You asked, we answered. Kendal Shell breaks down 10+ possible Gophers Coaching options

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Since Henry Lake reported that Pitino would be out at the end of the season, but would finish out this year, my phone has blown up (as has Kendal's) with who would take this job? Who would you want? Who do you think will get it?

We sat down and broke down a number of candidates, and how likely they were.
 

Since Henry Lake reported that Pitino would be out at the end of the season, but would finish out this year, my phone has blown up (as has Kendal's) with who would take this job? Who would you want? Who do you think will get it?

We sat down and broke down a number of candidates, and how likely they were.

Thank you!!

I think after listening to that podcast, I think my first choice is Dutcher, but Niko Medved, Smith or Musselmen would be great. I'm also intrigued with Saunders or Sam Mitchell. I don't think JB Bickerstaff is going to be leaving Cleveland.
 

Thank you!!

I think after listening to that podcast, I think my first choice is Dutcher, but Niko Medved, Smith or Musselmen would be great. I'm also intrigued with Saunders or Sam Mitchell. I don't think JB Bickerstaff is going to be leaving Cleveland.
If it is Saunders or JB i will cease all financial support. Not a shred of evidence that they will build anything here.
 


Reading between the lines, I'd say Kendal's #1 would be Niko. I can see the assistant coach connections that would potentially give inroads to Minnesota kids attending the U.
 
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JB is an NBA head coach making somewhere around 5 million, you dont have to worry about him coming here. Its hilarious he even pops up on these lists.

Yeah. If JB had interest (he wouldn't), he is on a completely different level from Ryan Saunders.
 


No mention of Dennis Gates? (Did I miss that?)

Sorta glossed over Craig Smith as a fallback option.
 

I don't think Coyle will consider Ryan and I don't see him considering the U job but it's funny to watch people turn their nose up at Saunders. This is a guy with 10 years of NBA experience that's respected by some of the better coaches in the league, particularly Spoelstra and Carlisle. Half of the job is selling the NBA dream, connecting with young people and developing them, Saunders would thrive in those key aspects. Saunders is a flawed young coach that got an NBA job way before he was ready because of an incompetent owner but that doesn't mean there isn't a good amount of potential there especially as a college coach.

Let's not kid ourselves, the U could do better than Saunders but also do a lot worse. The more I hear about Dennis Gates, the more he sounds like the type of man I would want leading this program but we're talking about a guy with two years of head coaching experience in the Horizon League. How many teams can you name in the Horizon League? Let's see Niko Medved get to the NCAA tournament before we start the Roddy for POTY campaign.
 



I don't think Coyle will consider Ryan and I don't see him considering the U job but it's funny to watch people turn their nose up at Saunders. This is a guy with 10 years of NBA experience that's respected by some of the better coaches in the league, particularly Spoelstra and Carlisle. Half of the job is selling the NBA dream, connecting with young people and developing them, Saunders would thrive in those key aspects. Saunders is a flawed young coach that got an NBA job way before he was ready because of an incompetent owner but that doesn't mean there isn't a good amount of potential there especially as a college coach.

Let's not kid ourselves, the U could do better than Saunders but also do a lot worse. The more I hear about Dennis Gates, the more he sounds like the type of man I would want leading this program but we're talking about a guy with two years of head coaching experience in the Horizon League. How many teams can you name in the Horizon League? Let's see Niko Medved get to the NCAA tournament before we start the Roddy for POTY campaign.
I get what you are saying. However, I have watched enough of Roddy to know that he would have been a great addition to the Gophers.
 

I get what you are saying. However, I have watched enough of Roddy to know that he would have been a great addition to the Gophers.

Roddy would've been a great addition no doubt. I think he would've given us something in between what Liam and Johnson gave us this year, which would've been absolutely huge. That being said, you should never hire a guy because of who may come with him. Just find the right guy and let him work. If he's good, he will get guys here.
 

Roddy would've been a great addition no doubt. I think he would've given us something in between what Liam and Johnson gave us this year, which would've been absolutely huge. That being said, you should never hire a guy because of who may come with him. Just find the right guy and let him work. If he's good, he will get guys here.
TOTALLY agree.
 




Is Roddy a sf?

cause that is where we have been lacking throughout Pitino’s 8 years! A competent sf to go with Robbins and Ihnen would be a good front court. Mash and Gabe would be the guards.

ughhh, would take a lot of coaching to get the defense set and a new offense for sure! Movement would be nice.
 

Is Roddy a sf?

cause that is where we have been lacking throughout Pitino’s 8 years! A competent sf to go with Robbins and Ihnen would be a good front court. Mash and Gabe would be the guards.

ughhh, would take a lot of coaching to get the defense set and a new offense for sure! Movement would be nice.
That would be an awesome line up. That group would defend well if taught the correct scheme and system.
 

Is Roddy a sf?

cause that is where we have been lacking throughout Pitino’s 8 years! A competent sf to go with Robbins and Ihnen would be a good front court. Mash and Gabe would be the guards.

ughhh, would take a lot of coaching to get the defense set and a new offense for sure! Movement would be nice.
yes he is a SF/wing. He is wide bodied wing who moves really well.....great rebounder at the position as well. he is not a 4
 

I get what you are saying. However, I have watched enough of Roddy to know that he would have been a great addition to the Gophers.
Oh I totally agree and am frustrated we didn’t land Roddy, my point was more about Medved who hasn’t proved a great deal in his coaching career yet. I included Roddy because people have talked about them as a package deal.
 

That would be an awesome line up. That group would defend well if taught the correct scheme and system.
I’d like to see that lineup in a 3-2 matchup zone. I feel Mash would be more effective if limited to guarding the top. It would greatly help with limiting his deficiencies. Never liked Pitinos style of defense or offense.
You oh have to give people different looks!
 

I’d like to see that lineup in a 3-2 matchup zone. I feel Mash would be more effective if limited to guarding the top. It would greatly help with limiting his deficiencies. Never liked Pitinos style of defense or offense.
You oh have to give people different looks!
Too many games this year where teams continued to get easy penetration or easy baskets at the rim. Games where teams shot 50-60% from the field and yet we tried nothing new on defense. No zone, no press, no switches on ball screens, no trap on ball screens. Just watching and hoping teams would miss layups.
 

Too many games this year where teams continued to get easy penetration or easy baskets at the rim. Games where teams shot 50-60% from the field and yet we tried nothing new on defense. No zone, no press, no switches on ball screens, no trap on ball screens. Just watching and hoping teams would miss layups.
Because in part, Gophers had no big bodies down low. Other than Robbins, it was Johnson at 6'8? But agree, everything always the same, there were rarely adjustments, just like on offense. The more dependent the team became on Carr, it actually made things worse, though his scoring totals may have looked good int he process.
 

Too many games this year where teams continued to get easy penetration or easy baskets at the rim. Games where teams shot 50-60% from the field and yet we tried nothing new on defense. No zone, no press, no switches on ball screens, no trap on ball screens. Just watching and hoping teams would miss layups.
Yeah, that is just lazy coaching. I used to have my teams throw a different defense on the opposing team depending on whether we scored or not. Whether there was a timeout, clock stoppage or a mandatory in-bounds. Then we would switch the automatics at halftime so the other team couldn't get comfortable. No score in the first half - man to man. Score - zone. Court length inbounds play - press. Never run the same zone twice in a row.

I didn't even have to tell the kids to do it. My guards called it all.

Never saw this kind of flexibility in a Pitino team or communication.
 

Yeah, that is just lazy coaching. I used to have my teams throw a different defense on the opposing team depending on whether we scored or not. Whether there was a timeout, clock stoppage or a mandatory in-bounds. Then we would switch the automatics at halftime so the other team couldn't get comfortable. No score in the first half - man to man. Score - zone. Court length inbounds play - press. Never run the same zone twice in a row.

I didn't even have to tell the kids to do it. My guards called it all.

Never saw this kind of flexibility in a Pitino team or communication.
So your team played an Iowa style defense? :)
 


I’d like to see that lineup in a 3-2 matchup zone. I feel Mash would be more effective if limited to guarding the top. It would greatly help with limiting his deficiencies. Never liked Pitinos style of defense or offense.
You oh have to give people different looks!
I’m not a big “zone” guy but you can switch how you handle screens, gap help, and post defense. Gophers don’t do a ton of adjustments in these coverages that work, but my biggest issue with Pitinos D was honestly just straight fundamentals. We give up too much easy penetration and lose guys too often. I still don’t understand what our D took pride in. We typically have good rim protection, but we over rely on it
 

I’m not a big “zone” guy but you can switch how you handle screens, gap help, and post defense. Gophers don’t do a ton of adjustments in these coverages that work, but my biggest issue with Pitinos D was honestly just straight fundamentals. We give up too much easy penetration and lose guys too often. I still don’t understand what our D took pride in. We typically have good rim protection, but we over rely on it
Yeah, we have no identity.

Syracuse - Match up zone.

Bobby's Hoosiers - Man to man all the time.

I struggle to identify what the Gophers are doing half the time they are doing it so poorly.
 

Yeah, we have no identity.

Syracuse - Match up zone.

Bobby's Hoosiers - Man to man all the time.

I struggle to identify what the Gophers are doing half the time they are doing it so poorly.

Some more even recent examples:

Baylor/TT: No middle
Florida State: Pressure, Switch everything
Wisconsin/UVA: Pack Line
Alabama: Gap Defense

Either way the main requirement is being fundamentally sound on the ball with great communication and reaction to all the actions happening off it (Screens, cutters, hand offs, etc...). We've for the most part been awful at both of these lol
 




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