To my fellow Pitino "haters"

Murphy is going to be a huge loss. However, our shooting and guard play has been what has made this team look bad often times. Let's see it Pitino is able to go out and get a banger and a couple of shooters. If he does, don't be surprised if this team is better next year than this. I expect Coffey to come back and be even better and perhaps improve his shooting and ball handling. I am guessing that Carr will be a good upgrade for the guard play. Guard play is huge in college buckets.

Despite our poor shooting team, one of the worst shooting teams I have seen here, we are in the tournament. That means that the coach and players did other things right and certainly much of that was on the defensive end where we improved as the year went along.

bga, you could be right. However, as of now, it is simple fact that we are returning 3 regular players for next year and it is anyone's guess what next year holds. Carr, Willis and Washington could be lighting it up and I hope they do. As of right now, none of the 3 are playing and tough to judge them without seeing them. We are also losing 2 of the 3 bigs that played yesterday. Simply put, there are a lot of unknowns. Let's hope Curry gets and stays healthy, IW and Pitino sort through whatever needs sorting, the new guys we know about are great and Pitino fills out the class to add some much needed depth.
 

Good to hear. I'm glad you strive for consistency in your evaluation of the Gopher program.

Here's hoping they draw an undermanned VCU team and win the game. Then we can jointly proclaim we just witnessed the best season of Gopher basketball (tied) for the last 29 years and opine how silly it would be to move on from the coach who led us to that accomplishment. :)

Looking forward to it!
 

You sure that's all?

I don't even know where to start with this one. 1. Do you like winning more or playing everyone? 2. Pitino is by no means a tyrant or even close to being a screamer or a yeller. If anything he's too damn nice. Would you rather the assistants sit there and not do anything? Most of their job is to help players have they've been pulled out and watch for adjustments during the game. 3. Gabe is a positive guy and your logic to why he wouldn't support Pitino would be great to hear. 4. Nevermind I don't have enough time.


Obviously everyone here is in favor of winning but the lack of depth has been an issue for Pitinos 6 years here, Not sure you could ever call it a strength. On a game by game basis you dont need to play a bunch of players as most of these kids can play all 40 minutes no problem. Playing more guys would hopefully result in more player development and thus a more consistent rise of the program, not the roller coaster ride that hinges on everyone being healthy (or eligible). I dont blame him for going to a short bench at this point in the season but there were definitely early season games i felt he could have stretched the bench a bit more w/o putting the game at risk. Not sure if that will change now with the NET factoring in efficiency and the gophers having a poor taste in their mouth of a low NET relative to the rest of the metrics. Guessing he will ride the starters even harder in next years non-con schedule to try and gain have better efficiency numbers.

Probably my biggest complaint/concern on the year is coming into the season with presumed depth and each of IW Stull and Curry all with their own reasons not being the contributors i thought they would be at this point in the season.

With that being said i am still a fan of his and have appreciated his handling of the numerous off-court issues as well as his apparent good relationship with the players. I thoroughly enjoy his sense of humor and sarcasm in interviews, twitter, etc. Hopefully he has learned from his first 6 years and nowhere but up from here.
 

bga, you could be right. However, as of now, it is simple fact that we are returning 3 regular players for next year and it is anyone's guess what next year holds. Carr, Willis and Washington could be lighting it up and I hope they do. As of right now, none of the 3 are playing and tough to judge them without seeing them. We are also losing 2 of the 3 bigs that played yesterday. Simply put, there are a lot of unknowns. Let's hope Curry gets and stays healthy, IW and Pitino sort through whatever needs sorting, the new guys we know about are great and Pitino fills out the class to add some much needed depth.

Oturu, Coffey, Kalsheuer and Carr are a pretty good starting point. I think we can be pretty confident on Carr since he has done it on a high level. Beyond that, we don't know and that's why I said he needs to get a banger and some shooters. I'd love to see him go get a blazing fast point guard like lil Dre as a complimentary piece as well. I sure hope Curry gets healthy and Omersa develop.
 




Good to hear. I'm glad you strive for consistency in your evaluation of the Gopher program.

Here's hoping they draw an undermanned VCU team and win the game. Then we can jointly proclaim we just witnessed the best season of Gopher basketball (tied) for the last 29 years and opine how silly it would be to move on from the coach who led us to that accomplishment. :)

It would be absurd to try to minimize a tournament win. Just as absurd as doing it with 2013. Just as absurd as minimizing a 9 win football season. Somehow the most successful seasons in more than a decade for football and basketball are the most criticized.
 

This is the right take. We're essentially going year-to-year with Pitino. That's not a good place for a program to be. He either needs a long-term commitment, or he needs to go. I am sure he is aware of this as well.

Don't be surprised if Pitino leaves for a new job. That'd be the smart play for him. He's guaranteed 1 more year here based on this year's performance. At another P6 school, he's guaranteed another 4 years. I know which I'd choose.
he owns a house year and his children appear to have established roots here. that has to be apart of Pitino's calculation when evaluating his job prospects. I think Pitino would rather stay another year and see if he can earn a 5 year extension as opposed to bailing for a program where he is going to have to start all over (on the court and at home).

Pitino also has 2 guys (Carr and Willis) who transferred here and sat out a year just to see the floor as a Gopher. would be kind of a dick move if Pitino abandoned them plus Tre Williams, plus the 3 freshman we had this year. Pitino has 6 players who are squarely his guys who all have 3+ years of eligibility as a Gopher. That doesn't even include Coffey, Curry, Hurt, and Washington whom Pitino also recruited. If Pitino is under contract, hard to see him leave all those guys behind... They could be a tournament team depending on how Spring recruiting goes..

Beyond all of that, I definitely want Pitino back next year and wouldn't be mad if we gave him an extension that keeps him under contract for 4 more years.

If next year doesn't work out too well, I could see him going to the east coast to a school like his alma mater Providence. Despite some of his struggles, Pitino will have 2 tournament appearances before the age of 37.. Even if we struggle next year, I could see him getting interest from an east coast team who will understand that some of our struggles were beyond his control (I do blame Pitino for Lynch, however, considering there were open rumors regarding his ugly/criminal behavior)
 

Gard is 45-29 ! Just went 14-6. He has already been to a sweet 16 and is considered far ahead of Pitino in his profession. We would trade right now.

Speak for yourself, I would never trade Pitino for Gard! He has followed on with the Sconny system, but I would rather be bled with leaches than watch that style of Basketball.


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Zero interest from other power 6 programs for Pitino.

I call B.S. on this.. you really don't think Providence would hire Pitino?

EDIT: I think Cooley gets another year, but if Pitino does two and both teams struggle next season, I could see Providence going after Pitino
 
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It would be absurd to try to minimize a tournament win. Just as absurd as doing it with 2013. Just as absurd as minimizing a 9 win football season. Somehow the most successful seasons in more than a decade for football and basketball are the most criticized.

It's fair to state that Minnesota beat an undermanned UCLA team in 2013, their best player (can't remember if it was two players) didn't play. Sometimes teams get favorable draws, which is what all of us are hoping for this year as we recognize the Gophers aren't that good.
 

Speak for yourself, I would never trade Pitino for Gard! He has followed on with the Sconny system, but I would rather be bled with leaches than watch that style of Basketball.


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To be fair, has our brand of basketball this year been any more fun than Wisconsin?
 



It's fair to state that Minnesota beat an undermanned UCLA team in 2013, their best player (can't remember if it was two players) didn't play. Sometimes teams get favorable draws, which is what all of us are hoping for this year as we recognize the Gophers aren't that good.

Jordan Adams was who was out, and he was not their best player. Larry Drew II and Shabazz Muhammad were both first-team All-Pac 12, and Kyle Anderson was second-team.

I've posted it here before, but I believe something like 7 or 8 players on that UCLA team had at least a cup of coffee in the NBA. It goes without saying, but zero Gophers did.

No one (I should say, no one being honest) considered it a "favorable draw" at the time. The revisionist history is mind-boggling.
 

Please excuse my presumptuousness in speaking for us as a group.

Many of us wanted him gone. We all know the reasons why so there is no reason to rehash them here.

As far as this season, the question is: Did Pitino do enough to save his job? I think the answer is a clear "Yes." The team will have at least 20 wins this year and a very likely NCAA tournament appearance; that's a significant one-year turnaround. At least 20 wins is pretty good with this team (which, let's face it, did not have much depth in talent) in a very competitive conference and tonight was a gutsy win, warts and all.

So, I feel fine cheering for as much success as possible for the team (and the coach) for the rest of this year. At this point, I'm not terribly optimistic about next year, so we can commence bitching about Pitino and begging for him to be fired then.

Can his ass!

We were below .500 in the big 10 and looked like hell last night.

What am I missing that you see?
 

Jordan Adams was who was out, and he was not their best player. Larry Drew II and Shabazz Muhammad were both first-team All-Pac 12, and Kyle Anderson was second-team.

I've posted it here before, but I believe something like 7 or 8 players on that UCLA team had at least a cup of coffee in the NBA. It goes without saying, but zero Gophers did.

No one (I should say, no one being honest) considered it a "favorable draw" at the time. The revisionist history is mind-boggling.

I agree people are downplaying the win too much. But disagree with the last part. I remember it being a very popular upset pick prior to the game.
 

I don't care who he's talking to and neither should you. I only care if he closes the deal. Good Lord, you're a whiny little putz. You don't even have the talent to insult someone with bravura.

I have to give you credit, that by starting this thread you have actually admitted defeat in your mission to discredit Pitino. Next time, try not to be so superficial in your attacks.

You talk about the absolute failure of Pitino in his recruiting. Of course you say you don't care who he is talking to, you only care if he closes that deal.

OK, let us put that in perspective.

What are some other schools that only have one commit for 2019?
Providence
Rutgers
Cincinnati
Baylor
Wisconsin
Pepperdine
Nevada
VCU
Arkansas
Marquette

Let's see who only has two commits for 2019?
Virginia
N.C. State
Michigan
Indiana
Illinois
North Carolina
Miami
Missouri
West Virginia
Kansas
Iowa
UCLA
Stanford
Butler
Seton Hall
UNLV
LSU
St. John's

I guess all of those school should be looking for a new coach since they don't live up to your expectations.

You Putz!
 

I have to give you credit, that by starting this thread you have actually admitted defeat in your mission to discredit Pitino. Next time, try not to be so superficial in your attacks.

You talk about the absolute failure of Pitino in his recruiting. Of course you say you don't care who he is talking to, you only care if he closes that deal.

OK, let us put that in perspective.

What are some other schools that only have one commit for 2019?
Providence
Rutgers
Cincinnati
Baylor
Wisconsin
Pepperdine
Nevada
VCU
Arkansas
Marquette

Let's see who only has two commits for 2019?
Virginia
N.C. State
Michigan
Indiana
Illinois
North Carolina
Miami
Missouri
West Virginia
Kansas
Iowa
UCLA
Stanford
Butler
Seton Hall
UNLV
LSU
St. John's

I guess all of those school should be looking for a new coach since they don't live up to your expectations.

You Putz!
we're also a team that brought in a huge class last year (Oturu, Gabe, Omersa, plus Carr and Willis).. recruits see that and think they might have trouble finding the floor.. glad Tre Williams was confident enough to sign on. And look at him now, he's a universal 4-star recruit at this point.
 

I have to give you credit, that by starting this thread you have actually admitted defeat in your mission to discredit Pitino. Next time, try not to be so superficial in your attacks.

You talk about the absolute failure of Pitino in his recruiting. Of course you say you don't care who he is talking to, you only care if he closes that deal.

OK, let us put that in perspective.

What are some other schools that only have one commit for 2019?
Providence
Rutgers
Cincinnati
Baylor
Wisconsin
Pepperdine
Nevada
VCU
Arkansas
Marquette

Let's see who only has two commits for 2019?
Virginia
N.C. State
Michigan
Indiana
Illinois
North Carolina
Miami
Missouri
West Virginia
Kansas
Iowa
UCLA
Stanford
Butler
Seton Hall
UNLV
LSU
St. John's

I guess all of those school should be looking for a new coach since they don't live up to your expectations.

You Putz!

Not concerned about having one on board just yet but to compare it to some of the schools that have two it is often in the details, like the game itself. For example, UVA has two that will both end up as top 40 kids or higher and intentionally redshirted Caffaro , a outrageously gifted big from Argentina who will be in the same class. Kansas positions late if you follow commit dates but agree that after a larger class it is usually followed by a smaller class and those foolish online sites rankings are scewed by size. I actually like the players we get, we just have to be better at coaching them.
 

Jordan Adams was who was out, and he was not their best player. Larry Drew II and Shabazz Muhammad were both first-team All-Pac 12, and Kyle Anderson was second-team.

I've posted it here before, but I believe something like 7 or 8 players on that UCLA team had at least a cup of coffee in the NBA. It goes without saying, but zero Gophers did.

No one (I should say, no one being honest) considered it a "favorable draw" at the time. The revisionist history is mind-boggling.

Most everybody considered it a favorable draw at the time.
UCLA was not playing well coming into the game.
 
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I agree people are downplaying the win too much. But disagree with the last part. I remember it being a very popular upset pick prior to the game.

Yes. In fact, I think we were even favored to win.


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Gave several names of guys that would come here but it does not matter, we are keeping our guy. Would be shocked though if he ever finishes ahead of Gard.

Could you post the names again? I missed it.
 

OK, let us put that in perspective.

What are some other schools that only have one commit for 2019?
Providence
Rutgers
Cincinnati
Baylor
Wisconsin
Pepperdine
Nevada
VCU
Arkansas
Marquette

Let's see who only has two commits for 2019?
Virginia
N.C. State
Michigan
Indiana
Illinois
North Carolina
Miami
Missouri
West Virginia
Kansas
Iowa
UCLA
Stanford
Butler
Seton Hall
UNLV
LSU
St. John's

I guess all of those school should be looking for a new coach since they don't live up to your expectations.
Your argument is flawed. Most of the schools you listed with only one recruit signed only have one or two seniors on their rosters. Thus only one or two scholarships to give unless players transfer at the end of the year or go pro. Arkansas, in particular, has no seniors on their roster. Rutgers only had one scholarship to give (until Thiam recently got the boot.) Some of them have two seniors but one never plays and could be a walk-on. Nevada is the only real outlier in the group with a ton of seniors and only one player committed.

How many of the teams you listed with only 2 players signed have only 2 or 3 scholarships to even give? One unused scholarship going into spring is nothing to get worked up about.
 

To my fellow Pitino "haters"

Your argument is flawed. Most of the schools you listed with only one recruit signed only have one or two seniors on their rosters. Thus only one or two scholarships to give unless players transfer at the end of the year or go pro. Arkansas, in particular, has no seniors on their roster. Rutgers only had one scholarship to give (until Thiam recently got the boot.) Some of them have two seniors but one never plays and could be a walk-on. Nevada is the only real outlier in the group with a ton of seniors and only one player committed.

How many of the teams you listed with only 2 players signed have only 2 or 3 scholarships to even give? One unused scholarship going into spring is nothing to get worked up about.

I didn’t take the time to research open scholarships at each school, but everybody’s favorite team has three seniors and only one commit, but of course their coach is next to god so it isn’t a problem.


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To my fellow Pitino "haters"

nm


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I'm not sold on Pitino, but I think he has earned another year.

I am worried about recruiting. We have big Murphy sized gap to fill or we're gonna be at near the bottom of the B1G.
 

I'm not sold on Pitino, but I think he has earned another year.

I am worried about recruiting. We have big Murphy sized gap to fill or we're gonna be at near the bottom of the B1G.

I'm of the belief that Musselman will come and Coyle will pull the trigger.
 

The 20-point loss will be tough for Howland to take back to Los Angeles. Despite winning the Pac-12 regular-season title, the Bruins (25-10) came to Austin hearing intense rumblings of dissatisfaction with a program that hasn't made it past the first weekend of the NCAA tournament since 2009. UCLA missed the tournament altogether last season.

Howland, who led the Bruins to three consecutive Final Fours from 2006 to '08, wouldn't talk about his future after the game.

"I'm really proud of this group of kids, and I'm really indebted to them for the great season they provided," he said.

Even the conference title was dampened, however, when Jordan Adams, whom Howland described as his team's best all-around player, was lost to a broken ankle in the Pac-12 tournament.

The injury seemed to infect the entire UCLA offense, and the Bruins never looked to have the fight to beat the Gophers, who delivered on their reputation as tough team molded by season-long battles in the Big Ten.

"We were obviously short-handed," Howland said. "You could see that our guys wore down physically."

Espn post game article talked a bit differently about the contest.

A 20 point win in the tournament is impressive regardless of who it’s against.
 

A quick note to all the Pitino haters.


Whose your daddy?

Richard Pitino is your daddy!
 

Most everybody considered it a favorable draw at the time.
UCLA was not playing well coming into the game.

They finished the season 9-3 (or 7-2, if you prefer) and won the Pac-12 regular season title. Yeah, they weren't playing well at all.
 




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