Don't think I owe anyone an explanation for starting this thread (like I said, I used comparative numbers, with no offering of opinion on said numbers), but to set the record straight here's how I've felt about our last three coaches (excluding interim Coach Mo). Can't say it with 100% certainty -- it was quite awhile ago as it pertains to Monson & Tubby -- but I feel pretty comfortable saying I expressed these opinions in this forum.
Cliff notes version, to spare all of you some time. ...
Monson: At the end (certainly last couple seasons) I was more than ready to see Monson go, and expressed that here. I had had enough of underachieving teams spanning several seasons (Rickert, Rychart, Bennett, Holman, Grier (2nd year), Hargrow, etc., but most notably I couldn't stomach the program's maddening ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory time after time after time. And The Barn became a flat-out mausoleum.
Tubby: I liked Tubby, truly appreciate (and always will) what he did for this program, did not call for his firing, but I understood it when it happened. I was neither outraged or gleeful when Teague let him go. Teague turned out to be Bozo, we all know that, but I understand the deal when a new AD comes in, eventually they want to make their own "splash" hires in their major programs. That was the case with Teague. I had some of the same frustrations about Tubby as a lot of you did, but not to the point where I thought, "We have to fire him."
Pitino: This one's easy. I haven't call for his firing (though I have expressed an affinity for Niko Medved), and see some things I really like. Contrary to what posters like alchemy2u think, if I'm a Pitino basher I'd like to know what he calls the trolls who show up only after Gopher losses and spread their sunshine. Truthfully, I'm not even on the board that much anymore, comparatively, and I'm certainly not here tearing Richard a new one.
In fact, prior to the season, while others were saying "Pitino has to go if we don't get to the NCAA Tournament", I said I didn't think it was that cut & dried. Need to see how the season goes, how the Gophers get to whatever record they end up with, how they finish, is program showing signs of real progress on and off the court, etc.?
That's my ramble for the day. ... try not to take it personally or get all uptight when I post stats. I've done that for many, many, many years, and will continue to do so. I've always loved numbers. ... if you haven't figured that out by now, you're not paying attention!
Let's roll! Let's get EC back, get him back to relative good health, then go beat the Badgers in Madison. It can be done, but Gophers will have to match Badgers' toughness with toughness of their own. A win in Kohl could really get some positive momentum going.