What grade would you give Lindsay Whalen in her first season as Gophers head coach?

[GopherHole Staff]

What grade would you give Lindsay Whalen in her first season as Gophers head coach?

 

[Katogopher]

Gave a B, 21 wins is pretty remarkable for a first year coach. Thru no fault of her own, the non conference schedule did not set them up for B1G play. Credit to her, her staff and players to come back to end up 500. I was expecting more but with Hubbard out the team became pretty thin. I’m hoping in next years poll to give a A for recruiting and for the season.

 

[tripledouble]

I'll give her a B-. Going into the season, I thought she would have an NCAA tourney team, but then the injury to Hubbard made that a much more difficult task than I imagined it to be. Also, at that time, we didn't know how much some of the new players would contribute. As it turned out, the answer was "not much". She and her staff did a good job in teaching defense and making it a priority. The offense stalled sometimes late in games. That and the lack of a bench cost the Gophers some games. She made adjustments during the season and during games. Maybe there were times when some of those adjustments could have been made earlier. Who knows? All that being said, Whalen won't be judged much based on this year. She'll have a relatively long leash here due to her status as a Minnesota sports icon. She'll eventually be judged based on her ability to recruit top talent, including and maybe especially Minnesota talent. The X's and O's won't be a problem for her as she gains more experience. Same goes for how to handle players. I appreciated her transparency this year in admitting that she was "learning on the fly". Despite the B- I am giving her, I have a lot of confidence that she will be able to turn this Gopher program into a nationally elite program.

 

[gopherdudepart2]

Solid B because of turnaround during Big 10 play.

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[hungan1]

B - Rookie Coach with no Carlie Wagner who graduated and no Diva Hubbard who was lost for the season. Twenty one wins in her inaugural season is not too shabby.

 

[EaganGopher22]

I went with an A-. I felt from the beginning of the season that she didn't have much to work with and that was before Hubbard was gone for the season. Considering what she did with several part time players in previous seasons (Lamke, Kaposi, Irene, and Brunson) to be competitive in the B1G was quite a task. Implementing a defense minded turnaround.

From everything we heard, the culture and attitude of the team was also transformed during this season. These are things that can't be easily dismissed. I also thought she did a good job in recruiting staff (and advisors) to supplement her learning curve as a head coach who was still playing in the WNBA to start her job.

It's too early to grade her as a recruiter. That will have to wait a few years. Too bad she wasn't able to get an earlier start on Buekers and others from 2020. But the University wasn't on top MN recruits' radars unless they were someone like Banham or Wagner that dreamed of being a Gopher from a young child. I think Whalen will change that with time.

 

[fanfromthevalley]

I'd go B+ as I have always been a hard grader. Made a lot of lemonade out of lemons this year. Weak non-conference schedule through no fault of her own, but made the most of it by going undefeated. Couldn't overcome the injury to Hubbard and others as the season wore on. Made great use of what she had to work with. And, made adjustments along the way and not too proud to admit it is a learning process for her. Has a tremendous staff and they work night and day to build this program back up. Within a year or two, we'll be a top 16 at seeding time and get some NCAA games in the Barn. We know what that great atmosphere can do.

 

[bball_craz_31]

I say a B. Losing Hubbard ended up being a bigger blow than most expected I feel at the beginning of the season. I appreciate Whalen being upfront about the learning curve. There were times it appeared timing of calling timeouts or play calling could of been sharper but I assume that will continue to improve with her experience. Once noticeable thing is in 8 of the teams losses, the team lead at halftime and 6 of those they were tired or ahead going into the 4th. I understand it was a shorten bench so my hope is a rotation of 8-9 next year will keep 4th quarter disasters to a minimum. I think a more challenging non-conference will help the team work out issues and address those before they are 9 games into the conference season. I do think this staff is going in the right direction. that Syracuse win was impressive. even more so looking back at this team struggling to close out games and that was a game they needed to outscore Syracuse 17-7 in the final 3-4 minutes to win. I hope this isn't too harsh but I feel Bell is the only senior that has irreplaceable qualities. I'm not saying Lamke, Kaposi and Irene didn't have solid parts to their game, I'm just saying with Hubbard coming back and the incoming 5 freshman I see their contributions being replaced right away with little difficulty. Bell's speed and athleticism will be hard if not impossible to replace. However I'm hoping having 3-4 legit 3-point options and depth will be able to help cover up that. My guess is Hubbard will slide into Bell's starting spot along with Pitts and Taiye as expected starters. the other two positions are wide open for the taking in my opinion.

Overall Whalen and staff will need to show they can grow as coaches and continue moving forward. Barring injuries again I would think NCAA tournament should be an expectation for the team. If the team continues to have 4th quarter issues closing games with the additional depth next year, I think it should be a cause for at least slight concern but I hope that it was simply a biproduct of having a 6-player rotation this season.

 

[tripledouble]

Well said, bball.

 

[GringaGopher]

Solid B. She made the difficult transition from player to coach and there is never a guarantee that because you were a star player you will be a great coach. I saw her make adjustments, highlighted playing defense and rebounding and she is establishing relationships with many local high school coaches. Her ability to recruit top talent is what will define the next few years and I remain hopeful. Go Gophers !

 

[Ski U Mah Gopher]

After 35 votes Lindsey has a 2.71 GPA. A solid B-.

 

[bbwannabe]

After 35 votes Lindsey has a 2.71 GPA. A solid B-.

The statistical answer is a B-. Injuries, Hubbard injury, short bench and inherited SOS were factors that Lyndsay did her best with considering. She deserves a higher score than a B-. If it were a lemonade from lemon score, she should get an A-. I’m looking forward to next season.

 

[CutDownTheNet]

The statistical answer is a B-. Injuries, Hubbard injury, short bench and inherited SOS were factors that Lyndsay did her best with considering. She deserves a higher score than a B-. If it were a lemonade from lemon score, she should get an A-. I’m looking forward to next season.

That’s why I gave her an A-. Nobody’s perfect, not even Whay. Thus the minus. But we are (or at least should be) grading Lindsay’s quality of coaching effort here, not the season results. If this were a 5 x 100 relay race that she was coaching, the metaphoric analogy would be as if one of her 5 sprinters was injured so they needed to have some other sprinter run 200 yards, plus they moved our starting blocks back 50 yards. We’re not going to win that race, but you sure gotta admire what Lindsay was able to do to make her players competitive, and inspire them toward the effort they made in spite of their handicaps.

Plus, the level of respect that the players have for their coach is clearly apparent. They seem to have a certain level of joy in playing for Whay.

 

[Aesop70]

Who gave her D's and an F? There is no legitimate argument. That has to be trolls from other teams. Admins should use that poll as a litmus test and jettison those individuals from the forum.

 

[CutDownTheNet]

That’s why I gave her an A-. Nobody’s perfect, not even Whay. Thus the minus. But we are (or at least should be) grading Lindsay’s quality of coaching effort here, not the season results. If this were a 5 x 100 relay race that she was coaching, the metaphoric analogy would be as if one of her 5 sprinters was injured so they needed to have some other sprinter run 200 yards, plus they moved our starting blocks back 50 yards. We’re not going to win that race, but you sure gotta admire what Lindsay was able to do to make her players competitive, and inspire them toward the effort they made in spite of their handicaps.

Plus, the level of respect that the players have for their coach is clearly apparent. They seem to have a certain level of joy in playing for Whay.

> They seem to have a certain level of joy in playing for Whay.

Some player comments from MN Daily article mentioned in parallel thread, "Minnesota women's basketball team reflects on season" ...

Mercedes Staples:
“We went through a stretch where we didn’t win in the Big Ten,” said Mercedes Staples. “But we came back stronger and pushed through that. … We know there’s a lot of potential that can help us leading to next year.”

Staples remains hopeful about the future of the team, given her relationship with Whalen.

“It was amazing; her basketball IQ is incredible,” Staples said. “She taught me so much after just one year, so I’m excited to have three more with her.”

Taiye Bello:
Bello was a cornerstone of this year’s team, and she agrees that the team has reason to be positive when reflecting on the 2018 to 2019 season.

“This was our first year together with a new coaching staff," she said. "I think, despite all the adversity we faced, overall this was a great year for us.

“With Coach Whalen, I feel like the energy was just different, different in a better way.”

 

[tripledouble]

Yes, from the quotes from the Daily article, it looks like Staples intends to return. If you look at the elite eight teams in both men's and women's hoops this year, depth is extremely important. More depth than either the Gopher women's or men's team showed this past season. I'm hoping for a grad transfer or two for Whalen's group...don't know if that's in the cards or not. Even if not, I'm thinking that with the return of Hubbard and the five new frosh coming in next year, the team should be deeper.

I was surprised and delighted to hear the quotes from Staples and Bello in the Daily. Wasn't aware that there was any kind of energy problem under Stollings, but Bello would certainly know, as she was there for both. In my opinion, if Whalen lets her true personality show through as a coach, she'll do very well.

 

[bleedsmaroonandgold]

I went with a C. Promising start, but then that start to B1G play was brutal.

 

[Whytetale]

I went with a C. Promising start, but then that start to B1G play was brutal.

So, you didn't like the second half B1G adjustments and wins?

 

[oak_street1981]

She did not get as much out of her roster as the previous coach did in 2017/18, but transition in staffs can be difficult.

I expected a bit more this year, but I had speculated in early 2018 that Stollings would get fired nad Walen was the logical replacement, and that is what sort of happened.

Whalen will be a huge success, even if some spoiled brat local players are not at the core of that success.

 

[bball_craz_31]

Just a quick reminder, Stollings also had a healthy Diva Hubbard and Senior Carlie Wagner in 17-18. Give Whalen those two players along with the team she had this team and we are talking about a Sweet 16 team.

She did not get as much out of her roster as the previous coach did in 2017/18, but transition in staffs can be difficult.

I expected a bit more this year, but I had speculated in early 2018 that Stollings would get fired nad Walen was the logical replacement, and that is what sort of happened.

Whalen will be a huge success, even if some spoiled brat local players are not at the core of that success.

 

[Ignatius L Hoops]

https://wnursports.com/2019/04/09/big-ten-womens-basketball-power-rankings-april-edition/

An outsider assessment from WNUR's Ari Levin who had some fun doing B1G power rankings during the season.

Minnesota Golden Gophers • 21-11 (9-9) • Last week: 6

I really thought Minnesota was going to make more of a run. I thought they figured everything out and were going to go back to where they were at the start of the season. But one tough game ends all that.

To start, they had a great first-round WNIT win over Northern Iowa. They scored 91 points. Destiny Pitts had 27 of those. Kenisha Bell had 22 more, with 12 assists and seven rebounds. To the best of my knowledge, nobody in the Big Ten recorded a triple double this year, but Bell was pretty close. They had a ridiculous 1.37 points per scoring attempt.

But the loss to Cincinnati hurts, despite 25 points from Bell. Pitts was just 3-16 from the field. They had only four offensive rebounds, moreover, and lost the rebounding margin by 14.

Grade: C

This one hurts for Minnesota. They had high expectations at the beginning of the year and were seemingly living up to it. Then the collapse right in the middle. The toughest part may have been having to soldier through the rest of the season for two months knowing that their tournament hopes were dead. Maybe next year they’ll have a deeper bench and find more success. But without Bell initiating the offense, it won’t be any easier for Lindsey Whalen.

 

[hungan1]

She did just fine as a rookie head coach with new staff dealing with a short bench. IMHO, she's learning along with the staff and players.

I'd give her four years or sooner before she gets everything figured out to make a run for a B1G title. It all boils down to recruiting talent.