Tubby's Gophers Brought Down To Size

For the second time this season, the University of Minnesota men's basketball team faced an athletically-superior opponent. For the second time this season, the Gophers were virtually run out of that team's gym.

The first measuring-stick game came against the Seminoles of Florida State and ended with a 75-61 loss. Sunday night in the finale of the Duel in the Desert Classic, the UNLV Runnin' Rebels ran the Gophers out of the Thomas and Mack Center from the opening tip. The Rebels grabbed a quick 9-0 lead and never looked back en route to an 81-64 win.

The Seminoles and Rebels have one thing in common: athletic guards who can beat Minnesota's pressure defense, fill the basket from beyond the arc and take our less athletic defenders off the dribble. In both games the Gophers tried for a period to run with the opposition, only to find that the other team had better athletes to run-and-gun. When the Gophers (10-2) tried to slow things down against the Rebels and Seminoles, our guards were unable to effectively get the team into its offensive sets.

When the Gophers have dominated cupcakes this season, they've done so by forcing a large number of turnovers and scoring easy transition baskets. Against FSU, the Gophers lost the turnover battle 18-16. Those numbers weren't lopsided Sunday night, but UNLV had a 14-11 advantage. In both of these games, offense didn't come easy for the Gophers.

This is partially because the talent level on the Gophers is simply less than UNLV or Florida State. UNLV (10-3) was a Sweet 16 team last season and is led by outstanding junior guard Wink Adams. He was the aggressor Sunday night, leading the rebels with 20 points, including 8-of-9 from the charity stripe, and racked up 7 assists to zero turnovers. Adams' back court mate Curtis Terry did quite a bit of damage on his own, going 4-for-6 from three for 14 points. Make no mistake, UNLV is a good team and they came to play Sunday night.

This loss shouldn't cause anyone to be any less excited about the Big Ten season. The conference, for the most part, is weak. Illinois lost Sunday to Tennessee Tech. After Wisconsin, Michigan State, Indiana and maybe Ohio State, there isn't a team in the conference I don't think the Gophers can beat. The Gophers can be an upper-half Big Ten team. No one should have been having delusions of Final Four appearances before Sunday night and likewise we shouldn't take the throttling from UNLV and be any less inclined to sell out Williams Arena as the Big Ten season gets ready to begin in earnest.

Some other general thoughts from the loss at UNLV:

** As much as I preach that starting lineups aren't really that important, the Gophers would have benefited tonight had Blake Hoffarber been in the starting lineup as opposed to Jamal Abu-Shamala. Against teams like UNLV the Gophers need as many people on the floor who can A) score and B) handle the basketball. Hoffarber can do both better than Abu-Shamala. The freshman did see five more minutes on the floor against UNLV than Abu-Shamala. Additionally, the Gophers can apply pressure more effectively and handle opponents' pressure more easily when Hoffarber is on the floor instead of Abu-Shamala.

** Sticking with the lineups ... I know Tubby Smith is trying to get Lawrence McKenzie accustomed to the point guard spot. But I still feel our best lineup would be with Al Nolen at point, McKenzie at off-guard, Blake Hoffarber at the three spot and Dan Coleman and Spencer Tollackson underneath. McKenzie is one of two multi-threat scoring options on the team (the other being Coleman). Making McKenzie a distributor first would seem to be wasting what he does best: Score. I understand why Tubby is playing him at point, and it's hard to argue with it. The Gophers have one true point guard on the roster in Nolen, a freshman. McKenzie needs to take up minutes at the point, but in doing so the Gophers sacrifice his much-needed offense.

** The Gophers have two players who can handle the ball in pressure: Lawrence McKenzie and Al Nolen. This is going to hurt the Gophers all season against teams with quick guards. It'd be nice to see Lawrence Westbrook progress in this department.

** Dan Coleman led the Gophers again offensively, but he still has a bad tendency of fading away on most any interior shot. While leading the Gophers with 10 points on 5-for-10 shooting, Coleman didn't go to the line once. Instead of taking repeated fade away jumpers, it would be nice to see Coleman take a nice power dribble once in awhile and take the ball to the basket. He's taken small steps in this department, but can still be much more aggressive.

** Spencer Tollackson shot 2-for-7 from the free throw line. Yuck. Tollackson only recorded 16 minutes, scoring six points and grabbing just one rebound. In comparison, Jon Williams recorded 17 minutes and pulled down 4 rebounds.

The full boxscore for the game is here.

Up Next: The Gophers have five days to prepare for what will be one of their tougher road tests all season when they head to East Lansing for a meeting with Tom Izzo and the Spartans. If the Gophers are competitive next Saturday, that will show signs of progress against quality opponents.

Thoughts On The Army Win

It didn't take long for Tubby Smith to equal the number of wins compiled by that other new University of Minnesota coach. And Smith did so in impressive fashion. When you can beat anybody, even if it's Army, by about 30 points when your best scorer doesn't even score five points ... then you've done something right.

I'm not going to go too crazy about this win. The fact is the beginning of the non-conference schedule will tell us a lot. Two of the next three games will be tough for the Gophers, as Tubby's crew travels to Iowa State and Florida State. But, for now, I'll cover the good and the bad from Saturday.

Good:

Damian Johnson: And I'm not talking about his career-high in points. That's nice, don't get me wrong. But Johnson impressed first when he subbed into the game early in the first half. He flew across the court to grab a rebound, and on a many later possessions, Johnson made his prescense felt on defense by using his long frame to impact shots. He also looked much quicker than I expected. Some of that could have been the competition, but it also could be I sold him short. If Johnson can contribute like this all season, we'll all be happy Gopher fans.

Blake Hoffarber's release: If there was one thing I worried about for the ESPY winner it was whether or not his shot release would translate to a faster game at the college level. I wasn't pleased with all of the decisions Hoffarber made against Army, but he seemed able to pull the trigger on his shot fast enough to get it off. He'll improve in the other areas.

Team Defense: It was nice to see the Gophers press a little bit, wasn't it? It was also nice to see our guards apply pressure to the ball. The lads forced 25 turnovers, held the Black Knights to around 35 percent from the floor.

Weight: Is it just me or is Spencer Tollackson in the best shape of his career? Jon Williams looked pretty thinned out too.

Running The Floor: If the Gophers have primarily three scorers, then they'll need to get every cheap hoop they can. The big guys ran the floor well yesterday, and I thought I was seeing the Gophers try to execute a secondary fast-break. These are all good signs for an offense that struggled to put up 50 last year.

Bad:

Williams Arena Fans: I missed about 5 to 10 minutes of the second half and got back to my computer with about 5 minutes to play. The game was well in hand, but Spencer Tollackson, Lawrence McKenzie and others were still in the game. Meanwhile, the seats behind Tubby Smith were empty. Not everyone left of course, but from my vantage point, and granted I wasn't there, it looked like half the Barn empty by the time the final whistle sounded. I understood lackadasical fans during the forgetful Monson era. But c'mon everyone, this is the first game of the Tubby Smith era and we should cheer them on in victory for 40 full minutes.

Lawrence McKenzie's Offense: I'm putting this here because it's true. But that doesn't mean I believe it will be a long-term issue. McKenzie is a proven scorer who was likely just cold yesterday. Gopher fans shouldn't worry about McKenzie.

Shot Selection: This isn't a huge concern either, but, please, Jonathan Williams, don't try and shoot from 15-feet plus in the future. You're a banger, buddy, and need to throw your weight around. We don't need you taking jumpers from beyond the free throw line.

*** I was thoroughly impressed overall with the first win of the season and it looked, at least for one game, some afterthoughts during the Monson era--Williams and Johnson come to mind--can be contributors in Smith's first season. I think the offensive improvement was clear and the defensive tenacity was present. One down, 17 to go to get to my prediction of 18 wins!

Tubby's First Team: Depth, Experience A Concern

For all of those Minnesota fans expecting miracles out of Tubby Smith (on some days I'm included in that group), we need to realize exactly what Tubby Smith is dealing with.

Everyone should remember that last year's 9-22 record was in part a result of coaching, in part a result of a team that had given up (in my opinion) and in part a result of a team comprised of low-level Big Ten talent. If Hosea Crittenden were still around, I think he would have been the best point guard on last year's Gophers team.

As it was, the Gophers struggled to take care of the basketball, to score, to rebound etc. etc. While I blame coaching for some of that, it can't be ignored that the talent level on last year's team was very low. With few new additions to Tubby Smith's first group, the talent level hasn't improved. So, Tubby will have to do more this year with far less, if he's going to keep his streak of consecutive winning seasons going.

Let's take a look at who I think should start. This doesn't mean they will to begin with. I'm listing only four here, because I honestly can't decide who I'd like the fifth to be.

Center: Spencer Tollackson, Senior

Tollackson has the size and offensive wherwithal to play against most centers in the Big Ten. That's not to say that he's a dominant center. But I agree with Tom at Gopher Nation, who stated in this post that Tollackson is the "heart and soul" of the Gophers team. Tollackson runs the floor fairly well for a guy his size, plays solid defense--even though he is at times too slow with his feet--and can finish around the basket. At times he has reminded me of Jeff Hagen, though I think Tollackson has the ability to do more things on the court. Tollackson won't win any games by himself, but he can be a defensive factor, can finish underneath and ensure that Big Ten opponents respect Minnesota's inside game, which will hopefully free up some open looks from the outside.

Power Forward: Dan Coleman, Senior

I haven't always been the biggest fan of Dan Coleman. That's not to say he hasn't had some very good moments. But here's my gripe: I want my power forward to throw his body around. I want my power forward to be able to score with his back to the basket. I want my power forward to play like Courtney James. Alas, that's not what Dan Coleman is. He's a perimiter oriented power forward that can stroke it a little from the outside and occasionally put the ball on the floor. Coleman was second on the team in scoring a year ago, averaging 14.2 per game. While he likes to play away from the basket, he shot only 27 percent from beyond the arc. It would be nice to see that number increase if Tubby is going to play him out on the floor, but more than that, I'd like to see his rebounding numbers go up along with his trips to the charity stripe. It's true he led the Gophers in those categories a year ago, but the team needs to do a much better job on the defensive boards this year to be competitive, and with his athleticism, there is no reason Coleman can't get to the basket, draw contact, and go to the line where he shoots close to 80 percent.

Off-guard, Lawrence McKenzie, Senior

McKenzie is probably the most offensively talented of Minnesota's three returning senior starters. He's quick, CAN play good defense, and can light up the scoreboard on any given night. If there is a player on this team that can carry the load for an extended period, it's McKenzie. The former Oklahoma recruit led the Gophers in scoring last year (14.9) and shot near 40 percent from beyond the arc. For McKenzie to take another step this year, the Gophers need to find a competent point guard to ensure McKenize can concentrate on filling up the basket. Last season, McKenzie turned the ball over 97 times (compared to 86 assists). If Tubby Smith comes through on his promise to play more up-tempo, that should certainly help McKenzie. Too often last season McKenzie was left trying to create looks for himself (and he turned it over). The Gophers need to create looks for McKenzie. That will happen by pushing the ball when the opportunity presents itself and by Coleman and Tollackson being better than average underneath.

Point Guard: Al Nolen, Jr., Freshman

True freshman Al Nolen has reportedly impressed Tubby Smith with his ball handling and could give the 2007-08 team a true point guard, something it lacked last season. Nolen was a standout guard for playing ball in Minneapolis last season and has apparently taken the floor at Williams Arena with confidence. I tend to take exhibition results with a large grain of salt, but Nolen's dominant play against Southwest Minnesota State (24 points, 100 percent from the floor, including 5-for-5 from 3-point range) is encouraging. Recruiting reports suggest that Nolen can be an excellent slashing, penetrating point guard. If he can continue to score from beyond the arc, and most importantly, not turn the ball over, he can give the Gophers a much needed steadying hand--and fourth scoring option--at the point guard spot. I pencil in Nolen as a starter with some hesitation. He's the only true PG on the roster, but I expect Tubby will be somewhat hesitant to hand the keys to the offense to a true freshman.

The Top Four, Then What?

Off-guard, Lawrence Westbrook: If Tubby Smith decides to run a three-out, two-in system (what else can he do?), Westbrook is the odds on favorite to grab the fifth starting spot. Westbrook would add another scoring option to the starting five. Westbrook has also reportedly excelled in Tubby's defensive schemes, which aim to apply pressure to the basketball and create turnovers. If Tubby is looking to get out of the gates fast and create turnovers and run, then starting Westbrook, instead of Jamal Abu Shamala or Blake Hoffarber, is the right move. A starting spot, however, would be a big bump up for Westbrook, who averaged just more than 10 minutes per game last year off the bench.

Guard-Forward, Jamal Abu-Shamala: My position on Abu-Shamala is this: He's not athletic enough to play huge minutes for a Big Ten team, but he's perfect to be a spot-up perimiter shooter off the bench. I feel Abu-Shamala is too much of a liability to start as often as he did a year ago (21 games) and to post as many minutes as he did a year ago (21 per/gm). Yet he is probably the best pure shooter the Gophers have (time will tell on Hoffarber). Abu-Shamala shot 43 percent from 3-point range last year. If the Gophers are successful this year, Abu-Shamala needs to be a part of it. But I think his role is coming off the bench.

Point Guard/Off-Guard, Kevin Payton: If Tubby Smith plays it safe, expect to see Payton starting at point guard early on. His first season on the court for Minnesota last year was difficult for Payton. He was thrust into the starting lineup and into a position that he probably shouldn't have been as a redshirt freshman. He averaged 20 minutes, started 13 games and turned the ball over 72 times. That's far too high a number for only 20 minutes per game. We can write some of that off to the fact that Payton was learning on the job. But his defensive ability is also a concern. At 6-5, Payton could potentially cause matchup problems for other Big Ten guards, but he's also too slow to keep up with some of the speedier guards in the Big Ten. Unless Payton has taken considerable strides in the defensive and ball-handling departments in the offseason, I believe he is best suited for a back-up role.

Off Guard, Blake Hoffarber: We all know that Blake Hoffarber is famous, and if you don't, check out this YouTube link to find out why. He's also gotten up close and personal with Maria Sharapova, which puts him high up on my list of favorite Gophers of all time.

While that game-tying shot was one of the most amazing, clutch things I've ever seen, he's going to have to prove he can play at this level. All reports are that Hoffarber can shoot from anywhere on the court. Hoffarber is 6'3, and isn't lightning-quick, so his role, I imagine, will be to shoot the ball with consistency, handle the ball well and effectively enter the ball into the post. And Hoffarber is a winner, having led Hopkins to two big-school state titles. During his stint there, Hopkins only lost 3 varsity games. I'm basing this mostly on scouting reports I've seen on him, and I could be slightly off. But Hoffarber would seem to have a bright future with Minnesota. He claimed the Mr. Basketball honor over Kansas recruit Cole Aldrich. How much he'll be able to have an impact his freshman year remains to be seen, but this team's lack of depth will certainly provide him an opportunity to shine.

Power Forward/Center, Jonathan Williams: Mr. Williams better be ready to play, because after Coleman and Tollackson, Tubby Smith doesn't have much in terms of size on his bench. In the exhibition against Minnesota State, Williams grabbed 13 rebounds. While he likely won't put up those numbers against D1 competition, Tubby needs Williams to be a force on the boards, if nothing else. Williams can also contribute defensively in the paint. He averaged more than one block per game in conference play a season ago. Gopher fans shouldn't expect too much from Williams, but he'll be asked to chew up minutes and clog the paint. He's one of the players I'll be watching to see if Tubby Smith has an impact on our current crop of players. If Williams can take a step or two forward, offensively and defensively, it will be a huge bonus for this height-challenged team.

*** That would give the Gophers a nine-man rotation, but any injuries could be devastating, especially if they were to Tollackson or Coleman. Two other players could be in the mix for some playing time.

Damian Johnson, a sophomore forward, struggled in limited playing time a season ago. He's 6'7 and has that lanky small forward type frame that would seem to be conducive to playing a slasher role. But, and this is in limited viewing of him, I don't see the quickness necessary to pull that off. He should get some minutes, especially with this team's lack of size, but he'll need to show much more consistency on both ends of the floor to be more than a bit player.

And, finally, we have Travis Busch, a transfer from Cal-Poly. He's a 6'4 guard who I expect to be the last-man off the bench. If the Gophers have depth anywhere, it's at the guard position. If Busch can handle the ball well, it's conceivable he can get some minutes in the backcourt. But the team lists him as a guard/forward, so that indicates to me he doesn't have the quickness to play full-time in the backcourt. And his size would seem to limit any minutes he would see at the small forward slot.

Final Analysis: The Gophers' strength lies in its backcourt and starting post players. However, stating those are strengths is somewhat relative. The Minnesota frontcourt has absolutely no depth. Foul-trouble and injuries to Coleman or Tollackson could be devastating. McKenzie, Nolen, Hoffarber, Westbrook and Payton can certainly be a solid backcourt. But aside from McKenzie, each of the other guards is light on experience. If Tubby Smith is playing for 2008-09 and beyond, he'd be wise to get Nolen in the lineup early and often and get Westbrook the experience he needs to take a lead on this team in the coming years. If the Gophers are to take a huge leap and contend for an NCAA berth, they'll need someone to take a few steps foward, someone like Payton, Johnson, Williams or Westbrook.

This is the third installment in my preview. Last weekend I looked at the team's schedule, optimisitcally predicting an 18-12 finish. I've also looked at what I see are some realistic expectations for Tubby's first season. Later, I'll publish a guest post from Kentucky blogger Tru from A Sea of Blue. Tru has always been an even-keeled UK blogger and has agreed to give us a look at what to expect from Tubby as a bench coach.

Preaching Patience

With the tipoff of the 2007-08 men's basketball season just days away, Minnesota fans would do well to not set their expectations through the roof.

Certainly there is reason to be optimistic with Tubby Smith taking over the program. And there is reason to cheer because Tubby Smith's first recruiting class with the Gophers has been better than anything that Dan Monson ever put together. But that doesn't necessarilly mean the Gophers will drastically increase the numbers of wins from last season.

Two posts down I put on my homer hat and went through the games and suggested an 18-12 season is possible. And I believe that it is. But I want to make one thing clear: We shouldn't judge Tubby Smith on this season, or even next season. There are four things I think we can judge him on. They are:

1) Recruiting: This is an area the Kentucky faithful savaged Smith. He didn't get the cream of the crop, they said. Tubby didn't like recruiting, they argued with little basis in fact. So far, Tubby has done well to land Ralph Sampson III, Colten Iverson and two JUCO players that many say will be able to have an immediate impact. But this class is just a warmup for Tubby, who needs to land local stars Royce White and Rodney Williams in next season's recruiting wars.

2) Improvement: As a former AAU coach, I watched many of Dan Monson's teams with a certain disgust. Rarely did I see great improvement from any player, or the team in general. If ball-handling, scoring and rebounding was a glaring weakness in the first month of the season, it was still a glaring weakness by year's end. Talent certainly had something to do with this, but good coaching can mask some weaknesses. Monson was never able to do that. So, I'll be watching closely as freshman point guard Al Nolen progresses. Will Tubby have an impact on Spencer Tollackson, Dan Coleman and Lawrence McKenzie? If Tubby can turn those three players from decent Big Ten players into difference-makers, I'll be impressed. The list could go on, but I think you get the idea.

3) Winning Winnable Games: There was a reason Athletic Director Joel Maturi jettisoned Dan Monson before conference play began last season. The Gophers had lost to Marist, Montana, UAB and Arkansas-Little Rock. There were other losses too, but I'll excuse a loss to Iowa State and Southern Illinois. My point is, for Tubby Smith to keep Gopher fans interested and supporting his team in the long run, he must take care of the teams that Minnesota should beat. That starts with a victory agaisnt Army Saturday afternoon. It means beating teams like Central Michigan, North Dakota State, South Dakota State and Santa Clara, among others. Beating up on those cupcakes is paramount to getting this program back on the right track and keeping the progress Tubby has made in the recruiting department going.

Intangibles: This is where I think Tubby has the biggest impact this season. No longer should the Gophers get destroyed on the defensive boards. Tubby's players should be fundamentally sound enough to find a man to box out. This drove me nuts under Monson. This also means working hard, hustling, diving on the floor, taking charges and playing with Bobby Jackson-like intensity. Too often during the Monson era we didn't see that. Sometimes it was because the team was distracted by a selfish star player (think Rick Rickert). And sometimes, I think, it was because the team had given up on itself and the coaching staff. In published reports, all Tubby is promising for 2007-08 is that his players will bust their respective asses. That alone would be an improvement over Gophers teams of the past.

So, what will it take for me to argue 2007-08 is a success? A realistic improvement in the win-loss department, player development and hard work. And I can't wait for Tubby to deliver that, and maybe more.

Last weekend I gave a rundown of the upcoming schedule and some lofty predictions. That link is here. Next--later this afternoon--I'll take a look at what the rotation might look like as we enter this new season.

Links Around Gopher Nation

** Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse notes the peculiar hire of Joe Esposito as the Gophers men's basketball director of operation. Esposito was the coach of The Villages High School in Florida last year. Yes, that's right, a high school coach. A year prior, Angelo coached Angelo State in Texas, but Reusee reports he resigned with four games left in the year with a worrisome 8-16 record. Esposito met Tubby Smith, Reusee continues, as an assistant at Tennessee State in 1995. Reusee finds the hire curious.

"My relationship with Tubby Smith began when I picked him up at the airport in Nashville and I played with him in a golf tournament," Esposito said. "We struck up a friendship ..."

Isn't it interesting that a guy who served as Tubby's go-fer at a charity golf tournament a dozen years ago lands with the Gophers as a choice over numerous Minnesota high school coaches who might have actually helped the new coach in keeping the best of the locals at home?

Now, this position isn't one that is front line on the recruiting trail. This is what he told the local paper covering his high school squad.

“I’m basically in charge of a variety of everything,” Esposito said, “things like the team’s travel itinerary, meals, practice plans, office personnel. The only thing I won’t be doing is recruiting, which is perfect for me because it means I’ll still have time to spend with my family instead of being on the road like a traditional D-I coach.”

Our View: The hiring is questionable. It had also been widely reported that Tubby Smith would offer this position to the high school coach of Draymond Green, a prep standout that had committed to Smith at Kentucky, but has taken a step back after Smith landed in Minnesota.

** The Associated Press headline is pretty blunt. "Lickliter Recruits in Tubby Smith Territory." Minnetonka shooting guard Anthony Tucker, a rising junior, has verbally committed to play in Iowa. Scout.com's profile of Tucker suggests that his best attribuite is his outside shooting. Scout ranks him as a 3-star guard.

An Iowa newspaper reports that Tucker wasn't widely pursued. He also had offers from Wisconsin Green-Bay, Utah State and Western Michigan. That would seem to indicate big-time programs, or even mid-level programs, weren't hot on Tucker's trail.

Our View: The AP's headline is sensational. Tubby has offered scholarships to players with more potential and who are ranked higher by scouting services. Time will tell if Tubby has a better eye for talent then his Kentucky detractors would insist. It would seem Lickliter signed a guard that Tubby and every other coach in a BCS school didn't want.

** Minnesota blogger Down With Goldy brings readers a lengthy YouTube clip of Minnesota recruit Nathan Garth. A 6-4 junior from Dallas, Tx., Garth orally committed to Tubby last month. He's ranked as a 3-star guard by Rivals.

Our View: Garth looks good in the video. He has a smooth outside stroke and can slash into the lane. His ball handling looks OK, but will need to significantly improve against rough Big Ten defenses. He seems to have good vision and knows where his teammates are on the floor. Garth seems to be a guard who isn't afraid to put the ball on the floor and take it to the hoop.

Ron Jirsa: A Closer Look

Tubby Smith's top assistant, Ron Jirsa, may have considerable responsibility, but given his track record, let's hope Tubby is making most of the decisions.

To be fair, Ron Jirsa has had some success--just not much without Tubby Smith leading the way. In this column from the Atlanta Journal Constitution, which suggests Tubby should have stayed at UGA, where Jirsa succeeded him in the late '90s, Terrence Moore seems to want to forget the Jirsa era.

If Smith stays at Georgia, he saves the Bulldogs from the sorry years of his successor, Ron Jirsa...

Now, the Jirsa era in Georgia really wasn't all that bad. Jirsa racked up two top-five national recruiting classes and, while he lasted just three seasons (1997-99), managed to bring UGA a 20-win season, just the seventh in school history. He went 35-30 at UGA. But Jirsa wasn't able to successfully build on the success of Tubby, who in 1996 took the Bulldogs to the Sweet 16 for the first time in 13 years.

After three relatively mundane seasons in Georgia, Jirsa went back to the assistant coaching ranks, helping out now-Clemson heaed coach Oliver Purnell at Dayton. Jirsa has considerable experience on a college bench, with stints as an assistant at Delaware, Virginia Commonwealth, Tulsa, Georgia, Dayton and Gardner-Webb, among other schools. Jirsa got to know Tubby at VCU, and worked under Tubby at Tulsa and Georgia.

After a successful run at Dayton, Marshall came calling for Jirsa. But his time in West Virginia was even less inspiring then his time as the head man in Georgia. In four years, Jirsa compiled a 43-74 record. The few fans the Thundering Herd still had filling its arena were calling for Jirsa's head. Jirsa's Herd racked up 13 wins last year--the most during the Jirsa era. The Register-Herald in West Virginia suggests that Jirsa's teams had myriad issues.

They also had trouble maintaining leads. In a foreshadowing of what was in store the remainder of the year, Marshall’s first loss, 73-69 to Robert Morris, came after the Herd let a 15-point second-half lead get away. A 42-23 halftime edge over GW quickly evaporated in the last 20 minutes.A 40.1 shooting percentage — 29.3 on three-pointers — didn’t help matters.

Jirsa, it seems, has also become known for a style that is the opposite of fan-friendly. He preaches tough-guy basketball, taking charges, diving on the floor. Those are all great traits in a basketball player. But Jirsa, it seems, preached a defensive style of play, perhaps made for the Big Ten, but not for Conference USA or the SEC, where the John Calipari's of the world push up-tempo basketball.

A C-USA conference preview from last year, summed up why Jirsa was let go after another slow-paced year.

Reasons to be excited: Fourth-year coach Ron Jirsa has pledged to play faster this season. That's good, I think, because -- and this is a pretty solid rule for all coaches at all levels -- if you're going to lose it's always better to lose while being entertaining, and playing fast is more entertaining than playing slow.
Reasons to be depressed: The Thundering Herd only averaged 63.9 points in C-USA games last season, and now the top two scorers are gone. In Mark Patton, Marshallalso lost its top rebounder.
How it'll all shake out: In fairness, the upgrade in leagues didn't help. But the truth is that Marshall has won just 30 games in three years under Jirsa. That's an average of 10 per season, and, sadly, there's no guarantee the Thundering Herd will better than that number this season.

The style of play Jirsa was criticized at in West Virginia is the same style Tubby has been criticized for at Kentucky. Now, Tubby has a considerable track record winning games, and is coming to a conference where hard-nosed basketball is a fact-of-life.

There are clear negatives about Jirsa. He's seemingly struggled when outside the watchful eye of Smith and Purnell. But at Georgia he was able to build off Tubby's success on the recruiting front, if not on the court. And as a former head man, the hiring of Jirsa brings more experience to the Gophers bench. Tubby will have a sounding board with big-time college coaching experience. Dick Vitale, loud-mouth basketball guru that he is, makes a good point in pointing out that Jirsa and other former head coaches have signed up to assist this year.

It is a good hire when a smart man brings in a former head coach to be a second lieutenant. These guys are competitive, goal-oriented winners. They will work 24-7 to get the job done.

Had Joel Maturi brought Jirsa in as the Gophers' new head man, Gopher Nation would still be sleeping. As a #2, Jirsa should be serviceable if not solid. While his track record as a head man has been less than impressive, Jirsa has proved that along with Smith, he can win. For Gopher fans hoping for a more up-tempo game, Jirsa won't help that cause. He's a coach in the mold of Tubby. And in the Big 10, a conference I believe is suited for Tubby's style of play, Jirsa may fit in just fine.

This is part two in a series on new Golden Gopher asistant coaches. Last week we looked at Mike Dunbar. Over the next few weeks, we'll look into the backgrounds of Vince Taylor, Saul Smith and Everett Winters.