Grantland article: "Minnesota Basketball: Waiting for Tubby"


damn you

This writer sounds like a Skunk troll or an Anti-Tubby hole poster. Can't tell which.
 


but the line about Ralph was kind of funny.

I say we keep taking shots, get no respect from anyone and then play with a chip on our shoulder and prove them all wrong.
Do we have a resident Tebow so we can win ugly over and over and over again? HolyMan might need to make a few barn calls.
 




Who is this guy, just some college basketball sports writer for Grantland? He couldn't even get our record correct, we're 11-1.
 


A knee to the groin which is always painful. Still, the program has not flourished under Tubby and it won't surprise me if does not get us to the NCAA's again this year.
 






I first saw this article on Twitter for Grantland and as a huge fan of Bill Simmons (i know he didn't write the article, but it is his site) I was thrilled for the national pub! However, after reading I am still thrilled ... but for the Gophers to prove this guy wrong.
 



Well written doesn't mean $hit when the writer bad-mouths my Gophers.

It does to me! The Twin Cities media has put out lots of unfair negitive articles on the Gophers. Just read something by that dougie guy (who can't write to save his life). This wasn't unfair, nor was it even that negitive IMO. I enjoyed the read.
 

Did not find this well written.......

at all. His obscure literary references were meant to talk down to us "tundra townies." I found it verbose and with an extremely haughty tone.

I too hope we shove it up his ignorant a$$.
 

LOL

Havent read to much of this guy but he seems quite full of himself.
He made it sound like a blowout loss to Dayton during the shock of losing your best player for the year was a bad loss, I recall they rolled a ranked (overated Alabama team as well). Our non-conference SOS is top 100 (83) is hardly cupcake cupcake, compared to a ranked illinois team at 196. Having a 'cupcake schedule' may work out well this year giving the young guys time to get used to this level as well adjusting to life without Trevor.
That being said we will see who was right in March.

GO Gophers
 

Love/Hate

As malicious as it may have seemed, i get the impression this guy is probably just another in a long line of jaded, angst-ridden fans. Nothing new in that article that hasn't been said on these boards; it just happens that he wraps it all up with more grandiosity. Love my Gophers but that doesn't protect them or anyone from being a victim of the greater overall 'MN Sports Curse'. (See: winking) I too hope that the boys prove everything in this article to be wrong but i certainly won't deny that i got a pretty good chuckle out of what i thought was a rather keen description of RSIII's demeanor. Objectively, i found the article entertaining.
 


Hey, at least our ESPN games are getting us national attention, right? But really, what's the point of this article? If it's a commentary on national programs playing easy schedules that's one thing, but it's specifically directed at Minnesota and is some weird Tubby/cupcake schedule/program hybrid dig.

Here's how I took it: "Hey, bumpkins. Don't go getting all excited about being 11-1, because we all know you suck. I've seen you on ESPN twice and you have no chance. Just wanted you to know it."

Worthless, semi-offensive article. We all know we haven't faced a true test yet. Can't we just enjoy our wins in peace?
 

The article aside, this looks like a pretty kick-ass site. I hadn't visited it 'til now. I see they have Chuck Klosterman as a contributor - who writes a pretty dang good article about the triangle offense.

As far as the article goes, it describes a range of perceptions by an individual. He paints a vivid picture. We can argue how representative it is. The thing that bothered me most is his characterization of the program as not-so-major. I guess he's either right or wrong about that. His unstated thesis is that the program is in malaise.
 

Because the Minnesota Gophers season is over.

Hey thanks for letting me know.

By the way, did anyone else think we played "terrible" last night?
 

Wow. I guess when you're a national journalist you just choose an angle and go with it as hard as you can. He could've just as easily written some BS (this article was BS too..) feel good article about how the team has united after the loss of our best player. And I love how national publications continue to portray Minnesotans as "bumpkins" as they're being called on this thread.. classless. More material needs to written nationally about how New Yorkers are rude and in your face, Californians are selfish and indifferent, and how texans are racist cowboys... don't we all just love being thrown into rash generalizable judgment pools?

This article could've been written about pretty much any mid-level major conference team.. I guess it's too bad we were on national TV last night.

If anything it gives people like us something complain about, because I'm pretty confident in saying that nobody else cares.

GopherHoopsFan
 

GophersInIowa said:
Hey thanks for letting me know.

By the way, did anyone else think we played "terrible" last night?

I think he got the idea to write the article after the first five minutes. I thought they played pretty well outside of the TOs.
 


He didn't like the raised floor

That's what got him going.
 

The article aside, this looks like a pretty kick-ass site. I hadn't visited it 'til now. I see they have Chuck Klosterman as a contributor - who writes a pretty dang good article about the triangle offense.

As far as the article goes, it describes a range of perceptions by an individual. He paints a vivid picture. We can argue how representative it is. The thing that bothered me most is his characterization of the program as not-so-major. I guess he's either right or wrong about that. His unstated thesis is that the program is in malaise.

Grantland is worth a look daily - Chuck Klosterman (from Mn) is also worth reading. Liked his work with Killing Yourself To Live, nice mentions of Uptown and the Mpls rock scene back in the day.
 

They don't look the part of big time college basketball, they sure have found ways to get it done though. The offensive production has improved vastly since Trevor went down. I think this team could surprise people in the Big Ten. How many different people found ways to get points last night. They are going to be hard to defend, they have alot of depth, not any real stars, but there isn't much of a drop off from first to second team.
 

They don't look the part of big time college basketball, they sure have found ways to get it done though. The offensive production has improved vastly since Trevor went down. I think this team could surprise people in the Big Ten. How many different people found ways to get points last night. They are going to be hard to defend, they have alot of depth, not any real stars, but there isn't much of a drop off from first to second team.

Speaking of which, quote from Tubby in the StarTribune:

With Mbakwe out and Ralph Sampson III still recovering from a tweaked ankle, Welch stepped up. But he is simply one of the many who have stepped up and made a difference. Welch has become an emotional leader for a squad of players -- seven of whom scored at least five points Tuesday -- who are suddenly playing with a new balance.

"That's what I want," coach Tubby Smith said. "I'd much rather have it this way than just one guy. You're not going to win a whole lot of games with just one guy. You've got a balanced approach. That's the only way I've ever coached. That's the only way I know how to coach"
 

Grantland is a breeding ground for patronizing, egotistical, boring writers, who rarely know what they are talking about. Objectively, The gophers are the definition of a major program.
 

Agreed about Grantland kix4kix.

I'm a longtime GH lurker but was compelled to register and log in to post one fact: Grantland is a waste of internet.

I don't mind some of Klosterman's non-sports writing and Simmons has a history of intermittent/marginal humor, but that whole site is a pile of self-indulgent horse void. The fact that it's affiliated with McSweeneys is disheartening.
 




Top Bottom