Did Pitino "Lose the Team"?

NO!!!!!

If he had, McBrayer wouldn't have played basically on one leg from the beginning of December.

If he had, Coffey wouldn't have come back too soon,

If he had, Mason wouldn't have given the effort he did with a huge welt on his leg.

Good points. Good post.

Ski U Mah Gopher said:

NO!!!!!

If he had, McBrayer wouldn't have played basically on one leg from the beginning of December.

If he had, Coffey wouldn't have come back too soon,

If he had, Mason wouldn't have given the effort he did with a huge welt on his leg.

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Of course not! Dick Pitino is in complete control of the University of Minnesota Men's Basketball Program. With a $4.05 million dollar buy-out in place, it is the Athletic Director and the Administration at the University that have lost total control over the coaching situation of the Men's Hoops Program. With the moves and actions by the Athletic Directors and the Administration of the U, NO coaching change can or will be made with this Men's Basketball Program at this time OR in the near-term future.

Move forward into the off-season Coach Dick Pitino. Everything is safe. All is secure. The Athletic Director and the Administration have only contract language and/or failure to comply with contract language on your part to gain any kind of option to make any coaching change at this point in time. The 2018/2019 Season is YOUR season. Beat the stinking badger, GOPHER!

It is time for GOPHER fans to realize that Coach Dick Pitino is running the show in the Men's Hoops Program at the U of M. It is time for the Athletic Director to realize his place in the grand scheme of things when contract language in existing contracts holds his nose to the grindstone. It is fact of life time for the administration and the athletic director. Coaches coach. Players play. Administrators MUST honor contracts and can NOT spend money that they do NOT have after they have borrowed to the hilt for facilities. Go out and sell season tickets, Athletic Director Coyle. And, start FUND-RAISING like a Big Ten Athletic Director.

I don't think he did, but the counter argument would be that he had to have to lose 14 of 16 in a mediocre B10 conference. And with 2 of the better players in the league.

Ski U Mah Gopher said:

NO!!!!!

If he had, McBrayer wouldn't have played basically on one leg from the beginning of December.

If he had, Coffey wouldn't have come back too soon,

If he had, Mason wouldn't have given the effort he did with a huge welt on his leg.

Click to expand...

Exactly right. I will add to that the following about the last several games:

Hurt improved - even though he still had trouble scoring
Washington improved- even though he had not gotten the playing time he had hoped he would
Konate got a little better on the defensive end
I thought that the defensive play got a little better in the latter games- often it was not enough to make up for the lack of talent left, but the effort was there.

I would not say he "lost the team" in the sense that everyone on the team tuned the coach out.

but, there were moments when it certainly looked as if certain players had tuned him out. When a player winds up in the doghouse, as both Harris and Washington did at times, there is some kind of disconnect between what the coach is saying and what the players are hearing and/or doing.

I just get the sense that something is off on the communication between coach and players. too many empty possessions on offense, or lapses on defense.

As much as the injuries and suspensions impacted the team's play, there is still a minimum standard that should be expected for a D1 coach and his players.

I do not think Pitino is a "bad" coach - I just don't think he's a very good coach at this stage of his career. next year is going to be pivotal. if the Gophers do not show significant improvement, and IF the attendance dips at games, I could see the U making a move.

Seriously can’t wait until walrus is banned again. Two posts and I'm completely sick of him already.


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I'm not sure he lost the team. That said, he surely didn't overachieve at all when Lynch got suspended. A top quality coach wins SOME games in that stretch. Going 2-14 after this happened shows that he still has a LOT of learning to do.

I don't want him gone. I don't think that is the answer. That said, he had a terrible year this year whether he had the players or not. He needs to come back as strong as the players he puts on the court. If not, it's going to be hard for
him to keep the confidence of the fans in him.

Go Gophs said:

I'm not sure he lost the team. That said, he surely didn't overachieve at all when Lynch got suspended. A top quality coach wins SOME games in that stretch. Going 2-14 after this happened shows that he still has a LOT of learning to do.

I don't want him gone. I don't think that is the answer. That said, he had a terrible year this year whether he had the players or not. He needs to come back as strong as the players he puts on the court. If not, it's going to be hard for
him to keep the confidence of the fans in him.

Click to expand...

He didn't lose the team and next year's team will come back strong. Bank on it. If we get behind this coach and give him support through the ups and downs- the program will get better. Or we can go back to watching for flight schedules with mystery coaches aboard hoping that the next guy will get it done inside of 5 years. This program and the coach would have a FULL bandwagon right now if not for the injuries and Lynch problems.

You people that want to give up on the coach, while he is clearly going to be here next year, might want to keep in mind that prospective recruits are going here to read the negativity. There is a time to bail on a coach. This is not that time.

Did you read my post? I said I don't want him gone and am not bailing on him. I have said all along I don't think changing out coaches all the time is the answer. And I can agree with you that I think next year should be better.
The main problem will be that you won't be deep at the guard position and you will be playing some youngsters up front too. Hopefully they are as advertised.

That said. JUST WIN BABY, and this all goes away.