Pitino = Mason

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Only difference is he coaches a different sport and is younger. We will never get over the hump with him and will be alright, a fringe tourney team, and maybe the occasional second round game, but no more.

Time to try something else.
 


Only difference is he coaches a different sport and is younger. We will never get over the hump with him and will be alright, a fringe tourney team, and maybe the occasional second round game, but no more.

Time to try something else.

Only problem is I am getting old and don't know if I have the time or desire to start over again!
 

The comparison is fair but if we fire Pitino and replace him with the equivalent of Brewster we are not doing ourselves any favors. At least Pitino still has room to grow as a coach, by the time mason was here he was at the end of his career.
 

Only difference is he coaches a different sport and is younger. We will never get over the hump with him and will be alright, a fringe tourney team, and maybe the occasional second round game, but no more.

Time to try something else.

Dynamite drop in, Monty. That broadcasting school has really paid off!
 


Only difference is he coaches a different sport and is younger. We will never get over the hump with him and will be alright, a fringe tourney team, and maybe the occasional second round game, but no more.

Time to try something else.

Pitino wishes he were Mason.
 

Only difference is he coaches a different sport and is younger. We will never get over the hump with him and will be alright, a fringe tourney team, and maybe the occasional second round game, but no more.

Time to try something else.

Not yet.
 


Glen Mason was 46 years old when hired by the University of Minnesota.

There goes all of my football cred I never had, probably just felt like he had been around college football for quite awhile before he took the gopher job, did he have any other head coaching jobs after MN?
 



There goes all of my football cred I never had, probably just felt like he had been around college football for quite awhile before he took the gopher job, did he have any other head coaching jobs after MN?

He did not. I know for a fact that he had lower-level head coach offers, but my assumption has always been that he didn't want to work his way back up to a Power 5 job and was more content to be involved in football through broadcasting.
 

He did not. I know for a fact that he had lower-level head coach offers, but my assumption has always been that he didn't want to work his way back up to a Power 5 job and was more content to be involved in football through broadcasting.

So he was at the end of his coaching career when he came here : )
 

Winning at Minnesota in basketball is hard. Winning at Minnesota in football is harder. I don't think Pitino has reached Mason level yet. But I also don't think he's hit the Mason plateau yet.
 

Not seeing it. Tubby and Mason is a much better comparison. Both were fairly steady and never had awful teams, but also were never able to really break through. Pitino’s tenure has been more of a roller coaster ride.
 



Not seeing it. Tubby and Mason is a much better comparison. Both were fairly steady and never had awful teams, but also were never able to really break through. Pitino’s tenure has been more of a roller coaster ride.

I dont think Pitino has been "able to really break through" in a way Mason or Tubby didn't. The best argument for that would be that Pitino's 11-7 B1G regular season was better than any B1G regular season Tubby had by 2 wins. But that didnt come with any postseason success that exceeded Tubby's.
 

We had our best season in football since like the 60s under Mason...since we replaced him we haven't gotten over the hump because we haven't reached the hump...if Pitino is Mason we're in for a long 15 years after we let him go
 

Well, this gets back to the never-ending question:

Is it the coach, or is it the program?

A lot of people say that the Gophers can be a top program "with the right coach."

Well, at this point it's fair to wonder whether that coach exists. Or if that coach would even consider coming to MN.

I suspect that the Gophers are trapped in that middle-level of programs. Not awful, but not great. Programs like that get two types of coaches - young guys on the way up looking to make a name for themselves, and older guys on the way down looking for a few more nice paychecks before retirement.

I don't think Pitino is a great coach. I don't think he's an awful coach. He's a mid-level coach leading a mid-level program.

I just don't think the Coaching Fairy is going to sprinkle fairy-dust on the program and transform it into a top-20 program.

You are your record. The Gophers are what they are.
 

I dont think Pitino has been "able to really break through" in a way Mason or Tubby didn't. The best argument for that would be that Pitino's 11-7 B1G regular season was better than any B1G regular season Tubby had by 2 wins. But that didnt come with any postseason success that exceeded Tubby's.

Oh he absolutely hasn’t had a breakthrough. I just mean the nature of their tenures. Pitino has been way more all over the place. Mase and Tubby were pretty consistent about being middle of the pack, but never completely bottomed out.

Just don’t think Pitino-Mason is a good comp
 

Well, this gets back to the never-ending question:

Is it the coach, or is it the program?

A lot of people say that the Gophers can be a top program "with the right coach."

Well, at this point it's fair to wonder whether that coach exists. Or if that coach would even consider coming to MN.

I suspect that the Gophers are trapped in that middle-level of programs. Not awful, but not great. Programs like that get two types of coaches - young guys on the way up looking to make a name for themselves, and older guys on the way down looking for a few more nice paychecks before retirement.

I don't think Pitino is a great coach. I don't think he's an awful coach. He's a mid-level coach leading a mid-level program.

I just don't think the Coaching Fairy is going to sprinkle fairy-dust on the program and transform it into a top-20 program.

You are your record. The Gophers are what they are.

This is a great question! It seems every year at best the gophers are hoping to be on the bubble. We talk about the right coach can bring us to the promise land. I always hear about Jim Dutcher. 11 years coaching and 3 Big Ten winning years. Clem Haskins 119-120 in the Big Ten. Tubby Smith never had a winning record in the big ten. Dan Monson had 1 winning season in the Big Ten. So is Richard Pitino our guy? I don't know, but i know he is up to par basically with what we've seen the last 40+ years. You have to go all the way back to the early 70's with musselman to see any coach have any kind of consistency. Sure Clem has a final four and it seems every coach we've had has had that one great year, but nothing to say that they have put minnesota on the national map. So as Short Ornery Norwegian said, Is it the coaching or is it the program? Wisconsin was a dumpster fire pretty much until the year 2000 and they have had a pretty good run in the last 20 years. It obviously is possible...so whats the solution? Everyone's gonna say get so and so for a coach, but is that really going to be the answer? It hasn't changed in the last 40+ years. Now the good thing is we usually are on the bubble so its not a complete disaster, but it could be better obviously.
 

Very different personalities but they've had the same results. Mason was pretty aloof while Pitino isn't.
 

Not even close. Mason had his limitations on recruiting and his teams never believed that they could beat the big boys. That Michigan game said it all. Pitino is still growing on recruiting and his teams typically play with confidence.
 

Agreed and despite the short comings displayed by Pitino at this point, he has also vast improvement from the last 3 years vs the first 3 years. If he has the same improvement during that time applied to the next 3 years, we should be a perennial top 6 conference team each year. That's with my maroon glasses on though.
 

Agreed and despite the short comings displayed by Pitino at this point, he has also vast improvement from the last 3 years vs the first 3 years. If he has the same improvement during that time applied to the next 3 years, we should be a perennial top 6 conference team each year. That's with my maroon glasses on though.

Without the injuries that happened two years ago- that was easily Pitino's best squad. Had they gone 12-6 in the Big Ten with a healthy roster rather than the abysmal 4-14 with the decimated team- he would have a three year run going that would be 3 straight NCAAs, and a 32-24 Big Ten record - which would be historic here at Minny. That year hurt him bad in every way and as far as I can see- it was simply bad luck. BTW- it could be argued that Lynch had history and was a risk. I think that squad still does near 12-6 with a healthy Mason and Coffey. The whole team got remade over a few weeks time.

Without that we would be off to the races.
 

This is a great question! It seems every year at best the gophers are hoping to be on the bubble. We talk about the right coach can bring us to the promise land. I always hear about Jim Dutcher. 11 years coaching and 3 Big Ten winning years. Clem Haskins 119-120 in the Big Ten. Tubby Smith never had a winning record in the big ten. Dan Monson had 1 winning season in the Big Ten. So is Richard Pitino our guy? I don't know, but i know he is up to par basically with what we've seen the last 40+ years. You have to go all the way back to the early 70's with musselman to see any coach have any kind of consistency. Sure Clem has a final four and it seems every coach we've had has had that one great year, but nothing to say that they have put minnesota on the national map. So as Short Ornery Norwegian said, Is it the coaching or is it the program? Wisconsin was a dumpster fire pretty much until the year 2000 and they have had a pretty good run in the last 20 years. It obviously is possible...so whats the solution? Everyone's gonna say get so and so for a coach, but is that really going to be the answer? It hasn't changed in the last 40+ years. Now the good thing is we usually are on the bubble so its not a complete disaster, but it could be better obviously.
Awesome post. It would for sure be done with a great coach, they have won at places at least this tough and some even tougher. Getting that guy is as hard as the build it great. When programs lose a great coach they fall apart very quickly and very few follow a great coach with another. Getting a great coach is nearly always a once in a lifetime thing for a program. That is what makes a great coach so special, they are few. Same with anything, only a few are the best lawyers, only a few the best snipers, the best teachers, the best artists.
 

I consider myself one of the best snipers.
 

Without the injuries that happened two years ago- that was easily Pitino's best squad. Had they gone 12-6 in the Big Ten with a healthy roster rather than the abysmal 4-14 with the decimated team- he would have a three year run going that would be 3 straight NCAAs, and a 32-24 Big Ten record - which would be historic here at Minny. That year hurt him bad in every way and as far as I can see- it was simply bad luck. BTW- it could be argued that Lynch had history and was a risk. I think that squad still does near 12-6 with a healthy Mason and Coffey. The whole team got remade over a few weeks time.

Without that we would be off to the races.

The majority of this is hope and assumption. At some point there is no more falling back on what actually happened and using it as an excuse.

That some point is fast approaching.


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Without the injuries that happened two years ago- that was easily Pitino's best squad. Had they gone 12-6 in the Big Ten with a healthy roster rather than the abysmal 4-14 with the decimated team- he would have a three year run going that would be 3 straight NCAAs, and a 32-24 Big Ten record - which would be historic here at Minny. That year hurt him bad in every way and as far as I can see- it was simply bad luck. BTW- it could be argued that Lynch had history and was a risk. I think that squad still does near 12-6 with a healthy Mason and Coffey. The whole team got remade over a few weeks time.

Without that we would be off to the races.

Every program can say if, should have, could have. Was not all that impressed with that team before the large setbacks. One player was a timebomb period. Further, simply assuming so many wins is a complete unknown. At the end of the day it will be measured by how much you actually win.
 

Mason brought the football program from close to the bottom up to a respectable level. Pitino took over a team that had been to the NCAA’s 2 out the previous 4 and 3 out of the previous 6 seasons.
 

The timing seems like a discussion more appropriate following the results of a poor season versus the excitement, anticipation and speculation of a promising upcoming season following a NCAA year in which we defeated Top 25 Louisville in the tournament?
 

Not even close. Mason had his limitations on recruiting and his teams never believed that they could beat the big boys. That Michigan game said it all. Pitino is still growing on recruiting and his teams typically play with confidence.

Huh? Mason's teams won in Columbus, Happy Valley, and Ann Arbor.

Not to defend his overall record, but that was a bizarre thing to say.
 




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