Minnesota Golden Gophers Basketball

The strange saga of whether Trevor Mbakwe will ever play for the Minnesota Gophers this season appears to be finally coming to an end.

While some Gopher fans will be disappointed, many Gopher fans are going to be happy with the prospect that Mbakwe’s suspension has been lifted.

He is now eligible to don the maroon and gold for Minnesota this season.

Mbakwe had transferred to Minnesota with the expectation that he would be eligible to play for the Gophers last year. Before Mbakwe played his first game for Minnesota, he was accused of attacking a woman while enrolled at Miami-Dade Community College in April 2009 and charged with felony assault.

Mbakwe maintained his innocence and requested a trial.

Minnesota Athletic Director Joel Maturi declared Mbakwe ineligible pending final resolution of the criminal case against Mbakwe.

Many observers expected that Mbakwe’s trial would likely be completed prior to the end of the basketball season and that Mbakwe, if acquitted, would finish the season with Minnesota.

Unfortunately, lady justice was not only blind in this matter, but she moved with all deliberate speed. Mbakwe’s case was formally continued from the trial court’s docket nearly a half dozen times.

On August 12, Mbakwe decided to accept the offer of the Miami-Dade State’s Attorney’s office to enroll in a pretrial diversion program instead of proceeding to trial on the charges on August 23.

Mbakwe’s decision to enter the pretrial intervention program is not an admission of guilt.

The terms of the agreement between the prosecution and Mbakwe call for Mbakwe to serve 100 hours of community service and to donate $100 to a Florida shelter for abuse victims.

Upon completion of the program, the state of Florida will formally drop the criminal case against Mbakwe and there will be no criminal conviction on his record.

While some media outlets have suggested that resolution of this case was delayed as a result of Mbakwe, Mbakwe’s attorney stated that the delay in reaching settlement in this case was due to the victim being unwilling to accept the offer being proposed to Mbakwe.

Minnesota immediately issued a press release on Thursday evening, saying Mbakwe had been reinstated to the program and he will be eligible to start practicing with the Gophers when they resume on August 21.

“This process has been difficult and I am relieved it is finally being resolved,” Maturi said in a prepared statement. “It’s now time to move on and I am glad that he is going to have an opportunity to be a member of our basketball program with two years of eligibility remaining.”

Maturi said that because Coach Tubby Smith was out of town he was unavailable to issue a formal statement to the media concerning Mbakwe. 

Maturi noted that he expected Coach Smith upon his return to the Twin Cities expects Coach Smith to meet with Mbakwe to discuss his future with the team.

Mbakwe, continuing his career, with Minnesota is not a foregone conclusion as he had meet with several schools during the summer to explore possible transfer opportunities.  The apparent front runner appears to be Memphis as one of Mbakwe’s former coaches at Miami-Dade is now on the staff at Memphis.

Coach Smith however has been in contact with Mbakwe this summer and individuals close to the program believe that Coach Smith has smoothed any ruffled feathers that Mbakwe may have had as a result of being suspended last year.

Mbakwe is a fierce interior post player. He will provide the team with a dominating presence in the paint for Minnesota. The only person who can stop Mbakwe from being a double-double guy in the Big Ten will likely be Coach Smith with his liberal substitution policy.

If Mbakwe decides to continue his career with the Gophers next year, Minnesota with returning juniors Ralph Sampson III, Colton Iverson and sophomore Rodney Williams has to have one of the best front lines if not the best front lines in the Big Ten.

Royce White, a 6'8", 250-pound native of Minneapolis and former Minnesota's Mr. Basketball in 2009, has agreed to transfer from Minnesota to play basketball at Iowa State. 

White was one of prized recruits during Minnesota Coach Tubby Smith’s tenure.   White was ranked the 19th-best player in the country in the class of 2009 by Rivals.com and Scout.com, and was one of just 20 players selected for the Jordan Brand Classic in 2009.

White unfortunately never played a game for the hometown Golden Gophers.

The decision of White to transfer to the Cyclones appears to be a very good decision for both White and for Iowa State Basketball Coach Fred Hoiberg.  White needs a second chance and Hoiberg needs a player with talent that can impact his program.

White was suspended last fall after an incident at the Mall of America and later pleaded guilty to fifth degree theft and disorderly conduct. White left the Minnesota basketball program in February after being charged with trespassing in connection to an alleged theft of a laptop computer from a university dorm.

White appears to have learned some valuable lessons during this past year.  "I definitely think that the hurdles that I have overcome definitely changed me in a way where I'm very, very cautious about what I do on a day-to-day basis," White said.

Hoiberg, who starred at Iowa State and formerly played for the Minnesota Timberwolves, called White a "world-class" talent who has the ability to be a high-level NBA player someday.

"The thing I like best about Royce is that he's a very unselfish player," he said. "You totally set your offense differently with Royce on the basketball floor. Use him as a facilitator, and you put him on the elbows, you let him attack and make plays. And he's a very willing passer."

Hoiberg said he talked to numerous people close to White and believes he's committed to meeting the expectations the Cyclones have for their players.

White, who said he grew up rooting for Hoiberg when he played for the Timberwolves, will be one of the most highly touted players to join Iowa State in recent memory.

“I am aware of Royce’s situation at Minnesota,” Hoiberg said via the school's release. “I have talked with a lot of people who are close to him, spoken with Royce in person multiple times and feel he is sincerely committed to meeting the expectations we have for our players. On one of his campus visits, Royce also met with institutional staff both inside and outside of the athletics department and [Royce] left very positive impressions on everyone.”

"He's a very engaging kid, a very smart kid, and he fully admits to making a mistake," Hoiberg said. "Everybody involved with it, they all thought that he was genuine about it and that he deserved another chance. We're excited to have him on board."

Currently, White is ineligible to play next year for the Cyclones however he is in the process of applying for a waiver from the NCAA.

 

If White is granted a waiver, many expect that he will likely start given that Iowa State has lost several post players.  Craig Brackins left early for the NBA, the NCAA denied Marquis Gilstrap request for an extra year of eligibility due to injury hardship and Justin Hamilton and LaRon Dendy transferred from the program.

 

Trevor Mbakwe has been suspended from the Minnesota Gophers basketball team for nearly a year. 

During the past school year, Mbakwe has done what Athletic Director Joel Maturi wants his student athletes to do at Minnesota.  Mbakwe has maintained his grades, attended class, and kept a very low profile.

Well, two out of three isn’t bad, right?

Mbakwe has kept as low of a profile as possible for someone who is awaiting trial for felony assault.

The felony assault charge against Mbakwe arose from an incident in April of 2009 when Mbakwe was enrolled at Miami Dade Junior College. 

The victim of the assault alleges that Mbakwe punched her twice during an attempt to sexually assault her.  The victim selected him from a police lineup.

Mbakwe alleges that he is a victim of mistaken identity and has identified four individuals who can provide him with an alibi for the time period in which the assault occurred.

When Mbakwe transferred to Minnesota in 2009, the expectation was that he would have his day in court in the fall, be acquitted, and be ready to play at the start of the 2009-2010 basketball season.

There appears to have been an internal discussion between Coach Tubby Smith and Maturi over the issue of whether or not Mbakwe would be allowed to play during last season before the resolution of his criminal court case.  At the outset, some believed that Mbakwe would be allowed to play for the Gophers at some point during the season.

However, on November 2, 2009 Maturi issued a statement stating that while Mbakwe would be allowed to practice he would not be allowed to play with the team until his court case was resolved. 

Mbakwe was scheduled to go to trial on December 14, 2009 but the case was postponed.  As a result Mbakwe lost any chance of playing for the Gophers this past season.

Currently, Mbakwe’s court case is scheduled to go to trial on July 26. 

But even if Mbakwe is acquitted, he may never play for Minnesota.

In the spring of this year Mbakwe asked Minnesota to release him from his scholarship.  Mbakwe has applied for a hardship waiver from the NCAA which, if Minnesota is amenable, would allow Mbakwe to play next season.

One of the key facts that the NCAA is going to rely on when deciding whether to give Mbakwe a waiver is that other NCAA membership institutions would have allowed him to play last season.

Which raises the question: did Maturi make the right decision in suspending Mbakwe pending final resolution of the criminal charges against him?

Fans who care only about wins and losses know the answer to that question.

Mbakwe, nicknamed “The Beast,” is 6'8' and an explosive 240-pound former Mr. Minnesota Basketball Player of the Year.   Watching Mbakwe play in the Summer Pro-Am League in the Twin Cities, it is clear that he would have been a difference-maker in the post for the Gophers last year.  Especially with his rim-rattling dunks.

The Gophers could have made it to the Final Four with Mbakwe in the starting lineup last season, as they won 21 games last year without him.

Minnesota Gophers fans could be watching a team that could contend for the Big Ten Championship if Mbakwe plays next year.

Between Colton Iverson and Ralph Sampson III, the Gophers have one of the best center and power forward combinations in the conference.  Blake Hoffarber, the best three point shooter in the Big Ten, and Devoe Joseph form a solid guard tandem.

Add Mbakwe and the Gophers have one of the best starting lineups in the Big Ten. 

Did Maturi treat Mbakwe fairly by suspending him for the entire season?

Fans who look at the suspension of Mbakwe only from the viewpoint of how it impacted Mbakwe’s basketball future and his psyche are wondering whether Maturi made the right decision.

Mbakwe is a player who has the potential to play professional basketball.  The window of opportunity for a professional athlete is open for a very short period of time. 

The loss of last season for Mbakwe has negatively impacted his ability to secure a professional contract and narrowed the length of his potential career.

Additionally, being on the sidelines for the entire year had to take an emotional and mental toll on him.   Mbakwe acknowledged the uncertainty about his future with Minnesota has been a heavy burden.

The emotional strain on Mbakwe appears to have taken such a toll on him that he is ready to close this chapter of his life in Minnesota and move on.

"It's been tough; it's been a long year.  I'm ready for this to be over with and finally move on with my life and play basketball again. It was tough having to watch my teammates play the season from the bench. It will be a big burden off my back when the trial is over with."

Maturi could have lifted Mbakwe’s suspension in January and allowed to him to play the balance of the basketball season once Mbakwe’s December 14 trial date was postponed. The January solution would not have been perfect for Mbakwe; however he would have felt like he was truly part of the team.

Maturi would have received some negative publicity for his decision, but he could have answered some of his critics by issuing a statement saying that Mbakwe, like all citizens in our country, should be presumed to be innocent until proven otherwise.

The decision to lift Mbakwe’s suspension would also have been defensible in the court of public opinion, given that the delay of Mbakwe’s trial was due primarily to witnesses being unavailable to testify.

Mbakwe’s future with the Gophers is now uncertain, and it has little to do with his court date in July.

The question now being asked around Williams Arena is whether Mbakwe will return to the Gophers or whether he will transfer to Memphis, Kentucky, or Georgia Tech.

When Mbakwe was asked about returning to the Gophers, he said, "Right now I'm a Gopher, but I'm not 100 percent if I'm going to come back."  

If Mbakwe transfers, many will wonder if Maturi made the right decision to suspend Mbakwe.

A Hennepin County jury in Minneapolis, Minnesota awarded a judgment, in the amount of $1.247 million against the University of Minnesota, in favor of former Oklahoma State assistant coach Jimmy Williams this afternoon.

The lawsuit, filed by Williams against Minnesota, was based on whether Minnesota Basketball Head Coach Tubby Smith made false representations to Williams about his ability to hire Williams as his assistant coach.

A 14 minute phone conversation on April 2, 2007 between Smith and Williams was heavily scrutinized by both sides. Williams testified that it was clear to him, after the phone conversation, that Smith had extended him a job offer to serve as an assistant coach on the Minnesota staff.

Williams testified he subsequently quit his $200,000 a year job at Oklahoma State to prepare for joining Smith in Minnesota. 

Minnesota decided ultimately not to hire Williams, who was cited for multiple recruiting violations while previously working as an assistant coach at Minnesota. 

Minnesota unsuccessfully advanced three arguments at trial.

First, Minnesota argued that Smith made no definitive offer to Williams during their phone conversation. 

The jury likely concluded an offer was made during the phone conversation, given Williams and Smith's testimonies. Williams was very clear that an offer was extended whereas Smith was more equivocal about what he conveyed to the candidate.

Second, Minnesota argued that no formal offer could be extended to Williams until Athletic Director Joel Maturi had given his approval to the job offer.

Williams' counsel skillfully introduced testimony from former Oklahoma State Coach Eddie Sutton and former Minnesota Coach Jim Dutcher. In their experience, it was not necessary for an Athletic Director to given his or her approval to the selection of an assistant coach on a team's staff.

Williams' counsel portrayed Smith as a similar “power coach” that would enjoy the same unfettered discretion in hiring assistants. Minnesota's counsel may have unwittingly played into the theory that Smith is a “power coach” when he jokingly asked Smith when Minnesota was going to win a National Championship.

Even if the jury believed Maturi needed to give his approval, the jury could have found that Maturi gave his approval based on an e-mail sent to one of his assistants. Maturi told his assistant to arrange housing, keys, and identification cards for Williams, Ron Jirsa, and Saul Smith on April 3, 2007. 

Two days later, Jirsa and Smith became official assistant coaches on Smith’s staff. The timing of the e-mail and the fact that it was sent by Maturi was likely not lost on the jury.

Finally, Minnesota argued that because he failed to disclose his past recruiting violations at Minnesota to Smith, Williams could not bring action against Minnesota.

Minnesota law does recognize that an employer can defeat a claim by one of its employees if the employer is able to show that the employee lied during the hiring process, and that the information the employee lied about would have caused the employer not to hire the employee.

However, Minnesota's counsel did not introduce evidence to establish that Smith, or anyone from the University, asked Williams about his prior NCAA violations. Williams was under no affirmative legal obligation to inform Smith about his prior NCAA violations at Minnesota. 

During closing argument, Williams' counsel asked the jury to award $1.7 million dollars on behalf of his client as a result of lost wages and expenses, given that Williams hasn't secure an assistant coaching position in Division I Basketball since he left Oklahoma State.

The jury awarded Williams $1.247 million dollars. 

Minnesota juries, when they do find for the plaintiff, often award damages in an amount that is equivalent to three to five times as much as the annual salary of the plaintiff in similar cases.  Counsel for Minnesota may view that the University has an argument that the damages awarded by the jury were excessive.

The jury decision casts a negative light on the hiring practices of the university, and raises several questions.

For example, what script is provided by the university to coaches when they speak to prospective assistant coaches about potential job opportunities?

At what point is a background check conducted on a potential candidate? 

What role does Maturi play in hiring assistant coaches?

The salaries paid to assistant coaches, especially in the basketball and football program, require Minnesota and similar institutions to have carefully thought out how they approach assistant coaching candidates, what information they need before extending job offers, and who has the authority to hire an assistant coach.

The Williams jury today found that in 2007, Minnesota and Coach Smith were not on the same page. Hopefully, the issues raised in the Williams case have been resolved internally at the University.

The University has made no announcements as to whether they intend to ask Trial Court Judge Regina Chu for post verdict relief, or whether they intend to appeal today’s decision to the Minnesota Court of Appeals.   

Tubby Smith took the stand yesterday on behalf of the University of Minnesota in the Jimmy Williams civil lawsuit.  Smith is expected to return to the witness stand for further cross-examination by counsel for Williams.

Williams is suing Minnesota on the basis that Smith negligently misrepresented his authority to hire Williams.  Williams claims during a 14-minute phone conversation on April 2, 2007, that Smith offered him an assistant coaching position.

William quit his $200,000 job at Oklahoma State the next day on the basis of what Smith told him.  Williams claims athletic director Joel Maturi caused Smith to rescind the job offer extended to him by Smith after Maturi became aware that Williams committed several NCAA violations during his prior time as a Gophers assistant in the 70s and 80s.

On direct examination, Smith testified, “I know in the course of our conversation I never told him to quit his job...to resign.”  Smith had earlier stated under oath in a deposition that “[he] didn’t think there was a finalization of salary.” 

On cross-examination, Smith was asked about an E-mail Maturi sent early on April 3 directing an assistant to arrange housing, keys, and identification cards for Saul Smith, Ron Jirsa, and Williams.  Smith acknowledged that the E-mail was sent to “facilitate the transition” of the assistant coaching candidates. 

Counsel for Williams also referenced notes from Smith indicating salary numbers and Smith’s plans to hire Williams, his son Saul Smith, and Ron Jirsa.  Saul and Jirsa signed contracts with Minnesota on April 5, 2007.

Throughout the trial, Minnesota has consistently reminded the jury that Williams made the decision to leave his job before he officially secured another job.  For example, current Gophers assistant Vince Taylor told jurors last week that he didn’t submit his resignation before he signed with Minnesota because, “I know in this business, it’s never done, until it’s done.”

The University will likely advance during its closing argument that there was no job offer extended to Williams because there was no agreement between Smith and Williams as to the salary Williams would be paid by Minnesota.

During the course of the trial, Williams attempted to bolster his argument that a job offer was extended by Smith by portraying Smith as a power coach that did not need to get permission from his Athletic Director to extend a job offer to an assistant coach.

Former Oklahoma State and Kentucky coach Eddie Sutton testified that he had “never” heard of an athletic director interfering with a prominent head coach hiring his assistants.  Counsel for Minnesota got former Gopher Coach Jim Dutcher to acknowledge on cross-examination that Dutcher have had a “serious discussion” with then Athletic Director Paul Giel over whether Dutcher could hire former assistant Bill Musselman because of Mussleman’s prior recruiting violations.   

The University has suggested during the course of the trial that as an institution they are more acutely aware of recruiting violations and that it is known that the Athletic Director is going to have more involvement in the hiring decisions of assistant coaches.

Minnesota will likely argue during closing argument that Williams, as a former assistant at the University, was well aware that Maturi would be involved in the decision to hire him.

Smith testified on Monday that he felt he was misled by Williams because the former Gopher assistant didn’t tell Smith about his prior NCAA violations. 

Smith testified that he never would have considered Williams for a job as an assistant if Smith had known about Williams’ violations because of the negative attention it would have brought to the start of his Minnesota coaching tenure.  Smith testified that in his three decades of coaching that his coaching staffs have never had a major or minor NCAA violation.

Counsel for Minnesota will likely ask the judge for a jury instruction which instructs the jury that if they find that Williams misled Smith about his prior recruiting violations at Minnesota that the jury must find in favor of the University.

The trial will likely conclude today after Williams and former Minnesota basketball coach Jim Dutcher are recalled to the stand as rebuttal witnesses.   The key to the trial however will be how well Tubby Smith plays defense on cross-examination this morning. 

Neither side will likely be able to persuade the trial court judge to grant their side a directed verdict entering a decision in their favor as a matter of law.  Expect a couple of anxious nights in the unseasonably sweltering heat in Minneapolis as the jury deliberates.

On Friday, the trial between former Oklahoma State assistant coach Jimmy Williams and the University of Minnesota began in Minnesota state court before Hennepin County Judge Regina Chu.

The initial action filed by Williams against the University of Minnesota contained several counts.   However, as a result of successful pretrial motions by counsel for the University, the only two remaining theories are fraud and negligent misrepresentation.

The dispute involves conversations between Coach Tubby Smith and Williams prior to Williams submitting his resignation to Oklahoma State Coach Eddie Sutton. 

Williams alleges that Smith extended him an assistant coach position with a base salary of $175,000 and another $25,000 for working at Smith’s summer basketball camps.

According to counsel for Williams, Smith called Williams on the phone and said, “Jimmy, are you ready to come to Minnesota? I have the money.[1] ”  Williams contends that he accepted Smith’s offer on the spot and began making preparations to join Smith in Minnesota.

Williams recalls having a conversation with Smith the following day to about join Smith on a recruiting trip to Houston.  Williams allegedly submitted his resignation letter to Coach Sutton and put his house up for sale after his second conversation with Smith.

Counsel for Williams will likely attack the ability of Coach Smith to accurately recall all of the details of his conversation with Williams.   When Smith and Williams spoke about the possible opportunity at Minnesota, Smith had just come back from visiting his ailing father.

According to counsel for the University, Smith was not as definitive.  Minnesota’s position is that Smith informed Williams that Smith wanted Williams on his staff but that the final decision as to whether a formal offer could be extended to Williams resided with Athletic Director Joel Maturi.

Maturi withheld his approval concerning the hiring of Williams because of Williams’ involvement in recruiting violations during the time that Williams served as an assistant coach with Minnesota Gopher Basketball Coaches Jim Dutcher and Bill Musselman approximately 20 years ago.

The first day of the trial started with fireworks.  Counsel for Williams called several character witnesses on behalf of his client Dutcher, former Minnesota Gopher and Boston Celtic legend Kevin McHale, as well as former United States Congressman Jim Ramstad. 

On Monday, counsel for Williams is expected to call Sutton and possibly former Gopher and Minnesota Timberwolves Head Coach Flip Saunders.  

One could be left with the impression after reviewing Williams witness list that the key question to be answered by the jury will be whether the University was justified in not hiring Williams because of his involvement in prior recruiting violations at Minnesota. 

However, Judge Chu has made it clear that the key factual question to be answered by the six person jury is not what happened in the past — when Williams was previously an assistant at Minnesota — but whether Coach Smith represented that he had sole authority to hire Williams[2] . 

If the jury concludes that Coach Smith represented to Williams that he had sole authority to hire him, and that Coach Smith knew that he did not have the authority to hire Williams without Maturi’s approval, the jury can award Williams damages for fraud.

Counsel for Williams may have difficulty establishing the fact that Smith knew in March of 2007 that he didn’t have authority to extend an offer to Williams as Smith did not have a formal contract with the University spelling out the scope of his authority until December of 2007[3] .

In order to prevail on his negligent representation claim, Williams only needs to show that Smith told Williams he had sole authority to hire him and that it was reasonable for Williams to rely on the representation.

Counsel for the University, in an effort to defeat the negligent misrepresentation claim, will likely introduce evidence that Williams had no reasonable expectation to believe that Coach Smith had the authority to extend an assistant coaching position to him without first getting approval from Maturi.

On Friday, Coach Dutcher was cross-examined on the issue of whether he had authority in the past to hire an assistant coach without the approval of then Athletic Director Paul Giel.  Dutcher testified that hiring assistant was never an issue during his tenure but did state that “[w]e would have had a serious discussion.[4] ”

When Dutcher was asked whether he could have hired his predecessor, Bill Musselman, who left in the wake of several NCAA allegations of misconduct; Dutcher conceded that Giel would most likely not have let him hire Musselman.[5]

Williams has been away from coaching college basketball for the past three years.   At the time he left Oklahoma State, Williams was reportedly making $200,000 a year. During closing arguments, counsel for Williams will likely ask the jury for a multiple of Williams’ annual salary at Oklahoma State.  

A verdict in favor of Williams could result in a significant six figure damage award being assessed against Minnesota.   

 

Media sources are reporting that Oregon booster and Nike chairman, Phil Knight, wants Tubby Smith to become the next coach of the Ducks.   

Rumors are circulating that Knight will ensure that Smith is richly rewarded with a compensation package beyond what he is currently receiving from Minnesota.

Minnesota Gopher Nation appears to be split into two camps concerning the rumors of coach Tubby Smith going to Oregon.

Some Gopher fans would be happy to see coach Smith head west to pursue fame and fortune out west.  They feel that while Smith is a good coach he is not a great coach. 

The evidence for those who would not shed a tear if Smith leaves is the performance of the team this past season.  

At the beginning of the season, Minnesota was a team that most Gopher fans believed would easily receive a NCAA tournament bid and finish in the top half of the conference. 

The hype seemed justified as coach Smith had more returning players than any other Big Ten team and he had three potential impact players joining him.

Minnesota however struggled during the season.   

Early in the season, the Gophers lost to the undersized Portland Pilots, 61-56, at the Anaheim classic when the Pilots out rebounded the Gophers, 39-28. 

During the Big Ten season, the Gophers played with little emotion when away from the Barn and dropped three road games they should have won against Indiana, Northwestern and Michigan.

The loss to the Wolverines was especially embarrassing for the Gophers as they were blown out by Michigan by 28 points.  All five starters were benched during the second half of the game for several minutes because coach Smith was unhappy with their effort.

Minnesota, in close games throughout the season, could not generate any offense. 

In the last five minutes of games, the Gophers would stop moving in turn resulting in whoever had the ball in the last seconds of the shot clock having to go one-on-one to avoid the violation.

The lack of offensive firepower is a criticism that has followed Smith everywhere he has coached in college basketball. “Tubby Ball” emphasizes pressure defense and seeks to generate most of its offensive opportunities in transition or through pounding the offensive glass.

Most Kentucky basketball fans will vouch that “Tubby Ball” is not the most exciting basketball to watch.

While all of the above criticisms have some validity, retaining coach Smith would be more beneficial for the program.

Why would retaining coach Smith be more beneficial for Minnesota’s program?

Tubby wins, he recruits and his team appears to be prepared to win over the next couple of seasons.

Before Smith’s arrival in Minnesota, the Gophers had no history of success.  Coach Smith has begun to create a realistic expectation and tradition of winning at Minnesota.   

When you examine what coach Smith has done in his short time at Minnesota in light of the history of the program, his body of work can’t be summarily discounted.

In his first three seasons at Minnesota, coach Smith has led the Gophers to 20 or more wins.

In the past 30 years, Minnesota has never had two consecutive years in which they have won 20 or more games. 

If you allow Gopher fans to take into consideration the seasons which were vacated by the NCAA, Minnesota has had only twice had consecutive years in which they won 20 or more games.

Minnesota, even including vacated seasons, did not have three successive seasons in which they won 20 or more games in the past 30 years.

In the past two seasons, Coach Smith led Minnesota to the NCAA tournament.  In his first season, Minnesota played in the NIT tournament.

In the past 30 years, Minnesota has only twice played in the NCAA tournament in successive seasons and one of the two instances involved a vacated season.

Before Smith took over the head coaching duties, Minnesota was not able to effectively “close the borders” to the state and lost several prized recruits to other programs.

Coach Smith is viewed very favorably among high school coaches in the state and this year’s freshman class included Royce White and Rodney Williams who most believed were the top two recruits in Minnesota.

How well positioned are the Gophers for the future under Smith? 

Next year, Minnesota is poised to again win 20 or more games and make a deep run into the NCAA tournament.

The Gophers have a solid nucleus of players who averaged at least ten minutes of playing time in Devoe Joseph, Blake Hoffarber, Ralph Sampson III, Colton Iverson, Al Nolen, Paul Carter and Rodney Williams. 

Minnesota will hopefully be able to add bruiser Trevor Mbakwe to the front line and pick up some needed scoring from the wing with incoming freshman Austin Hollins.  If Cory Joseph, Devoe’s younger brother, signs with the Gophers—the team will have one of the best recruiting classes in the Big Ten.

The consistency that Minnesota fans have long sought should continue as Minnesota will only have three seniors on the roster next season and none of the underclassmen are likely to leave school early for the NBA.  

Coach Smith is not perfect. 

However, Minnesota can ill-afford losing him as he is building Minnesota into a consistent winning program. 

Of course, at the end of the day the decision to stay or go rests with coach Smith. 

If Tubby decides to take his ball and go west, Minnesota is going to have a big job on its hands finding a replacement for him. 

The question I would ask all the universities courting Coach Smith is, Why? Why would you want a coach that has yet to turn around a program at the University of Minnesota? His recruits really haven't stepped into the limelight over in Dinkytown. His best recruiting class will be juniors this season at the University of Minnesota.

His freshmen class this past season turned out to be full of inadequate players and convicts. Is that his fault? Probably not. Should he get the blame? In some respects, yes. He let the problem drag on through the majority of the season and you could see it on the players faces. There was no continuity within that locker room. The coaching staff looked puzzled and had no answers for their problems midseason.

They did find a way to scrap together a couple victories to get them in the NCAA tournament, but again showed those same issues that plagued them all season in their season-ending loss to Xavier.

The loss of Al Nolen really hurt the team defensively. Sophomore Devoe Joseph stepped into the point guard role and struggled mightily early on. He proved through the last couple weeks of the season that he can score points off the dribble. He also proved that he really can't run any effective offensive sets.

I urge you Oregon, Georgia Tech, Virginia, and whomever else wants to take Tubby Smith and his coaching staff. Beware. Beware of a boring offense. A very boring offense of handoff-screens, standing around, and waiting for somebody to make a play in the last ten seconds of the play clock. It was a continous never-ending problem throughout the season.

The team didn't have playmakers who could play off the dribble and score on command. Freshman, Royce White was supposed to be the answer to that problem, but he decided to steal some clothes from Macy's at the Mall of America. He decided that it would be cool to blast his team and his coach with an online video on Youtube.

I'm only eight years removed from high school, but disrespect shown by some of these young kids to their coaches is embarrassing. The NCAA should be embarrassed of the one-and-done rule they allowed the NBA to implement, and universities across the country need to be more strict with their policies for students who are given scholarships.

It's an absolute joke what "student-athletes" are allowed to due without significant consequences. Scholarships should be stripped from the player not the university for violations.

Tubby Smith is not going to have the answers for all of your basketball problems. He is not going to be the savior to your school. He will not bring you a National Championship nor will he bring you immediate success. He is going to bring you a program that will likely make the tournament eight out of every 10 years.

He might get you to the Sweet 16 a couple times during those years, but remember this: He won a National Championship with Rick Pitino's players. He brought UK a ton of victories yet they wanted him gone. His game is boring basketball. He relies way too much on playmakers.

If your school has no playmakers, you do not want Tubby Smith. I still expect him to stay at Minnesota and compete for a Big Ten Championship at some point over the next couple years, but I do not expect anything special from the Gophers in terms of a deep, deep run in the NCAA Tournament. It won't happen.

After the positivity of their frantic run to the NCAA tournament was neutralized by a pair of humbling losses to Ohio State (Big Ten Championship) and Xavier (NCAA's first round), the Minnesota Golden Gophers can put a year of unprecedented befuddlement behind them, and focus on the 2010-11 campaign. 

The Gophers entered the 2009-10 season with high expectations.

They returned in virtual entirety their core from 2008-09, and augmented it further with one of the nation's most impressive recruiting hauls.  Couple this influx of talent with the continuity of Gopher hoops patriarch Tubby Smith's imprint on the program, and it is easy to interpret the reasoning behind the hype for 2009-10.  

Late surge notwithstanding, the Gophers succumbed to an assortment of ailments and failed to deliver the top 25 product most Minnesota fans expected.  

Main catalysts for this failure of delivery are best characterized within the framework of "off-the-court" issues. Moreover, the Gophers were without heralded recruit Royce White, and highly anticipated transfer Trevor Mbakwe for the entire season, leaving a dearth of frontcourt toughness and scoring.

White, a combo forward and Minnesota native whose effortless offensive game was expected to elevate Minnesota's chances for a Big Ten title, never saw the floor and his legal issues continue even today.

Mbakwe was also inactive due to legal issues, though recent developments have hinted at his innocence and even suggested he should have been able to play at least by December.

Similarly, junior point man Al Nolan, a controversial talent who seems to be either loathed or loved by Gopher purists, was ruled academically ineligible for the second half of the season. Nolan’s absence ultimately disrupted Minnesota’s depth and pecking order, though it did help Devoe Joseph emerge as a viable threat.

Nonetheless, the Gophers will enter the 2010-11 season with a chance at redemption as they return a handful of important contributors.  To best analyze the Gopher's prospects for next season, I have decided to do a position-by-position analysis of what to expect in 2010-11. 

Please remember this is a very early assessment.  I am not an expert, but merely an attentive fan who hopes to bring to light the Gophers’ chances for 2010-11.

Nonetheless, it is a fun endeavor and as a life-long Gopher fan, it is hard to recall a time in the program’s history with an immediate future so rich with potential.

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POINT GUARD:

Headlining the crop is Devoe Joseph, the unpolished and fearless sophomore whose outside shooting and scoring improved greatly down the stretch of this season. Nolan also returns, but his role is very difficult to predict considering Joseph's emergence and his absence during the second half of the season.  

Adding greater intrigue is the lingering decision of Devoe's younger brother Cory. Cory Joseph, a consensus five star recruit, has Minnesota on his short-list of schools and would immediately become Tubby’s best player. Joseph also is considering juggernauts such as Connecticut, Villanova and Texas.  

I would not be surprised if he chooses to team up with his brother Devoe to form on the Big Ten’s best, and most enjoyable backcourts.  Justin Cobbs, a freshman in 2009-10, showed decent potential and may see time though most Gopher fans hope it does not get to that point. 

SHOOTING GUARD:

The nation's best 3P shooter (by percentage), Blake Hoffarber, returns in 2010-11 for his senior year to add experience on the wing.  

Adding depth and future potential is recruit Austin Hollins (6’6”) who offers similar long-range ability to Hoffarber, with a good frame to boot.  Devoe Joseph could also see significant time off the ball next season, especially if his brother Cory decides to don the maroon and gold.  

Minnesota often employs a three-guard system, so depending on the decision of Cory Joseph, any number of the Gophers’ guards could play on the wing. Look for Hoffarber, however, to be a mainstay in the starting lineup, as his deadly outside shot often overshadows his sound, consistent game.  

SMALL FORWARD:

The departure of Damian Johnson will likely prove the biggest struggle for the Gophers next season. His likely replacement, sophomore Rodney Williams (6'7"), was listed as a possible future NBA lottery pick for a few weeks in the beginning of the season. Williams is an incredible dunker who has shown glimpses of all-world athleticism.   

With that said, Williams is quite raw and far too unassertive on the court.  

If Tubby can nurture Williams' natural ability, he could emerge as an elite talent, especially defensively. Paul Carter (6’8”), a versatile player who has brief spurts of offensive productivity, could also see time at small forward, as could Hollins.

Carter can do a little bit of everything, and is in nature more of a post-player, but if his outside shot and ball-handling improve over the summer he could see more time on the perimeter. 

POWER FORWARD:

Mbakwe (6'8") should fill in nicely for the Gophers next year. Considered an adequate offensive threat, the former Marquette Golden Eagle's toughness and rebounding prowess will immediately improve Minnesota's interior credibility.  

White (6’8”), who is still somewhat of a long shot to ever play for Minnesota, could add so much to this team if he can get his personal life in order.

White's skill-set is that of the quintessential combo-forward of today's Big Ten; meaning he is skilled, nasty and versatile. He has such a smooth offensive game, and has the reputation of being a defensive bull when he applies himself.  If these two can get past their legal issues, power forward could really be an area of strength.

CENTER:

Colton Iverson (6'10") really emerged as a threat at the end of the 2009-10 season.  

Iverson, a South Dakota native who is just now starting to adapt to the pace of elite basketball competition, should be a verifiable force next season. He showed uncanny ability to get position on the block, and has a nice arsenal of post-moves including a reliable drop-stop and a consistent hook shot.

He has decent NBA potential if he continues to develop.

Ralph Sampson (6' 11"), a tantalizing talent with a rich hoops pedigree, suffers from a lack of aggressiveness and often appears overwhelmed by the physicality of Big Ten basketball. Softness aside, Sampson does possess commendable touch for a (near) seven-footer and could still develop into a more productive player.

In moments of brief illumination, Sampson has asserted himself to the point of becoming a defensive specialist with shot-blocking ability.  

If he can improve his toughness, his underrated shooting and passing ability could be of greater service to Tubby. Recruit Elliot Eliason is a nice piece but with Sampson and Iverson's continued growth Eliason will struggle to find time in 2010-11. 

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Think of their roster as a grouping of two types of players:

A. The guys who have proven they can play but lack top end talent. (Cobbs, Joseph D, Hoffarber, Carter, Iverson)

B. The guys with natural ability and significant question marks. (Nolan, Williams, White, Mbakwe, Sampson)

In essence, those two groups make up two different starting lineups.  This leaves lots of room for liberty when Tubby is allotting time and roles, so it will be interesting to watch this as the offseason progress.

Below, I gave my starting lineup for 2010-11 (with projected stats)—keep in mind this is a highly pre-mature assessment and as such, many of these predictions are based on little more than instinct and optimism. Sadly, this lineup does not assume Cory Joseph’s commitment.

PG: Joseph, D (14 pts, 37 percent 3P) / Nolan (4 pts, 4 ast, 1 stl)

SG: Hoffarber (12 pts, 48 percent 3P) / Elliason (3 pts, 35 percent 3P)

SF: Williams (8 pts, 30 percent 3P)  / Carter (6 pts, 4 reb)

PF: Mbakwe (10 pts, 7 reb) / White (7 pts, 4 reb)

C: Iverson (12 pts, 6 reb) / Sampson (8 pts, 1 blk)

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If Tubby and Co. can curb their legal and academic issues, while also developing young talent, the Gophers can be as good as anyone in the Big Ten next year.  

Cory Joseph's decision will be a big factor as well, as he could prove to be the missing piece, though should he decide to attend college elsewhere, Tubby has ample assets to still produce a top 20 team.  Royce White and his legal standing bring more risk-reward factors to play as well. 

In closing, the Gophers possess a group of players that on potential alone could challenge for a Big Ten Title or more.  I think they will finish around the top four in the Big Ten and fight for a top five seed in the NCAA's.  

Every college basketball team has periods during their season in which things don’t go as planned.  The Minnesota Gophers had their share this season and then a few a more.

Minnesota began the season among the top 25 teams in the country in most preseason polls.  The early optimism and ranking appeared warranted as the team had won 22 games the previous season and they returned seven players averaging at least 15 minutes of playing time from the prior season.

If there was a knock on the team it was that they did not have an athletic wing player.  No problem, coach Tubby Smith had recruited two super frosh in Royce White and Rodney Williams.  Both players were considered by some experts as among the top 25 freshmen in the country.

The first case of heartburn occurred before the start of the season when senior Devon Bostick was suspended from the team for violating team rules and Royce White pled guilty to disorderly conduct and theft in connection to a shoplifting incident. Police accused White of shoplifting $100 worth of merchandise and pushed a security guard, who attempted to intervene, twice to the ground.

No problem, Coach Smith told the remaining troops that they would march on.  The message appeared to sink in as the Gophers stormed out to a 4-0 record with an opening round win over No. 10 Butler at the Anaheim Classic.

The Gophers would then experience more queasiness as they would drop their next three games.  Losing a couple of games during a season is bound to occur for most teams.  However, playing flat without emotion and having junior starting point guard Al Nolen and senior starting guard Lawrence Westbrook lose a start for violating team rules was unexpected and proved to be bad omens for the season.

The Gophers came back home and finished off their non-conference schedule with a flourish.  Junior Blake Hoffarber discovered his long range stroke and broke the single game record, against Northern Illinois, for three-point shots made in a game with eight. 

Then more indigestion was in store for Gopher fans.  

White was identified as a suspect in the theft of a computer laptop.  Ultimately, White pled guilty to one count of misdemeanor trespass and was put on probation, fined $100 and sentenced to 50 hours of community service.

White, I’m sure against the advice of his lawyer, posted a pseudo music YouTube video in which he announced his innocence and that he was leaving Minnesota and the basketball program to pursue other interests. White was clear in his video, however, that he respected and thought the world of Coach Smith.  White would subsequently stop going to class in the spring.

Coach Smith asked the band to play the Minnesota Rouser a little louder and the Gophers responded by winning their first couple of games of Big Ten conference play.

Unfortunately, the music didn’t reach the state of Florida as Trevor Mbwake’s assault charges were continued once again and all hopes to see Mbwake return to the court this season ended as well.  Does the right to a speedy trial not exist in Florida?  Pass the Tums.

Mbwake’s absence was missed early on in the Big Ten season as the Gophers lost to traditional bruisers Michigan State and Purdue.  The Spartans took advantage of the Gophers lack of a true power forward by grabbing 14 offensive rebounds.

Minnesota hoped to get back on track travelling to Indiana.  Unfortunately, the Indiana game would bring bad news for the Gopher faithful as the Hoosiers won 81-78 in overtime.

Starting point guard Al Nolen played as if he were in a daze shooting 0-for-4 from the field and 5-of-8 from the free throw line.  Upon the team’s arrival back to the Twin Cities, all would become clear as to why Nolen played so poorly in Bloomington.

Nolen had been declared academically ineligible.  Nolen and the University had appealed his suspension, and upon getting back to Minnesota the NCAA informed all interested parties that Nolen’s appeal had been denied.   

If Gophers weren’t sick already, they were about to become ill.  Without their starting point guard and best perimeter defensive player, the Gophers lost their way and struggled.   

The 83-55 debacle at Michigan in the second to last game of the regular season was the worst beat down the Gophers have suffered under Coach Smith.  Minnesota was outplayed in every phase of the game; most importantly the players appeared to play with no energy and passion.

Coach Smith became so disgusted with his starters that he pulled all of them out of the game to play five reserves including walk-on football player Bryant Allen.

After the Michigan game, Minnesota appeared to have no chance of making the NCAA tournament.  Most Minnesota fans believed that all they could hope for as far as postseason action was a possible road game in the National Invitational Tournament.

Despite that, the Gophers rallied at the end to thrash Iowa 88-53 in the season finale.  Minnesota then arguably played its best three consecutive games of the season in the Big Ten tournament in beating Penn State, Michigan State, and Purdue.

The Gophers played Ohio State tough in the first half of the championship game of the Big Ten tournament but simply ran out of gas playing their fourth consecutive game on successive days.  Minnesota’s performance in Indianapolis was enough for the Gophers to secure a No. 11 seed in the NCAA tournament. 

Minnesota drew Xavier for its first-round game in Milwaukee.  Which Gopher team would show up—the team that crushed Purdue or the team that ran out of gas against Ohio State?

Unfortunately, the tank was on empty as the Gophers lost to Xavier 65-54 in a less than inspired effort against the Musketeers.

Minnesota had talent on their roster to achieve more than what they accomplished.  This team should have won 25 games and have finished among the top five teams in the conference.

What was troubling watching the Gophers was that their injuries were self-inflicted by their conduct off the court or by failing to go to class.  The self-inflicted injuries always hurt the most.

The Gophers will be back next year.  Hopefully, Minnesota fans will have less heartburn in the 2010-2011 basketball season.