Tubby...

[pmayjr]

As a Gopher fan I feel lucky.

It was becoming clear that Flip Saunders was never gonna be an option. I didn't like Majerus. I loved Lon Krueger from UNLV. But otherwise nothin really excited me.

I didn't want them to go with the hot mid-major flavor of the month coach (unless it was the SIU guy, much respect to him). The Gophers did that with Dan Monson at Gonzaga, and we see how bad the prgram is now. So I didn't wanna go that way again. The University of MN needed a big name and they got one in Tubby.

You can say that the only thing Tubby did at UK was import Pitino's boys. But he did well at Georgia to get a a chance to coach at UK. There wasn't many better options than him, and I'm proud. Hopefully it'll pan out.

As bad as the Gophers were this season, THEY DIDN'T LOSE ONE PLAYER TO GRADUATION. They might lose a few to transer, but if they keep their 3 leading scorers:
Center Spencer Tollackson, Forward Dan Coleman, and Guard Lawrence McKenzie (the former OU transfer), THEY WILL MAKE THE NCAA TOURNEY NEXT YEAR.

The Big Ten, as bunk as it was past OSU and Wisnosin this year, might be even worse next year. So the Gophers should be in the top half of the Big Ten next year.
Wisconsin loses their main guys. Oden will probably go pro. Michigan loses a bunch of seniors. Mich State loses Neitzel. There's a good chance Indiana will lose DJ White to the NBA. Purdue loses their leading scorer.
So I have high (slightly homerish lol) expectations that the Gophers will be in the 'Dance next year. Good hire for Tubby, we'll see how it goes down the road.