In what may the strangest news I've heard all day, Tubby Smith is leaving perennial basketball powerhouse Kentucky to coach at Minnesota. Yes, the same Minnesota that hasn't won a NCAA tournament game since I was in high school, and they had to cheat to win that one!!
Tubby had four years left in his contract, but up and left for a lower profile and lower paying job in Minnesota.
The scuttlebutt is that Tubby didn't like being the center of attention in Kentucky and wasn't a fan
of being at the end of the looking glass, but I still can't possibly comprehend this move.
The word on the street is that this is an all-win situation, so I guess we'll see. I'm certainly not relishing the prospect of Minnesota becoming a basketball powerhouse. It seems an odd marriage, but it would appear that the Gophers are looking to raise their basketball power.
I don't see Tubby being able to avoid the fishbowl, no matter where he goes. Though basketball at Minnesota is nowhere near the top of the state's radar, his mere presence is going to bring attention and, I can only imagine, some serious expectations. I can't imagine that a big name coach switching to a no name program and trying to revamp it would be any less of the microscope Tubby is said to want to be away from.
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I guess it's all a matter of expectations.... Kentucky fans expect a National Championship every year whereas Gopher fans (I'd imagine) would be happy with a winning record and a tournament appearance.
Of course there's always a part of every fanbase that will demand results, but that part is larger, more vocal, and more obnoxious at some programs than others....
(By the way, I found your blog through the sausage/computer picture that Deadspin picked up.... Keep on bloggin' the good blog.)
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