Taylor will help Tubby become tops in recruiting
The addition of Timberwolves assistant Vince Taylor to Coach Tubby Smith’s Gophers men’s basketball staff is the latest coup but the University of Minnesota to put together a top-notch staff that will help Coach Smith return the Gophers to national greatness. Taylor has far more experience as a recruiter in college ball than he did as an NBA assistant, and between Taylor and Smith, the Gophers should quickly become a magnet for top-notch talent nationwide.
Now, sure, Tubby missed out on luring PG Jai Lucas to the Gophers, but consider the circumstances. Lucas nearly joined Tubby in Kentucky until Tubby went to Minnesota, and Lucas gave Tubby an open ear on the Gophers program. But keep in mind, Lucas signed with national champion Florida … a school just about anyone would find nearly impossible to turn down, especially when the alternative is working on rebuilding a Gophers team that’s gonna take a couple years to rebuild.
Still, the future is bright for the Gophers. Once Lucas opted out of the Gophers, Smith landed PG Nate Garth of Dallas, TX, another nationally-scouted recruit. While Garth doesn’t have the pedigree of Lucas, he is still a nationally-ranked recruit who will be a notable upgrade for the Gophers when he joins the squad. And he’s the type of recruit that never would have given Jim Molinari or Dan Monson the time of day.
In recent years, the low-profile Gophers have had more graduates searching for student loan consolidation programs than they’ve had searching for NBA Draft agents. Student loan consolidation is a great help for those who need it, but not so great for graduates of a Big 10 basketball program.
If Smith continues to draw this kind of top-notch talent to the U of M, it won’t take long before that situation reverses itself.
