Considering their turbulent 2015-2016 season, Richard Pitino’s Gophers are not faring particularly well in most experts’ College Basketball predictions, and for good reason. The Minnesota Gophers are making every effort to start over and turn their previous defeats around. And Pitino will have a hard task proving that he actually has a place in this new regime.
Mark Coyle’s arrival signified a turning of the page, the appointment of the Athletic Director showing the University’s determination to remedy the mistakes of their past. The Gophers took somewhat of a hit when former A.D Norwood Teague resigned, the sexual harassment reports surrounding Teague forcing him to abandon the athletic department, leaving it adrift and free of the leadership it so desperately needed.
Of course, Minnesota’s problems are far more widespread than the complications arising from their basketball program, what with the news coming out of the Minneapolis Star Tribune entangling the wrestling team in a Xanax scandal.
It is little wonder that the university turned to Coyle, who is no stranger to uneasy and uncomfortable situations and positions. Coyle’s appointment at Minnesota follows a one-year stint at Syracuse, during which he had to steer the athletic department at a time when extended NCCA investigations had resulted in Syracuse being sanctioned.
Coyle took the position of Boise State Athletic director several years earlier a mere three months after their football program had been slapped with a three-year probation. Sufficing to say, Coyle is unlikely to be daunted by the complexities of the Minnesota Athletic Department.
Coyle is hardly new to the Minnesota system, having served as associate athletic director of external relations in 2001.
At this point, the only man sweating about the tasks that lie ahead is Pitino, whose ability to nurture a relationship with Coyle and endear himself once more to the Gopher fans will determine whether or not he can safeguard his future with the Gophers.
Having lost a record 23 games in the previous season, winning only two Big Ten Games, the Gophers will be looking to regain their pride, though that won’t be an easy task, especially in light of the late-season dismissal of Carlos Morris and the suspension of Dupree McBrayer.
Along with the absence of Carlos Mason and Kevin Dorsey (Kevin having transferred following a sex-tape scandal), things have only become more complicated for Minnesota in the offseason. Pitino didn’t win any points when a university audit revealed that he exceeded his private jet transportation budget by a considerable margin.
Taking into account the arrest of Center Reggie Lynch (leading to his suspension in May), the Gophers have a lot of work to do. Pitino must transform his image this season and begin rebuilding, forming a new foundation, hopefully using the talent that the 2017 recruiting class will bring.
Pitino will be looking to land lucrative prospects like Sidney Wilson, Gary Trent Junior, and Terrence Lewis. The fact that Minnesota’s 2017 High School Class is filled with so much talent should give Pitino some hope.
Minnesota has plenty of talent but it rarely translates into the results they need on the court. With Coyle and Pitino working side by side, they just might give the Gophers the focus they need to rebuild their image and compete favorably.