Do you approve of this hire?

Do you approve of this hire?

  • No, i would have preferred someone with more experience.

    Votes: 13 5.4%

  • Yes, I think this is genius!

    Votes: 110 45.8%

  • Not sure, but willing to give him a chance.

    Votes: 109 45.4%

  • Fire Teague!

    Votes: 8 3.3%
  • Total voters
    240
  • Poll closed .
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Love the hire. Swinging for the fences with downside equivalent to Tubby's track record here
 

GopherAlly said:
I can't believe the blind optimism by everyone on this board. If this guy didn't have Pitino as a last name, this hire would be absolute bs.

Dude's got one year of HC experience with a .500 Sun Belt conference record and 7 years of being an assistant (3 of which under daddy). He's got one year of HC experience at a mediocre school more than our beloved Saul Smith.

I realize that we are not the top destination for big names, but this is no better than a Dan Monson hire.

Dude may work his ass off and may find success, but in no way does his current resume suggest he's qualified for this job.
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By the numbers and by experience this would rank as just an epic disaster of a hire. However, it just has a good feel to it. The kid has an "it" factor to him, he's got the bloodlines and his short history is very good. We got disappointed by adecent but underwhelming and unenthusiastic Tubby Smith who had HOF credibility. Now maybe it's time to get our socks off by a guy who is probably the exact opposite in terms of salesmanship, youth, track record, offensive style and fun.
 


fmlizard said:
I find it funny that everyone was willing to drive a dump truck full of money up to 35 y/o Shaka Smart's house over 4 years of HC experience at a mid major where all he did was mostly keep a fine machine running, but then 30 y/o Richard Pitino doing something with absolutely nothing in 1 year is somehow a risk?

I'll bet that Richard Pitino even a few years younger than Shaka, still has spent more time doing basketball related activities during his lifetime.
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I agree with this sentiment completely. I like this guy. Young, energetic, a Buzz Williams esque hire (a no one when he was hired by Marquette). Hope it pans out like Buzz. It should be an exciting next few seasons at the Barn.

I hope we get good enough other schools annually want to poach him in March. Butler, Marquette, Gonzaga, etc fans are tired of that talk but I'm ready to have a desirable coach...one on the way up.
 


His dad is 60 - how long is Rich going to be with us? They should have given Flip what he wanted - he'd have been a long term coach. Pitino sounds like Holtz redux.
 


Rich went to Providence not Louisville. I don't see him leaving for the Cardinals just because Rick retires (60 is not old for a coaching legend). Plus, he better be awfully good if that's even a concern. Let's not put the cart before the horse.
 

Great Plains Gopher said:
His dad is 60 - how long is Rich going to be with us? They should have given Flip what he wanted - he'd have been a long term coach. Pitino sounds like Holtz redux.
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How is 58 year old Flip a long term guy for us, when Rick is not for Louisville at 60? That two years is THAT huge?
 



Parski1 said:
What a desperate hire!
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You were 50% correct Parski. We indeed hired a nobody from a nobody school. You called it. You are wrong on the regretting firing Tubby part though. I'll take Pitino over Tubby right now in a second. It was a desperate move for sure. Not sure how anyone can say with a straight face that it wasn't. There is no way Pitino was even being considered until Norwood botched the Flip thing. I'm hopeful, something I wasn't with Tubby around.
 

Bad Gopher said:
Again, we haven't been stepping-stoned in basketball since 1970.
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Probably one of the reasons we haven't been super successful either... its like a food chain only a very few at the top of the pyramid. The rest are all stepping stones. Except the dirt at the bottom.
 


tikited said:
You were 50% correct Parski. We indeed hired a nobody from a nobody school. You called it. You are wrong on the regretting firing Tubby part though. I'll take Pitino over Tubby right now in a second. It was a desperate move for sure. Not sure how anyone can say with a straight face that it wasn't. There is no way Pitino was even being considered until Norwood botched the Flip thing. I'm hopeful, something I wasn't with Tubby around.
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Who said Norwood didn't botch the Flip hiring on purpose? I'm also willing to bet Norwood met with Pitino in Indy last week too.

Teauge/Ellis hire 30 year old up and comers. That's what they do. They don't hire 58 year old NBA coaches that don't want to put good college assistants on their staff.
 



lakesgopher said:
i love how many think this coaching selection is "genius" pitino is an unknown at this point. we can all hope for the best but if iowa did this many on gopherhole would be laughing at them and talking about how stupid they are. wait and see, support the program, and be thankful it wasnt wojo;) go gophers
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I think the reference was to Norwood being the genius and I think he is. Just can't decide if he is a good genius or evil genius. But the hire sure blew me away.
 

I am worried about a few things with this hire, the first is I simply don't think a 30 year old is ready to be a head coach in the B1G, especially a 30 year old with one year as a head coach at FIU under his belt. I have a hard time seeing Pitino outcoaching guys like Izzo, Bo, and Beilein, but I don't have a hard time seeing him being outcoached by veterans like McCaffery or Miles. That's a scary proposition when the downside of the hire (becoming a part of the bottom tier) is so significant.

The second major worry I have is fundraising. Will donors who wanted Flilp (a very accomplished local guy) be willing to open their pocketbooks to build a facility for a 30 year old guy with a flimsy resume (compared to Flip and almost all major college hires) ? I do think it's a great sign that bga1 is happy with the hire as he was certainly in the Flip camp.

I love that we got someone who is hungry and won't be outworked on the recruiting trail. I love that I won't be having to question whether or not our coach really "wants it" as bad as everyone else. Everything I've read about Pitino makes me believe he's a smart guy who will relate well to players and has a chance to be really great coach.

If Richard Pitino does work out, I think he works out in a BIG way...and we're looking at a massive raise for the young man in 3-4 years to keep him away from a blue blood.
 

EG#9 said:
I am worried about a few things with this hire, the first is I simply don't think a 30 year old is ready to be a head coach in the B1G, especially a 30 year old with one year as a head coach at FIU under his belt. I have a hard time seeing Pitino outcoaching guys like Izzo, Bo, and Beilein, but I don't have a hard time seeing him being outcoached by veterans like McCaffery or Miles. That's a scary proposition when the downside of the hire (becoming a part of the bottom tier) is so significant.

The second major worry I have is fundraising. Will donors who wanted Flilp (a very accomplished local guy) be willing to open their pocketbooks to build a facility for a 30 year old guy with a flimsy resume (compared to Flip and almost all major college hires) ? I do think it's a great sign that bga1 is happy with the hire as he was certainly in the Flip camp.

I love that we got someone who is hungry and won't be outworked on the recruiting trail. I love that I won't be having to question whether or not our coach really "wants it" as bad as everyone else. Everything I've read about Pitino makes me believe he's a smart guy who will relate well to players and has a chance to be really great coach.

If Richard Pitino does work out, I think he works out in a BIG way...and we're looking at a massive raise for the young man in 3-4 years to keep him away from a blue blood.
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If he is smart, and he is, he will rely on advice from dad and Billy D.. and will hire some solid assistants who know the Big Ten...helping with game day coaching, etc. That said, he might be the next clipboard genius.. who knows. Perhaps his youth will help him against the old boys.. maybe not day in day out, but he will likely be overconfident.. youth does that! Thats not a bad thing.. if he's a quick study, I am willing to ride with the mistakes as long as he keeps improving and the brand of hoops is exciting.

Best case.. he is an absolute HIT, homerun of a hire and in three years bolts for a Blue Blood school, but not before a practice facility is built and the program is in great shape for a Buzz Williams type to step in and keep it rolling?

Worst case, he is in over his head and we are right back where we started. I'll take the gamble.
 

So I do a thorough, non-partisan, data-driven analysis of Tubby's conference and NCAA success that gets moved (buried) into the Texas Tech / Tubby thread and yet we have two "do you approve" polls and 67 "MN expresses interest in Pitino" threads. Consistency.

Not bitter. :) I'm done now.

I approve of this hire.
 

I very much like this hire!!! This hire is exciting!!! In my opinion Norwood came through!!!! It may be only 1 year of head coaching experience, but it was an impressive year. Combine that with a stong recommendation from Billy Donovan and the whole Rick Pitino's son thing and I'm very happy. I think Norwood lived up to the billing with this hire. Go Gophers!!!! It's the most exciting time to be a Gopher since I can remember (born in the 70's). I think we have a solid Univ. President and a solid AD!
 

It's about time that Minnesota gets off its old time experience stuffed shirt attitude and turn the reigns over to a young stud horse who can and hopefully will lead all of the younger studs into a herd of wild horses that will bring maximum value at the horse auction.
 

Guess his stomach sickness has cleared up, very glad too!

@MikeBassPP: #Gophers lauded RT @JayBilas
Great call by Minnesota to hire Richard Pitino:
 

@jeffgreer: Think Richard Pitino will win at Minnesota. How much? Not sure. But guy will work his butt off and make Gophers very competitive.
 


Jim Petersen ‏@JimPeteHoops
@joshvanklomp Solid choice. He learned from 2 of the best. His dad and Billy Donovan know how to win.
 

The likely Rich Pitino hire is growing on me. The risks are obvious. While what he has achieved at Florida International is phenomenal. it's a big step up to coach in the Big Ten. But there are reasons why I believe this could work out.
One advantage of his youth is that it should help his ability to communicate with his players and recruits. I'm afraid Tubby had lost touch with the younger generation. Whether Pitino will be able to land any of the Big Three remains to be seen, but my sense is that this was unlikely to happen if Tubby had remained in place, and perhaps one or more of them will find Pitino a more acceptable option. In any event, Minnesota high school talent has greatly improved over the years, in my opinion, and a younger, more energetic, and hopefully, successful coach, should be able to keep more of them home. Plus more effectively recruit quality players wherever they live.
Pitino has had an opportunity to learn from the best, Billy Donovan and his Dad, and few young coaches have a better ombudsman than his Dad.
This is probably going to be a budget friendly hire. One of my concerns has been that this coaching change might eat up dollars that could have been used to build the practice facility that we need to be competitive. I would hope Patinio's contract with Minnesota, given his lack of experience, would give him a generous raise in his base salary ($250,000), but rely primarily on bonuses to reward him for success and a modest buyout to deal with failure. Long term, I think this could be better than breaking the bank to hire a more established coach at the expense of the practice facility, if the two are mutually exclusive.
I recognize, that Pitino may have his heart set on some other job as his career goal, but if he is successful, when and if he leaves, he will leave behind a more successful program, hopefully a practice facility, and a greater ability to hire a strong replacement. If he is not successful, hopefully we will have been able to build the practice facility, and we will still be in a better place than we are now. But however Pitino views the Twin Cities and the University of Minnesota now, I think there is a good chance that he will be surprised and, if successful, elect to stay for a long time.
 

Based only upon hope, I approve of the hire. What is my hope? That this guy has charisma and energy, which will lead to him being able to RECRUIT. Plain and simple, this is the NUMBER ONE requirement. I really liked Tubby, simply because he was a genuinely nice guy. He always had a smile and handshake for me and my kids at the midnight madness practice sessions. He was a decent floor coach (in spite of all the criticism about his team's bad offense, which I agree). However, he really had no charisma. Zero. That's not his fault, it's just the truth. As a result (at least in part), he was not the best recruiter. I know, he did sign some highly rated guys who left or flamed out, or freaked out and left, but in the end, he just didn't get the job done in his recruiting. Of course, you can't blame all of his recruiting failures on his personality, as there are other mitigating circumstances (bad facilities, cold weather city, etc...). However, a coach has to be like a salesman, and I just don't see Tubby as having those skills. At the midnight madness events, people would be all amped up, and then Tubby would grab the microphone, and everyone fell asleep. Sort of like grandma reading a bedtime story. Let's face it: All the big name D-1 coaches would not have looked so great coaching Gopher-level talent year in and year out. It is all about who you have on the court. Yes, we had some good talent this year, but let's be realistic: We had two or three very good, but not great, players (Hollins, Hollins, Mbakwe). A point guard who should have been a shooting guard (Andre), a shooting guard that couldn't shoot (Austin did everything else very well, but he was supposed to be a SHOOTING guard. Yes, he had some very good games, but look at the overall stats: Bad shooting), and an undersized (short) power forward who did great things in spite of his limitations (size and lack of shooting ability). Beyond that, we didn't have much. It will all come down to how well Mr. Patino can convince some wide-eyed kid who has multiple offers from big-name schools that he should come to Minnesota instead. That is not an easy sell, but it can be done, as we actually have a lot of things worth coming to here (good academics, great city, great work opportunities, great conference, pro sports in town). Let's cheer on Richard and hope he can fill the court with good players. The X's and O's are obviously important, but not nearly as important as recruiting. That's my two cents.
 

Bordergopher said:
Based only upon hope, I approve of the hire. What is my hope? That this guy has charisma and energy, which will lead to him being able to RECRUIT. Plain and simple, this is the NUMBER ONE requirement. I really liked Tubby, simply because he was a genuinely nice guy. He always had a smile and handshake for me and my kids at the midnight madness practice sessions. He was a decent floor coach (in spite of all the criticism about his team's bad offense, which I agree). However, he really had no charisma. Zero. That's not his fault, it's just the truth. As a result (at least in part), he was not the best recruiter. I know, he did sign some highly rated guys who left or flamed out, or freaked out and left, but in the end, he just didn't get the job done in his recruiting. Of course, you can't blame all of his recruiting failures on his personality, as there are other mitigating circumstances (bad facilities, cold weather city, etc...). However, a coach has to be like a salesman, and I just don't see Tubby as having those skills. At the midnight madness events, people would be all amped up, and then Tubby would grab the microphone, and everyone fell asleep. Sort of like grandma reading a bedtime story. Let's face it: All the big name D-1 coaches would not have looked so great coaching Gopher-level talent year in and year out. It is all about who you have on the court. Yes, we had some good talent this year, but let's be realistic: We had two or three very good, but not great, players (Hollins, Hollins, Mbakwe). A point guard who should have been a shooting guard (Andre), a shooting guard that couldn't shoot (Austin did everything else very well, but he was supposed to be a SHOOTING guard. Yes, he had some very good games, but look at the overall stats: Bad shooting), and an undersized (short) power forward who did great things in spite of his limitations (size and lack of shooting ability). Beyond that, we didn't have much. It will all come down to how well Mr. Patino can convince some wide-eyed kid who has multiple offers from big-name schools that he should come to Minnesota instead. That is not an easy sell, but it can be done, as we actually have a lot of things worth coming to here (good academics, great city, great work opportunities, great conference, pro sports in town). Let's cheer on Richard and hope he can fill the court with good players. The X's and O's are obviously important, but not nearly as important as recruiting. That's my two cents.
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+1
 

Great Plains Gopher said:
His dad is 60 - how long is Rich going to be with us? They should have given Flip what he wanted - he'd have been a long term coach. Pitino sounds like Holtz redux.
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Who cares? Don't get this at all. If it gets the practice facility started, awesome! And if he leaves in the manner you think, it will mean our program is in good shape and will be alot more desirable than it is currently. Relax, enjoy it!
 

The more I think about it, the more I like it...Now if he can get after Tyus, Rashad and Reid!
 

joshvanklomp said:
Jim Petersen ‏@JimPeteHoops
@joshvanklomp Solid choice. He learned from 2 of the best. His dad and Billy Donovan know how to win.
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Louisville and Florida both play Big Ten style defenses, I think he will make a good coach, can he recruit though, time will tell, not going to worry about it for a couple of years, might actually have an offense that is fun to watch for a change.
 

hillie33 said:
Who said Norwood didn't botch the Flip hiring on purpose? I'm also willing to bet Norwood met with Pitino in Indy last week too.

Teauge/Ellis hire 30 year old up and comers. That's what they do. They don't hire 58 year old NBA coaches that don't want to put good college assistants on their staff.
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We'll see how it all goes. Before we ever have a chance to see how the kid does with a basketball program, we will see how that norwood does with the fund-raising...practice facility building, etc.

The kid needs to look good. If he can't win in the Big Ten, it will determine where and at what level he will ever coach again. At least, for hoops coaches, it hasn't been a graveyard job the way the football program has been. I wish the kid luck. Since it cost so much to buy Tubby out...since Tubby made the tourney and even won a game there and since there is some talent coming back...I will expect the kid to win at least as many games as Tubby won last year in CONFERENCE PLAY. Tubby only lost to Duke in ooc play. Should we expect the kid to win as many ooc cupcake games as Tubby too?

Good luck to everyone. I ESPECIALLY hope that norwood can raise the money for the practice facility. If he can't it might be a LONG next five years.

; 0 )
 

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