coolhandgopher
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I'm not sure another thread needs to be started by me, but ahh, what the hell, why not? I'm preface this up front-I don't have any insights into Johnson as a tactician, recruiter, former next door neighbor, etc.
1. I suggest reading EG#9's post, "Coyle's miscalculations as I see them". It's a good, well thought out overview of the risks and reasons to be concerned about this hire.
2. Different sport, but if you had told me that Jim Harbaugh, a coach who brought Stanford to relevance, who took the 49ers to the Super Bowl, would go to his alma mater, the all time winningest program in college football and would struggle as much as he has, I'd thought you crazy. If you look at the paltry coaching tree of Coach K, whose program at Duke over the last 35 years is in the conversation for the pinnacle of the sport, whose proteges have had numerous opportunities and undoubtedly great access to high school and AAU program, it boggles the mind.
Hiring a head coach is rarely a sure thing.
3. And at Minnesota, it's never a sure thing. That's not a fatalistic, woe-is me and my fandom point of view, it's just realistic. Over the course of the last 40 years, the program has won two Big Ten titles, one clean, one not. Since Clem the Gem was shuttled off in disgrace, we've went the hot off the NCAA tournament route (Monson), veteran, national championship winner route (Tubby) and young coach with the storied last name (Pitino). It's translated to mediocrity at best, disastrous at worst.
As wonderful as it was to entertain the idea of Eric Musselman or Brian Dutcher returning to their roots to rescue the program, it just wasn't going to happen. Might they have missed with Craig Smith or Niko Medved? Potentially yes, and for their sakes, I hope their careers continue to ascend. However, the leap from mid-major to major program is a tough leap--I posted in the Porter Moser thread earlier today to that effect, that the list of Big Ten failures making that jump is a much longer list than successes over the last 20+ years.
4. In one of the threads, the poster Fair pointed out the risk that Coyle's taking with this hire and really staking his reputation to it. I agree wholeheartedly--this was a ballsy move on his part and he certainly could have went a safer route by hiring Smith or Medved and we (the fanbase) would have for the most part, been content. This is a swing for the fences and you have to assume that Coyle sees something in Johnson that gives him great hope. He's staking his job on it, you'd have to think he could have made the money work for Smith or Medved or Gates. If this hire sinks, I don't know how you come back from the abyss.
5. Juwan Howard, Patrick Ewing, Fred Hoiberg, Penny Hardaway. In most cases, much more established programs with richer histories that have rolled the dice on bringing in former players with limited coaching experience (albeit, with much bigger names and games than Ben J.). You could also toss the names of Chris Mullin and Clyde Drexler into the conversation, for a less grandiose return on investment (to be generous). Again, this is a gamble, but not unlike gambles that have been taking place with other programs, and better programs than the "U".
6. Is it going to work? Who the hell knows. It will be interesting, no doubt and I'm excited to see where this goes. I do empathize with the season ticket holders, the people who scrape together their dollars year after year to go to Williams Arena, whether for one game or the whole package, who invest in the program, and who wonder if it's worth it. If I was in your shoes, I might be doing the same. If this gamble works, if the recruits follow and the wins follow, we've got a 41 year old head coach who calls Minnesota his home. It could be spectacular-it could spectacularly fail.
As always, I'll be a fan and dreaming for a glorious new era of Gopher basketball. What else am I going to do?
Go Coach Johnson!
1. I suggest reading EG#9's post, "Coyle's miscalculations as I see them". It's a good, well thought out overview of the risks and reasons to be concerned about this hire.
2. Different sport, but if you had told me that Jim Harbaugh, a coach who brought Stanford to relevance, who took the 49ers to the Super Bowl, would go to his alma mater, the all time winningest program in college football and would struggle as much as he has, I'd thought you crazy. If you look at the paltry coaching tree of Coach K, whose program at Duke over the last 35 years is in the conversation for the pinnacle of the sport, whose proteges have had numerous opportunities and undoubtedly great access to high school and AAU program, it boggles the mind.
Hiring a head coach is rarely a sure thing.
3. And at Minnesota, it's never a sure thing. That's not a fatalistic, woe-is me and my fandom point of view, it's just realistic. Over the course of the last 40 years, the program has won two Big Ten titles, one clean, one not. Since Clem the Gem was shuttled off in disgrace, we've went the hot off the NCAA tournament route (Monson), veteran, national championship winner route (Tubby) and young coach with the storied last name (Pitino). It's translated to mediocrity at best, disastrous at worst.
As wonderful as it was to entertain the idea of Eric Musselman or Brian Dutcher returning to their roots to rescue the program, it just wasn't going to happen. Might they have missed with Craig Smith or Niko Medved? Potentially yes, and for their sakes, I hope their careers continue to ascend. However, the leap from mid-major to major program is a tough leap--I posted in the Porter Moser thread earlier today to that effect, that the list of Big Ten failures making that jump is a much longer list than successes over the last 20+ years.
4. In one of the threads, the poster Fair pointed out the risk that Coyle's taking with this hire and really staking his reputation to it. I agree wholeheartedly--this was a ballsy move on his part and he certainly could have went a safer route by hiring Smith or Medved and we (the fanbase) would have for the most part, been content. This is a swing for the fences and you have to assume that Coyle sees something in Johnson that gives him great hope. He's staking his job on it, you'd have to think he could have made the money work for Smith or Medved or Gates. If this hire sinks, I don't know how you come back from the abyss.
5. Juwan Howard, Patrick Ewing, Fred Hoiberg, Penny Hardaway. In most cases, much more established programs with richer histories that have rolled the dice on bringing in former players with limited coaching experience (albeit, with much bigger names and games than Ben J.). You could also toss the names of Chris Mullin and Clyde Drexler into the conversation, for a less grandiose return on investment (to be generous). Again, this is a gamble, but not unlike gambles that have been taking place with other programs, and better programs than the "U".
6. Is it going to work? Who the hell knows. It will be interesting, no doubt and I'm excited to see where this goes. I do empathize with the season ticket holders, the people who scrape together their dollars year after year to go to Williams Arena, whether for one game or the whole package, who invest in the program, and who wonder if it's worth it. If I was in your shoes, I might be doing the same. If this gamble works, if the recruits follow and the wins follow, we've got a 41 year old head coach who calls Minnesota his home. It could be spectacular-it could spectacularly fail.
As always, I'll be a fan and dreaming for a glorious new era of Gopher basketball. What else am I going to do?
Go Coach Johnson!
