Tubby freakin’ Smith to the Gophs!
Not that long ago, University of Minnesota athletic director Joel Maturi was the subject of such criticism and derision, he may have been looking to invest in some extra death insurance. My oh my, how one decision, one action, can change a person’s fate.
In what is undoubtedly the biggest hiring coup in the history of the University of Minnesota, Maturi has signed coaching legend Tubby Smith, formerly of the Kentucky Wildcats, to a five-year contract that, if he meets performance incentives, could pay him as much as $3.0 million per season, though only about $1.7 million is guaranteed.
Short of landing oft-rumored and oft-hoped-for Pistons coach Flip Saunders, Tubby Smith is the best possible hire to help turn the Gophers around. Smith has a career winning percentage of .750, is a proven college coach, has landed the Wildcats in the NCAA tourney every single one of his last 10 seasons, and even won a national championship. There’s simply no one better-skilled… well, maybe Coach K, but he wasn’t going to leave Duke any time soon.
Coach Smith will have a huge challenge ahead of him. Next year’s scholarships are already committed and so it’ll be the 2008-09 season before Smith can even start assembling a roster of his own making. In the meantime, he’ll be saddled with a squad that bottomed out and posted the worst season in Gophers hoops history.
If Coach Smith can even get this team to about .500 next season, he’ll be hailed as a legend. If he can get them back into the NCAAs within three years, his place in Gophers history will be cemented in stone. Here’s hoping Tubby can turn things around and make his association a lasting, winning cap to a stellar NCAA coaching career.
