BTN To Go Behind The Scenes With Tubby

"Minnesota Basketball: The Journey." That's the title of an upcoming 8-episode series on the Big Ten Network that will aim to take us behind the scenes as Tubby Smith attempts to turn around the University of Minnesota men's basketball program.

According to a release put out today by the Big Ten Conference, "The Journey"will first air on Friday, Dec. 21 at 6 p.m. CT with an hour long episode. Subsequent episodes will be 30 minutes long.

Via the release:

MINNESOTA BASKETBALL: THE JOURNEY will follow the Gophers' entire season, including activities on the basketball court and beyond. The show will take viewers on campus and deep inside the Minnesota basketball program with the players, coaches and support staff. Big Ten Network cameras will travel with the Gophers on the team plane, capture practices, pre-game shoot-arounds and time-out huddles, as well as many of Smith's pre-game, halftime and post-game speeches in the locker room.

"As Tubby Smith brings his history of success north, the transformation of Minnesota basketball will undoubtedly be an interesting story to tell," said Big Ten Network Executive Producer Leon Schweir. "We plan to capture it all."

While the program will debut this Friday, subsequent episodes won't air until January.

If these are done well, it has the potential to be compelling television. However, it's not easy to do programs like these well--especially in a 30-minute format with commercial interruptions.

Nonetheless, I plan to tune in. The Big Ten Network desperately needed some original programming, and it pleases me that they are branching out and bringing attention to our men's basketball team.

It also might be another reason to say goodbye to Comcast and call DirecTV.

Measuring Damian Johnson's Impact

Through eight games, Damian Johnson has been the most valuable player for Tubby Smith's first team in Minnesota. While he hasn't gotten the headlines that come with a massive scoring output, Johnson has done the things that go mostly unnoticed by fans skimming through boxscores.

Johnson has received plaudits from those of us in the blogosphere and some passing praise in the mainstream media. But to really see Johnson's impact beyond the traditonal boxscore, we have to dig deeper, and that means looking at statistics in a more scientific manner, and going beyond the generic categories like blocks, rebounds and steals.

Ken Pomeroy's recent article at Basketball Prospectus on identifying the college game's best defenders notes that blocking shots AND forcing steals "is a strong indicator that a player is doing disruptive things on those possessions where he doesn't get credit for doing either." Those of us who have watched every minute of the Gophers this season know that one player falls into that category: Damian Johnson. Pomeroy continues and explains what benchmarks to look for in the blocks and steals percentages statistics:

Specifically, the numbers I look for are a block rate of at least 6.0 with a steal rate of at least 2.5. In fact, these benchmarks are probably too lofty. I've been tracking these stats for the past three seasons, and only two players playing at least 24 minutes per game in power conferences getting have been able to reach these figures. Those players are Joakim Noah (who did it twice) and Shelden Williams, who were both among the best defenders in recent years. ... So far this season, there are just three players from power conferences meeting [this] threshold: Kansas sophomore Darrell Arthur, Nebraska senior Aleks Maric and LSU freshman Anthony Randolph.

The only thing standing in Damian Johnson's way of joining that trio is a few minutes per game. During the 7-1 Minnesota start, Johnson has averaged 20 minutes per game. Meanwhile, Johnson has put up an impressive block rate of 10.4 (good for 39th in the country) and a steal rate of 4.0 (good for second on the team behind point guard Al Nolen.) This tells us that Johnson, as Pomeroy wrote, is doing "disruptive things," on possessions when he's not given credit for a block or a steal.

If you're not familiar with the block rate and steal rate staistics, they are relatively straightforward. A block rate is the percentage of two-point shots that are blocked by the player in question when he is on the court. The steal rate is the same. That means that on about 15 percent of opponents possessions, Damian Johnson has been racking up a block or a steal. But, again, as Pomeroy noted, the numbers tell us that Johnson is is being a large disruptive precense on countless more possessions.

Johnson has been the Gophers' best player defensive end of the floor. But his hustle and effectiveness can also bee seen on the offensive end of the floor.

Using offensive rating, Johnson is the 4th most effective player the Gophers have. More impressively to me is the offensive rebounding percentage, where, again, Johnson leads the Gophers. This statistic is found by dividing the number of offensive rebounds by the total number of missed shots when a certain player is on the floor. Essentially, it shows us how efficient someone is at claiming offensive rebounds. Johnson, again, leads the Gophers with a 13.9 (good for 82nd in the country). Johnson might not be putting up Blake Hoffarber-like offensive numbers, but creating second-chance opportunities is as valuable, if not more, than shooting a high percentage from beyond the arc.

By using this statistcal analysis, Johnson is clearly the most active Gopher on the defensive end, and he's done the most, while playing off the bench, to secure second-chance opportunites for the Gophers. It will be interesting to see how much these numbers fluxuate when the Big Ten season begins. But through the 7-1 start, Damian Johnson is your MVP.

(Note: All of the stats cited in this post can be found here.)

Year In Review: The Mason Firing

Even the most staunch Glen Mason haters were caught a little bit by surprise when on the eve of the new year Joel Maturi axed the coach who became to be known as "Mediocre Mason" during his decade long stint as Minnesota's football coach.

Here's what FireMason.com wrote on Dec. 31, 2006: The loss to Texas Tech in the Insight Bowl in classic Mason fall-from-ahead fashion has apparently led to the coach's dismissal. The late-season three game rally that qualified the gophers for the bowl had admittedly and obviously left me lacking motivation, as I assumed that the coach's future was secure for another year. The firing is a welcome and surprising holiday gift. Kudos to everybody who took the time to write to Joel Maturi and the other big-shots. This could have and would have gone on longer if we had let it.

I was watching that game in the comfort of my living room last year, watching with joy as the Gophers piled up a tremendous lead. Eventually, the girlfriend said "Charlie, this game is over. Let's watch a movie." I agreed, and suffered through some painful romantic comedy. After it ended, I flipped on the 4-letter (ESPN) and saw coverage of the biggest collapse in college bowl history.

It was typical Glen Mason football: show some signs of life, before falling hard. And that epitomized the Gophers of 2006 (and the Mason era for that matter). The Insight Bowl debacle opened up old wounds: Think 4th quarter of Michigan 2003, for instance. But as we now look back almost one year later, we have to ask was it the right move?

I will say now that it looks in retrospect like a panic move. Had Maturi wanted to fire Mason all along, he should have done it prior to the bowl game. The dismissal after the Insight Bowl smacks of desperation--an AD who was getting hammered with e-mails suggesting he should have fired Mason earlier. An earlier dismissal would also have allowed a more thorough coaching search process. The late dismissal forced the Gophers athletic department into near panic mode to find a new coach, as national signing day was less than 40 days away at the time. We ended up with Tim Brewster, who has excelled in the recruiting department and sputtered on the sidelines. And Maturi had cause to fire Mason earlier. The Gophers started 3-6, and 0-5 in the Big Ten. What's more striking about Maturi's decision making is that he fired Mason almost exaclty one year from the day he signed the coach to a contract extension. That meant that Mason received a $3.6 million parting gift. There's something to be said about giving an embattled coach a vote of confidence, it's something far different to give him that type of security without earning it.

Overall, I think I can speak for the majority of Minnesota fans in saying that Glen Mason's firing was a welcome developement. Could it have been handled better? Yes. Earlier? Yes. Did Maturi make the right decision? Yes. Did it look like a decision made out of panic? Absolutely. Are we better off now? That jury is still out. But I'll say this. As a Gophers fan, I was tired of Mason's excuses and the fact that he was apparently OK with mediocrity. Maturi and University President Robert Bruininks said they felt the football program needed a "new voice."

As the year in review continues, I'll take a look at their replacement for Glen Mason and examine whether or not they hired the right "voice."

A Golden Gophers Retrospective: A Preview

The year that was for University of Minnesota athletics will be one we'll look back to years from now either with joy or a more angry expression. So, in the next two weeks, I'm going to rewind the clock and review the year gone by, noting highlights and low-lights, while still mixing in regularly scheduled coverage.

We'll review Joel Maturi's decision to fire Glen Mason after the Insight Bowl debacle. We'll look at the season that was for Tim Brewster and the beginning of the Tubby Smith era. And with that in mind, we'll look back at the Dan Monson/Jim Molinari era. We'll also wonder aloud why our women's hockey coach decided to resign? You get the idea.

In the end, I'll name a "Gopher of the Year," and "Vermin of the Year," the latter being a title many University of Minnesota public figures will seek to avoid in the year's to come. I'd call it the annual awards, but it would be gramatically incorrect to do so. Next year, when Tim Brewster wins his second "Vermin of the Year Award," we'll call it an annual extravaganza. Shit, I just gave away the award winner before the PJS selection committee has gathered. In all seriousness, there's still time to sway the committee's decision. So, if you have a nominee for either Gopher or Vermin of the year, do drop PJS an email at pagingjimshikenjanski@yahoo.com.

The first post in the year in review will turn the calendar back to the beginning of January, when Glen Mason was given his walking papers.

Gophers Rise In Rankings

Win or lose, Tubby Smith will always be linked to Kentucky basketball. And whether Billy Gillispie wins or loses at Kentucky, Tubby Smith will always receive a sizeable dose of the blame, deserving or not.

With that in mind, I just want to make one small point. The new Sagarin Ratings came out Saturday, and in them the Gophers climbed up to 38th nationally.

Meanwhile, after losing to Alabama-Birmingham on Saturday (former Indiana coach Mike Davis is coaching there), the Wildcats dropped to 4-4. Two of Kentucky's losses have been excusable--North Carolina and Indiana. But losing to an average Alabama-Birmingham team and to Gardner-Webb earlier this season (G-W has now lost 6 of 9 games), is turning the Kentucky faithful blue. The result: A Sagarin Rating of 147, in between Indiana State and Oral Roberts.

Ouch.

The full Sagarin Rankings are here.

Don't think this fact will be lost on Kentucky faithful. In Saturday's Louisville Courier-Journal, columnist Rick Bozich noted that at the time the Gophers and Wildcats were one spot apart in the Sagarin Rankings.

It's a long season, and the only real win the Gophers have is at Iowa State (really not all that impressive.) Things could change by year's end, but at this point, Tubby Smith seems to have gotten the best of the coaching circus in the offseason.

Coach Contracts Need To Be Scaled Back

Show me the money! That's what Nick Saban said God knows how many times. And we have Les Miles, who didn't even need to change addresses to cash in on the insane world of college athletics.

It's hard to blame Miles, Saban or the assorted others who have cashed in on the big business that is college athletics (OK, I lied, ripping Saban is completely understandable). These coaches are just taking what the market will pay them. Well, I have a pipe dream I'd like to throw out in this forum. THE MARKET NEEDS AN ADJUSTMENT!

This week Tubby Smith, the hopeful savior of Minnesota basketball, finally inked his deal with the University which will earn him $1.75 million annually for seven years, not including incentives. That deal makes Tubby Smith the highest paid University employee. Tubby's contract, in the grander scheme of college sports, isn't outlandish, though it puts him in the highest echelon of Big Ten coaches.

Now back to college football, take a look at this USA Today piece that notes: This year, for the first time, the average earnings of the 120 major-college football coaches hit $1 million, a USA TODAY analysis finds. That's not counting the benefits, perks and myriad bonuses in their contracts.

Meanwhile, college professors earn on average $113,000 (Link, See table 4). A nice take too, certainly, but the gap between athletics and education at our universities is ever widening.

Most of us don't think twice anymore when coaches rake in the big bucks. Some economics guru tells us about supply and demand. We hear jargon like "market forces" and "competitive marketplace." So, we look the other way. But should we? In some instances, as this article from CFO.com points out, some of the spending is past on to students.

But as programs vie to outspend one another, many go deep into the red, forcing schools to raise student fees and seek new sources of support. (Texas is a rarity: its program is self-sufficient and usually runs in the black.) Indeed, although many schools have increased revenue by adding premium seating and charging for seat licenses and ticket guarantees, they haven't improved their financial positions much, if at all. Unlike in the corporate world, most universities don't bother to track the returns on their sports investments beyond the win column. Despite the myth of massively profitable college-sports franchises built on the backs of unpaid players, only a handful of athletic programs manage to break even without university or student-fee subsidies.

As sports fans, we like winning. Minnesota fans are overjoyed with Tubby Smith. Michigan fans wouldn't have blinked if their athletic department had made Les Miles a record-breaking offer. We can't begrudge these coaches, but we can tell our University presidents that enough is enough. At some point we should let college athletics be about the amaetur athlete again. And if that means coaches only make five times what university professors make, well, I would bet there would still be a long line of highly qualified people wanting to coach college athletics.

So, let's get rid of this "market forces" B.S. and put some blame squarely on the shoulders of our university leaders.

Yeah, So, That Was Close

In a post earlier today I suggested that Gopher fans take a deep breath. The 6-1 start was nice, I wrote, but I cautioned that it didn't mean a lot in the larger scheme of things. We destroyed some cupcakes that Eden Prairie, or maybe even Mahtomedi could beat.

And Wednesday night, in the Barn no less, the Gophers proved why we need to be careful with our expectations for this team.

Something called the South Dakota State Jackrabbits fought the Gophers for 40 minutes, and for most of the game controlled the game. The Jackrabbits handled the Gophers on the offensive end of the floor. When the Gophers played zone, the Jackrabbits attacked the zone and found the open shooter when the zone collapsed. When Tubby Smith had the Gophers in a man-to-man defense--which should have benefitted us considering we are far more athletic--the Jackrabbits made the Gophers overcommit, and when the help-side defense wasn't there, the Jackrabbits pounced.

The blue bunnies from South Dakota had about a 10 rebound advantage. A lot of this came when the Gophers were palying a flat-footed 2-3 zone. Not only did we fail to box out, but as the bunnies ran out to a 9 point first half lead, we failed to challenge a slew of outside jump shots.

Basically, the Gophers are incredibly lucky to have walked out of Williams Arena with a 78=72 win against the Jackrabbits. Had this been a team with a less childish nickname, say the Spartans, the Gophers would have been run out of the gym.

What else should we take note of? Here's a list.

** This near-disaster was mostly about team defense. Shots weren't challenged. The help-side defense was slow.

** On numerous occasions, the Gophers struggled to get going offensively. A 35-second violation against the blue bunnies is somewhat embarrassing. Part of the reason for tihs is the Gophers don't have a guard that can effectively, and consistently create his own shot. Only two Minnesota players on this night could create their own shots: Damian Johnson and Dan Coleman. Lawrence McKenzie? No. Al Nolen? He'll get there, but not yet. Kevin Payton? LOL

** Where art thou Lawrence McKenzie? He finished the game with 7 points on 2-for-6 shooting. Gophers bloggers took Dan Coleman to task earlier this year for lackadasical play. Coleman has since put up his first back-to-back 20+ scoring games in his career. Perhaps we should turn our attention to McKenzie.

** Speaking of Coleman, he led the Gophers tonight, and they needed every bit of it. Twenty-four points on 10-for-14 shooting is nothing to scoff at. He scored with his back to the basket, and showed off a baby-hook, among other inside moves. It's good to see him play down low.

** In the last two minutes, with the Gophers holding on to a two to five point lead, this is the lineup we saw: Damian Johnson, Dan Coleman, Spencer Tollackson, Al Nolen and Lawrence McKenzie. All the talk about starting lineups is pointless. The lineup at the end is what matters. Here is your go-to Gophers lineup. I'd assume that if Tubby wanted offense instead of defense, he'd have Blake Hoffarber on the floor instead of Johnson--but that might not be the case. Johnson has been the Gophers MVP so far, and he's not a liability on offense.

** Spencer Tollackson came through in the clutch. With 1:30 left, and the Gophers nursing a 3 point lead, Tollackson had the ball on the block with the shot clock at 10. He did his best Kevin McHale up-and-under, jumped, and somehow underhanded a pass to a wide-open Coleman under the basket.

** South Dakota State sophmore Garrett Callahan should transfer to the Gophers. He destroyed us. He has a quick a release as Blake Hoffarber, can penetrate effectively and was the best player on the floor Wednesday night.

** The Barn can still get loud!

** Al Nolen hit 3-of-4 free throws down the stretch for his only three points of the game. But he was feisty on the defensive end, and on this night the Gophers needed his energy

** Sometimes I think I sound like I'd like to knob off Damian Johnson. But I can't stop with the superlatives for him. He led the Gophers in rebounds. He altered shots down the stretch. He was the most effective Gopher in drawing fouls and penetrating. Johnson finished with 10 points and went 4-for-5 from the free throw line. Most improved Big Ten player?

In summary, the Jackrabbits put quite the scare into the Gophers. The win wasn't pretty. But 7-1 is 7-1 and the Gophers now have 10 days off before Santa Clara comes to town. The close game should give Tubby Smith plenty to bark about in practice. It was clear at times he wasn't happy Wednesday night.

For the same reasons we shouldn't point to the 7-1 mark and start talking about Big Ten titles, we also shouldn't point to this surprisingly close game and believe that the Gophers can't be competitive. They can. But there is work to be done.

Gameday Vs. SDSU: Thoughts On The 6-1 Start

You're excited. I'm excited. We're all excited for Tubby-ball. And we have reason to be pleased. A year ago, the Gophers were 2-5 at this point and Dan Monson was on his way out.

I don't mean to rain on our collective parade with this post, but I just want to start a discussion about the 2007-08 Gophers. What do we really know at this point? By this time tomorrow the team should be 7-1 after romping South Dakota State. Then the Gophers host Santa Clara (8-1) and head to Las Vegas for three games: Nicholls State (9-1), Kennesaw State (10-1) and UNLV (????).

At worst, the Gophers should enter the Big Ten season at 10-2. But I submit that we won't know until the end of January exactly what kind of team we have on our hands. To date, the Gophers have proven the following:

** Scoring will come easier this season because of a high-intensity pressure defense and because the addition of Blake Hoffarber and Al Nolen gives increased scoring output. If one of the three seniors has an off night, the Gophers can still score more than 45! That's a big improvement over last year.

** Damian Johnson can be a difference maker on the offensive and defensive ends of the floor. He's exactly what the Gophers needed--considering their lack of depth in the frontcourt--to be successful. And Johnson is the exact type of player the Gophers will need in the Big Ten season.

** Tubby Smith is pushing his players out of their comfort zone. I will wager that Dan Coleman is far and away this team's best player come the middle of the Big Ten season. He's had to change his game to fit into Tubby's plans, and in Coleman's case this is a good thing. Attacking the basket will only make Coleman a better perimter player.

** The Florida State game tells us that Spencer Tollackson--God bless his hustle--will struggle against more athletic big men. That game also tells us that the Gophers' guards will be out-classed from time-to-time by more athletic playmakers. Thankfully, the Big Ten isn't loaded with explosive guards and Greg Oden is sitting on a bench somewhere in the pacific northwest.

** Most importantly here, we've learned the Gophers will destroy the cupcakes on their schedule. And, frankly, this is why we're all so excited for Tubby ball. In year's past, a tilt against South Dakota State would be worrisome.

What I'm trying to say is, while we've seen some positivies, it's far too early to judge this team. We can be pleased that it's a fun team to watch--who would have thought that this crew could put up near 100 points? But we shouldn't blow this early record out of proportion.

Down With Goldy said it well here: As much as the optimism is flying, they really haven't done anything special, which is a clear sign of just how far the program had fallen. The win at Iowa St, while wouldn't mean much to many programs, was a huge win for the Gophers. No shame in losing @ FSU. With only the game @ UNLV remaining as a quality game in non-conference, we'll likely have to wait for the Big Ten season to know just how good this team is.

Exactly.

That said, I'm sure Tubby would rather be off to a potentially misleading 6-1 start then to still be dealing with this nonsense.

The Gophers tip-off tonight at 8 p.m. CT at Williams Arena. The game is on the Big Ten Network.

Coleman Reaches Milestone In Another Rout

Senior Dan Coleman, the recipient of some criticism from the Minnesota blogosphere in the first few weeks of the season, put up 22 points and 11 rebounds Saturday night as he led the Gophers to their first 90-point plus output for two years.

Coleman's 22 points allowed him to become the 34th Golden Gopher to surpass the 1,000 point total for his career. Congratulations, Dan.

For all the jabs we online pundits have thrown Coleman's way, he still leads the team in scoring with 12.1 per contest. Last week I suggested that Coleman was struggling to adapt to a new system. No longer was it considered OK for him to spot up outside the three point line and fire away. Now, he is being relied upon to put the ball on the floor and attack the basket. As Tubby Smith said in the post game press conference, good things happen when his team aggressively attacks the basket.

In this Minnesota Daily article, Coleman talks about learning that new system. He said: "I feel like I'm starting to settle in a little bit. Learning the new system hasn't been the most natural transition for me."

While we should applaud Coleman's accomplishment, that doesn't mean he can't still take a step or two forward--especially if he has professional basketball aspirations. In the post game press conference--which I was able to watch online at GopherSports.com, as a paying member--Tubby Smith still suggested that Coleman can do a better job of taking the ball to the rim. Tubby said Coleman sometimes still feels more comfortable finding a spot on the perimiter.

It was in that answer that I realized Tubby is trying to completely change the way Coleman plays basketball. If Coleman can score inside, his outside game will only become that more dominant.

But Coleman wasn't the only bright spot in the Gophers' 91-74 win over Colorodo State. The game wasn't as close as even the final score might indicate. Blake Hoffarber came off the bench again and lit up the scoreboard. In 22 minutes, Hoffarber put up 21 points, including 6-for-11 from beyond the arc. Joining Coleman and Hoffarber with double digits were Spencer Tollackson (16), Al Nolen (11) an Damian Johnson (10).

One of the concerns we had heading into the season was scoring depth. With Hoffarber's ascension and the soli role play of Johnson and steady point guard play of Nolen, the Gophers can at least say they have four offensive players (Coleman, Tollackson, Hoffarber and Lawrence McKenzie) and myriad role players.

Quite the difference a year--and a Hall of Fame coach--makes.