Xavier assistant Ben Johnson. To the extent MU and MN were competing in the same coaching pool, there's this.
https://www.forums.gopherhole.com/boards/threads/gophers-hiring-ben-johnson.100900/
Woooow.
Those fans are pissed.
Interesting hire.
Some are going to be pissed in every fan pool.....Moser.....or any other possibility.....
It is what it is......
If they make the tourney and head in the right direction.....The silence will be deafening.....
PS.....Congratulations to Minnesota on taking a chance on an alum with ties.....and ready to take the next step.....possibly.....It does not have to be sizzle.....
Quote from: fjm on March 22, 2021, 03:25:59 PM
Woooow.
Those fans are pissed.
I would be. It would be like Marquette hiring Mike Bargen.
Quote from: fjm on March 22, 2021, 03:25:59 PM
Woooow.
Those fans are pissed.
Can't imagine why.
Maybe he's the next great coach, but given the names that they've been tossing around, that's a buzzkill.
Quote from: Pakuni on March 22, 2021, 03:30:35 PM
Can't imagine why.
Maybe he's the next great coach, but given the names that they've been tossing around, that's a buzzkill.
Yeah ouch.
Quote from: Fluffy Blue Monster on March 22, 2021, 03:29:05 PM
I would be. It would be like Marquette hiring Mike Bargen.
My first thought was Jon Harris, but yeah....
Every MU coach search in the internet age, has had big names thrown around, and then it ends up being an assistant. Starting with Mike Deane's replacement onwards.
Could be different this time, but in the past a lot of big names mentioned, and then the guy who gets the job is an unknown (except for Wojo, he has been our highest profile new coach, maybe ever).
From what I heard, they were prioritizing Craig Smith and Dennis Gates. I was told Gates was out at Minnesota yesterday. Maybe this indicates those two already have their futures in mind?
Quote from: Warrior of Law on March 22, 2021, 03:22:07 PM
Xavier assistant Ben Johnson. To the extent MU and MN were competing in the same coaching pool, there's this.
https://www.forums.gopherhole.com/boards/threads/gophers-hiring-ben-johnson.100900/
I'm sure economics might have a played a role in this hire. With all the lost ticket revenues from football and basketball this past year I'm sure some programs just aren't willing to pay big money on a coach who might not perform to pro forma.
All the talk in the Twin Cities for weeks has been about getting Mussleman. I'm surprised they didn't make a hard push for him.
Quote from: brewcity77 on March 22, 2021, 03:35:02 PM
From what I heard, they were prioritizing Craig Smith and Dennis Gates. I was told Gates was out at Minnesota yesterday. Maybe this indicates those two already have their futures in mind?
Very possible. Minnesota is a very good job, but it isn't at the level (and certainly not at the budget) of Texas, Indiana or Marquette.
Quote from: Farley36 on March 22, 2021, 03:55:06 PM
All the talk in the Twin Cities for weeks has been about getting Mussleman. I'm surprised they didn't make a hard push for him.
They probably reached out and he made it clear he wasn't interested
Quote from: brewcity77 on March 22, 2021, 03:35:02 PM
From what I heard, they were prioritizing Craig Smith and Dennis Gates. I was told Gates was out at Minnesota yesterday. Maybe this indicates those two already have their futures in mind?
based on the Paint Touches summary on Craig Smith, he seems solid. Gates is compelling. HC's from Rutgers and UCSB too. Definitely some interesting options.
I believe they were the school that just had a big article posted about how they've never had a black coach/administrator. It's possible that had something to do with it.
Quote from: CountryRoads on March 22, 2021, 04:07:00 PM
I believe they were the school that just had a big article posted about how they've never had a black coach/administrator. It's possible that had something to do with it.
Tubby just tans a lot?
Quote from: CountryRoads on March 22, 2021, 04:07:00 PM
I believe they were the school that just had a big article posted about how they've never had a black coach/administrator. It's possible that had something to do with it.
Not true. In addition to Tubby Smith (mentioned by Rocky), Clem Haskins was HC from '86-'99. If anything, they have been ahead of the pack in hiring black coaches.
Oops sorry guys. Here is the article:
https://m.startribune.com/with-all-white-leadership-gophers-athletics-department-under-fresh-scrutiny-to-improve-diversity/600032408/
Quote from: CountryRoads on March 22, 2021, 04:18:08 PM
Oops sorry guys. Here is the article:
https://m.startribune.com/with-all-white-leadership-gophers-athletics-department-under-fresh-scrutiny-to-improve-diversity/600032408/
No worries. Minnesota takes diversity very seriously, so I figured your recollection was mostly right about them wanting it to be part of the equation.
Quote from: GooooMarquette on March 22, 2021, 04:12:09 PM
Not true. In addition to Tubby Smith (mentioned by Rocky), Clem Haskins was HC from '86-'99. If anything, they have been ahead of the pack in hiring black coaches.
it was regarding the AD's hires. Obviously passed over a huge pool of minority applicants for open Hockey and Softball jobs.
The pressure wasn't on the school, it was on Croyle.
Quote from: Billy Hoyle on March 22, 2021, 04:51:48 PM
it was regarding the AD's hires. Obviously passed over a huge pool of minority applicants for open Hockey and Softball jobs.
Because POC don't coach hockey or softball?
Works for MU
Quote from: bigdog on March 22, 2021, 04:55:11 PM
Works for MU
Yep. A lot of people thought Minnesota would go after Smith and/or Gates. Less competition is always better, regardless of whether these guys are primary or secondary candidates for MU. With Minnesota filled, I feel pretty good about our ability to get either of these guys if that's who Scholl wants.
Minnesota Graduate, Graduate Assistant Dayton Texas Pan America Nebraska assistant Iowa Minnesota' Assistant Xavier Assistant. You would think Minnesota could do better. Maybe trying to save money But knows maybe he wins.
Quote from: Pakuni on March 22, 2021, 04:54:05 PM
Because POC don't coach hockey or softball?
they are overwhelmingly white sports. There is only one Black HC in college hockey - women's hockey. There is only one Black coach in women's softball. Less than five percent of college softball players are Black. There are only 19 Black players in college hockey. It's not like basketball and football. When there isn't a pool of minority applicants you can't hire one.
Quote from: GooooMarquette on March 22, 2021, 04:58:41 PM
Yep. A lot of people thought Minnesota would go after Smith and/or Gates. Less competition is always better, regardless of whether these guys are primary or secondary candidates for MU.
As far as we know, these are only candidates in the internet's mind. I've heard no solid info from MU about them (not that we will)
Also Wojo was fairly well respected in the coaching circles, and never threw anyone under the bus. Other head coaches might think MU fans are too finicky for their liking. We'll see.
This was entirely about recruiting.
Maybe Gates and Smith said no, and Minnesota couldn't pay Musselman's salary, but this specifically addresses the issue of the Gophers not keeping local talent at home.
Quote from: DefinitelyNotPorterMoser on March 22, 2021, 05:07:18 PM
This was entirely about recruiting.
Maybe Gates and Smith said no, and Minnesota couldn't pay Musselman's salary, but this specifically addresses the issue of the Gophers not keeping local talent at home.
that's the worst reason to hire a HC I've ever heard. Unless there is a correlation between players staying in state and winning percentage an AD should be fired for using that rationale
Quote from: Billy Hoyle on March 22, 2021, 05:02:58 PM
they are overwhelmingly white sports. There is only one Black HC in college hockey - women's hockey. There is only one Black coach in women's softball. Less than five percent of college softball players are Black. There are only 19 Black players in college hockey. It's not like basketball and football. When there isn't a pool of minority applicants you can't hire one.
I won't derail the thread further, but I'll just note that not all minorities are Black. And your insinuations are offensive.
Quote from: Warrior of Law on March 22, 2021, 03:22:07 PM
Xavier assistant Ben Johnson. To the extent MU and MN were competing in the same coaching pool, there's this.
https://www.forums.gopherhole.com/boards/threads/gophers-hiring-ben-johnson.100900/
I don't spend much time on other teams forums but I'm glad I read through that thread as it confirms that ALL fan bases are the same. I swear some Scoopers have accounts on that forum and were posting in that thread.
Quote from: naginiF on March 22, 2021, 05:09:54 PM
that's the worst reason to hire a HC I've ever heard. Unless there is a correlation between players staying in state and winning percentage an AD should be fired for using that rationale
They've completely whiffed on the state's best players three of the last four years. The last time they got the top ranked player in the state was 2016 in Amir Coffey. The assistant who got him? Ben Johnson.
Gophers fans are sick of seeing their state's best players play for the Badgers, and to a lesser extent, Marquette.
There's a slight concern that another DI school in the area will muddy the waters even more, even if St. Thomas isn't remotely on the same level.
UNLV is also off the table hiring Kevi Kruger.
Quote from: brewcity77 on March 22, 2021, 03:35:02 PM
From what I heard, they were prioritizing Craig Smith and Dennis Gates. I was told Gates was out at Minnesota yesterday. Maybe this indicates those two already have their futures in mind?
To add to this, on the gopherhole board, one of their posters said "Also, Smith is suppose to still interview. I call BS. This makes no sense and kills the fan interest". I have no idea if this is true, but if so, why would Minn make a decision on this assistant coach if you have an interview with Smith already lined up, unless something changed for Smith..
Quote from: Galway Eagle on March 22, 2021, 03:31:22 PM
Yeah ouch.
The AD was "Blown away" when he talked to Johnson on Sunday
Quote from: PhillyWarrior on March 22, 2021, 05:42:24 PM
The AD was "Blown away" when he talked to Johnson on Sunday
We know how that goes.
Quote from: cheebs09 on March 22, 2021, 05:57:05 PM
We know how that goes.
Wonder if Wojo shared his PowerPoint template with him
Quote from: rocky_warrior on March 22, 2021, 05:04:13 PM
As far as we know, these are only candidates in the internet's mind. I've heard no solid info from MU about them (not that we will)
Also Wojo was fairly well respected in the coaching circles, and never threw anyone under the bus. Other head coaches might think MU fans are too finicky for their liking. We'll see.
This is pretty ridiculous
Quote from: DefinitelyNotPorterMoser on March 22, 2021, 05:18:36 PM
Gophers fans are sick of seeing their state's best players play for the Badgers, and to a lesser extent, Marquette.
In light of the fact that it appears to be the consensus that the reason for this hire is Johnson's ability to recruit Minnesota, does anybody know anything about his relationship (if any) with Dawson Garcia? I'd think DG would have better options if he's inclined to leave, but was wondering about this.
Quote from: JWags85 on March 22, 2021, 06:00:17 PM
Wonder if Wojo shared his PowerPoint template with him
Beat me to it.
Quote from: Pakuni on March 22, 2021, 05:11:21 PM
I won't derail the thread further, but I'll just note that not all minorities are Black. And your insinuations are offensive.
At least for hockey, even if you broaden your scope to Asians, Latinx, and any other BIPOC, it's not gonna move the needle. I went to a fairly successful hockey school and in the time since I enrolled in the early 2000s, there has been 2, one who was a quarter Asian on his mother's side and, funny enough, John Saunder's biracial nephew who I had classes with and used to joke that he was the only minority in the conference.
The NHL is making efforts to be more diverse and attract a broader base, but if a minority hire is a major focus for a major D1 hockey program, you're going to be severely handcuffing yourself with your pool. This isn't a blatant disparity like SEC football
Canadians play hockey.
Quote from: JWags85 on March 22, 2021, 06:39:46 PM
At least for hockey, even if you broaden your scope to Asians, Latinx, and any other BIPOC, it's not gonna move the needle. I went to a fairly successful hockey school and in the time since I enrolled in the early 2000s, there has been 2, one who was a quarter Asian on his mother's side and, funny enough, John Saunder's biracial nephew who I had classes with and used to joke that he was the only minority in the conference.
The NHL is making efforts to be more diverse and attract a broader base, but if a minority hire is a major focus for a major D1 hockey program, you're going to be severely handcuffing yourself with your pool. This isn't a blatant disparity like SEC football
Someone should tell Craig Berube, i.e. the coach who won the 2019 Stanley Cup, that it's impossible to find POC to lead a hockey team. Or former coach of the year Ted Nolan. Or former Blackhawks coach Dirk Graham. Or NHL assistants Mike Grier, Paul Jerrard and Fred Brathwaite.
Look, I'm not suggesting that it would be easy to find a qualified coach who also happens to be a POC, or even that it should be a priority. But Billy's insinuation that Minnesota chose to hire a Black basketball coach since it's impossible to find a minority softball or hockey hire is not only offensive, but false.
Quote from: Pakuni on March 22, 2021, 07:10:56 PM
Someone should tell Craig Berube, i.e. the coach who won the 2019 Stanley Cup, that it's impossible to find POC to lead a hockey team. Or former coach of the year Ted Nolan. Or former Blackhawks coach Dirk Graham. Or NHL assistants Mike Grier, Paul Jerrard and Fred Brathwaite.
Look, I'm not suggesting that it would be easy to find a qualified coach who also happens to be a POC, or even that it should be a priority. But Billy's insinuation that Minnesota chose to hire a Black basketball coach since it's impossible to find a minority softball or hockey hire is not only offensive, but false.
Nobody said it's impossible, but like I said, the pool is so entirely small that it being a priority would be silly. And not for nothing, the majority of your list are Canadians than were never involved with NCAA hockey. I don't entirely agree with Billy, but clamoring for a diversity hire for a college hockey coach would be like placing on emphasis on a town electing a minority mayor when their demographic is 97% white
Quote from: GOO on March 22, 2021, 03:34:45 PM
Every MU coach search in the internet age, has had big names thrown around, and then it ends up being an assistant. Starting with Mike Deane's replacement onwards.
Could be different this time, but in the past a lot of big names mentioned, and then the guy who gets the job is an unknown (except for Wojo, he has been our highest profile new coach, maybe ever).
Agree, and expect an Assistant Coach with great PowerPoint skills to be hired.
Quote from: StillAWarrior on March 22, 2021, 06:29:08 PM
In light of the fact that it appears to be the consensus that the reason for this hire is Johnson's ability to recruit Minnesota, does anybody know anything about his relationship (if any) with Dawson Garcia? I'd think DG would have better options if he's inclined to leave, but was wondering about this.
Minny 247 mod all but alluding to García hitting portal any day now and Ben is extremely tight with Dawson
Quote from: WarriorPride68 on March 22, 2021, 09:36:47 PM
Minny 247 mod all but alluding to García hitting portal any day now and Ben is extremely tight with Dawson
Shame. But expected
Quote from: WarriorPride68 on March 22, 2021, 09:36:47 PM
Minny 247 mod all but alluding to García hitting portal any day now and Ben is extremely tight with Dawson
I suggested that possibility to my Minnesota buddy after they announced Johnson.
I assume he was the lead recruiter on him at Minny? Why wasn't Xavier a player in his recruitment then?
Quote from: Galway Eagle on March 22, 2021, 09:37:23 PM
Shame. But expected
I'd expect them all to put they're names in the portal. They'd be crazy not to.
Quote from: StillAWarrior on March 22, 2021, 09:59:42 PM
I'd expect them all to put they're names in the portal. They'd be crazy not to.
I agree they'd be crazy not to. I was selfishly hoping they were waiting for a coach to be hired to give marquette equal opportunity.
But I suppose this year more than any other they don't have the connection to campus, and the larger Milwaukee community that you'd usually build after freshman year.