ESPN.com Summer Shootaround: Big Ten


I got a kick out of the caption under Coach Pitino's picture:

"Richard Pitino will try to turn Minnesota into a Big Ten player."

Is that a slam at Tubby?
 

On the Gophers:

3. Richard Pitino strikes out on his own: The progeny of Hall of Famer (and reigning national champion coach) Rick Pitino has always looked a bit like his dad, but in recent years -- as Richard has risen to an assistant coach at Florida, then Louisville, then as the head coach at Florida International, then as just a son cheering his dad on at the Final Four, the resemblance has become uncanny. Minnesota fans hope the proverbial apple-fall isn't limited to looks. The younger Pitino, all of 30, has been handed the keys to the Gophers' challenging high-major job, and he's spent his offseason striking all the right notes -- and getting in on all of the right recruits, and celebrating Minnesota's massive and much-needed planned facilities overhaul -- in advance of his first season under the Big Ten klieg.

Minnesota

Best case: There is still some talent in Minneapolis, particularly in the Andre Hollins/Austin Hollins backcourt duo, so it's not fair to expect Minnesota to do a total rebuilding crater in Pitino's first season. Still, the best case here is less of the cold "make the tournament" calculus and more about erecting that all-important program foundation.

Worst case: Gophers fans, like most fan bases (even UCLA!) got a bit of a shock when they had to come to terms with the fact that their program wasn't quite as desirable as they thought and that a 30-year-old with a brand name was the best candidate they could lure. If Pitino struggles in his first season, expect a few of these kinds of grumbles right away.

Minnesota: Andre Hollins

Richard Pitino has made no small matter of the fact that he plans to run in his first season at Minnesota -- a philosophy pretty much antithetical to former coach Tubby Smith's sluggish, bruising Gophers teams. The personnel might not remind anyone of the 2005 Phoenix Suns just yet, but Pitino does have a very capable scoring point guard in Andre Hollins, who posted a 25.3 percent assist rate and shot 41.8 percent from 3 as a sophomore. The problem (both for Hollins and the Gophers was turnovers, and until Hollins reigns those in, the thought of him leading an up-tempo secondary break is more laughable than exciting.

Go Gophers!!
 

The comments on the facilities and on Dre's turnovers are unfounded and dumb.
 



ESPN said:
On the Gophers:
The problem (both for Hollins and the Gophers was turnovers, and until Hollins reigns those in, the thought of him leading an up-tempo secondary break is more laughable than exciting.

Brennan was referring to Minnesota’s junior point guard Andre Hollins. No Big Ten player returning this season had a higher Offensive Value Add than Dre in 2012-13.

Last year the Gophers’ 21.3% turnover rate in regular season Big Ten games was the conference’s worst. The second worst team was Indiana, who also happened to have the fastest offensive pace in the entire Big Ten. Does this make the Hoosiers more laughable than exciting?

Full article with tables: ESPN Writer: Dre Hollins & Up Tempo Offense is Laughable
 




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