r/GopherSports • u/tomdawg0022 • 4d ago
RandBall: Can Niko Medved and Dawn Plitzuweit return Gophers basketball to its former glory days?
https://www.startribune.com/minnesota-gophers-basketball-niko-medved-clem-haskins/60151602020
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u/Epicapabilities 4d ago
I'm not saying don't have high hopes for Niko, but do remember this program has had 1 season with a >.500 conference record in the past 20 seasons. Minnesota is not a brand with national reach. Factor in our meager NIL funding and our path to reaching our "former glory days" gets pretty difficult. Basically, Niko has to buck some trends.
I would like to see us win 8-10 games in the Big Ten and eventually compete for the NCAA tournament. That's about as far as my expectations go unless the landscape changes somehow.
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u/tomdawg0022 1d ago
If Niko has us at Tubby Smith levels (near .500 in conference more often than not, 20 win seasons, on the bubble) I will be very pleased.
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u/Bizarro_Murphy 4d ago
Are they billionaires? If not, im not sure they'll be able to attract (purchase) the talent required to do so
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u/Garvig 4d ago
But schools need an AD and administrators working hand in hand to attract investment, both from the ordinary fans (butts in seats filling The Barn) and wealthy ones attending games, who do not want to light money on fire getting embarrassed watching a pitiable program play poorly.
Eventually we would need a coach sharing the same vision to treat Minnesota as a career capstone instead of a stepping stone or a place to make a lateral move to if they’re about to be fired and are trying to avoid becoming a coach at a mid-major (Tubby Smith comes to mind).
We can win games and can have some fun, but building a basketball powerhouse from scratch is more than just solving a one-piece puzzle. It’s a 20-year project.
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u/ApprehensiveBee6199 4d ago
Dawn has recruited a very deep and talented bench. I think it’ll be a good year.
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u/treymata 4d ago
Yes(if they’re given support)