BleedGopher
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per the NY Times:
That the Gophers finished 8-23 over all, a team record for losses, and 2-16 in the Big Ten Conference did not help. Neither did the discovery that Pitino had been allowed to spend more than double his contract limit for private jet use in recruiting. Boosters and alumni demanded that Kaler fire Pitino, the son of Rick Pitino, the coach at Louisville.
The letters — addressed to Kaler, Coyle and selected boosters — were part of an effort by Pitino and his players to restore their credibility and save Pitino’s job. Last week, Kaler, during an interview in his office, produced the letters and read portions of them aloud. One player wrote that he and his teammates had learned a valuable lesson. Another promised: “Stick with us. We won’t let you down.”
“I think each one of these, one way or another, either explicitly apologizes or can be read as an apology,” Kaler said. “Nobody wants to be associated with a program that’s not doing well. These are genuine, heartfelt letters. They weren’t read from a script. Each one is different. That’s a good sign.”
Less than a year later, the Gophers (23-8 over all, 11-7 in the Big Ten) are outperforming expectations in multiple ways. Their 15-victory improvement, the largest in Division I, earned Pitino, 34, the Big Ten Coach of the Year Award on Monday. Though Minnesota lost its final conference game, at Wisconsin on Sunday, ending an eight-game winning streak, it claimed the No. 4 seed in the Big Ten tournament, its highest ever.
Even if the Gophers lose Friday’s quarterfinal against Michigan State, their record and their R.P.I. of 20 will most likely assure them an N.C.A.A. tournament bid. It would be the program’s first since Pitino succeeded the fired Tubby Smith in 2013.
Most important to Kaler, the Gophers players who pledged to stay out of trouble completed the summer and the regular season without another incident.
“They’ve made enormous progress both on the court and off the court,” Kaler said, “and I think Richard deserves credit for what he’s done.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/09/sports/big-10-tournament-minnesota-gophers.html?_r=0
Go Gophers!!
That the Gophers finished 8-23 over all, a team record for losses, and 2-16 in the Big Ten Conference did not help. Neither did the discovery that Pitino had been allowed to spend more than double his contract limit for private jet use in recruiting. Boosters and alumni demanded that Kaler fire Pitino, the son of Rick Pitino, the coach at Louisville.
The letters — addressed to Kaler, Coyle and selected boosters — were part of an effort by Pitino and his players to restore their credibility and save Pitino’s job. Last week, Kaler, during an interview in his office, produced the letters and read portions of them aloud. One player wrote that he and his teammates had learned a valuable lesson. Another promised: “Stick with us. We won’t let you down.”
“I think each one of these, one way or another, either explicitly apologizes or can be read as an apology,” Kaler said. “Nobody wants to be associated with a program that’s not doing well. These are genuine, heartfelt letters. They weren’t read from a script. Each one is different. That’s a good sign.”
Less than a year later, the Gophers (23-8 over all, 11-7 in the Big Ten) are outperforming expectations in multiple ways. Their 15-victory improvement, the largest in Division I, earned Pitino, 34, the Big Ten Coach of the Year Award on Monday. Though Minnesota lost its final conference game, at Wisconsin on Sunday, ending an eight-game winning streak, it claimed the No. 4 seed in the Big Ten tournament, its highest ever.
Even if the Gophers lose Friday’s quarterfinal against Michigan State, their record and their R.P.I. of 20 will most likely assure them an N.C.A.A. tournament bid. It would be the program’s first since Pitino succeeded the fired Tubby Smith in 2013.
Most important to Kaler, the Gophers players who pledged to stay out of trouble completed the summer and the regular season without another incident.
“They’ve made enormous progress both on the court and off the court,” Kaler said, “and I think Richard deserves credit for what he’s done.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/09/sports/big-10-tournament-minnesota-gophers.html?_r=0
Go Gophers!!
