Silly Wildcats… Tubby is a Great Coach

Finally, finally, finally, the Gophers got a top-tier coach to come to town. Tubby Smith is a class-act AND one of the best coaches in college basketball, even if all those irrational Kentucky fans believe otherwise. I’m not ready to put any money on the Gophers to make the NCAA tournament next year, but I at least have a reason to be optimistic about the future of Gopher basketball.

The University of Minnesota has employed great coaches before. But like Lou Holtz or Brenda Frese, the Maroon and Gold are often used as a resume builder instead of career destination. (I suspect that Glen Mason had similar ambitions when he signed his first contract. But many, many poor game decisions killed his career momentum.) Because the U of MN is a Big Ten school it gives coaches instant creditability and the needed exposure to position themselves for bigger and “better” jobs. Not that there is anything inherently wrong with climbing the proverbial coaching ladder, but the revolving door is not much fun to go through as a fan.

And the men’s basketball coaches specifically, have all been fan-teasers. Bill Musselman, Jim Dutcher, and Clem Haskins all had successful seasons, but they all left the program with a black-eye. Musselman was too mean and ruthless for his own good. Dutcher conveniently ignored problems. And Haskins brazenly flaunted NCAA rules. Dutcher was the least culpable of the bunch, but each of these promising coaches left tarnish on the program’s reputation.

Dan Monson looked like the savior that Minnesota so desperately needed. He had taken Gonzaga deep into the NCAA tournament in consecutive years, even beating the Gophers in the first round of the 1999 tournament. But whether it was the NCAA sanctions, Monson’s short-comings, or some combination of the two, the program regressed.

The University of Minnesota has a storied athletic tradition, but the Gophers have fallen behind the pack in just about everything other than hockey. Besides, a school cannot lean on tradition alone. (See: Michigan basketball) But by hiring Tubby Smith, the Men’s basketball program has some ‘positive juice’ for a change. Ticket sales are way up and fans are down right giddy about Coach Smith.

At a minimum Tubby brings his great reputation and recruiting contacts. (He should have a huge recruiting advantage over Monson.) Hopefully he still has the vigor to build a program from the ground up. But even at his worst, Tubby Smith should keep the Gophers competitive. And that’s all we ask.

Ski-U-Mah