By: Aj Mansour | KFAN.com
@AjKFAN

Minneapolis, MN - Arriving in town for a 9:00AM press conference Friday morning, Richard Pitino likely had his full day booked solid. Presser at 9:00, TV interviews at 10:00, schmoozing with boosters at 11:00. But before he started his day, Pitino made a point to sit down and meet with his players Friday morning and share a bit of what they might expect.

The entire men's basketball team was on hand Friday morning for Pitino's press conference at Williams Arena. Afterwards, the players branched out offering themselves up for on site interviews and telephone interviews with the local media.

ANDRE HOLLINS:
While his teammates met the media on site, Gophers point guard Andre Hollins hopped on the telephone and called in to chime in with KFAN and the Paul Allen Show.

"We met with [Coach Pitino] about 40 minutes before his press conference," Hollins told KFAN. "He was kind of just giving us his vision for things about what he's going to bring to the program...to be specific he said that he's going to have Louisville's defense and Florida's offense."

Hollins, a sophomore, showed a particular keenness towards running the ball up the court in the Gophers' fast break offense and said he was looking forward to Pitino implementing a similar style of play at Minnesota.

"It's fun running up and down [the floor]," Hollins added. "The game has evolved so that it's more up and down. Think about all the Final Four teams, it's a lot of up and down except Syracuse, but they still get up and down. The game's just, it's changing and I figure he's bringing a fresh approach to it."

Hollins, a Tubby Smith recruit, also commented on what it has been like for him and his teammates the past week and change as they saw their coach get let go and then followed the rumor mill with the rest of us during the search for Smith's replacement.

"It was just weird," Hollins explained. "It was like we were at home and our parents just leave and we get new parents. It was just weird, we were in limbo but I think Norwood Teague made a great hire."

When asked if there was ever any thought to leave town after Tubby was let go, Hollins answered with a firm no.

"We're all, pretty much, we're staying. It'd be kind of weird and crazy to up and go. Once I make a commitment to somewhere, I don't just up and leave...We have to move on, move forward and get better."

AUSTIN HOLLINS:
Meeting the press on the floor of Williams arena, junior forward Austin Hollins also chimed in on the new coaching hire.

On the fast paced system - "I think everyone likes to play up and down...we're going to be pressing, forcing turnovers...running up and down on offense with a little freedom is going to be good I think."

On meeting Pitino Friday morning - "He really gave us a positive vibe. He's coming in and he has a solid plan that he really wants to enforce. He knows what he wants to do and I think all of the guys are on board with that."

On learning that Tubby had been fired - "Yeah I was surprised. I think everyone was surprised. You never know what's going to happen. Although we were surprised, I was saying earlier, It's part of the business. We have a solid foundation and the new coach will take over and we're going to learn his system and thrive in it."

Aj Mansour covers the Twins, Vikings, & Gopher Football for KFAN.com. Feel free to leave comments and questions on this post or others in the designated section below...

By: Aj Mansour | KFAN.com
@AjKFAN

Minneapolis, MN - Surrounded by a Goldy the Gopher, women's basketball coach Pam Borton, the entire men's basketball team and the full ensemble of the University's pep-band, Minnesota Athletic Director Norwood Teague officially introduced Richard Pitino as the new head coach of the men's basketball team.

"We ran the search that we wanted to run," Teague said Friday. "It went very well, we were very pleased with the search and it unfolded just like we wanted."

Teague claimed that Pitino was always present on his list and when the time that his name rose to the top, the search committee was convinced that Richard was the right guy for the job.

"We expect to see progress under coach Pitino," Teague said. "We know that it cannot happen overnight. We need to give him the resources to win and we need to give him the time to build his program here. He is the right fit for this job and I could not be more happy."

The terms of the deal pin Pitino to Minnesota for the next six years, offering him an annual salary of $1.2M with the opportunity for bonuses including a $50,000 bonus for a winning record in conference regular season and a $100,000 bonus for winning the NCAA Tournament.

"I'm extremely excited about this opportunity," Pitino told the Minneapolis media Friday morning. "Minnesota basketball has got one of the best traditions in all of college basketball. It certainly has one of the best home courts as well in Williams Arena, very passionate fan base, a great university and a great conference...I truly believe the sky is the limit here."

First thing on the docket for Pitino is a promise to bring a new up tempo pace of play to the Gophers for this upcoming season, similar to that which his father employs with the Louisville Cardinals.

"Our style of play is going to be one that is fun to watch," Pitino explained. "I think you guys will really enjoy it. It'll be a lot of pressing certainly. We're going to press on every make, we're going to try to create offense from our defense. It's going to be a style that the kids love to play. It's going to be something where we put a lot of stock into conditioning, being physically in shape as well as mentally in shape. It's going to be a great brand of basketball."

Pitino comes from the coaching tree of two of college basketball's most successful coaching staffs. Obviously his father Rick Pitino is a legend in the game, but Richard also spent time under the tutelage of Billy Donovan with the Florida Gators.

"When you work under two guys like Billy Donovan and Rick Pitino, you've got to make some decisions," Richard explained. "Those are two legends who do it a little differently. So I had to figure out what worked for me and that was really the biggest obstacle."

After the press conference concluded, Sophomore point guard Andre Hollins joined KFAN and the Paul Allen Show where he shared that Pitino met with the team early Friday morning and claimed that the style he'll be bringing will be specifically be themed after the Louisville defense with a Florida feel on the offensive side of the ball.

"I think kids like to play this style," Pitino said.

Next up for Pitino will be hiring the staff that will accompany him on his journey to rebuild the basketball program. For the most part, that goal starts and stops with recruiting.

While NCAA sanctions do not allow him to discuss specific recruits, Pitino alluded to the talented 2014 class of athletes that are still available for the Gophers (and anybody else) to swoop in and wrap up.

"It's very important when you have a state university like Minnesota to constantly develop relationships within the state the right way," Coach Pitino explained. "We will certainly do our best to recruit all the best players in the country because we've got a lot to be proud of here."

"I am very familiar with the quality of high school basketball, AAU basketball in this state. I know that these guys are going to be well coached and prepared at the college level..."

Looking at next year's of recruits coming out of Minnesota (Tyus Jones, Reid Travis and Rashard Vaughn), Richard may even find himself squaring off head to head with his father and the Louisville Cardinals.

"I am extremely excited to go head to head with my dad [in recruiting]," Richard said. "It's game on the way I look at it! Hopefully he fights fair, but I'm excited. He's one of the best. If I'm not going against him, I sure hope he's helping us as much as possible as well."

Pitino's ties to his father may even yield way for the future of a Minnesota vs. Louisville matchup during non conference play.

Aj Mansour covers the Twins, Vikings, & Gopher Football for KFAN.com. Feel free to leave comments and questions on this post or others in the designated

By: Aj Mansour | KFAN.com
@AjKFAN

Minneapolis, MN – It’s been a rocky nine days for Norwood Teague and the Minnesota Golden Gophers as they have tirelessly searched for a new coach to replace Tubby Smith. Wednesday, the university made the official announcement that the coaching search has come to an end.

The Gophers have reached an agreement with former Florida International Head Coach Richard Pitino to become the next head coach of the Gophers basketball team.

According to KFAN’s Dan Barreiro, Norwood Teague and Mike Ellis cancelled their plans to meet with one final candidate to lock down Richard Pitino.

Pitino, 30, posted a 18-14 record last season with the Florida International Panthers (their first winning season since 2000). Prior to that, Pitino served as associate head coach at Louisville with his father Rick (2011-2012), was an assistant at Florida (2009-2011), and pulled short stints in Louisville, Duquesne and Northeastern as an assistant coach.

Despite his famous basketball coach father, Richard claims to be more of a disciple of Florida coach Billy Donovan than of his father when it comes to coaching style. Either way, Richard Pitino comes to Minnesota from a coaching bloodline, both at home and on the hardwood.

Aj Mansour covers the Twins, Vikings, & Gopher Football for KFAN.com. Feel free to leave comments and questions on this post or others in the designated comment box below.  For Golden Gopher updates and breaking news follow Aj on Twitter @AjKFAN

By: Aj Mansour | KFAN.com
@AjKFAN

Minneapolis, MN - The vicious cycle of coaches being rumored to the Gophers vacant position only to turn down the job and go elsewhere continues on a lovely Saturday afternoon in Minnesota, but this one hurts bad. The latest candidate was thought to have been a lock if and when the Gophers came knocking. Still, reports surfaced Saturday afternoon that former NBA Coach and Gophers player Flip Saunders was offered, and turned down the coaching job at the University of Minnesota.  Our Dan Barreiro was the first to report:

"Teague Offeer to Saunders was rejected by the former Gopher and NBA Coach..."

"..Flip Saunders only comment "I'll always bleed maroon and gold, will help the program anyway I can...I enjoy my NBA analyst job at ESPN."

— Dan Barreiro (@DanBarreiro) March 30, 2013

Saunders, 58, emerged as the leading candidate for the Gophers coaching position on Friday, but it only took 24 hours for him to find something he didn't like and turn down the job.

It's unknown how many coaches have already been offered the job at Minnesota, but it's assumed that Saunders is the third (maybe fourth) coach to have turned down the opportunity to lead the Gophers. Lack of a practice facility, lack of history and lack of talent may be keeping coaches away but we've reached a point in the search where the Gophers seriously have to be concerned about their odds of landing a big name coaching candidate in Minnesota.

Left on the board currently you can throw out names like Anthony Grant (Alabama), Andy Enfield (FGCU) and Jay Wright (Villanova), but I also wouldn't rule out Marquette head coach Buzz Williams as a guy who could have interest in the Minnesota gig despite the hot run the Golden Eagles are enjoying right now.

No matter where they land at this point, it's beginning to look less and less like Norwood Teague will pull in that big name flashy coach they were likely hoping for when they made the decision to fire Tubby Smith.

It's a stark situation for the University, but in all reality it may be a reminder of how unpleasant the state of the Gophers basketball program is right now.

Aj Mansour covers the Twins, Vikings, & Gopher Football for KFAN.com. Feel free to leave comments and questions on this post or others in the designated comment box below.  For Golden Gopher updates and breaking news follow Aj on Twitter @AjKFAN

By: Aj Mansour | KFAN.com
@AjKFAN

Minneapolis, MN - Following a day of alleged Shaka Smart sightings across the Twin Cities metro area, Minnesota Golden Gopher fans had their hopes and dreams dashed early Wednesday evening as Virginia Commonwealth University basketball coach Shaka Smart opted to pass on new offers and took an extension to stay in Richmond and coach the Rams.

The deal, reportedly, extended Smart through the 2023 season and upped his annual salary from $1.2M to $1.5M. Presumably, this offer came with more built in security but was nearly $1M below what Smart could have demanded from schools like Minnesota or UCLA. At the end of the day, it appears as if Shaka chose the comfort of a familiar situation for him and his family over the thrill of an upgrade. Kudos to him for making that tough decision.

That said, with Smart now out of the conversation, the Gophers will be forced to move down their "short-list" and continue attacking options number two, three and four. But who does that leave?

Earlier this week, I posted a list of candidates that were likely to have been considered for the vacant Gophers coaching job. In the two days since that posting, the "short-list" has shifted. Some new candidates are in the picture, some old candidates have risen the ranks and others have all but been crossed off of Norwood Teague's shopping list.

Supposedly, there has even been a candidate in town who took time to sit down with Teague and pseudo interview for the job. If this is indeed the case, we can assume that this candidate does not have a team still playing in the NCAA Tournament. That doesn't rule out those coaches still involved (Buzz Williams, Andy Enfield or Gregg Marshall), but with time being of the essence, there's no doubt that Teague and his staff want to button this up as soon as possible.

So without out further ado, here is my best representation of what Norwood Teague's "short-list" of coaching candidates might look like as of Thursday morning.

1.) Shaka Smart (VCU)

2.) Brad Stevens (Butler) - With Smart off the board, Stevens becomes the next most likely target for the Gophers to go after. Only 36 years old, Stevens has that "young guy" swagger that most think Teague may be targeting. Stevens has benefited from the national attention he and his team received with back-to-back NCAA Championship appearances, and annually finds himself at the top of the list for teams across the country who are looking for new leadership. Stevens' Butler squad is out of the tournament so he would be able to meet and talk with the University of Minnesota, but the question is not that of availability but that of interest. Would Stevens be interested in a change? Stevens signed a 12-year contract extension in 2010 that pays him roughly $1M a year. He could be enticed by a bump in pay, but that may not be enough to sway his interest from what he is already building at Butler. While he may be number two on the target list, he may be a long-shot at best for Teague and the Gophers to land.

3.) Buzz Williams (Marquette) - One of the aforementioned names that seems to have gained a bit of steam since the coaching search officially began is Buzz Williams from the Marquette University. This one confuses me. Williams has obvious ties to Norwood Teague and Associate AD Mike Ellis through the Villa 7 group that landed him the Marquette job in 2008. That said, Williams seems to have it pretty good out in Milwaukee. Signed through 2020, Williams is already pocketing near $2M annually at a school where the basketball team reigns supreme. He's housed in a $31M practice facility (Al McGuire Center) that opened in 2003 and houses player lounges, locker rooms and a private practice court that is an exact replica of the program's home court at the Bradley Center. Still the rumors surrounding Buzz Williams continue to run hot. His attention is clearly focused on the Golden Eagles' Sweet Sixteen matchup against Miami Thursday night, but as early as Friday morning he could be on his way to the Twin Cities if he so desires.

4.) Flip Saunders (current NBA analyst) - The fourth choice is where it starts to get interesting. Former Gopher player, former Gopher assistant coach, and former Timberwolves coach Flip Saunders seems to be the Gophers fallback option, which wouldn't be a bad case scenario at all. Flip is a hero in the state of Minnesota and appears to have interest in the job. The only problem, he doesn't exactly fit the bill for the style of candidate Teague appears to be targeting. At 58 years of age, Flip is not the young spring chicken that seems to be all the rage in college basketball these days, especially since Teague and Ellis have been responsible for the rise to fame that many of those young coaches have enjoyed. Still Flip would be a good option if Stevens and Williams don't work out. He knows the game, he knows the state and would have a leg up on many of the candidates for recruiting in Minnesota.

5.) Anthony Grant (Alabama) - Splashing onto the scene this week was Alabama fourth year coach Anthony Grant. Grant comes from the Billy Donovan coaching tree and is a graduate of the Villa 7 program. He also spent three seasons as the head coach of VCU...hmmm, do you sense a trend? Grant should be considered but likely remains a long shot at the gig.

6.) Fred Hoiberg (ISU) - I am only including Fred because I feel that I have to. But I've opted to cross him out because it's not happening. It was a good idea, but keep dreaming Gophers fans.

7.) Andy Enfield (FGCU) - In the midst of his own meteoric rise through the coaching ranks, Enfield is the 2013 NCAA Tournament version of Shaka Smart and Brad Stevens. Piggy backing on the unprecedented success of his Florida Gulf Coast squad, Enfield may land himself a new gig simply based on one successful season, which is precisely why he scares me as a candidate for the Gophers. Stevens proved it with back-to-back title game runs, Shaka has been in the tournament making runs for the last three or four years but Enfield, he's only had the reigns of a basketball program for two seasons. In my opinion it's way to early to know if this run is simply a flash in the pan or if he is in fact a legitimate NCAA coach?

Aj Mansour covers the Twins, Vikings, & Gopher Football for KFAN.com. Feel free to leave comments and questions on this post or others in the designated comment box below.  For Golden Gopher updates and breaking news follow Aj on Twitter @AjKFAN