Marcus: Sources said it's possible Pitino will interview for the New Mexico coaching opening this weekend.

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I don’t care what happens to Pitino, he’s got enough cash for a lifetime.

I just want a coach who can produce memories to last a lifetime! In a good way, of course!
 

For what it's worth on Alford, he wasn't getting fired at Iowa (at least that offseason). He was just 9-7 in conference that season and the year prior he had one of the better seasons the programs had getting a #3 seed in the NCAA tournament. There were problems on both end of the relationship. Without going in to details, the Pierre Pierce situation brought to light some other issues and all of that played a role. Also, Alford really wanted the Indiana job, didn't get it, and felt like had maxed out at Iowa. He truly saw New Mexico as a better situation given that and the other issues and he was proven correct as he eventually parlayed his performance at UNM in to the UCLA job. His situation was very different than Pitino's is now.
 




www.santafenewmexican.com

Minnesota's Pitino a contender to be UNM basketball coach

It comes as no surprise, then, that the leading candidate for the Lobos vacancy appears to be Richard Pitino.
www.santafenewmexican.com www.santafenewmexican.com

Best part of the article


As anyone can attest, the pay is good at Minnesota but the reality is far less so. It’s considered a lower-end job in the Big Ten, often lost in the shadows of high-profile powerhouses like Michigan State, Wisconsin, Ohio State, Michigan, Purdue, Iowa, Indiana and Illinois. The Gophers’ fan base is also notoriously fickle and quick to turn on a coach.
 

MNVCGUY said:
Lane Kiffin. And Pitino will 100% get another head coaching job somewhere.
Click to expand...
Kiffin has been successful.

His name opened the door for him but all of Kiffin's success has been the result of him.
 





SanDiegoGopherFan said:
www.santafenewmexican.com

Minnesota's Pitino a contender to be UNM basketball coach

It comes as no surprise, then, that the leading candidate for the Lobos vacancy appears to be Richard Pitino.
www.santafenewmexican.com www.santafenewmexican.com

Best part of the article


As anyone can attest, the pay is good at Minnesota but the reality is far less so. It’s considered a lower-end job in the Big Ten, often lost in the shadows of high-profile powerhouses like Michigan State, Wisconsin, Ohio State, Michigan, Purdue, Iowa, Indiana and Illinois. The Gophers’ fan base is also notoriously fickle and quick to turn on a coach.
Click to expand...
I don't know whether to laugh or cry at this. "Lost in the shadows of high-profile powerhouses like...Wisconsin and Iowa." At what point do we stop feeling sorry for ourselves and decide that trying harder to compete will be more fun than arguing that we can't compete and then complaining that we're not competitive? Wisconsin downright sucked for many years and built themselves up. Not that it's easy; obviously having a daily pity party is much less effort. We've mastered that.

One thing other programs and more successful sports towns have over us is that they're NOT as patient or willing to settle as we are. The perception that we're impatient is a false perception at best and, at worst, an insidious campaign to convince us to stop trying.
 

Bad Gopher said:
I don't know whether to laugh or cry at this. "Lost in the shadows of high-profile powerhouses like...Wisconsin and Iowa." At what point do we stop feeling sorry for ourselves and decide that trying harder to compete will be more fun than arguing that we can't compete and then complaining that we're not competitive? Wisconsin downright sucked for many years and built themselves up. Not that it's easy; obviously having a daily pity party is much less effort. We've mastered that.

One thing other programs and more successful sports towns have over us is that they're NOT as patient or willing to settle as we are. The perception that we're impatient is a false perception at best and, at worst, an insidious campaign to convince us to stop trying.
Click to expand...
UW was for a very long time far worse than here. Terrible leadership, terrible facilities, terrible coaching. The Fieldhouse was falling apart. Faithfull 5,000 was all that was left. New leadership got Pat Richter who put together a plan on how to hire a builder, someone who had built success at the most difficult schools regardless of level. This can be done here but no one demands excellence. You can coach here with a atrocious record for 7-8 years and not be fired ! The media has been easy on the coaches mostly because their is just indifference. Some fans have lost their patience and left. Look at attendance, many boosters i know left and stopped giving the last 4-5 years. Some will come back when they see a program with a leader. New fans will come with winning.
 

builtbadgers said:
UW was for a very long time far worse than here. Terrible leadership, terrible facilities, terrible coaching. The Fieldhouse was falling apart. Faithfull 5,000 was all that was left. New leadership got Pat Richter who put together a plan on how to hire a builder, someone who had built success at the most difficult schools regardless of level. This can be done here but no one demands excellence. You can coach here with a atrocious record for 7-8 years and not be fired ! The media has been easy on the coaches mostly because their is just indifference. Some fans have lost their patience and left. Look at attendance, many boosters i know left and stopped giving the last 4-5 years. Some will come back when they see a program with a leader. New fans will come with winning.
Click to expand...

Nailed it.
 



The Kohl center itself is ok. Reminds me of a NBA arena. I thought somewhat generic. Good location.
 

EG#9 said:
For what it's worth on Alford, he wasn't getting fired at Iowa (at least that offseason). He was just 9-7 in conference that season and the year prior he had one of the better seasons the programs had getting a #3 seed in the NCAA tournament. There were problems on both end of the relationship. Without going in to details, the Pierre Pierce situation brought to light some other issues and all of that played a role. Also, Alford really wanted the Indiana job, didn't get it, and felt like had maxed out at Iowa. He truly saw New Mexico as a better situation given that and the other issues and he was proven correct as he eventually parlayed his performance at UNM in to the UCLA job. His situation was very different than Pitino's is now.
Click to expand...
UCLA, on the other hand, I think they just canned him after not doing well?
 

SanDiegoGopherFan said:
www.santafenewmexican.com

Minnesota's Pitino a contender to be UNM basketball coach

It comes as no surprise, then, that the leading candidate for the Lobos vacancy appears to be Richard Pitino.
www.santafenewmexican.com www.santafenewmexican.com

Best part of the article


As anyone can attest, the pay is good at Minnesota but the reality is far less so. It’s considered a lower-end job in the Big Ten, often lost in the shadows of high-profile powerhouses like Michigan State, Wisconsin, Ohio State, Michigan, Purdue, Iowa, Indiana and Illinois. The Gophers’ fan base is also notoriously fickle and quick to turn on a coach.
Click to expand...
What’s so ridiculous is that Iowa has not been a powerhouse at all until this year. Wisconsin was nothing really before Ryan, other than a one-year miracle run by Bennett. Michigan been up and down in hoops. Indiana has been pretty middle of the road for years. Illinois has been below average until this year and last for many years. It is simply about getting the right coach in basketball and you can become a perennial winner. Wisconsin found that. Illinois has now. Indiana hasn’t yet. MN can too.
 

builtbadgers said:
UW was for a very long time far worse than here. Terrible leadership, terrible facilities, terrible coaching. The Fieldhouse was falling apart. Faithfull 5,000 was all that was left. New leadership got Pat Richter who put together a plan on how to hire a builder, someone who had built success at the most difficult schools regardless of level. This can be done here but no one demands excellence. You can coach here with a atrocious record for 7-8 years and not be fired ! The media has been easy on the coaches mostly because their is just indifference. Some fans have lost their patience and left. Look at attendance, many boosters i know left and stopped giving the last 4-5 years. Some will come back when they see a program with a leader. New fans will come with winning.
Click to expand...

I'm telling you, this is absolutely true about Badger basketball. I grew up in Madison in the 70s/80s going to games at the Fieldhouse because a few season-ticket holders in my neighborhood were always eager to give tickets away. The coaches, players, results, facilities and attendance all sucked. They were above .500 in conference ONCE in a 30-year span between 1966/67 and 1996/97! When Dick Bennett came to town everything changed. They've finished above .500 22 times since then, including 20 times in the last 21 seasons. I can't express how desperately I want us to finally find our great coach who will build that consistent level of excellence. Man, I hope Coyle strikes gold this time.
 

alchemy2u said:
If Pitino lands at New Mexico, you have to take your hat off to Coyle! Not only does he get to “upgrade” our coaching situation, but he allowed Pitino to have a very soft landing. That will reflect very positively on Coyle who quietly handled the situation by letting his coach save face and he saved the University some money. It will be a win/win situation by not going Scorched Earth like so many of you wanted him to do. Coyle knows that he is not able to hire a new coach until their season is over. So he has time to move the pieces of the puzzle around to make it work for everyone.
Click to expand...
If Richard ends up at New Mexico how does Coyle get credit for that? My assumption is that he is waiting for the B1G tourney to wrap up today and then make an announcement on Monday as it will be better press. Obviously it benefits the U if he gets another coaching gig right away but I don't see how Coyle deserves anything.
 

WindyCityGopher said:
I'm telling you, this is absolutely true about Badger basketball. I grew up in Madison in the 70s/80s going to games at the Fieldhouse because a few season-ticket holders in my neighborhood were always eager to give tickets away. The coaches, players, results, facilities and attendance all sucked. They were above .500 in conference ONCE in a 30-year span between 1966/67 and 1996/97! When Dick Bennett came to town everything changed. They've finished above .500 22 times since then, including 20 times in the last 21 seasons. I can't express how desperately I want us to finally find our great coach who will build that consistent level of excellence. Man, I hope Coyle strikes gold this time.
Click to expand...
This is why I'm all in on Smith or Gates: bring in the best coach and tactician you can find who also has a vision and commitment to establishing a culture of success and good citizenship. Most of the other stuff we're talking about can only be built on top of that solid foundation.
 

bigyetti18 said:
If Richard ends up at New Mexico how does Coyle get credit for that? My assumption is that he is waiting for the B1G tourney to wrap up today and then make an announcement on Monday as it will be better press. Obviously it benefits the U if he gets another coaching gig right away but I don't see how Coyle deserves anything.
Click to expand...
Maybe just for waiting to fire him until after he negotiated for and got the NM offer? By all rights, it seems like he could've fired Pitino publicly long ago.
 

bigyetti18 said:
If Richard ends up at New Mexico how does Coyle get credit for that? My assumption is that he is waiting for the B1G tourney to wrap up today and then make an announcement on Monday as it will be better press. Obviously it benefits the U if he gets another coaching gig right away but I don't see how Coyle deserves anything.
Click to expand...
There are major financial and PR benefits to Pitino being hired by New Mexico. It also makes the Minnesota job more attractive if a previous coach who couldn’t get the job done lands as an MWC head coach immediately. Coyle’s handling of the transition has put Minnesota in a position for that. He could have fired Pitino mid-season or right after the BTT loss. He could have given Pitino a 10 minute heads up of it happening. His communication with Pitino and handling of the “firing” have enabled Minnesota and Pitino to come out of this transition in about the best possible position.
 

builtbadgers said:
UW was for a very long time far worse than here. Terrible leadership, terrible facilities, terrible coaching. The Fieldhouse was falling apart. Faithfull 5,000 was all that was left. New leadership got Pat Richter who put together a plan on how to hire a builder, someone who had built success at the most difficult schools regardless of level. This can be done here but no one demands excellence. You can coach here with a atrocious record for 7-8 years and not be fired ! The media has been easy on the coaches mostly because their is just indifference. Some fans have lost their patience and left. Look at attendance, many boosters i know left and stopped giving the last 4-5 years. Some will come back when they see a program with a leader. New fans will come with winning.
Click to expand...
Wisconsin also got very lucky with the perfectly timed retirement of Dick Bennett. He took them from the bottom of the conference to the middle/upper middle, and then quit, thereby facilitating the hiring of a coach who could take them to the top of the conference. The guy who can take you from the bottom to the middle/upper middle (e.g. Bennett or Fran McCaffrey) is frequently not the same guy who can take you to the conference championship. Iowa is stuck in the middle/upper middle with Fran, with 3 3rd places finishes. Bucky got lucky that Bennett quit before he would have become similarly stuck, IMO.
 

Gopher_In_NYC said:
Richard was blessed with the Luck of the Sperm.

I've met many recipients where I live who through no efforts of thier own, had trust funds, significant inheritance, companies bestowed on them as part of their birthright. Not their fault of course, however, it is annoying when they think they hit a triple, but were actually born on third base!
Click to expand...
That comment usually comes from a guy who never got to first.
 

WindyCityGopher said:
I'm telling you, this is absolutely true about Badger basketball. I grew up in Madison in the 70s/80s going to games at the Fieldhouse because a few season-ticket holders in my neighborhood were always eager to give tickets away. The coaches, players, results, facilities and attendance all sucked. They were above .500 in conference ONCE in a 30-year span between 1966/67 and 1996/97! When Dick Bennett came to town everything changed. They've finished above .500 22 times since then, including 20 times in the last 21 seasons. I can't express how desperately I want us to finally find our great coach who will build that consistent level of excellence. Man, I hope Coyle strikes gold this time.
Click to expand...
Great post ! How they got Bennett is incredible. He loved Green Bay and his best years had already been spent building UWSP and Green Bay. What he did in Madison was build the foundation with guys that could lose but grow and never compromise the non negotiable's . He left behind a final 4 roster that returned most everyone, a pipeline of his son on staff (who was a manager for him) Wilkinson, Penney, the culture etc.. His son secured Tucker and Harris. Bo built on it his own way but quality shots, low turnovers and nationally elite defenses. Over time came better talent . That can happen here. They had proven the formula at every level, including high school, they did it at WSU they did it at UVA, his daughter did it at Oshkosh, his brother did it at UWSP, His brother's son is doing it at Racine St. Catherines now with a 65-1 record. In the beginning the wins do not matter, the foundation does. Principles and fundamentals first.
 

BigTenGuy said:
Wisconsin also got very lucky with the perfectly timed retirement of Dick Bennett. He took them from the bottom of the conference to the middle/upper middle, and then quit, thereby facilitating the hiring of a coach who could take them to the top of the conference. The guy who can take you from the bottom to the middle/upper middle (e.g. Bennett or Fran McCaffrey) is frequently not the same guy who can take you to the conference championship. Iowa is stuck in the middle/upper middle with Fran, with 3 3rd places finishes. Bucky got lucky that Bennett quit before he would have become similarly stuck, IMO.
Click to expand...
Bennett's health got in the way. He would have continued to get better and better. He is so superior to Fran as a teacher it is not even funny. Had him lined up for ASU or Clemson and he wanted WSU because he thinks the worst jobs are the best.
 

builtbadgers said:
Bennett's health got in the way. He would have continued to get better and better. He is so superior to Fran as a teacher it is not even funny. Had him lined up for ASU or Clemson and he wanted WSU because he thinks the worst jobs are the best.
Click to expand...
Ok, Built. If you had your pick of any new coach for the Gophers, who would it be? A good teacher and one that can build the program as it needs to be? You can start with some near impossible long shots and move to more realistic targets.
 


alchemy2u said:
Ok, Built. If you had your pick of any new coach for the Gophers, who would it be? A good teacher and one that can build the program as it needs to be? You can start with some near impossible long shots and move to more realistic targets.
Click to expand...
Beard, Mussleman, Gates, Smith and way out there-Nick Bennett if he brings his father Jack with him for two years.
 

builtbadgers said:
Great post ! How they got Bennett is incredible. He loved Green Bay and his best years had already been spent building UWSP and Green Bay. What he did in Madison was build the foundation with guys that could lose but grow and never compromise the non negotiable's . He left behind a final 4 roster that returned most everyone, a pipeline of his son on staff (who was a manager for him) Wilkinson, Penney, the culture etc.. His son secured Tucker and Harris. Bo built on it his own way but quality shots, low turnovers and nationally elite defenses. Over time came better talent . That can happen here. They had proven the formula at every level, including high school, they did it at WSU they did it at UVA, his daughter did it at Oshkosh, his brother did it at UWSP, His brother's son is doing it at Racine St. Catherines now with a 65-1 record. In the beginning the wins do not matter, the foundation does. Principles and fundamentals first.
Click to expand...
Great story
 

builtbadgers said:
Bennett's health got in the way. He would have continued to get better and better. He is so superior to Fran as a teacher it is not even funny. Had him lined up for ASU or Clemson and he wanted WSU because he thinks the worst jobs are the best.
Click to expand...
Bennett coached five years at Wisconsin, finishing 8th, T-4th, T-9th, T-3rd and 6th, and then coached 3 years at Washington State, finishing T-7th, T-6th, and 10th. The year he left Wisconsin, the Badgers finished 5th. His 8-year major college record does not support the idea that he was headed toward the top of the Big Ten, let alone on a consistent basis. Moreover, the idea that he might have lead the Badgers to multiple Big Ten championships is belied by history. Since the days of Fred Taylor, every coach (with one exception) to win multiple Big Ten championships (regular season) won their first one by year 5, something Bennett failed to do. The combo of Bennett-Ryan was the perfect recipe for the Badgers long-term success.
 

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