Look, I understand the frustration with the Gophers basketball as I feel it as well...I still think there is GOOD REASON that Richard Pitino was Big Ten coach of the year, last year.. He has made mistakes in recruiting and in strategy but I do think he is in an awfully difficult spot that is NOT ALL OF HIS MAKING.. I do think that he probably need to be more strategic in his recruiting and get better, longer athletes, if possible... We are working so hard for shots and it brings me back to the Tubby days where we don't have offensive movement to create open passes and conversions.
I know people have commented on Tony Bennett at Virginia as having an offense kin to watching paint dry... Well, I would take Tony Bennett in a heartbeat, regardless of years... His teams play good defense and they WIN...WIN IS THE KEY... I happen to like good passing and team ball.. Bennett runs a motion offense and that gets guys open, regardless of defense because you are constantly moving the defense around to create easier offense. I said the same about Bo Ryan AS A BASKETBALL COACH... It is ironic that his HS days were spent on a team that was 'run and gun'(true story). But the common theme is WINNING... I like WINNING regardless of style of play. Discipline on both ends of the floor is fun to watch as well, IMO. These teams aren't exactly playing 4-corners offense and there is a shot clock so the action is more than tolerable with coaches playing their styles. Bennett and Ryan both have turned out NBA players so they cant be too slow with all their talent.. Of course Ryan is gone but yes I was a fan of their style of play as much as I was a Shaka Smart or Paul Westhead, in the day.
I don't think Pitino will get fired after this season but I do think that it is fair to expect him to develop players and more importantly DEVELOP A GOOD TEAM... That last part is the criteria I am looking for.. A team that does not quit when behind.. A team that comes out of timeouts better than when they went in to the TO. Adjustments at half.... When those things exist, we need to encourage players and coaches... Pitino won a NIT and had a great record last year... Don't think all of it was just serendipity. Pitino HAS MADE MISTAKES, no doubt.. But he is still a coach that has enough of a track record of success to give him the benefit of the doubt here.
I still think that some of the most important coaching here has to be about the OFF COURT stuff.. Sexual harassment is a big deal and we have people watching real closely on this campus at our athletes, all the time... That should be engrained into Oturu, Omersa, and Kalscheur before they get to campus next year... No illegal activity or questionable things that could blow up into huge issues. They are kids but they do have responsibility as representatives of the school, whether that is fair or unfair.. We should encourage and congratulate the ones doing the right thing so the ones considering doing wrong can see where we as fans prioritize our adulation... This is a work in progress and everyone that is frustrated is a true Gopher fan, without a doubt.. But the question is WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO WIN ON A CONSISTENT BASIS?? That is what to shoot for every year, no matter the style or whatever. Minnesota SHOULD ALWAYS be towards the top of the Big Ten and anything less than that should be a disappointment.. But I would love to see an uplifting of those doing right, on and off the court, so influence those coming in to show the culture of what a winning team is all about.
I know people have commented on Tony Bennett at Virginia as having an offense kin to watching paint dry... Well, I would take Tony Bennett in a heartbeat, regardless of years... His teams play good defense and they WIN...WIN IS THE KEY... I happen to like good passing and team ball.. Bennett runs a motion offense and that gets guys open, regardless of defense because you are constantly moving the defense around to create easier offense. I said the same about Bo Ryan AS A BASKETBALL COACH... It is ironic that his HS days were spent on a team that was 'run and gun'(true story). But the common theme is WINNING... I like WINNING regardless of style of play. Discipline on both ends of the floor is fun to watch as well, IMO. These teams aren't exactly playing 4-corners offense and there is a shot clock so the action is more than tolerable with coaches playing their styles. Bennett and Ryan both have turned out NBA players so they cant be too slow with all their talent.. Of course Ryan is gone but yes I was a fan of their style of play as much as I was a Shaka Smart or Paul Westhead, in the day.
I don't think Pitino will get fired after this season but I do think that it is fair to expect him to develop players and more importantly DEVELOP A GOOD TEAM... That last part is the criteria I am looking for.. A team that does not quit when behind.. A team that comes out of timeouts better than when they went in to the TO. Adjustments at half.... When those things exist, we need to encourage players and coaches... Pitino won a NIT and had a great record last year... Don't think all of it was just serendipity. Pitino HAS MADE MISTAKES, no doubt.. But he is still a coach that has enough of a track record of success to give him the benefit of the doubt here.
I still think that some of the most important coaching here has to be about the OFF COURT stuff.. Sexual harassment is a big deal and we have people watching real closely on this campus at our athletes, all the time... That should be engrained into Oturu, Omersa, and Kalscheur before they get to campus next year... No illegal activity or questionable things that could blow up into huge issues. They are kids but they do have responsibility as representatives of the school, whether that is fair or unfair.. We should encourage and congratulate the ones doing the right thing so the ones considering doing wrong can see where we as fans prioritize our adulation... This is a work in progress and everyone that is frustrated is a true Gopher fan, without a doubt.. But the question is WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO WIN ON A CONSISTENT BASIS?? That is what to shoot for every year, no matter the style or whatever. Minnesota SHOULD ALWAYS be towards the top of the Big Ten and anything less than that should be a disappointment.. But I would love to see an uplifting of those doing right, on and off the court, so influence those coming in to show the culture of what a winning team is all about.
