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View Full Version : Dan Monson needs to find answers


Timberwolf
01-12-2006, 06:11 AM
What do you know? The Gophers play divisional teams and they fall like a deck of cards. They played Northwestern and Wisconsin so far and they have looked horrible in those two divisional games so far. I got to watch the Gophers play Tuesday night since they were on ESPN. They looked very inept and unprepared against a very good Wisconsin team. I did not expect the Gophers to beat Wiscy. Wiscy is a superior team and probably one of the best if not the best team in the conference. My thing is how inept the Gophers could look out there. We basically have the same players from last year in Vincent Grier, Adam Boone, and Rico Tucker, who are the Gophers big 3. Those three are very good scorers and for them to be this inept is not very good.

This has to fall on Dan Monson, the Gophers head coach. For those three to be that bad falls on coaching. I am not sure if he is teaching those guys right or not. He is not getting the most out of his big three scorers which is inexcusable. His team just has no clue to run an offense as you saw Tuesday night against Wiscy. I don't see much chemistry on the court. For Pete's sake, Fairleigh Dickinson Knights team (my second favorite college team since I went to school there) can execute their plays a lot better than the Gophers. When I see teams like Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan State, and Indiana, I see those four teams knowing how to execute their offense, making plays, and hustling for rebounds. That's what you call a well-coached team and that's something the Gophers have not had since Clem Haskins was forced to leave because he hired tutors to do the players homework.

Gophers haven't looked great all season. Don't be fooled by their record. They played little sisters of the poor in the nonconference schedule and they looked bad playing elite nonconference teams. This is a team that has no clue how to play basketball at this point. The way things are shaping up, this Gophers basketball team is a NIT team at best. There are too many better teams in the Big 10.

Gophers gotta find a way to beat the creme de la creme of the conference and the way things are going, that's too much to ask.

Monson needs to find solutions and need to show leadership like last year. If not, it maybe time to give the keys to Jim Molinari, who should be the next Gophers coach.

racinghoss
01-12-2006, 01:29 PM
Wow, you are definately a head-hunter fan (for coaches). How long has Monson been coaching the Gophers?

I have not seen them play yet this year (and I try to watch as much Big10 b-ball as I can), but I will say that the Big10 is going to be the toughest conference to play in this year. If they can have a .500 record in conference with one or two big wins over an elite team (MSU, Illinois, Indiana, 'sconsin, Ohio State, or even Michigan), then I think they have a solid chance to dance in March - as long as they maintain a decent overall record. The RPI for the Big10 this year will likely be through the roof and that may save a few bubble teams who can muster some wins.

Oh, and Wisconsin is good, but far from the best team in the league. I think that mark has to go to either Indiana or Illinois. :wave1:

Timberwolf
01-12-2006, 04:51 PM
I have high standards, hoss. I want to win in the worst way. Everyone at this board thinks I am nuts for calling people's head constantly, but I am not going to apologize. I want to win. I am about winning. People should have high standards especially when they waste three hours of their personal lives not to mention paying cable bills or paying tickets to go to games. I wish some people had that perspective.

Dan Monson has been here for seven years. He has accomplished nothing. He did a good job last year as his team went to the tournament, but I wondered if he could have kept it up. We now know our answer. He can't. How do you have your team unprepared for two straight games at home against two good teams is beyond me? He can't even recruit the best players in Minnesota as they go elsewhere. The reason why those parents want their boys in other colleges is because they feel Dan Monson won't get the most out of their talents. That's one of the reason I really want Monson gone. He has failed in getting the most out of Kris Humphries, Maurice Hargrow, Rick Rickert, Adam Boone, Joel Pryzbila and others.

He constantly has his team play little sisters of the poor in recent years. How is this team going to prepare or be ready for the best teams come conference time? There is a reason why FDU plays Maryland, Louisville, and others. They want to get experience for conference play not to mention wanting money for playing those teams.

No question Big 10 is very good. You know how good Illinois, Michigan St, and Wisconsin are. Indiana is legit. Michigan is a solid team. Northwestern is underrated. Iowa has potential. Minnesota might be the worse team in the conference and I don't think that's the case because they got three good players in Grier, Tucker, and Boone who can give you scoring punch.

The Gophers got to beat the elite teams in the confernece if they want to get to the tournament period. Their nonconference schedule is not going to help them and rightfully so considering all the teams that they played were cupcakes.

Timberwolf
01-17-2006, 02:17 AM
After a pathetic loss to Purdue, I only got one word to describe the Gophers.

N-I-T

Oh and FIRE MONSON!

Timberwolf
01-21-2006, 08:53 PM
http://www.startribune.com/508/story/196303.html

Reusse hits the nail in the head on Monson in today's Strib.

He basically talked about what I talked about. The fact the players really don't respect Monson. The fact Monson gets outcoached a lot. The fact that Monson has his team unprepared. You add them up and you got a lousy head coach, who really needs to move on.