Dave Thorson talks about Pitino's recruiting/relationship building vs Tubby's

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BleedGopher

BleedGopher

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I didn't want to put this in the Jarvis thread as this is a broader topic. It's interesting that a coach would address the differences in recruiting style. Per the STrib:

DeLaSalle coach Dave Thorson said Johnson represents the results of a new recruiting culture building at the university, under the second-year staff.

“I think they’ve taken a different approach than what [Tubby] Smith did, and that approach, at least in this situation, was extremely effective,” Thorson said. “I get the sense that relationship-building is something [Pitino has] really emphasized in terms of how he’s spread the word about his program. So I think in that way, it’s probably a little different.”

“No question,” Thorson said when asked if he thought Travis had felt the difference between Smith’s recruiting style and that of Pitino’s. “They did a great job kind of digging out of a hole to get in the position they were with him.”

Now, he said, Johnson’s commitment could help open the pipeline for future local players to decide to stay at home.

“I sure hope so for the Gophers, and I know how that works,” Thorson said. “I think we’re going to have more players here at DeLaSalle, I have to tell all of you. We’ve got two more seniors [in Sacar Anim and Josh Collins], we’ve got other underclassmen that I think are going to be able to play at that level. So at least here, I think that will happen.”

http://www.startribune.com/sports/gophers/274982761.html?page=all&prepage=1&c=y#continue

Go Gophers!!
 


Really just wish that this was an article about the effectiveness of Pitino's recruiting rather than an attempt at a comparison.

Tubby's gone...time to move on. And I'm happy with the direction we are trending right now.
 

Unregistered User said:
Really just wish that this was an article about the effectiveness of Pitino's recruiting rather than an attempt at a comparison. Tubby's gone...time to move on. And I'm happy with the direction we are trending right now.
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+1. In reality, Tubby kicked ass on Minnesota recruiting during his time here.
 

I think the article was fair. Tubby did a very good job in-state recruiting until the "Big 3" class, and it wasn't his fault that Minnesota HS basketball had an unusual drought of top talent for a few years during his tenure.

As much as I like what I've seen from Pitino, it's too early to say his methods are an improvement from previous coaches. Tubby and Monson both had their moments of success on the recruiting trail as well.
 


You can tell Dave Thorson is a Minnesotan. We can't just focus on the positive attributes of the current coach and congratulate him on his successes. Nope, we have to make sure that the world knows the previous coach was garbage and that he was lucky if he ever did anything right at all. The same goes for the football side as well. Everything's always the previous guy's fault, because you can say whatever you want and they're not here to defend themselves. It's the Minnesota way.
 

dpodoll68 said:
You can tell Dave Thorson is a Minnesotan. We can't just focus on the positive attributes of the current coach and congratulate him on his successes. Nope, we have to make sure that the world knows the previous coach was garbage and that he was lucky if he ever did anything right at all. The same goes for the football side as well. Everything's always the previous guy's fault, because you can say whatever you want and they're not here to defend themselves. It's the Minnesota way.
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Do you honestly think this is a purely-Minnesotan thing? I'm genuinely surprised that you haven't noticed this exact type of comparison being made by countless other fanbases.
 

MinneStoa said:
Do you honestly think this is a purely-Minnesotan thing? I'm genuinely surprised that you haven't noticed this exact type of comparison being made by countless other fanbases.
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When the previous coach had the best season in a generation for the school? No, I haven't. I'd be interested in seeing those if you could link me to some.
 

MinneStoa said:
Do you honestly think this is a purely-Minnesotan thing? I'm genuinely surprised that you haven't noticed this exact type of comparison being made by countless other fanbases.
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He's from South Dakota.
 



dpodoll68 said:
You can tell Dave Thorson is a Minnesotan. We can't just focus on the positive attributes of the current coach and congratulate him on his successes. Nope, we have to make sure that the world knows the previous coach was garbage and that he was lucky if he ever did anything right at all. The same goes for the football side as well. Everything's always the previous guy's fault, because you can say whatever you want and they're not here to defend themselves. It's the Minnesota way.
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All this from the guy that always - always - points out the reality of the situation.

The reality is tubby didn't get the job done.
 

Seems to me Tubby got a little to comfortable being the highest paid state employee and kind of thought his name would make kids want to play here. I dont think he wanted to put in the necessary workload anymore. Too bad we couldnt of hired Orlando when he was in his 40's and hungry.
 






dpodoll68 said:
When the previous coach had the best season in a generation for the school? No, I haven't. I'd be interested in seeing those if you could link me to some.
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For someone who hates it when people move the goalposts in their arguments, you sure seem to enjoy moving the goalposts.
 

HOOP DREAMS said:
?
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Don Quixote reference. Like Don Quixote, Dpod is on a quest to civilize the world. Dpod will defend Tubby for all time., among other more puzzling and ego serving arguments he starts. But, like Quixote, the quest is futile and will fail to change anything.
 

Gopherguy0723 said:
Don Quixote reference. Like Don Quixote, Dpod is on a quest to civilize the world. Dpod will defend Tubby for all time., among other more puzzling and ego serving arguments he starts. But, like Quixote, the quest is futile and will fail to change anything.
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A Quixotic slant to the debate. Heady stuff for the 'Hole. Kudos.
 

dpodoll68 said:
When the previous coach had the best season in a generation for the school? No, I haven't. I'd be interested in seeing those if you could link me to some.
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Why should that be the heights of our level of expectation for the program?

Yes, he had the best season in a generation. But that doesn't mean that what he did cannot be improved upon. Smith isn't immune from criticism because he improved this program from below-average to average. If a coach takes a program from 0-25 to 5-20, is he immune from criticism?

I don't know about you, but I want this program to be greater than average.
 

The fact that Pitino appears to have impressed and established a good repoire with arguably the most important Minnesota high school coach, is a very good thing.
 

WanderingGopher said:
The fact that Pitino appears to have impressed and established a good repoire with arguably the most important Minnesota high school coach, is a very good thing.
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Seems pretty hard to not like the guy (Pitino) based on his public personna. Sounds like he is effective in the nuances of recruitng which include making sure coaches and parents are happy and in the loop. It's not everyone's gift. Would like to hear something similar from Novak at Hopkins too.
 


Terms of engagement: regardless, Pitino is super engaged and engaging. I am glad for the Tubby years but communication was not is forte. He doesn't finish sentences or thoughts. A little like George Bush the elder with his style - "wouldnt be prudent".

Communication is IT these days, and Pitino is an amazingly warm, engaging, clear, coherent, intelligent communicator. He is quick yet concise. He brings this to an extraordinary level and this is central to his coaching. It's not just better than Tubby, its probably better than 90% of the population.

Since the past has already been brought up, we may well remember the confusion around Joe Coleman's recruitment.
 

Moonlight said:
Terms of engagement: regardless, Pitino is super engaged and engaging. I am glad for the Tubby years but communication was not is forte. He doesn't finish sentences or thoughts. A little like George Bush the elder with his style - "wouldnt be prudent".

Communication is IT these days, and Pitino is an amazingly warm, engaging, clear, coherent, intelligent communicator. He is quick yet concise. He brings this to an extraordinary level and this is central to his coaching. It's not just better than Tubby, its probably better than 90% of the population.

Since the past has already been brought up, we may well remember the confusion around Joe Coleman's recruitment.
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Would you say the same thing if his last name like .... Nelson not pitino. Pitinos are sales people. There is very little warmth in their tone. I am not sure who you are talking about???????
 

The-Real-Truth said:
Would you say the same thing if his last name like .... Nelson not pitino. Pitinos are sales people. There is very little warmth in their tone. I am not sure who you are talking about???????
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All college coaches are sales people; I appreciate the humor & honesty that Pitino applies to his blog posts, press conferences, interactions w/media and players, etc. He seems to be able to deliver hard truths wrapped in humor and thus far, it seems to have worked quite well in his interactions with his players (save for one, whom I will mention soon). He (and his father) seem to be as genuine as college coaches get, from what I can view from afar.

I also appreciate that Pitino will not compromise himself to sugarcoat a situation, such as Wally Ellenson's departure from the Gophers. He could have placated the Ellensons by providing promises/playing time for Wally in the hopes of reeling in the biggest fish of the brothers, but he didn't. That tells me a lot about Pitino (also about the support he receives from Teague).
 

The-Real-Truth said:
Would you say the same thing if his last name like .... Nelson not pitino. Pitinos are sales people. There is very little warmth in their tone. I am not sure who you are talking about???????
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coolhand does an exemplary job of responding. I have little to add. No one is dragging Tubby through the mud. There is a marked contrast in communication skills and capacity to connect with the current recruits.
Brewster was a flim-flam man who was a seller without the goods. A year of attending every home game seated across from the Gopher bench (16 years prior as well), I am satisfied that Pitino isn't advertising something he can't deliver. Why be cautiously optimistic? The other shoe drops endlessly in sports - I am enjoying it while I can.
Oh, and Ogee - way to mess up a functional thread! ;)
 

Let's put it this way. Pitino has a 2015 class of 4 studs. Tubby doesn't have a commitment yet. All I know is Pitino knows how to recruit.
 

PTalberg said:
Let's put it this way. Pitino has a 2015 class of 4 studs. Tubby doesn't have a commitment yet. All I know is Pitino knows how to recruit.
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He sure does, and being articulate has a lot to do with it.
 

The-Real-Truth said:
Would you say the same thing if his last name like .... Nelson not pitino. Pitinos are sales people. There is very little warmth in their tone. I am not sure who you are talking about???????
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Warmth in a tone can be the perception each person receives it with. Can Pitino be a jerk? Absolutely.
But if he didn't care about his players they wouldn't play hard for him which means there is warmth mixed in greater quantity with that unvarnished cold truth you see on game day.
 

The proof gunna be in the how many of his recruits transfer out before they are drafted or run out of eligibility. That last guy didn't seem too great in that regard.
 

The-Real-Truth said:
Would you say the same thing if his last name like .... Nelson not pitino. Pitinos are sales people. There is very little warmth in their tone. I am not sure who you are talking about???????
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But his name IS Pitino. One of the first rules of sales is build credibility, he's got that already with an introduction and a smile.

The question of "whether or not he would be where he is if he wasn't who he is" is irrelevant because he is who he is. The name Pitino just ads credibility, deserved or not, you cannot change that and of coarse he wouldn't be as credible if his name wasn't Pitino.
 

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