builtbadgers
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Incredible. Worse is making excuses and thinking we can never be more.
What has to happen for Pitino to keep his job?
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Incredible. Worse is making excuses and thinking we can never be more.
Gopherbbdude
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I think the questions are.. if he has 8 or nine good players would he succeed as a coach? Can he recruit those players?
I say yes but I also think MN fans want to win now.. I dont think a coaching change will do that unless its Musselman or the like.
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ethomasp31
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Przybilla only played two.
It takes a top 10 coach to do better than 38-69?
You could be right but I remember people just like you when I frequented an Iowa basketball forum about 10 years ago. They were saying the same things about Todd Lickliter and telling the rest of us that we were crazy for even speculating that he could be fired. They were wrong. You could be too. Yes, Lickliter was so bad that he was fired after three years, but Pitino probably is sufficiently terrible to be fired after 6 years.
If you are wrong, I will make sure to rub it in as much as possible given that you were stupid enough to "guarantee" it.
Gopherbbdude
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Just stating a fact. He can succeed with the right players. He had the right players then and last year.
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Gopherbbdude
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People were tired of promising starts, February swoons and the appearance that Tubby had given up on recruiting and was coasting. I don't think there was much hate. I was on the fence over firing him, but I never hated him or the decision to hire him. It was the right move at the time. It didn't quite work out for various reasons.
And I certainly don't hate Pitino. He's just not up to the job at this time.
Gopherbbdude
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He was also B10 coach of the year in 2017. Was that luck...no.
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No. But there was some luck involved (as there usually is). In the 8 game winning streak that won him the award we beat Iowa and Michigan in OT and had a buzzer beat against Indiana. That 11-7 could easily have been 9-9.
Gopherbbdude
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And our 7 and 10 season could easily be 10 and 7 if ....
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OK; lets flip that this year. @Nebraska; @Rutgers; @Michigan all wins. Currently sitting at 10-7 in conference. Acceptable?
ethomasp31
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I get why he was fired. But he won a game in the tournament that year, and was still fired. I think we beat the number one team in the country that year also. I don't want to rehash it....it was just so toxic that in my opinion that he had to go.
Yep. Over time, you are what your record says you are. 38-69. Awful.
Mega Tongue had already made up his mind before the IU win saved the season and wasn't reversing it on the basis of 1-2 games. I agree that it was best to move on, because that team was as good as it was going to get based on the last two recruiting classes and a big fall off was coming. I feel the same now.
Well, perhaps Gopher Hole wasn't so representative of the general fan base then or now. When I read the Star Tribune comments these days, they are overwhelmingly negative. The majority of people around here have given up on Pitino as well. It's only a minority of diehards who support him beyond reason. People voted in this poll about what "will" or "should" happen for him to retain his job. I interpreted the poll as how do "YOU" feel about him being retained. I don't want him retained because, if he is, I believe we will back here again next year with the same feelings and will have lost another year.
Gopherbbdude
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Agreed. That record is not good. Not disputing that.
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See above. Some years you get lucky. Some you get unlucky. But his overall resume is what it is. And it's not good.
As for this year, I don't feel bad luck cost us the Rutgers game and even though the the Michigan buzzer beater should have been a shot clock violation, we would probably have lost in OT. We got screwed at Nebraska without a doubt. But we also probably should have lost to Washington.
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The reason he was Big Ten coach of the year was because the team was historically awful the season before and it was a remarkable one-season turnaround. Tim Miles was also Big Ten coach of the year for a similar reason and he may be fired after this season.
Gopherbbdude
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builtbadgers
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It was not luck. He earned based on how far he brought his team after the awful season he created the year before. Nationally, no one voted for him as national coach of the year. Where did i use the word luck ? Honestly, where do you rank him among Big 10 coaches ? There is not a single thing that indicates that he could be better than 10th.
Gopherbbdude
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It's going to be a long 4 weeks for Pitino. Unfortunately
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short ornery norwegian
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I voted that Pitino has to win a game in the NCAA tournament.
But, after more thought, even if that happens, I'm not sure bringing him back is good for the long-term future of the program.
Right now, I just get the sense that the Gophers are stuck in limbo. The recruiting and coaching is good enough to produce some wins and generate some hope. But the overall picture through 6 seasons is up-and-down - good year, bad year. good recruiting class, poor recruiting class. Yeah, Pitino was young when he took the Gopher job - but he's had 6 years experience as a major-conf. D1 coach. You would think that by now, some signs of growth would be evident. But I can't see any. Pitino seems like the exact same coach who took the job 6 years ago. and I suspect that he'll still be the same coach 6 years from now.
So, if the type of team the Gophers have this year is OK for you, then you should want Pitino to stay. But, if you think the program can and should do better, or strive to do better, then you should want a change.
I know changing coaches is no guarantee of improvement - but at least it would be something different. Right now, I'm at a point where something different sounds good.
But, after more thought, even if that happens, I'm not sure bringing him back is good for the long-term future of the program.
Right now, I just get the sense that the Gophers are stuck in limbo. The recruiting and coaching is good enough to produce some wins and generate some hope. But the overall picture through 6 seasons is up-and-down - good year, bad year. good recruiting class, poor recruiting class. Yeah, Pitino was young when he took the Gopher job - but he's had 6 years experience as a major-conf. D1 coach. You would think that by now, some signs of growth would be evident. But I can't see any. Pitino seems like the exact same coach who took the job 6 years ago. and I suspect that he'll still be the same coach 6 years from now.
So, if the type of team the Gophers have this year is OK for you, then you should want Pitino to stay. But, if you think the program can and should do better, or strive to do better, then you should want a change.
I know changing coaches is no guarantee of improvement - but at least it would be something different. Right now, I'm at a point where something different sounds good.
bleedsmaroonandgold
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For those saying fire him even if he makes the tournament, what did you expect coming into this year? I felt the same way when Tubby was fired after losing in the round of 32. If the standard for him was sweet 16 or bust, I would have rathe fired him one year earlier because I didnt see him as likely going from NIT to sweet 16.
The question wasn't about what was fair. The question was "what do YOU want?" I want him gone. I've had enough. I don't want to watch him or his teams any longer. So, I answered accordingly.
I have not voted on the thread because I hope the admin is more comprehensive in their assessment. What are the expectations from the AD on where the program is, where it is going and what is expected? Not quite sure I know the answer.
That stated, from what is visible to the public and are pure facts with no motivation one way or another:
1) We are mediocre this year overall
2) In the BigTen we are less than average (under .500)
3) Our current recruiting class is mostly unfilled
4) 247 has that class ranked 12 out of 14, largely due to 1 commitment
Opinions: In recent years, this is a program that has been plagued with depth issues and it is unfortunate to see this has a high probability of continuing. From afar, it looks like a lot more of the same based on what the pipeline indicates. If Pitino did not put out a likable vibe (not sure what he is like in person), it is likely there would be more people demanding change, including me. There are three time measure to consider: history, now and future. The history under Pitino has been mediocre, now is mediocre, the future looks mediocre. The hope is, he is young and open-minded and an inflection point will occur, but it would be nice to see some demonstrable signs of improvement.
I would love to hear Pitino's assessment on where he is taking the program and where he thinks it currently stands. I wish him well, but the indicators are telling us it is going to take something extra-ordinary to be meaningfully better in the next couple years. I think we have some strong young guys, but a couple of strong "older guys" has not proven to be enough. Interesting for sure. Let's hope they finish strong and the demonstrable signs of improvement are clear for all.
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Honestly, the expectations of this fan base should be sweet sixteen every few years. Surely one out of every 3-4 years. We are one of about 65 power 5 teams in the land. It shouldn't be unreasonable to be in the top 16 of that every once in awhile.
Not disagreeing with you expectation assessment at all. But in Division 1 basketball there are six power conferences - Big Ten, Big 12, SEC, ACC, Pac 12, Big East - that have 75 members. And then you have all those other conferences that have produced powerful teams, like the Atlantic 10 and the American Athletic and the Mountain West, among others. The pool of talented teams in basketball is pretty wide and deep.
Why would ‘we have probably lost in OT?’ I missed that parallel universe that apparently unfolded itself for you.
We also probably should have lost to Washington? That is stunning to me. So last second shots don’t mean anything. It would kinda change the terrain in sports if we didn’t count them. Why are you even claiming to be a fan of Gopher basketball?