Proud of this team
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Winona Gopher
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I agree with this. I don't want to have to rely on Omersa and Kalscheur from the start because I think they could use a little bit more development. I do think Oturu is going to be instant impact off the bench as I would anticipate Stockman starting just because he's more experienced.
I also agree that, if Fitzgerald doesn't return, that they will bring in a Freshman wing and a Grad Transfer at the guard position. They're recruiting a few guards for the class of 2018, but we'll see how that unfolds as coaching changes can play a big role in who's available.
The Culprit
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Totally agree. And as Winona alluded to, another ball handler is our biggest need out and hopefully we can find it in the grad transfer/JC route. We can rely on Oturu but unfair to the other freshmen to expect big things out of the gate.
One thing that will be interesting to see is if the JC is a route Pitino will even go after. With the obvious scrutiny of player character on his teams during his MN tenure, he will have to be extremely confident in the kid both in terms of character and academic ability as suspensions just can't happen.
You win with talent and on paper Nebraska was/is the much better team. Their record is no fluke (beyond the fact the conference is as bad as its ever been). Full roster (including Curry) and Gophers flip their W-L record in conference.
Its all about next year and keeping the current group in as good of mindset as possible. Not an easy thing to do under the circumstances. Proud of my boys.
As the Big Ten Coach of the Year? Yes.
short ornery norwegian
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Yes, there have been positive signs the last two games.
But - when the fan base is reduced to praising a team for trying hard and not quitting, that is as close to the bottom of the barrel as you can get.
Teams are going to be up and down. Some guys have good nights and bad nights. I get that.
But, effort should be a constant. hustle should be a constant. trying hard should be a constant.
This team has had moments, halves, and entire games where, IMHO, they did not show consistent effort or hustle. Instead, they've shown bad body language and poor attitudes.
Yes, they've had bad breaks. But, you learn more about a team and a player by watching how they deal with adversity. this team has not handled adversity very well at times.
So, it's fair to point out the improvement in the last couple of games. But, that does not cancel out the other issues I cited. Have to take the good with the bad as you evaluate the season.
But - when the fan base is reduced to praising a team for trying hard and not quitting, that is as close to the bottom of the barrel as you can get.
Teams are going to be up and down. Some guys have good nights and bad nights. I get that.
But, effort should be a constant. hustle should be a constant. trying hard should be a constant.
This team has had moments, halves, and entire games where, IMHO, they did not show consistent effort or hustle. Instead, they've shown bad body language and poor attitudes.
Yes, they've had bad breaks. But, you learn more about a team and a player by watching how they deal with adversity. this team has not handled adversity very well at times.
So, it's fair to point out the improvement in the last couple of games. But, that does not cancel out the other issues I cited. Have to take the good with the bad as you evaluate the season.
Ewert86PC
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Enough to wonder how last year's B1G CoY gets so badly outcoached on a regular basis.
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SON signs up for a marathon. People know he is fast so they start to speculate that he will win or at least place well. Then he damages his knee, right before the race. At mile 10 he hurts his other knee. During that same mile he sprains his ankle. His body starts to ache from pain and he begins to cramp. He loses more and more ground despite a solid start. Spectators who thought he would win start to yell, saying he stinks at running as he hobbles along. But his real fans shout for him to keep going and as he keeps struggling forward, no longer hoping to win, they cheer him for the effort.
Am I wrong, or don't the Gophers have an unused scholarship available even if Fitzgerald returns?
That is correct, we currently have one open scholarship for 2018, which will likely go to a ballhandler. He’s saying if Fitzgerald doesn’t return, we'd likely take a wing as well.
Good analogy! Yeah, there have been disappointments. But this team is still competing, and the new guys are starting to really show improvements. If that doesn't excite you, that's fine. But I choose to enjoy it.
+1. Playing hard and not quitting should be expected not lauded as a remarkable feat.
That analogy is fine if applied specifically to say McBreyer. And it's fine to applaud our improved effort. But the idea that the 5 guys we put out on the court on a given night are doing something remarkable by giving 100% because just they're not the original 5 is silly.
You mean during that 5 game stretch, 4 of which were road games, over an ELEVEN day period???
L @ NW
2 days off - gotta get back to Minnesota
L vs #3 ranked Purdue
1 day off - gotta get to Pennsylvania
W @ PSU
2 days off - gotta get to Maryland
L @ Maryland
1 day off - gotta get to NYC
L neutral site game with 2nd place Ohio St.
2 days off - gotta get back to Minnesota
L vs NW.
All of those games without Curry or Lynch, most of them without Coffey, some of them without Gaston, and many or all of them with a very hobbled McBreyer who wasn't even practicing, just playing games in obvious pain.
Then they got 6 days off before the Iowa game, and then another 3 days off before the Michigan game, and now people are wondering why the guys seem to be playing with more energy?
Just unfortunate circumstances that led to several of the Top 6 guys not being able to play or not able to practice.
Just unfortunate circumstances that the conference chose to have the Conf Tourney a week early, hence the conf schedule got far more crammed together.
Just unfortunate circumstances that the 6 games I listed & the first 2 that followed them ended up being 6 ROAD games during that 8 games stretch.
The universe just seemed to be doing all it could to keep us from doing well this season. Blaming the coach is ridiculous.
builtbadgers
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Asking the coach to teach better defense is not asking too much. Fans have a right to question everything with that 5 year win-loss %. Where do you rank him as a big 10 coach ? Where do you rank him as a power 5 coach ? Are there any coaches you think are better ? Is there anything he has not done well besides winning.
Zeppelin Gopher
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Quoting your own posts and replying to yourself.
Congrats, you've moved from the bizarre to the purely insane.
I know this may be so reasonable that it sounds nuts, but is it possible that it is some of both? Maybe it is partially the coach's fault and partially bad luck. I don't believe many here have said that it is 100% one or the other. It's quite reasonable for someone to acknowledge that bad luck has played a role while also thinking that Pitino isn't doing a very good job. When you are 3-10 in the B1G and not really even competitive in half of those 10 losses there is probably more than one factor behind it.
Frank Grimey Grimes
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I think this is fair, that's why I have been pleased that we have played well the last two games. It shows the players have not lost faith in Pitino and shows he still has control of this program. That is why I am firmly in the boat of keeping Pitino next year and if he doesn't make the tourney, move on.
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GopherPlaya
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That was a terrible analogy. A marathon is an individual event this is a team. The Eagles lost their QB & starting left tackle but they built up enough depth & schemed to their current talent to make it work. Everybody is stuck on losing 4 of our top 6 but it's not like we are young with the rest of our depth. We only have 2 Freshmen I don't understand how we overlook that aspect.
Built I think the subtext to this thread is that there are a lot of fans that are encouraged that Pitino hasn’t completely “lost the team” effort might not be where it was last February but it’s better than where it was a month ago. If effort hadn’t improved, then there would have been legitimate consideration to be had about whether Pitino should be fired now instead of seeing what happens as his rosters begin to turn over and move past early recruiting mistakes that keep haunting us (even though we thought we had band aids in place).
If he had lost he team in the same year plagued with another scandal, I think that’s enough justification for a firing to allow the AD to hire his own guy. Damage to the roster may be minimized because this the recruiting class is all local so they may not be inclined to ask for release, something that happened when Tubby left.
My question to you is not only how do you think Pitino stacks up in the Big and P5, but where do you think the Gophers stand with him and by replacing him now. In 1 year? 3 years? 5 years? I trust your judgement regarding the caliber of coach that the Gophers have a realistic shot at pulling in.
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All the parts of the body have to work together like a team. So I think it's actually a perfectly legitimate analogy. However, in order for your analogy to work, the Eagles would have had to have lost a commensurate amount of people. Two injuries out of twenty-two starters seems a lot more easily overcome than 4 out of your top six players. I think that would be roughly 13 starters, and about five of their first choice backups. I suggest that we probably would not have had to be dealing with boorish Eagle fans last week if that were the case. It's absolutely unreasonable to suggest that a college basketball team could build up enough "depth" and "scheme correctly" to make up for losing four of their top six players, and still be a good team. You can argue we should be more competitive. Maybe have won one or two more games. But anybody thinking this should be a good team with the current roster, and that this reflects on Pitino is, in my estimation, being unreasonable.
GopherHoopsFan
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+1. Not even to mention that the parity in the NFL is a far cry from where the Gophers have stood and continue to stand in college hoops. For as much as GopherHole posters continue to lament Pitino's 5-year conference record, they refuse to fully acknowledge and accept the fact that we finished in the top 4 of the conference last year. When was the last time our team finished in the top 4 of the conference? I'm too lazy to check, but I'm pretty sure it's not since 1997 (or do we acknowledge that season?). We would have been a top 4 conference team if we remained intact this season. BUT, we've had enough, we won't accept moral victories, this is serious college hoops people!! The Gophers are a legendary program full of outstanding seasons and incredible coaches and players!! One measly "best season in forever" isn't good enough to stay hired at our incredible university, we demand outstanding achievements regardless of the adversity our coaches face. Can't get your 8 remaining players to "gel" and outperform healthier, more talented, and complete teams? Get out of here!! We'll just call up coach K and get him on the next chartered plane to MPLS!! After all, we're the Gophers, and the rest of the country knows of our high standards and expectations.
If you're a poster who refuses to acknowledge the progress that our team has made over the past two games, you need to seriously ask yourself why you're a fan in the first place. Are you actually a Gophers fan? Or are you somebody who looks forward to being contrary?
I was at the Michigan game with my friend who's a Wolverines fan. I told him about all of the posters on GH calling for Pitino's head and he laughed out loud. I've spoken with fans of other teams, and they have a much different perception than those who's heads are clouded by the past 20 years of Gophers hoops failure. They see a team on the rise. As do I. When I walked into Crisler Center I expected to witness a 25 point drubbing. Yet, they nearly pulled it out, and likely would have had Murphy not picked up his 4th foul with 10 minutes to play. Pitino created a lineup that could and would compete, and found a way to make the game close. Proving that it wasn't an anomaly, they hung close with a far more capable Nebraska team. If that isn't progress, then I don't know what is.
GopherPlaya
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I never said we needed to be a good team but we haven't had any effort or come up with a scheme to make us more competitive before the last 2 games. You keep saying that we lost 4 out of our top 6. We got 13 players on scholarship we should at least have enough depth to pick up a little slack if one or 2 go down. So if we had Lynch & Curry, we should expect blowouts every time both of them get in foul trouble. You can shake it however you want but lack of effort is unacceptable & even in the first half of last game I didn't see anyone playing with effort. We gave up 94 damn points.
I don't think anyone (even those complaining) expects us to compete for even B1G championships every year anytime soon. I was very happy with last season, and am disappointed that we couldn't take advantage of a very down B1G this year -- which no doubt was partially due to injuries/suspensions. Once Lynch went down and Coffey became hobbled it was no longer reasonable to hope for a top 4 B1G finish, and I was fine with that. After that, my hope was that the season could still be salvaged to the point of maybe a NIT bid. That no longer appears to be possible.
The last two games have been good to see. The effort is much better than it was for a stretch there, and I would hope that we can at least pull off a few more victories to end the season. It's still only two games where we've looked like we have a pulse, and I would hope that continues for the rest of the year. You will find comments from me criticizing the effort of our guys prior to the last two games, and I think that criticism was fair. I am able to recognize effort when I see it, so you will not find any comments from me criticizing the effort after the last two games.
Your comment about posters who hate Pitino not wanting to acknowledge last year's 4th place finish could be turned around the other way in that it also appears some posters want to cling to that one season while ignoring the other four with Pitino at the helm.
I do not agree that we are a program on the rise simply because the numbers don't bear that out. I badly want us to be, but that simply isn't the case. If you can find a metric by which that is true please do not hesitate to share. But looking at every common measurement, including B1G record, NCAA tournament appearances, and number of weeks spent in the national rankings we are actually on the decline if anything. As a fan, that bothers me. It doesn't mean I don't support the guys on the team right now as well as the recruits who will be joining the team, but I'm also not going to deny the facts in front of me showing that the program I love is not performing at a very high level. I'm not asking for B1G championships every year, but I'd like to be able to hang my hat on more than one NCAA tournament appearance in five seasons.
short ornery norwegian
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It all comes down to expectations. Obviously, the expectations for this team changed with the loss of Lynch, the loss of Coffey, and now McBrayer being questionable.
But, that does not absolve Pitino of all responsibility. He is the head coach. he is responsible for the team that goes out on the court. and whether that team is made up of starters, subs, walk-ons or intermural players, the head coach is responsible for getting those players to hustle and show effort.
There have been times this year when I saw a team on the court that did not hustle and show effort. that's on the players, but it's also on the coach.
to be clear, I am NOT saying Pitino should be fired. I am saying that I saw some things this year I did not like, and cause me some concern for the future.
so, I want to see things improve next year. Regardless of who is on the court, I want to see a Gopher team that hustles and shows constant effort. If that happens, the results will follow.
Again, NOT saying Pitino should be fired. But, I am saying that Pitino still has a lot to prove as a D1 head coach, and he does not get a pass on some of the issues this season, just because the team was missing a few players.
imthewalrus
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I agree. There will be no coaching change. The athletic department and the University of Minnesota can not afford that, and constantly changing coaches helps NOTHING. IF people want to rate where Coach Dick Pitino is in his development as a Big Ten Coach, five years of Big Ten Coaching RESULTS will tell us EXACTLY where he is in his development. He is no better...and no worse that what his Big Ten winning percentage tells us he is. He DOES have a LONG way to go in all phases of his responsibilities. He is VERY well-paid for what he has brought to the University of Minnesota. No more pay raises and no more extensions are needed OR deserved at this FIVE YEAR mark in his tenure here at the University of Minnesota. Coach Dick Pitino IS what his record says he is. There are reasons to be disappointed and there are reasons to be slightly optimistic, the way I see it. Being a BIG TEN COACH is a very difficult and challenging position, as many previous Minnesota Golden Gopher Men's Hoops Coaches have shown us. At least that is what I have seen after over half a century of watching GOPHER hoops. And, the Big Ten record over five years does NOT lie.
Ewert86PC
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Last few games has been much better. That's all most want to see. A team that has a little fight left in them and the younger players improving. It wasn't that way in the games before the last 2 and that left some frustrated.
Everyone knows this team isn't going to win much with Lynch and Coffee out with no depth behind them in the front court. However, effort and improvement say alot about a program and the direction it's heading.
Everyone knows this team isn't going to win much with Lynch and Coffee out with no depth behind them in the front court. However, effort and improvement say alot about a program and the direction it's heading.