Agree. I support the program and PJ greatly… but I get tired of the idea that he is finding, cultivating, raising up, and nurturing these great leaders and then sending them out.
Both of you can be right. You both are.
Am I missing something? What has he publicly said about a player that left, Bucky Irving for example? What are basing this comment on because it sounds very speculative to me?
Credit PJ, and what I appreciate about his approach in situations like this, he ALWAYS takes the high road. I would never expect him to trash anyone for any reason. But Brick Haley is a good example for my previous statement… Haley was with the gophers for a year. I don’t think PJ can take credit for raising and then sending him out.
Dixon. A guy who busted his ass for Fleck and the Gophers program, contributed significantly to the defense this season, decided to look for more playing time elsewhere, and the first presser immediately after that Fleck won't even say his name, as if he never was here.
It'd be more entertaining that way.
Yeah, I think you're being overly sensitive!
I also think his approach will stand the test of the Portal times. He truly takes guys who want to be Gophers and doesn't seem to stretch for players when recruiting. He only brings in guys to seemingly fill needs in the portal.
What do you want him to say? Why highlight a player deciding to leave? It’s hardly casting him aside. Dixon chose to leave in his own, He doesn’t need or deserve praise on the way out. He didn’t graduate or leave for the pros, he left the team presumably due to decisions made by the coaches, now you want them to applaud him?
I do too … i think he only student taught and didn’t actually have a regular teaching job.
Literally Jim Rome is buying him and putting him on his show?
There's always a spectrum. You're talking about one (absurd) end of it, and Fleck went much more towards the other end. What about somewhere in the middle?
Ok when you are head coach you can talk up your players that leave. Doesn’t bother me one bit that Fleck basically shrugs them off, I actually prefer it.There's always a spectrum. You're talking about one (absurd) end of it, and Fleck went much more towards the other end. What about somewhere in the middle?
Watch this:
"Michael was a tremendous player for the 2022 Gophers defense, and he is a tremendous young man. He made a decision for personal reasons to leave our program, and I won't get into those reasons, but I appreciate the effort he gave our program while he was out there, and I wish him well."
Was that so hard?
Your memory is correct.
"Talk up"
I doubt it moves the needle for recruits. Zero reason to highlight transferring players any more than necessary. Doesn’t show that he doesn’t care about them, but he doesn’t need to thank them for a year or two of service when he probably would’ve liked to have used the scholarship on a player that was committed for four or five.
