Tubby Ball Year In Review: The Final Chapter

PJS Note: This is the final chapter in a five-part series looking back at the first season of Tubby Ball at the University of Minnesota. Previously, we looked at the play of the three seniors, offense and defense under Tubby and player progression. Today, we give out grades to each of the non-seniors for their 2007-08 campaigns.

Part V: Grading the Players and Projecting to 2008-09

If I were a teacher, my fictional students probably wouldn't like me much. I'm probably overly critical and have never been good at giving compliments just so someone feels good. So, keep that in mind as you go through my year-end grades for the Gophers men's basketball team. Yes, I know it is about nine months since the season ended, but my procrastination on this can be summed up by stating that there is no sports season I enjoy more than college hoops. Ending this series, for me, ends my coverage of the 2007-08 Gophers. ***Tears***

Now, on to each non-senior, their grades, and a projection for the year(s) to come.

Jonathan Williams: Like almost all of the Minnesota big men, Williams, a St. Cloud native, struggled with Tubby Smith's demands to play more aggressive basketball. Reports came out that Williams played a dominating brand of basketball in practice. But once the ball was tipped in meaningful games, Williams oftentimes played a soft brand of basketball Dan Coleman would endorse. Statistically, you could argue he regressed. He started eight games as a sophomore, and only three as a senior. His minutes declined by about two minutes on average. His scoring dropped a point and he corralled one fewer rebound per game. Defensively, however, Williams was usually up to the task. He did well manning up DJ White in the Big Ten Tournament when Spencer Tollackson was out with an injury. And he showed flashes of being able to produce offensively, but he also showed many more signs of being slightly overwhelmed by the competition. At 6'9, 285, Williams should be a bruiser on the interior. He seldom was, and has never been able to establish a low post offensive game.

Grade: C-

2008-09: Look for Williams' minutes to increase slightly as a senior and he might even see a starting role while the incoming players progress. Don't expect him to turn into anything resembling an offensive threat. However, if all he is asked to do is play solid defense, the Gophers could do worse.

Jamal Abu-Shamala: Speaking of statistical regression, this junior from Shakopee went from 23.7 minutes per game to just over 13. He shot 43 percent (44-102) from three under Monson/Molinari in 2006-07 but that production fell dramatically to 34 percent (21-61) in 07-08. Abu-Shamala's game didn't change. He was a three point specialist who couldn't create his shot under Monson and he was the same thing under Tubby Smith. A couple things changed, however. The Gophers didn't want to settle for the perimeter shot as often under Tubby Smith. And Tubby Smith seemed to covet multi-dimensional players who could take the ball to the basket. Abu-Shamala couldn't do that. But his minutes also declined because of the arrival of Blake Hoffarber, a similar player with slightly greater athletic ability. Abu-Shamala seemed to be the biggest Gophers cheerleader even when he rode the pine. Because of that we have tremendous respect for the senior-to-be, even if we cringe when he touches the ball in the open floor.
Grade: D

2008-09: Expect his minutes to decline even more, though he'll surely come in against Northwestern and light up the Wildcats.

Travis Busch: Some will disagree, but I will continue to argue that the Cal Poly transfer and Mounds View native doesn't have the talent to compete in the Big Ten. If intensity and toughness were quantifiable, however, Busch would certainly have what it takes. Tubby Smith often turned to Busch when he needed just that. It's kind of starting that at 6'4, 220, Busch was Minnesota's most physical player when he was on the floor. He manned up Indiana's mammoth center. He sacrificed his body for loose balls and battled for rebounds. Early in the season I cringed when Busch came on the floor, but he soon earned his playing time. Simply put, Busch did what he was asked to do, and that wasn't to score, block shots, make great passes or dominate the boards. He was asked to provide occasional energy and toughness. On that score he delivered.

Grade: B

2008-09: Expect his minutes to be exceedingly minimal but for him to do everything he can do get the job done once he is on the floor.

Damian Johnson: No Minnesota player as large a step forward as did Monson recruit Damian Johnson. An afterthought in 2006-07, Johnson became Minnesota's best shot-blocker, defensive player and arguably its best rebounder. A tweener type, Johnson took minutes at both small forward and power forward. He showed a surprising ability to play on the inside against the Big Ten's big men and on the perimeter against slashing forwards. In my mind, Johnson was this team's MVP. He ran the floor, showed signs of developing an outside shot and a back-to-the-basket game. He needs to firm up his outside shot and his free throw shooting--55 percent won't get it done--but if he can take a similar step forward this upcoming season as he did under the first year of Tubby Smith, the sky is the limit.

Grade: A

2008-09: I expect Johnson to be a leader on the new Gophers team and to have solidified either his perimeter shot or his interior game. If he can add both, he will be the closest thing the Gophers have had in awhile to an all-around player. He will likely start, and he's earned it.

Kevin Payton: The would-be junior from Camden, NJ regressed more than any player in Tubby Smith's first year on the sidelines. And maybe it's not that he regressed, but that he was identified as a liability on the court. After playing in all 31 games, and starting 14, as a freshman, Payton received the dreaded DNP-Coaches Decision in seven Big Ten games. Payton was tentative all season. He had no confidence in his shot and shot a disastrous 15 percent from three point land. He couldn't seem to handle high-intensity pressure in the back court, failed to get the Gophers into the offense and really, provided nothing, other than an occasional spurt of solid defensive play. To his credit, Payton kept a smile on his face at least publicly. That said, he was highly over matched and Tubby Smith knew it.

Grade: F

2008-09: If Payton wants more minutes he'll need to dramatically improve his ball-handling, decision making, outside shot and just about every other facet of his game.

Lawrence Westbrook: For a player who was stung with the reputation as a prep player as being selfish and a ball-hog, Westbrook certainly hasn't lived up to that hype. Good, right? Kinda, I suppose. It's never good to have a me-first player on your team, but the Gophers could benefit from Westbrook taking the team on his shoulders an providing the scoring lift he's capable of more often. Westbrook started all 34 games as a sophomore. He shot 42 percent from the floor, 39 percent from three and averaged 8.5 points per game. He also proved to be a very solid defender, a trait that probably earned him the playing time that Tubby Smith gave him. Perhaps it is because he was a sophomore, or because Coleman and McKenzie were the first two scoring options, but Westbrook was a tad streaky. However, the Hoffarber Miracle doesn't happen if Westbrook doesn't put the Gophers on his back after for a career-high 17 points in the Big Ten tourney opener against Northwestern.

Grade: B+

2008-09: If Westbrook can look for his own shot more often, and take the ball to the basket more often and have success at it, he could be the Gophers' leading scorer this upcoming season.

Al Nolen: Defensively, Al Nolen played like a savvy fifth-year senior. Offensively, Nolen played like a raw high school kid. He led the Gophers with 64 steals. He also missed the rim quite a bit and shot 29 percent from three. Coupled with the poor perimeter shooting, Nolen also never displayed a knack for penetrating defenses either to score or to draw defenders and dish. Thrust into a role as Minnesota's only true point guard, Nolen did as well as anyone could have predicted. He kept his composure and ran Minnesota's offense, if he didn't propel it with his own scoring. And he sparked Minnesota's full-court defense. Overall, Nolen was a pleasant surprise in 2007-08, even if it is clear he has plenty to work on.

Grade: B

2008-09: Because Tubby Smith was unable to land a point guard in the incoming class, look for Nolen to start and perhaps split time at the position with incoming combo-guard Devoe Joseph. If Nolen can improve his outside shot, look for his game to explode. A decent outside shot should open up lanes to penetrate, drive and kick. If he's not shooting 1,000 shots per day, he should be.

Blake Hoffarber: The Hopkins grad is what he is: A spot up shooter with a deadly outside touch and a flare for the dramatic. We will never forget the Hoffarber Miracle against Indiana. And his 42.7 percent (70-164) set a freshman record at the U. On many nights, Hoffarber was the first player off the bench, giving the Gophers some much-needed instant offense. When he was able to get free off of screens and in transition he provided that punch. When defenders didn't give him an inch, Hoffarber was typically unable to create his own shot by running off of screens, penetrating or creating space any other way. Defensively, Hoffarber wasn't exactly a liability, but he wasn't a game changer either. When applying full-court pressure, Hoffarber was more often than not on the bench.

Grade: B-

2008-09: Unless Hoffarber can dramatically increase his quickness, he will continue to be a lights-out three point shooter when the Gophers can get him space. He'll need to learn how to more efficiently run himself off screens and set up his defenders. However, if all he is is a guy who makes 70 threes a year and can't do much else offensively, I think we'll take that.

Final Analysis: Tubby Smith did more with the talent he had on the roster then even I thought was possible. The Gophers won 20 games, finished in the upper-half of the Big Ten and played more defense in 2007-08 then in the entire Monson/Molinari era. Tubby Smith brought a new attitude to the Gophers, and while the roster still has some dead weight on it, Tubby was able to maximize what he did have. Who would have thought Damian Johnson would mature into a game changer? Certainly not me.

All Signs Indicate Verdell Jones Will Be A Gopher

Now, this is a high school kid we're talking about here, and no official announcement has been made, but all indications are that Verdell Jones will put on a Minnesota cap when he holds a press conference Monday announcing where he will play basketball this fall.

The Pioneer Press is reporting that rumors are rampant that Jones is a lock to choose Minnesota. The Illinois Prep Bulls-eye is also stating that Jones will likely become a Gopher, and reporting that Jones has advised Minnesota media to attend his news conference.

Playing for Champaign Central in Illinois, Jones has become a highly coveted commodity because of the shear dearth of available talent still on the market. At 6'4, 160, Jones is a 3-star point guard according to Rivals and is the 26th ranked point guard in the country. While he is being heavily recruited by Minnesota, Indiana, Kentucky and Tennessee, among others, we shouldn't confuse Jones with Derrick Rose. However, Jones is in the same class as Jordan Taylor, the Benilde St. Margaret's point guard (read: traitor) who is heading west to play for Bo Ryan.

ESPN Insider's recruiting evaluation on Jones is as follows: "Jones really came on this summer. He really knows how to score in various ways; a prolific scoring guard. He is a deep outside shooter, excellent scoring shot from anywhere on the court and gets to the rim at will. He's quick, but needs a lot of strength; weak up top. He is not a great defender but is capable of playing defense but loves offense a lot more. More of a 2 guard than point; not a play maker; looks to score."

If ESPN's analysis is accurate, Jones will make a nice back court partner for Al Nolen. Nolen, primarily a defensive point guard, needs help running the show. Having an offensive oriented point guard can work to solve many of the Gophers' scoring woes. I agree with the blogger at From the Barn, who wrote that he is pleased the sixth member of the class will be a ball-handler insetad of a big man. The Gophers do need both, but the guard play had the potential to be a huge weakness next season with only guards Nolen, Lawrence Westbrook, Blake Hoffarber and Devoe Joseph on the roster. Of that group, only Nolen can effectively play point.

Assuming Jones does indeed pick Tubby Smith over Billy Gilispie, Bruce Pearl and others this will be the sixth player in Tubby's incoming 2008 class. That is something that is extremely rare in college basketball, having six players in one incoming class. And it will be a startling sign to the rest of the Big Ten that Tubby is intent on drastically improving the talent level on the Gophers.

Tubby Smith's 2008 class has already been pegged as a top-10 class nationally. He's landed 4-star talents in Ralph Sampson III and Devoe Joseph. He's nabbed the JUCO Player of the Year in Devron Bostick and JUCO standout Paul Carter (who will be a sophomore next season) and South Dakota big man Colt Iverson. The addition of Jones would further solidify the incoming class, and will give us a second reason to completely ignore any further negativity aimed at Tubby from UK fans (not the decent fans, but the jerks who blame Tubby for global warming, the sub-prime mortgage crisis and various geo-political messes).

This could be the second time in a matter of months that a coveted recruit picked Tubby and Minnesota over Billy Gilispie and Kentucky. After taking all of that grief from UK fans over the last year, won't this be a nice piece of irony?

Tubby Ball Year In Review Part 2

PJS Note: This is the second installment in a series looking back at the first season of Tubby ball. The first installment was a post looking at the contributions of Minnesota's three seniors.

Player Development

Perhaps one of the most frustrating aspects of the Dan Monson era was at least the perception that players didn't progress as their tenures in maroon and gold wound down. Skills didn't develop. Team chemistry didn't improve. And that was perhaps the biggest reason I was excited about the hiring of Tubby Smith.

Smith came to Minnesota with a reputation as a great game-day coach, but a lousy recruiter. He had the reputation of a coach who recruited players who would excel in his defensive oriented system. This would lead to some ugly moments, but as UK bloggers have discussed previously, eventually Tubby's system would click in the minds of young players and they would begin to play like a cohesive bunch.

The question we asked at the beginning of Tubby's first year was whether young players would progress. There are examples that I will cite below that indicate in fact Tubby had a positive impact on player development. There will also be examples I cite that will argue the opposite position.

Damian Johnson: No player took as large a step forward this season than the soon-to-be junior from Louisiana. This is what I wrote of Johnson before the season began.

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.

In his sophomore campaign, Johnson was much more consistent on both ends of the floor. He caused havoc with his length, causing deflections and blocking shots. I was completely wrong about his quickness. He's never going to be a dominant perimeter oriented offensive player, but his lateral quickness on defense was so apparent to Tubby and everyone else that Johnson was routinely asked to guard the opposition's best offensive player--from Geary Claxton to Raymar Morgan.

Offensively, Johnson improved as the season went on. He showed signs of developing an outside shot. More than any other forward, Johnson developed moves on the block, something Dan Coleman could never accomplish.

Johnson was a Dan Monson recruit who benefited tremendously from Tubby Smith's tutelage and his pressure defense. In the next two years I expect Johnson to take more steps forward.

Al Nolen and Blake Hoffarber: Both freshman, Hoffarber and Nolen came into their first year with the Gophers with minimal expectations. There were suggestions that Nolen wasn't capable of being a point guard in the Big Ten. And there was evidence that Hoffarber was nothing more than a spot-shooter.

Nolen's playing time grew as the season progressed, but that had more to do with the team's dire need for someone to play the point than as a byproduct of excellent play. From the beginning of the season, it was clear that Nolen had the wherewithal to be an above average defensive point guard. But Nolen never took a step forward offensively many of us would have liked to see. His outside shot is scary. And he never showed an ability or willingness to penetrate and take the ball to the basket.

Hoffarber was as advertised. He set a Minnesota record for three pointers as a freshman. But like Nolen, Hoffarber was unable to add other elements to his game. His hustle on defense was always present and he seemed to grow some defensively as the season progressed, but he remained a liability against more athletic guards.

Overall, I'd argue Hoffarber and Nolen lived up to expectations, but did not progress into all-around players as the season wore on. And I'm not sure Hoffarber has the natural talent to be more than a spot-shooter. Nolen, on the other hand, needs to progress if the Gophers are to take another step next season. That means he needs to be more than a ball-hawking guard.

Dan Coleman and Lawrence McKenzie: Probably the two most talented players on the Minnesota roster, Coleman and McKenzie, seniors both, were asked to alter their games during Tubby Smith's first season. McKenzie was asked to play some point guard, a different marching order than he was given under Dan Monson, who wanted McKenzie to score, score, score. Coleman was asked to diversify his game offensively. That meant Tubby Smith didn't want Coleman to settle for outside jumpers. Tubby wanted Coleman to develop an inside game, moves in the post and play with a certain tenacity.

Neither McKenzie nor Coleman were able to make the transition Tubby asked of them. McKenzie was at his best this season when he reverted to the 2-guard role and when he was on the floor at the same time as Nolen, a true point guard. Meanwhile, Coleman found himself in Tubby's doghouse (replete with a considerable number of patented Tubby stares) early on in the season. Coleman either refused, or was incapable of, taking Tubby's orders to diversify his offense. And because of Coleman's focus on trying to do what he was asked, his outside game went by the wayside much of the season. Coleman's inability to progress as a player was most evident in the Big Ten Tournament in the waning minutes against Indiana. While we all will remember the Hoffarber Heave, what was overshadowed was Coleman reverting to his soft offensive ways in a key moment.

After a scrambled offensive set in the final minute, where the Gophers nearly turned the ball over, Nolen recovered by the mid court line. The shot clock was dwindling and Nolen pushed past two defenders and had what amounted to a 2-on-1. Coleman was on Nolen's right. DJ White was ready to make one last stand. Nolen made a jump stop about the free throw line, drew White out a little and snapped a pass to Coleman. The senior had an opportunity to end the game with authority, dunking on White who was out of position. Instead, Coleman jumped, tried to duck under White and put in an off balance lay-up. Result: White rejected Coleman and the Hoosiers went on to blow a chance to win the game at the free throw line.

Both Coleman and McKenzie were put in a tough position to change their games in their senior season. Tubby had no choice but to tap McKenzie to play some point guard. That failed. Tubby was also correct in trying to get Coleman to be more aggressive. Tubby made two good judgments here, but neither Coleman or McKenzie were able to take the steps Tubby knew needed to be made to progress.

Travis Busch: Make no mistake, Busch has no business being on a Big Ten roster. But the minutes that Tubby coaxed out of Busch--I'll never forget his defense on a 300 pound big man in the Big Ten Tournament--was remarkable.

Did Busch progress? I'm not sure the talent was there to turn Busch into a regular contributor, but for Tubby to tap what Busch was able to do speaks highly of Tubby's ability to get the most out of his players.

Conclusion: Tubby Smith made the right decisions in trying to get his two talented seniors to take steps forward. I'm loathe to blame Tubby for their failures to take another step forward. I'm also hesitant to suggest Johnson would have taken such obvious leaps in performance under the previous regime. Overall, I think Tubby put his players in the best positions to succeed. In some cases it didn't work. But I think we should look at what McKenzie and Coleman had learned to do in previous years as a reason why their growth was stunted in 2007-08.

We'll know more about Tubby's impact in years to come, as we will hopefully watch Ralph Sampson III, Devoe Joseph and others have the benefit of four years of Tubby's tutelage. It will also be telling to see how or if Nolen has progressed come next season.

Quite The Difference A Year And A Coach Makes

At this time last year I couldn't watch the Gophers men's basketball team. The games were so incredibly infuriating to watch and Jim Molinari, no offense intended, didn't strike me as someone who could turn this program around.

Enter Tubby Smith. A creampuff filled non-conference schedule helped the Gophers get off to a fast start, giving some hope that this team, fresh off a 9-22 season, with a roster comprised mostly of the same kids, could be dancing come mid-March. Since then, the Big Ten season has proved to be up and down. The Gophers have taken care of the team's they were accompanied by last year in the cellar. The Gophers also fought in close losses to the teams in the upper echelon of the conference.

No one expected a Big Ten title or a deep run in March, but we were hopeful Tubby Smith's first team in Minnesota would be competitive. On that charge, Tubby and the Gophers have delivered.

With two games left in the regular season, Tubby Smith has a chance to extend his streak of 20-win seasons, the Gophers can finish the conference season at the .500 mark or above. And, despite what a couple straight-shooting emailers suggest, this team still has an outside chance at an NCAA invite. Sure, the RPI isn't where it should be. And everyone who will chime in stating the Gophers haven't beaten anyone of substance will have a valid point.

But with two games, plus the Big Ten tournament still to come, the Gophers have a legitimate chance. One astute emailer wrote to me that all the Gophers did Saturday in beating Ohio State was to ensure the Big Ten was a 4-bid league, suggesting that if Ohio State had won and claimed the conference's fifth spot, the conference would get that fifth team.

Because the Big Ten is down, I tend to agree with that assessment. But other typically strong conferences are down as well. The SEC? Name me an impressive team that isn't named Tennessee or Vanderbilt? The ACC? I'd say four deep. PAC 10? Anyone after UCLA, Stanford and Washington State contender material?

My point is, there is still time for the Gophers to make a case. Finishing strong has often been a subjective criteria the NCAA selection committee looks at. Because of that, Ohio State would seem to be in trouble. Syracuse isn't helping itself either. If the Gophers can finish 9-9 in the conference, they should get the 5th seed in the conference tournament, meaning they would face Michigan State. While the Spartans were impressive Sunday against Indiana, I feel this is a team the Gophers can beat.

Would a win over MSU get the Gophers in for sure? No. Would a win over Indiana and Illinois on the road to end the conference slate and a win against MSU get the Gophers in. I think it should. And despite what the aforementioned emailer said, I don't think the Gophers need to win the conference tournament.

This is all still a very big longshot. But the fact that I can even write this with a straight face proves the point that I intended to make with this post: Quite the difference a year and a coach makes.

New Look Gophers Go Into Hiding Against Wisky

The Gophers played their worst 40 minutes of the season Sunday afternoon at Williams Arena. There didn't seem to be any fire, desire or intensity. There was no fight in a Gophers team that gave away its last best chance to grab the proverbial "big win" they needed to solidfy an otherwise shaky resume.

Bo Ryan's Wisconsin Badgers did all of the little things right--and when I say little, I mean like making entry passes to the right hand, etc--and embarrassed Tubby Smith's Gophers in front of a crowd that would have went nuts had the local lads just given them an opportunity. But no such opportunity emerged for the Barnyard to erupt. The Badgers jumped out to a quick 10 point cushion and really never looked back.

It was almost as if the Gophers didn't have any fight left. OTS said as much after the game. From Jim Souhan:

The latest failure prompted Smith to wonder how college seniors winding down their careers can fail to reach an emotional peak on such a day.

"I don't know how that can be," he said. "I don't know how your mind can not be there. You're playing Wisconsin, your archrival."

At home. "This one was probably worse than the last one," Smith said. "The last one [against Michigan State], we at least gave ourselves a chance. This one we didn't have a chance."

I appreciate the honesty from Smith. All season, he hasn't shied away from saying what is obvious to those of us who follow this team. You can't mince it: Senior 'leaders' Spencer Tollackson, Dan Coleman and Lawrence McKenzie have all been highly disappointing. We all want them to be so much more. We want them to fight to win something during their senior year, but whether it's a lack of skill (Tollackson), consistency (McKenzie) or passion (Coleman), this group doesn't have it.

What's more unfortunate is that it appears this team is regressing. Tubby Smith is known as a bench coach and a teacher. Even those who wanted him out at UK give our coach that much. But other than Damian Johnson, not one Minnesota player seems to have improved either from last season or from the first tip of the year against Army. And during Big Ten season, as the team should perhaps be completely in sync, they are anything but. After fighting to the last whistle with Michigan State and Indiana, the Gophers have folded early in their last two big games: at Ohio State and Sunday against Wisconsin.

Those are troubling observations.

Some of this can be attributed to Tubby's decision to change directions. As the season began, Tubby went 10 or 11 players deep every night. Many of us cringed as Kevin Payton struggled, Jamal Abu-Shamala tried to play defense or Travis Busch tried to guard Raymar Morgan. So, Tubby shortened his bench, started effectively playing 6 or 7 guys. New roles. New expectations. Worse results.

Because of this we can, for the first time here at PJS, criticize Tubby Smith's leadership.

If Tubby didn't know that Payton, JAS and Busch were incapable of performing at the Big Ten level, then Tubby didn't do a very good job evaluating the talent on his team. Every Internet pontificator knew as much. Tubby either didn't see it or didn't care and instead worked to develop the aforementioned players.

But when things got tough, Tubby panicked. After an excusable, albeit disappointing, three game skid--against Indiana, Ohio State and Michigan State--the Gophers came out against Michigan on Thursday a different team. Instead of playing full-court pressure defense and forcing turnovers, the Gophers played half-court pressure defense. With a much shorter rotation, Tubby couldn't apply full-court pressure. So, in a reactionary move to stabilize the talent level on the floor, Tubby effectively changed the DNA of this team.

In hindsight, it probably would have been best for the coaching staff to notice the lack of bench talent early on and get Coleman, McKenzie, Tollackson, Al Nolen, Damian Johnson and Lawrence Westbrook used to playing 30-40 minutes.

Either way, the Gophers probably don't have the talent to be much more than an NIT team this year. But if Tubby had handled this team a little differently over the last few months, perhaps the home crowd would have had at least one chance to rise to their feet in support of our lovely rodents.

Chatting With The Enemy

PJS Note: I teamed with John at The Hoosier Report in a get-to-know-the-enemy question and answer session. John tells us about the expectations of IU fans, the perception of Kelvin Sampson and he even thinks the Gophers will win tonight! I'm posting the first half of the Q & A here. The second half with predictions will be posted at The Hoosier Report.

Paging Jim Shikenjanski: On one Minnesota message board, some fans are calling the Indiana-Minnesota game Thursday night a "phone out." They plan to bring cell phones and wave them (and perhaps play interesting ring tones) at Kelvin Sampson, who we all know likes to bend NCAA rules on phone calls. At least when Bobby Knight embarrassed IU it was entertaining. What do you make of this tomfoolery?

The Hoosier Report: I'm disappointed, obviously. IU fans are as proud as the program's scandal-free history as we are of the five NCAA championship banners. When Sampson was hired, most of us were willing to forgive the transgressions that occurred at Oklahoma as long as nothing of the sort happened at IU. Now, obviously it has happened at IU. What's sad is that I really do think Sampson was making a good faith effort to avoid violating the sanctions. During the entire no-call period that stretched from May 2006 to May 2007, Sampson didn't make a single outgoing call on his IU-issued cell phone. I'm not just talking about calls to recruits. He was so paranoid that he didn't make a single outgoing call on the phone, period. In light of that, it's unthinkable to me that Sampson would have staked his career on ten three-way calls. Still, what happened happened, and the fact that assistants were making unlogged calls from their home phones shows a shocking lack of leadership and oversight on Sampson's part and on the part of the athletic department. I don't know how things are going to turn out, and the whole affair casts a shadow over what should be IU's best season in 15 years. At this point, I don't think Sampson should be dismissed, but if the NCAA investigation finds more, I certainly could get to that position.

On the other hand, I am somewhat amused about the indignation from fans of Big Ten programs whose coaches have done far worse in the not-so-distant past. Indeed, Minnesota's students need only look up at that 1997 Final Four banner to be reminded...oh, wait, it's not there anymore.

The late 1990s scandal does have some relation to my first question. Dan Monson, in eight seasons in Minneapolis, never quite got the Gophers back on track. How much of that do you relate to the NCAA sanctions and how much to Monson? Also, the knock on Tubby during his later years at Kentucky was recruiting. How is that going, and generally, what do you think is the program's ceiling under Smith's leadership?

Paging Jim Shikenjanski: Yes, yes, our fan base deserves to be reminded of the season that wasn't when we gleefully revel in the unfortunate circumstances at other institutions. But after a decade of futility, in part because of those sanctions, I think we can be forgiven for being proud that once again we have a program poised to compete by playing by the rules.And that's why Dan Monson was hired in the first place. He came to Minnesota from Gonzaga, where he, not Mark Few, had done the hard work necessary to make a previously unknown program into a national contender.

In hindsight, Monson probably shouldn't have taken the job. He had to overcome hurdles presented by considerable sanctions and repair the reputation of a recently-on-top program. While he was able to clean up the program, he could never deliver in a couple areas. Alumni and media types questioned his ability to develop players. And Monson never seemed to have control of his team. Good players transferred. Others left the Gophers for the NBA far too early--think Rick Rickert and Joel Pryzbilla who is just now performing at the highest level.

Monson was dealt a bad hand at the university, but he didn't do much of anything to gain traction aside from clean up the program. Now that Tubby Smith is on board, the atmosphere surrounding the program has done a 180 degree turn. Despite his reputation as a lacadasical recruiter at UK, Tubby has brought in a top-10 to top-20 class nationally, led by 6'10" standout Ralph Sampson III, the son of the former Virginia great, who was recruited by Billy Gillispie, among others. In mere months, Tubby has turned Williams Arena into Minneapolis' hottest ticket, delivered a top notch recruiting class and is off to a fine start on the court as well.

The program's ceiling under Tubby? He can transform the program into a perennial Big Ten contender.

And what about at IU? Any buyer's remorse on Sampson, aside from phone call gate? And speaking of recruiting, does Illinois coach Bruce Weber have reason to be so upset over the recruitment of Eric Gordon? Finally, I'll pose the same question to you: What's the ceiling for a Sampson-led IU program?

The Hoosier Report From the public's perspective, Sampson came out of nowhere. None of the talking heads mentioned him until he already had been hired. I think there were a couple of reasons that he wasn't on the radar screen: 1) the NCAA stuff and 2) he lost a Final Four game to Mike Davis. Still, I have been pleasantly surprised and I think that the vast majority of IU fans have embraced the on-court version of Sampson. His stern, defensive minded approach, his even keel, and the like have been a breath of fresh air.

As for the ceiling, the expectations at IU are high. IU fans expect the program to compete for the Big Ten title more often than not and to make a run at the NCAA championship at least occasionally. Can Sampson get there? Well, in 12 years at Oklahoma, a B-list program, he won over 70 percent of his games, won a couple of conference titles, and went to the Final Four. I think it's reasonable to think that Sampson, at a school where basketball is king and with more recruiting advantages, can make IU a top 10 caliber program. That's if the NCAA stuff doesn't get in the way.

One of the reasons that I do think Sampson can win big at IU is that he has recruiting advantages that he hasn't had before, which leads to the Eric Gordon discussion. Another unfortunate aspect about Sampson's NCAA trouble is that it prevents an honest discussion about the Gordon issue. Because Sampson has NCAA trouble on his resume, the Gordon recruitment is lumped in with other "dishonesty" and "shenanigans." That's unfortunate, because I think all of this "coaching fraternity" stuff is bunk.

The whole idea of it really boggles the mind. Kelvin Sampson is paid over a million dollars a year to coach IU's basketball program. Eric Gordon is Indiana born and raised and would have strongly considered IU but for the coaching situation. He committed to Illinois long before most kids his age were gathering college applications, let alone making final decisions. If this whole "coaching fraternity" canard is to be believed, then Kelvin Sampson owes a higher duty to Bruce Weber, his highly paid counterpart at a competitor school, than he owes to the institution that pays him handsomely or to a 17 year old kid who has changed his mind about where to go to college.

I think it might have been nice if Sampson had called Weber, but I don't think it was a moral or ethical requirement. It was obvious to anyone with multiple brain cells during the summer of 2006 that Gordon was considering IU. Keep in mind, a verbal commitment is a two way street. If Bruce Weber wanted to do so, he could have told Gordon, "look Eric, you say you're still going to Illinois, but I keep reading about your trips to Bloomington. I'm going to open up your scholarship and give it to the first kid who will give me a firm commitment, whether it's you or someone else." Weber didn't do that. He gambled and lost. Weber put lots of time into the Gordon recruitment, and the Illini certainly could use someone who can shoot, but I think he should stop acting like a two year-old. I would have expected any new IU coach to test the strength of Gordon's commitment to Illinois. The NCAA legislates everything from the number of pages in the media guide to the to-the-second length of official visits, no contact periods, evaluation periods, and on and on and on. The absence of a rule about recruiting committed players says something.

On to my question, I've seen a bunch of games in Assembly Hall and a handful at Mackey Arena, but none in any other Big Ten venue. The only one that I am absolutely dying to see is the Barn. They aren't really going to replace it, are they? Didn't you guys learn your lesson with the football stadium? I haven't heard anything since Tubby's initial comments. How was the idea received by Minnesota fans?

Head to The Hoosier Report for our thoughts on the keys to the game, predictions and more.

Coach Of The Year Talk Begins

It is premature. But if the season ended today no Big Ten coach has exceeded expectations the way Tubby Smith has in Minnesota. And it's not just me who thinks that.

Dave Dye in his college notebook in the Detroit News agrees.

Should we just give Tubby Smith the Big Ten coach of the year award right now?

Smith left Kentucky to take over at Minnesota, which was coming off a 9-22 season, including a 3-13 conference record.

Tubby quickly has turned the Gophers into a legitimate contender for an NCAA Tournament bid. They overcame a 16-point, second-half deficit for a 76-73 victory at Penn State.

Minnesota (12-3, 2-1) is No. 45 in the RPI. One thing the Gophers are going to need at some point is a signature victory.

The opportunities are there this week with two big home games against No. 10 Indiana (Thursday) and No. 6 Michigan State (Sunday).

Dye is right on the money here. And as an aside, wouldn't it be nice if our two local periodicals would provide us with a college notebook? I digress. If the season ended today, I would think it would be a two-man race for Big Ten coach of the year between Tubby and Matt Painter, who has his baby Boilers playing very well. Painter's team could be a Big Ten power in the year's to come.

There are a few other interesting tidbits from around the Web to share this morning.

** Rick Bozich of the Louisville Courier-Journal writes a short recap of the Indiana-Illinois game where he notes that Bruce Weber isn't a big fan of Kelvin Sampson. That's cool, and Bill Belichick like, but what I found interesting in this item was that Bozich noted how Weber slowed down Eric Gordon by putting athletic and taller defenders on the Hoosier's star freshman. I wonder if Tubby was taking notes during the Sunday matinee. If he was, we might see Damian Johnson get the honors again. Johnson was the Gopher charged with taking on Geary Claxton Saturday. While Johnson found himself in foul trouble throughout the game, he is our best defender and is versatile enough to play outside against Gordon. Al Nolen is also a candidate here to take on the star freshman, but I would think Nolen's short stature would work against him.

** The Star Tribune's Sid Hartman had a conversation with Tubby Smith, who I imagine before long will be one of Sid's "close personal friends." For now, Smith's just a source, but one who comes off as giddy after the come-from-behind win at State College, Pa. Saturday.

Here's Tubby via Sid:

As for Saturday's rally, which saw the Gophers come back after trailing 58-42 with 12:58 to play, Smith said: "We had plenty of time left in the game, and that's what I told the players: 'Don't panic, fellas. We've got plenty of time, just finish the game plan, let's carry out the game plan, keep attacking inside.'

"And sure enough, Blake [Hoffarber] got hot and we got some momentum and then we started to take the ball back inside. Damian Johnson jumped up and made a three. So, those things, and Spencer Tollackson was having a [solid game] ... [and] no three was bigger than the three that Lawrence McKenzie hit that put us ahead. That really gave us the, 'Hey look, we can win this game.' And they did."

Tubby sounds like a coach who is very pleased that his team didn't pack it in when down 16 Saturday. Also of note, in his dolling out of superlatives, one senior is noticeably missing. Just saying, it could have been an oversight.

** The typically sarcastic bloggers at 10,000 Takes take a break from taking entertaining jabs at Minnesota sports personalities and have compiled a list of The Best of Minnesota Sports. After less than one year on the job, Tubby Smith gets the honor of Best Coach. Williams Arena, pre- and post-Dan Monson gets the nod for Best Stadium Atmosphere. I tend to agree with this one, but you might not—Best Columnist: Patrick Reusse. And among a slew of other honorees you should check out, PJS gets the nod for Best Gophers Web site. Thanks to 10,000 Takes for the recognition.

Well Worth The Trip: Tollackson Impresses Throughout In Comeback Win

The Golden Gophers of one year ago would have hung their collective heads. They would have sulked back to the bench during timeouts. And they certainly wouldn't have shown the backbone and intensity needed to comeback from 16 down, with 13 minutes to play, in a hostile environment no less.

That's exactly what the Gophers accomplished Saturday afternoon, as I watched from 7 rows back slightly adjacent to the basket nearest the Penn State bench. Sure, the Penn State Nittany Lions performed like a team that didn't know how to win. They were miserable at the free-throw line and seemed to relax after building a double-digit lead. They gave away the game as the Gophers took it, leaving State College with a 76-73 win.

Spencer Tollackson played like a man all afternoon. He was the interior presence the Gophers needed to beat an athletic, but short in stature team like Penn State. He finished with 19 points, including 5-5 from the free throw line, and five rebounds. Tollackson gets my game ball for playing a hard-fought 34 minutes--many of which he played while in foul trouble--of aggressive, hard-nosed basketball.

There are other superlatives to lend out. Tubby Smith out coached Ed DeChellis. Tubby ramped up the tempo when the Gophers fell behind big in the second half. The faster pace allowed the Gophers to extend the game by ensuring they had more possessions to make the comeback. Tubby also had to mix and match his lineup all afternoon because the Gophers committed an astonishing 28 fouls (more on this later). Tubby also did well to mix up his defenses down the stretch. And the fact that he started Damian Johnson over Jamal Abu-Shamala was a great sign. Johnson was one of two Gophers who were capable playing Geary Claxton one-on-one.

Perhaps most impressively was the play of freshmen Al Nolen and Blake Hoffarber. Hoffarber made a handful of clutch threes in succession to bring the Gophers back at the Bryce Jordan Center. He finished with 19 points in 25 minutes--more time than two starters. We needed his offense Saturday and Tubby knew it and gave him a chance to bring the team back.

And then there was Nolen. The freshman point guard, again, was up-and-down Saturday. He made an insanely stupid behind-the-back pass while in the middle of a slew of traffic in the lane during the first half. While he racked up seven assists, his five turnovers were of the sloppy variety. But .... Nolen was the hero against the Nittany Lions. With under 10 seconds to play, after the Gophers had previously handed Penn State numerous chances to win the game, Nolen jumped a bad pass from Claxton on the perimeter and dribbled the length of the floor before he was fouled. An intentional was called and Nolen nailed 3-4 free throws down the stretch to ice the game.

Earlier in the game, after the ill-advised behind the back pass, I was cursing Nolen from the stands. And at other times this year he has frustrated me. But like those other games, Nolen has tended to find a way to redeem himself. He's still playing up and down basketball, but the Gophers were at their best when he was on the floor.

With about 13 minutes left in the game, I looked at Miss PJS and said something like "Well, I'm glad we drove 2.5 hours for this." At the time, of course, the Gophers were on the verge of being run out of the BJC. Miss PJS said "They just have to give the ball all the time to Hoffarber." The Gophers did that, and with the help of Tubby, Tollackson, Nolen and others, the Gophers completed a great comeback.

Other notes from the Saturday win:

** Dan Coleman had another double-double Saturday with 10 points and 11 rebounds. But of the three Minnesota seniors, Coleman was the one who wilted down the stretch and reverted to some old Dan Monson ingrained habits. With under one minute to play, Penn State was at the line. As was the case all afternoon, the Nittany Lions missed. But this time, Coleman didn't box out. He didn't put his ass into Jamelle Cornley (I think, don't remember, it could have been Claxton) and the Nittany Lions came away with an offensive rebound. Coleman complained that he was pushed from behind, and he might have had a case, but as I stood just rows from the play, my reaction was Coleman didn't do all he could to secure the rebound. He didn't box out with energy.

While he was perfect from the free-throw line, Coleman again struggled offensively. But as has been his norm against more athletic competition, Coleman has faded away on his jumpers. And he didn't take the ball to the basket. The double-double was needed. And Coleman wasn't bad on Saturday, but he certainly wasn't leading either.

** All of the superlatives aside, the Gophers really should have lost this game. Penn State out rebounded the Gophers 38-25. And they went to the free throw line 36 times. Thankfully they shot just 47 percent from the charity stripe.

** The officiating crew of Sid Rodeheffer, Dan Chrisman and Dwayne Gladden should be ashamed. I realize that this crew's desire to call every single contact as a personal foul likely led to the Gophers winning, but fans of both teams had right to be upset with this crew all day. Big Ten basketball is known for relatively physical play. You couldn't so much as cough on your opponent Saturday without getting a whistle.

** Kevin Payton recorded some solid minutes during the second half comeback. He frustrated as usual in the first half with his inability to make crisp decisions on offense. But it's worth noting he totaled eight minutes Saturday. Lawrence Westbrook and Abu-Shamala had 12 and 1o minutes respectively.

** While A-S played sparingly down the stretch, he seemed to me to be the biggest cheerleader on the sidelines. He just wants to win and contribute where he can. That's laudable.

** Lawrence McKenzie was obviously frustrated with the officiating and he only recorded 21 minutes as a result. But, McKenzie came through down the stretch with a big-time three, even with his finger wrapped due to injury. And he was 5-8 from the floor for 12 points despite being hurt.

** Finally, on the Bryce Jordan Center. My reaction is blah. The atmosphere was very good. The Penn State crowd was into the game and that thoroughly impressed me. But the arena itself was a mini Target Center that lacked any semblence of originality. Beaver Stadium, Joe Paterno's home which sits adjacent to the BJC, is another story entirely.

UP Next: The tough stretch of Minnesota's schedule continues. This week Indiana and Michigan State come to The Barn--which better be rocking. After facing two ranked teams, the Gophers will travel to Ohio State to end a four game murders row. I completely concur with Gopher Nation, who wrote yesterday that his mantra during this next stretch is "steal one game." I'm thinking right now the Gophers could do better than that. Michigan State looked abysmal last night in a loss at Iowa.

The complete box score from Saturday's game is here.

Year In Review: Lightning Strikes For Maturi

At this time one year ago, Minnesota basketball fans didn't have much to cheer about. The Dan Monson era had ended with a thud. And that was actually OK considering the Clem Haskins era ended in shame.

After a disappointing season in 2006, I was one of those disgruntled University of Minnesota alums who wrote to Joel Maturi asking him to relieve Dan Monson of his duties. I cited what I saw as a lack of growth in our players' development and an inability to recruit at a level needed to compete in the Big Ten, among other things. Maturi offered a professional response, and despite rumors to the contrary, decided to give Dan Monson one last try. In hindsight, giving Monson one more bite at the proverbial apple worked out wonderfully even if it seemed misguided at the time.

After a team-worst 9-22 season, lightning struck for Maturi. He landed the biggest fish in the pond, and quieted those clamoring for someone like Rick Majerus or Flip Saunders. Other names on the list to replace Monson at the time were Sean Miller of Xavier or Chris Lowery of Southern Illinois. Both might have been great hires, but they didn't have the name cachet that Smith had and they certainly wouldn't have provided the U with a "shot in the arm."

Tubby Smith had just completed a not-good-enough season at Kentucky, where his Wildcats had failed to make it to the Sweet 16 for the second straight season. As all of us have now learned, that's simply not acceptable in the Bluegrass State, even if the coach in question had won a national title. Tubby Smith wanted out of UK. UK's rabid fans wanted a new start of their own. And Joel Maturi had an opening at the right place at the right time.

It's my belief that a strange set of circumstances led to Tubby Smith coming to the University of Minnesota. The STrib's Grandpa Sid reported at the time that the process to land Smith began just a few short weeks before the announcement was made in late March. And the benefactors of those circumstances are those of us who bleed maroon and gold and Maturi himself.

All of that said, the hire of Tubby Smith was a great one, if it was completely inconceivable at the time. And it was the brightest moment of 2007 for University of Minnesota fans. And that's saying something considering game results are usually more exciting than introductory press conferences.

So, if it's fair game to criticize Maturi for the poor timing of the dismissal of Glen Mason and the subsequent rushed search for a football coach, it's certainly reasonable to give our plaudits to Maturi for landing Tubby Smith. Great hire, Joel.

Replace The Barn?

That's what Tubby Smith suggests the University of Minnesota needs to do sooner or later in this feature article in the New York Times.

"How much longer can you play in the Barn?” he said. “I know it’s sacrilegious to mention that, but it’s going to be 80 years old next year. How many 80-year-old buildings are still being played in? I’m sure it’s a long-term project, but what do you do in the meantime? We can’t play here forever.

“For now, we can make this a great environment, which it has been in the past.”

I'm on the fence about this. I always loved going to Williams Arena. I love the raised floor. I love the atmosphere when the team is playing well. But is our beloved Barn a recruiting detriment? I tend to see it as an advantage--history, uniqueness. But do recruits see a historic building or a relic of days gone by?

In the article, Tubby is paraphrased as saying he's happy to wait until the football and baseball stadiums are completed. But Tubby also knew this mere mention of this could strike a nerve--note "sacrilegious." Rightly or wrongly, I envision a big effort to keep The Barn as the home for our basketball program.

What do you think?

God Knows Minnesota Basketball

News that freshman guard Alex Legion is transferring out of Kentucky is interesting on a number of fronts. First, it will be hard for some of the Tubby Smith obsessed UK fans to blame this on their former coach. Second, God was wrong apparently, but he's telling me that Minnesota is on the verge of becoming a basketball giant.

When things happen concerning Kentucky basketball, PJS always first turns to it's favorite Kentucky blog A Sea of Blue. Certainly we'll find here that there is no way Kentucky fans can blame Tubby Smith for Legion leaving. Legion, a Billy Gillespie recruit, leaving can't have anything to do with Tubby, right? Apparently not.

The message boards are nuts, and lots of people are taking the name of Tubby Smith in vain. Don't ask me how Smith managed to create this situation, but according to many, it is so. I always suspected that Smith was the real force behind global warming and high gas prices. Now, I'm sure of it, and even from Minnesota, his icy clutches have frozen our collective hearts yet again. How is this possible? The Wrath of Jobu, I tell you! I'll bet he's sticking a pin in a voodoo doll of Billy Gillispie even as I write this ...

Sigh.

Legion, you might remember if you follow basketball recruiting, originally committed to play at Michigan. Legion is a Michigan product, afterall, but was granted his release after Tommy Amaker went to coach at Harvard. It was around this time God entered the fray and swung Legion's recruitment in favor of Kentucky.

Legion's mother, you should know, is a prophet. Here is a rather lengthy snippet of her conversation with Jerry Tipton of the Lexington Herald-Leader.

The Almighty steered [Alex Legion] to prestigious Detroit Country Day, a private high school that has produced such basketball stars as Chris Webber and Shane Battier. Then the Holy Spirit let it be known that he should transfer to prep school powerhouse Oak Hill Academy for his senior year. Divine intervention brought him to UK, a college he had not been considering.

"I had no clue Kentucky was a basketball school. No clue," Annette Legion said. "But God knew."

When asked about God's interest in her son, she quietly, almost as an aside, made a startling claim.

"Me being a prophet, he has truly ordered my son's steps," she said matter-of factly.

Prophet? Did you say prophet? Like Isaiah and Ezekiel of the Old Testament? "I'm a prophet," she said, "someone who can prophesize about your future and what's going on in your life."

Apparently God got this one wrong, eh Annette?

Many of the still fuzzy reports out of Kentucky indicate that Mrs. Legion was upset with the way Gillespie was treating the players. And there is even speculation that another Kentucky player could be on the way out. While I'll continue to take some sweet joy in watching Billy Gillespie's team implode, now is time for the typical sepculation of where Legion will transfer to. He could end up back at Michigan. I would imagine other schools that were recruiting him heavily--Florida, Kansas and others--will be knocking on Mrs. Legion's door. But some have suggested he could be interested in playing in the Big Ten. If that were the case, Alex could find a home in Minnesota.

Mrs. Legion probably is aware, being a prophet and all, that Tubby Smith is a Godly man. I don't even need to provide a link to discuss something else that is widely known: Many of Tubby Smith's players end up looking up to their ball coach. By the time his seniors graduate, Tubby is as much a father figure as he is a coach. That would be a stark contrast to the way Legion was coached at Kentucky, where reports are coming out that indicate Billy Gillespie is kind of a jerk.

Alex and Annette should also know that Tubby's recruiting class has two top-notch big men, in Ralph Sampson III and Colton Iversen. Tubby's 2008 class also includes two high-profile JUCO players in junior Devron Bostick and sophomore Paul Carter. And it includes the best point guard in Candada in Devoe Joseph. A shooting guard of Alex's skill could certainly have people, even God, talking about Minnesota basketball.

I'm apparently not the only one who thinks Legion could end up in Minnesota. And if that happens, I'll be sure to bring you all of the insane reaction in Kentucky. That would be fun, wouldn't it?

Is Coleman In Tubby's Doghouse?

Updated 12/1 6:30 p.m.

The Gophers handled UC Riverside 75-38 Saturday afternoon at Williams Arena, but it seemed during the first half that one of the three seniors who was expected to be a leader for this team was not only receiving the infamous Tubby "glare," but at least for the first half appeared to be neck deep in the coach's doghouse.

Here is discussion of that, and other findings from Saturday's win, including the continued ascension of Damian Johnson.

** For the second straight game, the Tubby Smith led Golden Gophers looked better offensively and defensively with backups Jonathan Williams and Damian Johnson manning the frountcourt. Meanwhile, Dan Coleman found himself in Tubby's doghouse most of the first half, playing only the first five minutes before finding a spot at the end of the bench. Coleman finished the game 1-for-6 from the field with five rebounds in 20 minutes. It was pointed out in the comments that Coleman picked up two fouls early in the first half, giving perhaps another reason for Coleman to ride the bench for the remainder of the half. But in trying to take the ball to the basket early--at the request of Tubby--it seemed like Coleman was out of his comfort zone and began to force.

Meanwhile, Johnson continues to be all over the place, using his long frame to grab rebounds and influence and block shots. He finished with 13 points, including a perfect 5-for-5 from the floor and a team-leading six rebounds and three blocks and three steals. Doghouse or not, Johnson is filling up the boxscore and Coleman isn't. Coleman better turn things around, because sooner or later Tubby is going to have to give Johnson more minutes. Where are those going to come from? Likely Coleman. After the loss to Florida State, Tubby questioned the effort and energy of his senior trio. Tubby didn't specify which player, if there was an individual, who he was upset with. If there is some other explanation for Coleman sitting all but the first five minutes of the first half, please someone let me know. Until then, I'm blogging under the impression that Coleman has some work to do to regain the confidence of his new coach.

** Neither Al Nolen or Kevin Payton graced us with their perscense in the starting lineup. Instead, Tubby started Lawrence McKenzie, Lawrence Westbrook, Jamal Abu-Shamala, Coleman and Tollackson. We continue to see Tubby flirting with different lineup combinations. We saw a three-guard lineup against Florida State. And we've seen Tubby start true freshman Nolen. I'm not sure I like starting McKenzie at point guard. He's the team's most prolific scorer. While I understand what Tubby is doing here--McKenzie is the most consistent, and trusted ball handler on the team--it would benefit the Gophers greatly if Nolen can mature rapidly to take some ball handling duties away from McKenzie.

** Spencer Tollackson continued to struggle with his back to the basket. Against the Seminoles, Tollackson was the inferior athlete in the post. Against UC Riverside, I was baffled to see Tollackson fail to establish himself as a force underneath. This isn't to say that Tollackson's platy was all bad, but he clearly hasn't been the force underneath many Gophers fans would like to see. His final numbers look OK, 10 points on 4-for-10 from the field and five rebounds. But some of that came in complete garbage time. I have not once this year questioned Tollackson's effort. He seems to be busting his ass. But he can be a bigger force than he has been.

** In the post below this, I questioned the idea of starting Jonathan Williams. I might have been wrong. Out of our four big men, Williams looks the most comfortable in the post, and seems to have the best vision and passing ability. On multiple occasions Williams had the wherwithal to find a cutting teammate with a nice pass in the paint. Tollackson hasn't been comfortable enough in the post to make these types of passes. As long as Tubby is experimenting with lineups, how about starting Johnson and Williams for a game instead of Tollackson and Coleman?

** The Gophers still need to get to the free-throw line more often. This was an area that Tubby reportedly emphasized in practices, even tweaking the offense to provide more opportunites to get to the rim and draw contact. The Gophers got to the line 21 times against UC Riverside, an improvement to be sure. But the Gophers were still perimiter oriented and didn't have enough success in the paint to play inside-out. Also, the Gophers hit just 12 of those 21 free throws. My guess is Tubby will make the boys run a big for that 57 percent shooting from the line.

** Lawrence McKenzie put up 18, shooting 6-for-10 (5-for-7 from 3) from the floor. The Gophers need this from him every night in the Big Ten if we're going to pull an upset or two.

** Blake Hoffarber continues to impress with his quick stroke from beyond the arc. He finished in double digits for the second straight game, this time putting up 13 points while going 4-for-7 from three-point land. Hoffarber also isn't proving to be a large liability on the defensive end. That might change against more athletic Big Ten teams, but for now I'd like to see more of Hoffarber.

** Tubby continues to use a 10-man rotation. If there was a player in jeopardy of being the odd man out when Tubby shortens his rotation, I'd like it would have to be Kevin Payton. The Gophers need the scoring ability of Hoffarber and Abu-Shamala, and they need all the minutes from the four big men. Once again Saturday, Payton proved to me that he's the weakest link in the current 10-man rotation.

UP Next: The Gophers have a quick turnaround with a game Monday night at Williams Arena against North Dakota State. The Bison have started 2007 with a 4-3 mark, but that's somewhat misleading as their losses have come at Florida, at Rutgers and at Wisconsin-Green Bay. I'd expect this to be a much closer game (the Bison only lost by 10 at Florida) and it will be interesting to see if Tubby tweaks his lineup yet again.

Saturday Links: Obsessing Over Tubby

If you haven't noticed on the right sidebar I've created a couple shirts. The one that is displayed says Tubby Ball, Est. 2007 on the front. On the back side, it says "Thank You Kentucky." I think I can speak for all Minnesota fans when I say this: We couldn't be happier you ran such a respected man and coach out of Lexington. It's your loss and our gain.

That's why it's so entertaining for me to watch some blame-Tubby-first Kentucky fans struggle to find reasons for their loss to Gardner-Webb and close call this week with Stony Brook. What are the radical portions of the UK fanbase going to say if/when North Carolina comes into Rupp Arena today and demolishes the Wildcats. Right, I already know the answer: They'll blame Tubby.

Well, at least most of the time. It seems that some UK fans have already gone to criticizing new head coach Billy Gillespie, per this Scout interview with prize freshman Patrick Patterson. Patterson, you might remember, is the 5-star diaper dandy that UK fans salivated over--literally frothing at the mouth I think--during last year's recruiting wars. They had to have Patterson. And even though it was clear Patterson was going to go to UK when Tubby was there, UK fans pointed to the hiring of Gillespie as a reason why Patterson picked UK. We'll get to recruiting in a second, but here's a telling quote from Patterson:

“People are out there saying this is the worst Kentucky basketball team in the history of Kentucky.”

Who is saying that to you?

“Fans, people around campus, when you are walking in restaurants and stuff like that. I have heard people say stuff about the Kentucky basketball team losing to Gardner-Webb and saying Kentucky hasn’t lost to a mid-major school since 2001 or something like that,” Patterson said. “I have heard people saying this is worst team or that we are not doing anything. On Facebook, they have stuff about Coach (Billy Gillispie). "

It almost makes you sad. Here's this young, talented basketball player, who is apparently bombarded with negativity everywhere he turns. In class? Criticism. On Facebook? Cheap shots at his coach.

But most of the conversations still center around Tubby. In this Lexington Herald-Leader article, Jerry Tipton sits down to talk with Dick Vitale and the ESPN announcer reiterates his criticism that a portion of the UK fanbase went too far in their desire to see Smith jettisoned.

And then the blog Hugging Harold Reynolds suggesting satirically this week that all UK travails begin and end with Tubby. Here's a taste:

You see, it's all Tubby's fault that UK is a mess right now. Through his lack of recruiting and inability to win consistently over his ten years in Lexington, Tubby almost single-handedly destroyed the once-storied legacy of Kentucky basketball.

Earlier this year, it was "Tubby's Fault!" the Cats lost to Gardner Webb. Saturday, it most likely will be "Tubby's Fault!" if the UNC Tarheels crush UK, as expected. Shockingly, new UK coach Billy Gillispie has come under relatively little scrutiny for a man in his position.

Some might view this as the fans just enjoying their honeymoon with him - but that wouldn't be right, because far too many of them are still kicking and screaming about a good man and coach who they ran out of town.

Even though that blogger was writing tongue-in-cheek, it's clear that the UK fan base is forever going to be obsessed with Tubby Smith. Adding salt to their wounds right now is the 2008 recruiting wars. A quick look at Rivals' rankings--there are others that are far more favorable to Minnesota and Tubby--and it would appear that Tubby is recruiting on par with Billy Gillespie, even though Billy Clyde has the UK tradition, facilities and Ashley Judd to fall back on. The Rivals rankings linked to above list UK as 19th in the country and Minnesota right behind at number 20. Tubby also won the first head-to-head recruiting battle when Ralph Sampson III picked Minnesota over Billy Clyde's Wildcats. Once again, Thank You Kentucky! And is there any way ya'll can become livid with Ashley Judd and send her north too?

Now, on to a few other things.

** Staying on the obsessing over Tubby/basketball recruiting topics ... the Wisconsin Rivals site Badger Blitz is beginning to worry about Tubby. Could Tubby be turning the tide in the border recruiting wars? Could Bo Ryan be on defense for once to keep his players home. That'd be a nice change, wouldn't it?

** Star Tribune men's basketball beat writer Myron Medcalf asks in this blog post whether Tubby should go to a big lineup. Medcalf suggests a lineup of Al Nolen, Lawrence McKenzie, Dan Coleman, Jonathan Williams and Spencer Tollackson. That'd be a big lineup, and would help us on the boards. And I think that Coleman is more suited to play on the perimiter, though I worry about how he'd matchup against quicker small forwards. It could be worth a try from time-to-time, but does anyone really think Jon Williams should start?

** The Pioneer Press and Star Tribune report that Tubby benched seniors Spencer Tollackson, Dan Coleman and Lawrence McKenzie during the loss to Florida State Tuesday. Tubby was not happy with their leadership, energy, intensity and lack of scoring, the reports suggest. McKenzie called the development a "reality check." And Fuller also reports that Tubby has tweaked his offense some to encourage fewer jump shots and more penetration/inside play that could help the Gophers get to the foul line--an area where they struggled against FSU.

Guest Post: Tubby's Up And Down Tenure At UK

PJS Note: Tru from A Sea of Blue was kind enough to author this guest post for Gopher fans, giving us an insight into the melodrama that surrounded Tubby Smith's tenure at UK, and what to expect from Tubby Smith on and off the court as his tenure in Minnesota begins. I thank Tru for taking the time to put this together, and highly recommend A Sea of Blue for intelligent discussion of UK basketball.

Guest Post
By Truzenzuzex

Allow me to introduce myself. My blog-name is Truzenzuzex, and I am the proprietor of A Sea of Blue, a University of Kentucky Wildcat blog which is part of the SB Nation group of sports blogs. PJS has been kind enough to ask me to write a guest blog entry for about the former Wildcats and new Golden Gophers coach, Orlando "Tubby" Smith.

I am honored to be asked, and proud to do so. I am sure most of you know Tubby Smith's bio, so I won't recite that at all. What I'd like to do instead is to give you a perspective on how Tubby Smith was perceived here and why, along with some of the things that you may not know about his coaching style, personality, and his tenure in the Bluegrass. When Smith came to Kentucky back in 1998, there were happy people and unhappy people, but mostly happy. I was among the happy -- I wanted Smith. In retrospect, though, he was not a good fit for Kentucky. But we will get to that. Rick Pitino had just won the national championship in 1996, and lost in overtime in the national finals in 1997.

For years, rumors of Pitino's interest in returning to the NBA were rampant around Kentucky, and every year after the season there would be media and fan speculation, denials from Pitino and from the athletic administration and a great deal of hand-wringing around the state. This had been going on for at least 5 consecutive years, and many fans (myself being one of them) were getting tired of this act. Yes, Pitino was a great coach and we were proud to have him, but this constant speculation about when (not if) he was leaving to the NBA was causing some hard feelings, and many of us wished for more stability. We don't take kindly to coaches who use us as a springboard. But who could argue with success? Well, after the 1997 season, Rick Pitino left to coach the Boston Celtics and a quick search was done. Tubby Smith was offered the Kentucky job. Smith was a former Pitino assistant at UK from 1989-1991, and he came to Kentucky after a successful three-year run at Georgia.

Smith was well-received in the Commonwealth, although there were a significant minority of fans (perhaps as many as 20%) who were unhappy with the hire at the time and were very vocal about it. Then came the fateful 1998 season. When Pitino left, he left behind what looked for all the world like a rag-tag crew with some talent, but a lot of holes. That perception turned out to be wrong, as there are no less than 4 NBA draft picks on that team, ultimately. We figured to have a good year, but nobody really expected us to contend for the national championship, let alone win it. But that is what happened.

Of course, the Big Blue Nation was ecstatic, and Tubby Smith was hailed as a kindler, gentler version of Pitino. That perception was short lived, however. Over the ensuing four years, Kentucky found itself in a state of semi-relevance, losing ten games almost every year. Now, that may not sound like that many, but at Kentucky, single-digit loss seasons had long been the norm. Pitino had double-digit losses only once in his tenure, his very first year when UK was on probation. Losing ten games three years in a row was intolerable to many in the Commonwealth despite the changes that were happening in college basketball -- Kentucky simply didn't lose 39 games in 4 years.

The grumbling began anew, and this time it was louder and more widespread. The nickname "Ten Loss Tubby" was created, and found a voice on the budding Internet sports sites. It wasn't as if the team was totally unsuccessful in the post season, even during this tumultuous period. Kentucky went to the final eight once and the Sweet Sixteen twice, even during this run of ten loss seasons. But here in Kentucky, Final Fours are expected and demanded. Smith hadn't been to one in five years, and the grumbling was getting very loud. "For Sale" signs were occasionally found in Smith's yard, and his weekly call-in show was becoming filled with hostile fans demanding answers. 2001-02 is known around Kentucky as "Team Turmoil" for the numerous off-the-court problems and subsequent dismissal or transfer of several high-profile players after the season.

Keep in mind, folks -- this was six years ago. Then came the 2002-03 season. Kentucky went through the pre-season with a loss to an exhibition opponent, and 3 more losses in the out-of-conference portion of the schedule, including to the University of Louisville, a hated rival. By this time, anticipating another ten losses or more and a "below par" year, there were numerous calls for Smith's job all around the commonwealth. Then came the conference schedule, and in the second SEC game of the year on the road at Vanderbilt, something unexpected happened. I'll never forget it as long as I live. The Cats went into the locker room at the half in Nashville down 16 points after being thoroughly outplayed by the Commodores.

That team never returned to play for Kentucky again. What came out of the locker room in Memorial Gymnasium after halftime was a team nobody in Kentucky had ever seen before. The Wildcats came out of the visitor's locker room and emasculated Vanderbilt University's men's basketball team. The huge Vandy lead evaporated in minutes, to be replaced by a 30+ point Kentucky bulge, and by the time the Cats left the floor, there was nothing left of the Commodores. Kentucky's domination of them defensively was beyond rational description, and the Wildcats' offensive efficiency was pure James A. Naismith perfection. It was as if all 12 Wildcats had morphed, Michael J. Fox-like, into Teen Wolf in front of everyone's eyes, and disembowled an entire SEC basketball team in front of the home crowd. It was ... magnificent in it's cruel, utterly merciless efficiency.

Something had clicked in this Wildcat team, a frightful switch had been thrown. The players had bought completely into Tubby Smith's system, and they raged through the SEC doing carnage, crushing good teams by embarrassing margins. That Shermanesque rampage took the traditional UK domination of the SEC was taken to heights previously unknown when they won all the SEC games, and the SEC tournament -- a perfect conference season. It wasn't just that they won, it was the way they won -- the team was utterly indomitable, and it was not unusual to see well-coached opponents simply give up against their onslaught.

Kentucky fans were delighted, yet somehow terrified. How could this have happened? Who was this team, and what had they done with the Wildcats? Kentucky's domination continued as they went into the NCAA tournament ranked #1 in the country by every major service. But an injury to Keith Bogans and a hot Duane Wade ended that run in the final eight against Marquette, ironically enough, in the Twin Cities where Tubby Smith now resides.

Tubby Smith was again a hero after 2003, but that same hard-core minority of 20% or so saw only the failure of the team to get to the Final Four. Discord grew among the hard-core Smith doubters and the Smith supporters, and many vicious Internet flame wars ensued on the message boards. The Smith detractors were forced into retreat, having no answer for the "but for Bogans' injury, we would have won the national championship" argument and the undefeated SEC season. But the very next year, the team again lost to Louisville and flamed out in the Sweet Sixteen, and the fan unhappiness was again quickly to pre-2002 levels. Then came the great recruiting class of 2004. One of the many gripes dissatisfied Kentucky fans had regarding Tubby Smith was uneven recruiting. The members of that 2002-03 team (the Suffocats, as they are known) were largely unheralded players, and despite their success, this alarmed many in the Big Blue Nation. Randolph Morris, Joe Crawford, Ramel Bradley and Rajon Rondo made the "Smith can't recruit studs" skeptics look like fools, and once again, the supporters and detractors of Tubby Smith clashed angrily.

Locked threads were everywhere in message boards, and wholesale banning of angry members was common. It was a virtual bloody time in Kentucky online fan history. The Tubby Smith radio call-in show began refusing critics access, outraging the Smith detractors even more when they were denied a forum to embarrass a coach they saw as damaging the program.

By this point, anti-Smith sentiment had reached critical mass. There were two camps now firmly entrenched in Kentucky, and hatred began to divide the fan base. That's right, I said "hatred" because that's what it was, and believe it or not, still is. Those who wanted Smith gone fashioned themselves as defenders of Kentucky's basketball heritage, and hated those who were willing to give him a chance. Each accused the other of either racism or race-baiting, and the fan base at Kentucky became bitterly divided. Internet wars were everywhere, and the online community divided itself into Smith supporters and Smith detractors, with very few crossing over into enemy territory except to post outrageous comments and be banned themselves.

The ensuing three years saw many events each group would point to in order to defend their position. There was a pitched battle being waged in Kentucky, brother pitted against brother, in a rancorous civil war with Smith squarely in the center. The Smith detractors mounted a media campaign against him, attempting to run an anti-Tubby Smith ad in the University of Kentucky student newspaper, the Kentucky Kernel, in June of 2006. This created a firestorm of controversy, and Smith quickly became seen as embattled by the national media.

Many rose to his defense, and notably, some did not. Finally, in March of 2007 after two very poor seasons in a row by Kentucky standards, Tubby Smith left the Wildcats to coach at the University of Minnesota, which of course, you know. Now that you know how (and to some extent, why) he got to the Twin Cities, here are some things you will learn:

** Tubby Smith is a family man above all else. He treats his players more like his kids than anything else, and truly cares about their well-being and future success.

** Smith is not fond of the media. This is one of the many things that generated discontent for him. Smith is a poor public speaker, and he isn't comfortable in a media environment. Because of Kentucky's high national profile in basketball, this was simply not a good thing while he was in the Bluegrass. It will not be near the problem at Minnesota that it was in the Commonwealth.

** Smith's system emphasizes defense. Smith uses a variant of the ball-line defense, which essentially helps closer to the basket, and has the weakness of leaving players open on the wing on a ball reversal for a three-point shot. Played properly, even this can be largely overcome, as the Suffocats dramatically proved, but it takes a level of commitment I have seen only one time.

** Smith employs a variant of the flex offense, and prefers a disciplined, half-court approach. He also professes to want to run to anyone who will listen, but somehow, we never did that very well in Kentucky under Smith after his first year. This is a point of serious contention among Smith detractors and supporters in Kentucky.

** Tubby Smith is an outstanding community member, philanthropist, and all around human being. Even those who hated Smith heart and soul were reluctant to say anything against his character, and for good reason -- their credibility would have vanished. Tubby Smith is a good man.

** Smith is notoriously stubborn. He runs his system, and will do so even if it doesn't work. He will make changes, but they tend to be incremental and on the margins.

** Smith has some strange tendencies in recruiting. He is less about talent than how he thinks a player will fit into his system. He rejects the idea that he can't coach average players to excel. Overall, this will work out better at Minnesota than Kentucky. Kentucky fans expect to recruit on the very highest level, and to always have at least one top 25 player in the class each year. Smith did not recruit the top players in the nation well at Kentucky most of the time he was here, but Minnesota will not normally be involved at that level. That's just a fact of life. Smith recruits players in the 30-120 range very well.

** Smith values loyalty above talent. If a player has worked hard in his system and stayed with him, he will reward that as long as he is in the same universe as other players, talent-wise. It is a laudable characteristic, but it does have its drawbacks, and caused significant consternation in the Bluegrass. Perhaps it will work out better at Minnesota.

** Tubby Smith is not a subtle man. He is just what you see -- no more, no less. He is a basketball coach, not an innovator or a deep thinker. But he will be successful, because he knows how to be successful and has done it everywhere he has been.

** Smith seems to be satisfied with a lower level of success than Kentucky fans. He would often laud his many trips to the Sweet Sixteen as an accomplishment, and he never figured out that most Kentucky fans see that not as an achievement, but as a failure. There was simply a huge disconnect between Smith's expectations for his team and the expectations of the fans.

Many of you may wonder why Kentucky would put so much pressure on a fine coach like Smith, and I can tell you that the very fact you ask that question disqualifies you from any understanding of the answer. An Alabama football fan would not ask that question. Neither would a Florida football fan, or a Notre Dame football fan, or a North Carolina basketball fan.

This isn't a put down -- just because most Minnesota fans aren't pathologically obsessed with the team does not cast any aspersions on their character. To the contrary. Many of you will note that some Kentucky fans are blaming Smith for our recent loss to Gardner-Webb. If this surprises you, it is simply because the gulf between your perception of college basketball and that of Kentucky fans is much wider than you might believe.

Fortunately, this thinking doesn't represent the thinking of most Kentucky fans, but only a few who would gladly blame Tubby Smith for global warming, high gas prices and poverty in sub-Saharan Africa if they could find even the thinnest connection. If Kentucky does not win a national championship within a few years, these same people will claim that Tubby Smith permanently destroyed Kentucky basketball to the extent that nobody could ever resurrect it again, or has set us back so far that it will take decades of futility to overcome. Whatever.

I think you know what to think of such people without me having to suggest it. I am sorry for the length of this piece, but quite frankly, the Tubby Smith tenure in Lexington was a complicated affair, filled with love, hate, pathos, ecstasy, quixotic angst, and almost every other human emotion you can describe on a very large scale. If it makes Kentucky fans seem less than totally sane, I suppose that is a fair conclusion -- we are nationally renowned for our obsessiveness with college basketball, and Tubby Smith had no small part in bringing that obsession to the forefront of the national consciousness.

With all that said, keep in mind that this is just the perception of one Kentucky fan, and we are hardly a homogeneous group. We love our college basketball here, and we love the tradition that Kentucky represents, and the place that buys us in the national spotlight. Kentucky is not famous for a lot of things, but we are proud of our national celebrity in college basketball, and most UK fans are determined to defend the place we have carved for ourselves.

In the end, it seems in retrospect that Tubby Smith was always a poor fit for Kentucky. There were simply too many inconsistencies between how Smith saw the Wildcats, and how the fans see them. Part of it was caused by having to follow the now-legendary Pitino success, and part of it was just a disconnect between the realities of Smith and the fan base. But now both Smith and UK have moved on, hopefully both to better places.

The lingering resentments represent nothing more than the lunatic fringe, something that every large fan base must unhappily deal with. I wish you well, Golden Gophers, and Tubby Smith as well. I think he will do you proud, and I think you will enjoy each other.