What is up with Washington

When you look back at last years results, IW was the leading scorer in 4 games, leading rebounder twice, and leader in assists 6 times. So disappointing that he doesn’t get a lick of playing time.


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It seems like the reporters are instructed to NOT ask about Washington, really strange how it never comes up
 

I've had season tickets for 20 years. I've never seen anyone treated here in Minnesota the way Washington has been handled this year. My own conclusion, based on preseason comments made by Rick Pitino and what I have seen this year, is that Washington is in the process of being relocated much as Matz was relocated here by Rick. I think they've offered to assist him in this relocation process in exchange for his positive vibe on the bench.

Richard has major trust issues with his some of his players on the court. Players dont get floor time if he doesnt trust them, and he seems to have trouble getting players to the point that he does trust them. Matz has made some significant contributions - last night he got Bruno into foul trouble incredibly early giving a chance we failed to capitalize on. Why have his minutes been so limited? Pitino seems to want more ideal players, and this has left us with a bench unprepared to play and contribute. Washington is an extreme example of a problem with Pitino's coaching skill set.

Hard to say. Maybe IW is way, way off in practice. Regardless, you dont recruit a 4* PG at the expense of other recruits and then not play him.
Weird year.
 

I've had season tickets for 20 years. I've never seen anyone treated here in Minnesota the way Washington has been handled this year. My own conclusion, based on preseason comments made by Rick Pitino and what I have seen this year, is that Washington is in the process of being relocated much as Matz was relocated here by Rick. I think they've offered to assist him in this relocation process in exchange for his positive vibe on the bench.
yup. I'd wager this is true. which is fine. want the best for Washington.
 

yup. I'd wager this is true. which is fine. want the best for Washington.
It isnt fine with me. And I'm unconvinced this is for the best for Washington. And its not what I'm interested in supporting.
 


IW absolutely has talent. However, his talent is not evident playing 5 0n 5 for the Gophers. Who's fault is that? I don't know but lately when he has gotten in games...I'm hoping he is substituted for. His mistakes are the kind that result in baskets for the other team. He has gotten better at defense but it isn't a strength. It's just tough to play him right now imo.

When we run...when the game is going to have lots of possessions...he can be really fun, good. But in the slower pace we have been playing at in many Big Ten games, he just doesn't fit. He is not good enough to build around imo.

It certainly looks like he will be moving on. It's not that he doesn't have talent....his game just doesn't fit our preferred pace based on the rest of the roster and how we attack, scheme for our opponents.
 

IW absolutely has talent. However, his talent is not evident playing 5 0n 5 for the Gophers. Who's fault is that? I don't know but lately when he has gotten in games...I'm hoping he is substituted for. His mistakes are the kind that result in baskets for the other team. He has gotten better at defense but it isn't a strength. It's just tough to play him right now imo.

When we run...when the game is going to have lots of possessions...he can be really fun, good. But in the slower pace we have been playing at in many Big Ten games, he just doesn't fit. He is not good enough to build around imo.

It certainly looks like he will be moving on. It's not that he doesn't have talent....his game just doesn't fit our preferred pace based on the rest of the roster and how we attack, scheme for our opponents.
Good post and I agree that he has talent. He’d have fit in the Purdue game but as it turned out he wasn’t vital to that games outcome. A strange place for him to be.
 

I've had season tickets for 20 years. I've never seen anyone treated here in Minnesota the way Washington has been handled this year. My own conclusion, based on preseason comments made by Rick Pitino and what I have seen this year, is that Washington is in the process of being relocated much as Matz was relocated here by Rick. I think they've offered to assist him in this relocation process in exchange for his positive vibe on the bench.

Richard has major trust issues with his some of his players on the court. Players dont get floor time if he doesnt trust them, and he seems to have trouble getting players to the point that he does trust them. Matz has made some significant contributions - last night he got Bruno into foul trouble incredibly early giving a chance we failed to capitalize on. Why have his minutes been so limited? Pitino seems to want more ideal players, and this has left us with a bench unprepared to play and contribute. Washington is an extreme example of a problem with Pitino's coaching skill set.
Good post. IMO Richard at the end of the year needs to come out and go into a lot of detail on why Washington didn't work and admit fault on taking Kimani's guy over Ben Johnson's guy (Wright). A huge miss for Pitino as the head coach. Washington should be getting playing time this year and him not talking about it has bothered me a lot.
 

I've had season tickets for 20 years. I've never seen anyone treated here in Minnesota the way Washington has been handled this year. My own conclusion, based on preseason comments made by Rick Pitino and what I have seen this year, is that Washington is in the process of being relocated much as Matz was relocated here by Rick. I think they've offered to assist him in this relocation process in exchange for his positive vibe on the bench.

Richard has major trust issues with his some of his players on the court. Players dont get floor time if he doesnt trust them, and he seems to have trouble getting players to the point that he does trust them. Matz has made some significant contributions - last night he got Bruno into foul trouble incredibly early giving a chance we failed to capitalize on. Why have his minutes been so limited? Pitino seems to want more ideal players, and this has left us with a bench unprepared to play and contribute. Washington is an extreme example of a problem with Pitino's coaching skill set.

Agree, the thing is IW has a boat load of talent, to not develop or even try to develop it is criminal.
 



Agree that Washington just hasnt performed. I dont get why posters assume Pitino is at fault here, none of us know what is going on. It takes two to tango. Maybe Pitino is unfair and IW would blossom with more playing time. Maybe IW isnt giving the staff what it needs in practices/games so staff doesnt doesnt feel he deserves playing time. Certainly fair to question what is going on with IW, dont think it is fair to indict the staff based upon limited information
 

I've had season tickets for 20 years. I've never seen anyone treated here in Minnesota the way Washington has been handled this year. My own conclusion, based on preseason comments made by Rick Pitino and what I have seen this year, is that Washington is in the process of being relocated much as Matz was relocated here by Rick. I think they've offered to assist him in this relocation process in exchange for his positive vibe on the bench.

Richard has major trust issues with his some of his players on the court. Players dont get floor time if he doesnt trust them, and he seems to have trouble getting players to the point that he does trust them. Matz has made some significant contributions - last night he got Bruno into foul trouble incredibly early giving a chance we failed to capitalize on. Why have his minutes been so limited? Pitino seems to want more ideal players, and this has left us with a bench unprepared to play and contribute. Washington is an extreme example of a problem with Pitino's coaching skill set.

Richard was coaching for his job this season. Minutes for a point guard were there for the taking. IW for whatever reason was not able to gain Pitino’s trust and take advantage. Coaches play who they trust and who they think will help the team win. The old “play 8, trust 7”. He seems like a nice kid and I realize you think he’s been wronged somehow, but sometimes in the risk vs reward equation, some players end up on the bench. It’s a tough business.


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Agree, the thing is IW has a boat load of talent, to not develop or even try to develop it is criminal.

Pretty sure that the staff has tried everything they can in practice. Always curious what people base their idea of a boatload of talent on.
 

Exactly. I imagine they have an agreement that he is going to transfer at the end of the year but have agreed its best to do it when the seasons over.
 



Richard was coaching for his job this season. Minutes for a point guard were there for the taking. IW for whatever reason was not able to gain Pitino’s trust and take advantage. Coaches play who they trust and who they think will help the team win. The old “play 8, trust 7”. He seems like a nice kid and I realize you think he’s been wronged somehow, but sometimes in the risk vs reward equation, some players end up on the bench. It’s a tough business.

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It's a tough business, and I'm not convinced he's even met the business criteria. Meaning, I'm not convinced his approach has evoked the best play for sustained success. Therefore, I'm not convinced this is a good investment of my U of M dollars going forward.
 

It's a tough business, and I'm not convinced he's even met the business criteria. Meaning, I'm not convinced his approach has evoked the best play for sustained success. Therefore, I'm not convinced this is a good investment of my U of M dollars going forward.

That’s fair. Everyone needs to have “something “ when you write that check.
Washington’s situation in no way will have an impact on my season ticket situation. It didn’t work out. This is Minnesota, sometimes things don’t work out.
I hope you’ll be back.


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Tons of speculation and assumed intent on Pitino and IW. Sometimes it’s best to assume that the coaching staff have positive intent and are taking care of their team. It’s possible there are issues and or factors in play that aren’t public which are present.

It’s not unusual for the team to handle things privately. There’s been other instances in Pitino’s era where they opted to stay private.

I’d like to think the team bonds are stronger than selfish intent speculated in this thread.


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Are they a write off?

Not here as a have not a single affiliation of a business or association with the program. We actually discussed dumping them last year but are going to keep them through next year to see if we are under .500 again and if a move is nade at that time and who it is. As a family we have decided to diminish the annual gift as we reward them based on success.
 

IW absolutely has talent. However, his talent is not evident playing 5 0n 5 for the Gophers. Who's fault is that? I don't know but lately when he has gotten in games...I'm hoping he is substituted for. His mistakes are the kind that result in baskets for the other team. He has gotten better at defense but it isn't a strength. It's just tough to play him right now imo.

When we run...when the game is going to have lots of possessions...he can be really fun, good. But in the slower pace we have been playing at in many Big Ten games, he just doesn't fit. He is not good enough to build around imo.

It certainly looks like he will be moving on. It's not that he doesn't have talent....his game just doesn't fit our preferred pace based on the rest of the roster and how we attack, scheme for our opponents.

It's almost as though Richard recruited him to play the style of offense he claims his team plays - or that he claimed they'd play when the Gophers hired him. But agreed that Washington has not been developed to play the halfcourt offense that we do play... whatever that is, and it's been talked about how we're not sure what we actually do out there. And that's probably much of the problem right there. One way or another, when you recruit a guy you need to know what you're getting and how you're going to use him, and it doesn't seem like Pitino had either of those things figured out. He just grabbed a 4-star guard wth limited but flashy abilities and a huge social media following. If he didn't know how limited he was on defense - or didn't know how to make him a better defender - that's on the coach. Don't recruit a guy that you won't be able to figure out how to use.
 

It's almost as though Richard recruited him to play the style of offense he claims his team plays - or that he claimed they'd play when the Gophers hired him. But agreed that Washington has not been developed to play the halfcourt offense that we do play... whatever that is, and it's been talked about how we're not sure what we actually do out there. And that's probably much of the problem right there. One way or another, when you recruit a guy you need to know what you're getting and how you're going to use him, and it doesn't seem like Pitino had either of those things figured out. He just grabbed a 4-star guard wth limited but flashy abilities and a huge social media following. If he didn't know how limited he was on defense - or didn't know how to make him a better defender - that's on the coach. Don't recruit a guy that you won't be able to figure out how to use.

Spot on.
 

Tons of speculation and assumed intent on Pitino and IW. Sometimes it’s best to assume that the coaching staff have positive intent and are taking care of their team. It’s possible there are issues and or factors in play that aren’t public which are present.

It’s not unusual for the team to handle things privately. There’s been other instances in Pitino’s era where they opted to stay private.

I’d like to think the team bonds are stronger than selfish intent speculated in this thread.


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Spot on.
 

On Sports Huddle, (Sunday, March 10), Pitino said Washington's playing time has been impacted by how well Coffey is playing. The more minutes Coffey plays, the fewer minutes Washington plays. And said Coffey is playing so well, it has reduced opportunities for Washington to play.

Also, Pitino talked about next year with Carr and Willis, and mentioned someone else (didn't catch the name) who would be part of the guard rotation.

if I was reading between the lines, I would say it did not sound like a ringing endorsement for Washington.
 
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Don't need to read between those lines. The ball is in IW's court. He plays Gopher ball or doesn't play.
 

On Sports Huddle, (Sunday, March 10), Pitino said Washington's playing time has been impacted by how well Coffey is playing. The more minutes Coffey plays, the fewer minutes Washington plays. And said Coffey is playing so well, it has reduced opportunities for Washington to play.

Also, Pitino talked about next year with Carr and Willis, and mentioned someone else (didn't catch the name) who would be part of the guard rotation.

if I was reading between the lines, I would say it did not sound like a ringing endorsement for Washington.

Probably Tre Williams.
 

The ball is in IW's court. He plays Gopher ball or doesn't play.

What the hell is "Gopher ball?" I'm always amazed by a penchant for making very strong but very meaningless statements.
 


What the hell is "Gopher ball?" I'm always amazed by a penchant for making very strong but very meaningless statements.

I believe GopherBall is a lottery. Non skill-based. Luck of the draw.
 

IW seems like a great kid and has some skills that are no doubt elite and he really lacks in some other areas. Those areas are obviously affecting his playing time. I don't disagree with that (he's getting better, but he's terrible on D) and its good Richard is holding a stand. IW's actions and the way he's carrying himself hardly speak of someone who feels he is wronged. We don't know the dialogue between Richard and IW. We aren't at all the practices or listening to the meetings. We also don't know what work outside IW is doing as well. IW is only a sophomore and has 2 years left. I hope they are here and he's successful and keeps improving. I also respect if he chooses to go elsewhere as that's his right.
 

I've had season tickets for 20 years. I've never seen anyone treated here in Minnesota the way Washington has been handled this year. My own conclusion, based on preseason comments made by Rick Pitino and what I have seen this year, is that Washington is in the process of being relocated much as Matz was relocated here by Rick. I think they've offered to assist him in this relocation process in exchange for his positive vibe on the bench.

Richard has major trust issues with his some of his players on the court. Players dont get floor time if he doesnt trust them, and he seems to have trouble getting players to the point that he does trust them. Matz has made some significant contributions - last night he got Bruno into foul trouble incredibly early giving a chance we failed to capitalize on. Why have his minutes been so limited? Pitino seems to want more ideal players, and this has left us with a bench unprepared to play and contribute. Washington is an extreme example of a problem with Pitino's coaching skill set.

Your strange fascination with IW is completely bizarre.

News flash, every coach in the country limits playing time for guys they don't trust. Pitino is coaching for his job here and is well within his rights to play the guys he sees fit.
 




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