forward progress in the program. I hope this recruiting class provides forward progress - but we're going to have to wait and see how the team plays next year before we can determine that.
 

Does anyone actually know why Pitino got a raise?

Because this was reported by Sid, and I know that was he reports always turns out to be gold. To boot, he used the word "apparently"... Sounds super legit.

Is Pitino's contract public record? Could this be a raise that was built into his contract from day one?

Lots of ornery, cheap Minnesotan-Esque opinions in this thread.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
To be clear - if the Gophers go out next year, win 20+ games, make the NCAA - essentially exceed all (or most) expectations - I would have NO problem with Pitino getting a salary bump. I just think that a raise should be earned, not given out automatically. I don't hate Pitino - I just want to see forward progress in the program. I hope this recruiting class provides forward progress - but we're going to have to wait and see how the team plays next year before we can determine that.
Click to expand...

What makes you think it wasn't earned? You do not have all of the information that NT has and it was his decision. For all you know, Pitino may have made such dramatic improvements in the program that he NT felt he should be paid more than the minimum for a B1G coach. Don't be so naive.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 

short ornery norwegian said:
To be clear - if the Gophers go out next year, win 20+ games, make the NCAA - essentially exceed all (or most) expectations - I would have NO problem with Pitino getting a salary bump. I just think that a raise should be earned, not given out automatically. I don't hate Pitino - I just want to see forward progress in the program. I hope this recruiting class provides forward progress - but we're going to have to wait and see how the team plays next year before we can determine that.
Click to expand...

F U GW
 

Lol I heard the same crap on here when kill got a raise after a couple years when u clowns were trying to run him out of town. There were a few of us who could see what a good coach looks like. Pitino is in the same category I am fine with the raise he is a talented recruiter and a solid coach. U don't keep changing coaches. It will be another tough year this year but there is good days coming.
 

alchemy2u said:
What makes you think it wasn't earned? You do not have all of the information that NT has and it was his decision. For all you know, Pitino may have made such dramatic improvements in the program that he NT felt he should be paid more than the minimum for a B1G coach. Don't be so naive.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

I'm inclined to trust the decisions of Mr Teague more than some of the jokers on this thread.:cool02:
 


alchemy2u said:
What makes you think it wasn't earned? You do not have all of the information that NT has and it was his decision. For all you know, Pitino may have made such dramatic improvements in the program that he NT felt he should be paid more than the minimum for a B1G coach. Don't be so naive.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

In my time as a Gopher fan, I've seen the following coaches put winning teams on the court - Bill Musselman, Jim Dutcher, Clem Haskins, and Tubby Smith. Even the often-maligned Dan Monson had a season where he went 21-11, 10-6 in the B1G and went to the NCAA tournament.

Again - I do NOT hate Pitino - I think he could very well turn into a quality coach. but "dramatic improvements" in the program? Pitino has been Gopher coach for 2 seasons. His first season was very promising. his 2nd season was - at the very least - somewhat disappointing. The next few years will be the real test, when he has a full chance to implement his system with his own recruits. If I like what I see, I'll say so. If I don't like what I see, I'll say so. If I had to give Pitino a grade right now, it would be "Incomplete," because I don't feel I have seen enough to render a final verdict.
 

Phone call two years prior...
Richard: "Well Dad, what do you think about this Minnesota offer?"
Rick: "Listen Richard, you've got to build a resume if you want to succeed in big time basketball. This Minnesota job is a no-lose proposition. It's a struggling program in a great conference so you go there for a couple of years and, if you lose or maintain the status quo, you get great experience and get to pick an equivalent job for more money, but if you win, you get a job at a basketball school for big money- like me. Either way, its three or four years to payday."
Richard: "But what about loyalty Dad?"
Rick: "Grow up son. You DO realize that you were Teague's 15th choice. Besides, what ties do you have to Minnesota?"
Richard: "I guess. I'm sure glad I've got you around to help me figure things out."
Rick: "Sure thing son. But listen, I've got to run now to meet some boosters who can get my pay raise approved."
Richard: "Love you Dad."
click...bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
 

To suggest this was a political decision to delay with no proof is horrible journalism
BleedGopher said:
per Pat:

The idea that this raise was coming had been in the wind with the local sports media for several weeks – that Teague planned to give a raise to Richard Pitino, the Gophers’ young and so far unsuccessful men’s basketball coach, as soon as the Legislative session came to a conclusion.

If that was the case, that the university wanted this information to come after the political business in St. Paul was concluded, then that timeline can be presumed to have come from Kaler.

Reason: The university is always at the Legislature begging for more, and Kaler’s people would not want to run into even one politician who would say, “You must have more money that you need over there if you’re handing it out to Rich Pitino for no Earthly reason.’’

Pitino was hired to replace the fired Tubby Smith after the 2012-13 season. The Gophers missed the NCAA tournament and won the NIT in 2013-14. They brought back an experienced team with adequate talent in 2014-15 and completely fell on their faces.

Most observers considered them 50-50 for the NCAA before the start of the season. The Gophers were never in contention for the NCAA. They were 6-12 in the Big Ten, a season that became such a disaster that they didn’t even get a place in the NIT.

There are 68 teams in the NCAA and another 32 get named to the NIT, the traditional consolation tournament. That means Richard Pitino’s Gophers did not figure in the nation’s top 100 for the postseason.

http://www.startribune.com/title-ix...of-turn-to-page-c3-of-star-tribune/306948951/

Go Gophers!!
Click to expand...
 

short ornery norwegian said:
In my time as a Gopher fan, I've seen the following coaches put winning teams on the court - Bill Musselman, Jim Dutcher, Clem Haskins, and Tubby Smith. Even the often-maligned Dan Monson had a season where he went 21-11, 10-6 in the B1G and went to the NCAA tournament.

Again - I do NOT hate Pitino - I think he could very well turn into a quality coach. but "dramatic improvements" in the program? Pitino has been Gopher coach for 2 seasons. His first season was very promising. his 2nd season was - at the very least - somewhat disappointing. The next few years will be the real test, when he has a full chance to implement his system with his own recruits. If I like what I see, I'll say so. If I don't like what I see, I'll say so. If I had to give Pitino a grade right now, it would be "Incomplete," because I don't feel I have seen enough to render a final verdict.
Click to expand...

Yada yada yada...... It doesn't matter what YOU think or what evaluations YOU have made. It is NT that calls the shots and reports are that the quality of the coaching and teaching in the program have been significantly upgraded. It has not yet shown up full on the court, but it takes some time to build. If you haven't the patience to wait then find something else to get your undies in a bundle over. It is better to be thought a fool then to open your mouth and remove all doubt.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Wins
Recruiting
Player development
Practice structure
Institutional control
Study habits of players
Grades and API
Management of assistant coaches
Public relations
Etc
etc

With respect to this raise, everyone is so g-darn focused on wins. Important, yes. But get over yourself if you think the other stuff doesn't matter when evaluating a coach after two years. Teague believed in Pitino, but underpaid slightly out of the gate. He's bumping him in salary because the program is coming around in the other areas. When more wins come, he'll get more bumps in pay and you all will probably complain again.
 

You must log in or register to reply here.



Top Bottom