Does The Coaching Coursel Start Today (Monday)?

[SaintPaulWarrior]

Smith refuted online reports linking him to the Auburn job, calling the rumors "just talk," after his team's 65-54 loss to Xavier in the first round of the NCAA tournament Friday.

A person familiar with the situation told me Saturday morning that Smith's not interested in the Auburn gig because he "doesn't feel like rebuilding again."

Plus, Smith said, he's "looking forward" to next season with the Gophers, not an Auburn program that went 6-10 in the SEC this season.

But rumors will persist until Smith leaves or retires.

Since he arrived at Minnesota three years ago, Smith has publicized his desire for a practice facility, a recruiting trinket that's gone from trendy to a must-have for major programs.

He's a premium coach who confirmed his worth down the stretch of the 2009-10 season.

While he didn't lead the Gophers beyond the first round of the NCAA tournament for the second year in a row, the in-season challenges he weathered and the Gophers' late-season success once again made Smith an attractive subject for job-switching speculation.

There's a growing sense among some supporters, however, that Smith could stop the drama if he made an all-encompassing statement expressing his loyalty to the program and told his agents and go-betweens to keep other schools away. Friday's response to the Auburn rumor is about as close as Smith will ever come to making that kind of declaration.

Smith's too smart to stand on a podium and proclaim, "I'll be the Gophers basketball coach forever."

Gophers athletic director Joel Maturi said rumors swirl around Smith because of the national perception that he's not content at Minnesota.

"The downside of having a Tubby Smith is that some people don't think he's happy at Minnesota," he said. "I ask the question: How come there's not rumors of Bo Ryan going someplace, Thad Matta going someplace, Tom Izzo going someplace? Why is it Tubby Smith? They're pretty good coaches. ... The basketball world, sometimes even our own world here locally, wonders if we deserve Tubby."

[4everwarriors]

I always thought Smith and Minnesota was an odd fit.

[PBRme]

Unless Tubby, or Mrs. Tubby, really doesn't like Minnesota, I cannot fathom why he would go to Auburn.  That is a crappy basketball program.
[/quote]

Auburn has a much more understading attitude toward the "quality" of athlete that Tubby is trying to recruit

[Jay Bee]

Lots of Minnesota fans have it in their head that Tubby is a sure thing until he retires, and that Trevor Mbakwe, Royce White, Al Nolen and Cory Joseph will all be suited up next year for the Gophers.  The reality is, none of those four players may see the floor in 2010-11 (although I think Al Nolen will for his senior year)... and with a lackluster recruiting class to date... Minnesota's roster may not look all that more impressive than Auburn's.  

I love the Gophers and hope that things look great for next year and beyond, but we're not THAT far from the tipping point.  

If Tubby said, 'I thought it was sh1t that the Univ of Minn police dept spent weeks and weeks investigating a case against White, only to have it result in misdemeanor trespassing charges for him entering dorms rooms without being invited and saying, 'hi!'', I could understand him being upset.  

edit: next fall, I may expect Minnesota to be a top four team in the Big Ten.. but I also may expect them to be a bottom four team.  Too many unknowns right now.

[NavinRJohnson]

Has Jamie Dixon issued any sort of denial about DePaul? That move still would surprise me, but I suspect it will be resolved one way or the other in the next few days.

[LON]

There seems to be a lot of money to be thrown around to coaches and players in the SEC, and that in itself can be appealing. 

Fixed for, well, accuracy.

[bamamarquettefan]

As the only guy in the country who had season tickets to both Auburn and Marquette this year (don't worry, it's all Marquette but I live 2 miles from Auburn's campus), I do buy at least interest from Tubby.  Auburn's $90 million into a new arena does elevate them, and it would not be that hard to move to first place in the SEC West ahead of Alabama and the Mississippi schools.  There is at least some basketball history with Charles Barkley and some pretty good teams in the 1980s, and the city has been judged the best place to live by a couple of publications.

Also, while the football program seems to be on the way back, people here aren't sure they are ever going to beat Saban, which makes them much more open to really focusing on basketball as the sport they can beat Bama in.  Tuberville seemed upset that so much money was being put into the arena rather than football, and they will pack it the next couple of years and I'm not sure Tubby wants a long-term coaching deal, but just to go out with a bang.  The President keeps things very close to the vest - and kept the football hire completely underraps.  I don't keep up with the Auburn blogs, but I can see a scenario here.  I will also say that Chuck Person, an assistant with the Lakers and former Auburn great, sat behind me at a game late this season and seems to be getting back to campus a bit more, so he may be pushing for it behind the scenes.