Spring Practice: Speculation, Observation, Rumination

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Not that it will be read or responded to, but I sent an email to Coyle today. To break the ice, I referenced having drinks with his brother in the Des Moines area a few years ago. Then I pointed out that I thought it was crazy that updates are streaming out of every other team's spring practices, and yet Minnesota is maintaining radio silence. I think that's a crazy way to build enthusiasm for a season.
 

MNVCGUY said:
For the sake of this thread (and most of our sanity) please nobody get into a pissing match with GR about lockdowns or anything like that. Take those battles somewhere else.

Fleck seems really excited about where the team is at depth wise. Let’s hope we hit the ground running in 2021 en route to a great season with a really deep and experienced roster.
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He earned an ignore...
 

MplsGopher said:
Let's not get into it here ... but suffice to say: it is appropriate and expected that lower level schools do (and need to) hire guys who don't have (proven winning) head coaching experience. And that happens all the time. Guys gotta start somewhere and prove themselves.

On the other hand, it is not at all appropriate, nor should it be done, where a Big Ten program hires someone with no head coaching experience.


That's just that. Major foul up, with excessive risk. Hope they get lucky, but gut feeling is it's Brewster.
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Someone tell Tom Izzo it was inappropriate for MSU to hire him.
 




btowngopher said:
Still, he was never a head coach. Neither were Juwan Howard, Matt Painter, and Greg Gard.
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We talking football here? Good. Add Ryan day and pat Fitzgerald to the list.
Also, who's our deep threat this year, and will Morgan find him?
 


Urbandale said:
Not that it will be read or responded to, but I sent an email to Coyle today. To break the ice, I referenced having drinks with his brother in the Des Moines area a few years ago. Then I pointed out that I thought it was crazy that updates are streaming out of every other team's spring practices, and yet Minnesota is maintaining radio silence. I think that's a crazy way to build enthusiasm for a season.
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Wild guess is that Fleck loves the radio silence, and if he had the power to would cut off all information prior to game day, then do big PR after the game, returning to radio silence from Sunday through game time the next week. Other than his (contractually obligated) appearances where he talks in vauge generalities and his weekly presser, where he tries his best to talk only in vauge generalities but occasionally the press has the gall to ask him a tough question and he appears ticked off to begrudgingly give out a few tidbits.
 



MplsGopher said:
Wild guess is that Fleck loves the radio silence, and if he had the power to would cut off all information prior to game day, then do big PR after the game, returning to radio silence from Sunday through game time the next week. Other than his (contractually obligated) appearances where he talks in vauge generalities and his weekly presser, where he tries his best to talk only in vauge generalities but occasionally the press has the gall to ask him a tough question and he appears ticked off to begrudgingly give out a few tidbits.
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Are you getting Fleck and Zimmer confused? I can't recall ever seeing Fleck get ticked off with the local media.
 






Bob_Loblaw said:
I think he stays at running back this year and he surprises some folks. It'll be interesting to see what happens - - we essentially have 4 FR RBs (Williamson, Thomas, Wiley, Potts).
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Rumor has it that he injured both shoulders lifting weights and may not play again. Hopefully that is wrong but maybe someone with contacts in the program could confirm or correct that?
 

gophertime said:
Rumor has it that he injured both shoulders lifting weights and may not play again. Hopefully that is wrong but maybe someone with contacts in the program could confirm or correct that?
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Who is the rumored player?
 

btowngopher said:
Still, he was never a head coach. Neither were Juwan Howard, Matt Painter, and Greg Gard.
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Painter was a head coach for 1 year then associate head coach when he arrived at purdue and Gard was associate head coach for almost 4 years i think. Thus going thru a grooming period to be head coach.

Howard coached/played with Lebron James (kids might know who he is and it might have a wow factor)
 


SanDiegoGopherFan said:
Painter was a head coach for 1 year then associate head coach when he arrived at purdue and Gard was associate head coach for almost 4 years i think. Thus going thru a grooming period to be head coach.

Howard coached/played with Lebron James (kids might know who he is and it might have a wow factor)
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Ok, but he didn’t say it’s not appropriate and shouldn’t be done UNLESS they’ve been an associate head coach or coaches/played with Lebron. Few and Drew combined for one year of head coaching experience before landing HC roles at Gonzaga and Baylor. NBA teams hire guys with no head coaching experience.
 

gophertime said:
Williamson
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If this is true, I wonder if he overdid it while rehabbing or his shoulders just wasn't cut out for the next step? It has been a while since he played football so I wouldn't think it is a football injury.
 

btowngopher said:
Ok, but he didn’t say it’s not appropriate and shouldn’t be done UNLESS they’ve been an associate head coach or coaches/played with Lebron. Few and Drew combined for one year of head coaching experience before landing HC roles at Gonzaga and Baylor. NBA teams hire guys with no head coaching experience.
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True, but here's what people just don't want to admit.

Traditionally there is a process for moving up the ranks. Is this process always followed? No, it's how we end up with the Tim Brewsters of the world. In addition to that, what that persons accomplishments, despite maybe not being a coach, do carry a lot of weight. Like Jason Kidd, etc. We're talking all-star, potential HoF here.

Here's the really big point. I'm sure there are reasons why your average Power 5/6 program will hire someone who was a head coach elsewhere first, followed by someone who was being groomed (associate head coach) and lastly a simple assistant coach/position coach (brewster) last for any HC opening.
 

SanDiegoGopherFan said:
True, but here's what people just don't want to admit.

Traditionally there is a process for moving up the ranks. Is this process always followed? No, it's how we end up with the Tim Brewsters of the world. In addition to that, what that persons accomplishments, despite maybe not being a coach, do carry a lot of weight. Like Jason Kidd, etc. We're talking all-star, potential HoF here.

Here's the really big point. I'm sure there are reasons why your average Power 5/6 program will hire someone who was a head coach elsewhere first, followed by someone who was being groomed (associate head coach) and lastly a simple assistant coach/position coach (brewster) last for any HC opening.
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SanDiegoGopherFan said:
True, but here's what people just don't want to admit.

Traditionally there is a process for moving up the ranks. Is this process always followed? No, it's how we end up with the Tim Brewsters of the world. In addition to that, what that persons accomplishments, despite maybe not being a coach, do carry a lot of weight. Like Jason Kidd, etc. We're talking all-star, potential HoF here.

Here's the really big point. I'm sure there are reasons why your average Power 5/6 program will hire someone who was a head coach elsewhere first, followed by someone who was being groomed (associate head coach) and lastly a simple assistant coach/position coach (brewster) last for any HC opening.
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Sure sometimes you get the Tim Brewster, other times you get Dabo Swinney. Saban had one year of HC experience before MSU. I’m sure hiring someone with experience comes off as a less risky move, and looks better if they fail (he was successful there, how was I to know he would fail here?), but I haven’t seen any evidence that more HC experience equates to better odds of being successful in a new place. It might be the case, but I’m not going to just assume it. Yes we experienced Brew, but we also had the Wacker experience.
 

btowngopher said:
Sure sometimes you get the Tim Brewster, other times you get Dabo Swinney. Saban had one year of HC experience before MSU. I’m sure hiring someone with experience comes off as a less risky move, and looks better if they fail (he was successful there, how was I to know he would fail here?), but I haven’t seen any evidence that more HC experience equates to better odds of being successful in a new place. It might be the case, but I’m not going to just assume it. Yes we experienced Brew, but we also had the Wacker experience.
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Agree with your take. Previous head coaching experience should always be viewed as a plus when a coach is hired but it shouldn't be seen as a requirement.

I also think the sport matters. I know this is a hybrid football/basketball discussion stemming from the Johnson hire. Don't have anything to back it up but I would think previous head coach experience is far more valuable in a sport like football than it would be in basketball. In football you have a ton of moving parts to oversee (100+ players, big staff.....) whereas in basketball you have a much smaller roster and staff to manage. An assistant coach in basketball is going to be far more involved in the day to day aspects of running the program than the typical football assistant is.
 





Taji34 said:
Fine until they were pressured to open up too early, then cases started to rise. What's your excuse for
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Taji34 said:
Fine until they were pressured to open up too early, then cases started to rise. What's your excuse for Sweden?
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Delaying the inevitable at enormous cost is stupid. The Sweden approach is the right approach, though obviously more painful in the short term. COVID is a scourge of old, frail, fat people...we are spending trillions to extend almost exhausted lives, and the lives of those with irresponsible lifestyles. We are promoting the fiction that government can protect you from deadly viruses. It can't, and when a deadly virus arives that kills the young and healthy, watch how impotent the government really is.
 

#2Gopher said:
If this is true, I wonder if he overdid it while rehabbing or his shoulders just wasn't cut out for the next step? It has been a while since he played football so I wouldn't think it is a football injury.
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