Sid says facilities should really boost Gophers’ ability to recruit elite athletes

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BleedGopher

BleedGopher

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per Sid:

Friday is a historic day for the University of Minnesota, as the Board of Regents will vote to approve an athletics facilities plan that would greatly improve the Gophers athletic department.

This should really boost the Gophers’ ability to recruit elite athletes, retain top-tier coaches and most of all produce winning teams, something they have not been able to do on a consistent basis.

The big question is if these facilities, budgeted for $166 million, will be able to create a winning culture for Gophers football and men’s basketball, something that has mostly eluded the university over the past 50 years.

There is simply no reason why this university can’t succeed and win Big Ten championships in football and men’s basketball. Minnesota is one of five states that features only one Division I athletics program. The others are Hawaii, Maine, Vermont and Wyoming. The combined population of those four states is still smaller than Minnesota’s population.

There has to be no other state in the country that is better suited to attract local talent to its top college program, but the Gophers have struggled to win despite what should be such a gigantic advantage in recruiting. Consider the number of Fortune 500 companies here — that alone should attract good athletes, because after competing in their respective sports there’s a better possibility for solid future employment.

http://www.startribune.com/facilities-will-provide-push-u-athletics-need/331495231/

Go Gophers!!
 

The Fortune 500 argument is hard to make when you're talking about truly elite, blue-chip athletes (and that's who I'm assuming Sid is referring to here), because their focus for future employment is on the NFL and NBA, not 3M and Medtronic. If those facilities, and coaches, can help produce a consistent pipeline to the highest levels of their sport, then yes, we'll have a chance, but not because they can have a 30-year career as a brand manager at General Mills.
 


He's right but probably for the wrong reasons. In the final analysis there IS no reason why Minnesota can't win Big Ten championships from time to time. Saying that it can't be done is a lazy cop-out.
 

If UW can do it Minnesota can do it. All it takes is hiring the right head coach. Virginia won the ACC back to back by hiring the right coach. Think of that, Winning that conference back to back. Perhaps Pitino is that guy. The answer will be revealed within 3 years. If you have not cracked the top 3 in 5 years he simply has not done his job
 


builtbadgers said:
. ... The answer will be revealed within 3 years. If you have not cracked the top 3 in 5 years he simply has not done his job
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I applaud you for reaching high, but top 3 in the Big Ten in 5 years? I'm not entirely sold on Pitino, but that's an awfully high bar to set for him. That means two seasons from now finishing ahead of the lion's share of Michigan State, Wisconsin, Ohio State, Michigan, Indiana, and Maryland, not to mention the likes of Illinois, Iowa, and Purdue.

After last year's underachieving and disappointing season, how about 2 seasons from now (2017-18) being in the top half of the B1G and earning a 2nd consecutive NCAA berth? Not trying to set a low bar at all, just think that's more realistic for the Gopher program where it sits right now. ... one of the bottom 5 in the conference.
 

Well I would say it unties our hands from behind our backs, or to put it another way we now have a four legged horse instead of a three. Still need the right guys to sell the vision.
 

If Pitino is special,truly special he will be able to go top 3 within 5 years. It is a very tough job but the only thing constant is change and you need to pass others on the way down.
 

builtbadgers said:
If Pitino is special,truly special he will be able to go top 3 within 5 years. It is a very tough job but the only thing constant is change and you need to pass others on the way down.
Click to expand...

I'd settle for a sweat-free Selection Sunday and then I'll go from there.

EDIT: sweat-free when they are actually included in the field of 68.
 



expect more, aim high. There is nothing standing in the way of winning a conference title and or going deep into the NCAA tourney within 5 years of being hired. Every great coach has done this by the end of year 5. It should be expected.
 

I agree that expectations should be high, but I would give him a few more years. The U wasn't a natural draw for top players when Pitino came and and he had two years of players that didn't fit his system. It will take a few years to build the reputation for the big players.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 

What I'd like to see

SelectionSunday said:
I applaud you for reaching high, but top 3 in the Big Ten in 5 years? I'm not entirely sold on Pitino, but that's an awfully high bar to set for him. That means two seasons from now finishing ahead of the lion's share of Michigan State, Wisconsin, Ohio State, Michigan, Indiana, and Maryland, not to mention the likes of Illinois, Iowa, and Purdue.

After last year's underachieving and disappointing season, how about 2 seasons from now (2017-18) being in the top half of the B1G and earning a 2nd consecutive NCAA berth? Not trying to set a low bar at all, just think that's more realistic for the Gopher program where it sits right now. ... one of the bottom 5 in the conference.
Click to expand...

I think having a winning record in the Big Ten is a realistic goal three years from now. That has happened twice in the last 18 years.
 

Year 5? In this conference? That's absurd when you figure in that we won't even have a practice facility til how late into that? How much recent success did we have prior to him? That's a tough sell to recruits. It's always going to be a more gradual climb, especially when Pitino is so young and is learning on the job. You can't honestly think that if he finished 4th in one of those years and were trending upward that it would be a good idea to fire him.
 



Patience people, ...........................Patience.
 

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