Smith dismissed another job rumor
Several Gophers may be suffering from joint pain after a tough, 11-point loss to Xavier in the first round of the NCAA tourney, but the pain for coach Smith was more personal: being linked, in the middle of a big game, to yet another rumor about him moving on from Minnesota to another program, this time with Auburn as the alleged destination and CBS Sports as the source of the loose lips.
Although it was a hot rumor for a couple hours, once Smith learned of it, he put the kibosh on it quickly.
“I’m looking forward to coming back to Minnesota,” Smith said. “Obviously, that’s just talk. I’m very pleased with what we’ve accomplished here. I’m very pleased with where we are in the program.”
Smith, who still has two or three years on his original contract, is the subject of these rumors because he’s a legendary coach and because he is considered underpaid by 2010 standards; although he makes about $1.5 million a season, he could earn twice that at nearly any of the schools he’s been linked to.
Joel Maturi knows this, of course, and the Gophers AD is no doubt going to spend part of the off-season testing the waters with Smith on signing an extension that will sweeten the pot and reassure recruits that Minnesota and Smith will be synonymous for years to come. But that’s not the order of the day just yet.
