To The Tubby Timeline!

[Gopher Bandanna Guy]

Was recently putting together a blogpost over at The Daily Big Ten to try and wrap my head around formulating a reasonable opinion about what Tubby's future should be at the U, and decided to build a timeline to go chronologically lay out the trials and tribulations of under his tenure. I left out the Jimmy Williams lawsuit, but perhaps I underestimate the level of distraction it provided Tubby?

The remaining misfortunes are worse than I thought when laid all out. What it comes down to is how much blame are you willing to place at Tubby's feet on some of the key milestones on that timeline. Particularly transfers/defections.

After working thru this timeline, and then thinking about coaching philosophy and gametime decisions, I concluded that I still wasn't ready to call for Tubby's head yet. But I think the rest of this Big Ten season will give me the answer I've been avoiding dealing with directly... for better or worse.

Appreciate your take, check it out here:
http://dailybigten.com/2012/01/10/whats-gone-wrong-with-the-gophers-its-complicated-to-the-tubby-timeline/

 

[short ornery norwegian]

One thought - if you're going to compare Tubby to Dan Munson, remember this - Munson was brought in at one of the lowest points in program history. The academic scandal had put the Gophs in a very negative spotlight. The faculty was embarassed, and the program was on a very short leash, so they couldn't take any risks on borderline recruits. Not to mention restrictions and sanctions on recruiting and scholarships.

Bottom line- Munson was coaching with one hand tied behind his back. Don't forget - Munson was a hot prospect based on his success at Gonzaga, and he's doing a nice job at his new school. He didn't suddenly become stupid just because he crossed the Minnesota state line.

I submit to you that, due to the circumstances he inherited, Dan Munson actually did a better job as coach than Tubby has. Yes, there are situations he could have handled better (Pryzbilla leaving, Chris Humphries and his father, etc.), but in general, I think Munson has gotten a bad rap from Gopher fans. He deserves more respect for being willing to walk into a terrible situation and trying his best.

 

[station19]

MONSON

 

[Gopher Bandanna Guy]

One thought - if you're going to compare Tubby to Dan Munson, remember this - Munson was brought in at one of the lowest points in program history. The academic scandal had put the Gophs in a very negative spotlight. The faculty was embarassed, and the program was on a very short leash, so they couldn't take any risks on borderline recruits. Not to mention restrictions and sanctions on recruiting and scholarships.

Bottom line- Munson was coaching with one hand tied behind his back. Don't forget - Munson was a hot prospect based on his success at Gonzaga, and he's doing a nice job at his new school. He didn't suddenly become stupid just because he crossed the Minnesota state line.

I submit to you that, due to the circumstances he inherited, Dan Munson actually did a better job as coach than Tubby has. Yes, there are situations he could have handled better (Pryzbilla leaving, Chris Humphries and his father, etc.), but in general, I think Munson has gotten a bad rap from Gopher fans. He deserves more respect for being willing to walk into a terrible situation and trying his best.

Fair points to be sure, Ornery. To me - by the end of Monson's tenure though the handicap provided by Clem's improprieties were gone, and there didn't seem like much room for growth any more. With Tubby, I feel like there have been so many extenuating circumstances that, I'm not sure what we have now (let alone what we COULD have had if players would have been retained). I certainly don't mean to be unfair to Monson, but I also think he had maxed out what he could accomplish at Minnesota.

 

[Becky Vadger]

I still consider myself a big Tubby fan. I think most of our poor results while he has been here has been due to rotten luck, but I have to admit that this past season and a half have me wondering if maybe Tubby might be better off retiring and letting a younger guy with more energy try to finish rebuilding our program.