***OFFICIAL MINNESOTA AT ILLINOIS IN-GAME THREAD!!!***


Shame on me, because Coyle would've made a decision?? What does Coyle's decision have to do with me, and why don't you trust Coyle?

Sorry. 100% agree with you, was attempting to express it through sarcasm. Not very effectively it appears.
 



I believe we will also have gaps next year. Right now I have strong doubts that Oturu will be back. We could lose other players to transfer. Willis might be able to grad transfer and Freeman might leave just because he doesn't see a future here. The two latter players are not big losses but additional spring recruits will have to be found if they do depart. So, Pitino could be filling "a bunch of gaps again" and one of them would be huge.

While I think the 9 game schedule remaining is a little more favorable than the first 11 games, I could see the team finishing below .500 in the league once again even if they avoid the "bottom 1/3rd."
Right, you could literally write the post you replied to every year of Pitino's 7-year tenure. We've been in scramble mode with recruiting and roster management more years than not.
 


Every AD should have a short list at all times. Discussing who should be on it does not = hating the current coach. He should have one for football too. Doesn't mean we want it to have to be used.
 

Every AD should have a short list at all times. Discussing who should be on it does not = hating the current coach. He should have one for football too. Doesn't mean we want it to have to be used.
Completely agree, most people here just say fire Pitino and don't even offer any names that would be a suitable replacement. Myself is a Pitino supporter would love to have a better Coach come in who could win more games but I wouldn't know who to even start with so it seems pointless to just say fire Pitino we need to win more
 

Completely agree, most people here just say fire Pitino and don't even offer any names that would be a suitable replacement. Myself is a Pitino supporter would love to have a better Coach come in who could win more games but I wouldn't know who to even start with so it seems pointless to just say fire Pitino we need to win more
Every AD should have a short list
 

I guess you could call me a skeptic but what exactly is so great about Craig Smith and what he's doing at Utah State? I quickly checked their record and they really only have two quality wins over LSU and Florida. Utah State got beat by 20 by Air Force... if we lost by 20 to, say, Nebraska people would be losing their f'ing minds and calling for Pitino's head.

Everyone's assuming the absolute worst scenario next year in which we lose Oturu. An alternative scenario would be we bring Oturu back, pick up a quality JUCO transfer at the 4 and then bring in Kerwin Walton. We would be frontrunners to win the B1G.

I was one of the first people on here that thought Oturu would leave after this year and caught plenty of shit for it - but if he comes back, we will have one hell of a team.
 



Everyone's assuming the absolute worst scenario next year in which we lose Oturu. An alternative scenario would be we bring Oturu back, pick up a quality JUCO transfer at the 4 and then bring in Kerwin Walton. We would be frontrunners to win the B1G.

I was one of the first people on here that thought Oturu would leave after this year and caught plenty of shit for it - but if he comes back, we will have one hell of a team.
No.

Three "ifs," which even if all somehow come true, wouldn't make the Gophers "frontrunners to win the B1G."
 

No.

Three "ifs," which even if all somehow come true, wouldn't make the Gophers "frontrunners to win the B1G."
Yes.

I see from your username you took offense to me calling Air Force a bad team. Doesn't disprove the fact that I'm proposing an alternative scenario to all the negative ones going around on this board.

A lineup of:
Carr / Greenlee / Mashburn Jr.
Kalscheur / Walton
Willis / Omersa
JUCO 4 / Ihnen / Mitchell
Oturu / Freeman

would absolutely be the frontrunner to win the B1G next year. Are you high?
 

Yes.

I see from your username you took offense to me calling Air Force a bad team. Doesn't disprove the fact that I'm proposing an alternative scenario to all the negative ones going around on this board.

A lineup of:
Carr / Greenlee / Mashburn Jr.
Kalscheur / Walton
Willis / Omersa
JUCO 4 / Ihnen / Mitchell
Oturu / Freeman

would absolutely be the frontrunner to win the B1G next year. Are you high?
We would be better than we are right now. To say we'd be "the" front-runner is a huge leap. Who's Michigan State going to have? Maryland? Illinois didn't start one senior last night.
 

Right, you could literally write the post you replied to every year of Pitino's 7-year tenure. We've been in scramble mode with recruiting and roster management more years than not.

I think that might be a little bit of a stretch. If IW decides to transfer in April and Coffey decides to turn pro in April and Pitino has two scholarships available in April that he didn't know he would have in February, does that mean by definition he is in scramble mode even though he had no control of either situation? Transferring and kids leaving early for the pros has become the norm for programs, not the exception.
 



I think that might be a little bit of a stretch. If IW decides to transfer in April and Coffey decides to turn pro in April and Pitino has two scholarships available in April that he didn't know he would have in February, does that mean by definition he is in scramble mode even though he had no control of either situation? Transferring and kids leaving early for the pros has become the norm for programs, not the exception.
That's also why you don't want to go INTO Spring with 2 open scholarships. You'll almost always end up with 1-2 more and now you're scrambling trying to fill 4 scholarships in the Spring which is hard to do. And then you end up with one going to Greenlee who is probably out of his league and another is unused.
 

Yes.

I see from your username you took offense to me calling Air Force a bad team. Doesn't disprove the fact that I'm proposing an alternative scenario to all the negative ones going around on this board.

A lineup of:
Carr / Greenlee / Mashburn Jr.
Kalscheur / Walton
Willis / Omersa
JUCO 4 / Ihnen / Mitchell
Oturu / Freeman

would absolutely be the frontrunner to win the B1G next year. Are you high?
This really isn’t an alternative scenario. It’s an alternate universe.
 

I think that might be a little bit of a stretch. If IW decides to transfer in April and Coffey decides to turn pro in April and Pitino has two scholarships available in April that he didn't know he would have in February, does that mean by definition he is in scramble mode even though he had no control of either situation? Transferring and kids leaving early for the pros has become the norm for programs, not the exception.
The well-run programs don't rely on ifs and excuses to explain why they're always in scramble mode. They're simply rarely in scramble mode.
 
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Every AD should have a short list
So thats why you repeat the same thing in every post? We know you arent the AD, but you clearly feel you know the best direction for the program is to remove Pitino. Who's on your short list?
 

Howie and Bad always think the sky is falling. Don’t listen. This was a great game. Turning point! Watch!
 

So thats why you repeat the same thing in every post? We know you arent the AD, but you clearly feel you know the best direction for the program is to remove Pitino. Who's on your short list?

Well my short list is someone who can win in the big 10 at a .375 rate over 7 years.

I wonder if Elmer Fudd could do that as coach.

The list should be endless. Hell, throw darts and whoever it lands on gets the job. It would be hard for them to do worse than .375
 

Well my short list is someone who can win in the big 10 at a .375 rate over 7 years.

I wonder if Elmer Fudd could do that as coach.

The list should be endless. Hell, throw darts and whoever it lands on gets the job. It would be hard for them to do worse than .375
Is this a USAF burner account? Elmer Fudd is funny, I knew you were a comedian!
 




You could not hire just anyone and win 35% of the time but the AD can hire someone who would build a identity day one and win a whole lot more than 55% of the time. NOT as easy as it sounds but there are some truly wonderful coaches that would win here. It has been done at other mediocre programs.
 

So thats why you repeat the same thing in every post? We know you arent the AD, but you clearly feel you know the best direction for the program is to remove Pitino. Who's on your short list?
I dont have a short list. It's not my job. I trust the AD to hire someone who will be better than Pitino, which is admittedly a low bar to jump.

Pitino seems like a nice guy. But he's never going to have sustained success at Minnesota. He doesnt recruit well enough to cover his shortcomings as a coach, and he doesnt coach well enough to cover the shortcomings on the roster.

Move on already.
 
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I dont have a short list. It's not my job. I trust the AD to hire someone who will be better than Pitino, which is admittedly a low bar to jump.

Pitino seems like a nice guy. But he's never going to have sustained success at Munneosta. He doesnt recruit well enough to cover his shortcomings as a coach, and he doesnt coach well enough to cover the shortcomings on the roster.

Move on already.
Lol but I've never talked to a wall this fun before
 

Every AD should have a short list at all times. Discussing who should be on it does not = hating the current coach. He should have one for football too. Doesn't mean we want it to have to be used.
Exactly. Also, just because you don’t see a future with Pitino doesn’t mean you don’t want the current squad or Pitino himself to do well. I watch every game hoping they win and Pitino earns more time. But I’ve also seen his history and am doubtful this will happen. Thus, it’s only natural to look over the fence at the neighbors yard and see if the grass appears greener.
 

Lol but I've never talked to a wall this fun before
What is it about the current Gopher basketball program you like? That gives you confidence in the short, medium or long range future?
 

I think that might be a little bit of a stretch. If IW decides to transfer in April and Coffey decides to turn pro in April and Pitino has two scholarships available in April that he didn't know he would have in February, does that mean by definition he is in scramble mode even though he had no control of either situation? Transferring and kids leaving early for the pros has become the norm for programs, not the exception.

How is that a stretch? I would think even the biggest Pitino supporter could agree that roster management has been one of if not his biggest weakness. It’s been a recurring theme, which has lead to subsequent problems, like offering scholarships to players that probably shouldn’t be on a B1G team or taking on multiple sit-out transfers in the same year, which leads to him only playing 5-7 guys consistently, which leads to being too thin and way too susceptible to injuries, suspensions, players leaving, etc.

If every team in the league could only play 5 guys the entire game, I think Pitino’s conference win percentage would be above .500, as he’s often had a pretty good 5. But the bench has been way too thin almost every year, and any injuries or foul trouble of the starters has left too big of a gap to overcome. This year is the same, and next year will probably be similar, especially if Oturu leaves.
 

What is it about the current Gopher basketball program you like? That gives you confidence in the short, medium or long range future?
I like the coaching staff, the players, the B1G, williams arena, and Minneapolis! I like the improvement in defense and the future commits we have. I have not said you are wrong for wanting Pitino gone. I have only pointed out your repetitive need to state the same exact thing (a wall) and am still waiting for actual solutions. I know that is the ADs job right? Horse is dead, been beaten bloody.
 




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