Can I just start by saying I remain in disbelief that the University of Minnesota attracted such a high profile coach as Tubby Smith? I am forever grateful towards the backwards, impatient, incest-laden (too mean?) fan base of the Kentucky Wildcats. I am still pinching myself. Thank you so much for dumping a hall of fame coach on a whim. When I heard the news I had a Bobby Jackson/Sam Jacobson inspired flashback of the glory days of old.
I consider myself to be a relatively passionate Minnesota sports fan, so the Dan Monson era was particularly nauseating. I think his sideline presence could be roughly equated to that of that teacher whose class you just dreaded going to growing up. You know what I mean, the one where the only relief in going to it was that at least you got to sit down for the duration. And you would try to find the simplest joys to get through that time. Like, “Yes I am officially loaded with 0.7 mm pencil lead”, or “That doodle totally looks like Rebecca Romijn-Stamos” That was kind of what the players looked like as they trudged over to the bench for every time out. They really just looked forward to sitting down, followed by their stares glazing over, followed by occasional nodding to imply understanding.
But no more! Today, there is a Tub full of excitement in the Barn (I thoroughly apologize for this pun, I know it’s awful, I…I just can’t help myself sometimes…) There is a hope from a fan base desperate for any semblance of hope. I love watching this team play. Colton Iverson and Ralph Sampson III are legit big men that will only get better as they start to shed their freshman jitters and grow into their bodies. Al Nolen is scary quick, often times beating people to the hoop already sagging off of him by 4 or 5 feet. We also have a seemingly limitless supply of capable shooting guards and forwards that Tubby can rotate in and out as he pleases, often times going 10 or 11 men deep as the game progresses.
The great thing is, this is not a fluke. Tubby is a proven recruiter and game planner. He has the team buying into his ball hawking/help side defensive scheme. He also has kept the two best in-state prospects for the 2009 recruiting class, in the freakishly athletic Rodney Williams and the solid Royce White, landing us a top 10 recruiting class. I cannot fathom this team not being a Bracket Buster for as long as Tubby decides to grace us with his presence. For every blood vessel that pops every Vikings game I watch, for every ulcer that is forthcoming due to Sebastian “Seabass” Telfair’s biological need to turn the ball over, I have Tubby. In Tubby we trust.
I consider myself to be a relatively passionate Minnesota sports fan, so the Dan Monson era was particularly nauseating. I think his sideline presence could be roughly equated to that of that teacher whose class you just dreaded going to growing up. You know what I mean, the one where the only relief in going to it was that at least you got to sit down for the duration. And you would try to find the simplest joys to get through that time. Like, “Yes I am officially loaded with 0.7 mm pencil lead”, or “That doodle totally looks like Rebecca Romijn-Stamos” That was kind of what the players looked like as they trudged over to the bench for every time out. They really just looked forward to sitting down, followed by their stares glazing over, followed by occasional nodding to imply understanding.
But no more! Today, there is a Tub full of excitement in the Barn (I thoroughly apologize for this pun, I know it’s awful, I…I just can’t help myself sometimes…) There is a hope from a fan base desperate for any semblance of hope. I love watching this team play. Colton Iverson and Ralph Sampson III are legit big men that will only get better as they start to shed their freshman jitters and grow into their bodies. Al Nolen is scary quick, often times beating people to the hoop already sagging off of him by 4 or 5 feet. We also have a seemingly limitless supply of capable shooting guards and forwards that Tubby can rotate in and out as he pleases, often times going 10 or 11 men deep as the game progresses.
The great thing is, this is not a fluke. Tubby is a proven recruiter and game planner. He has the team buying into his ball hawking/help side defensive scheme. He also has kept the two best in-state prospects for the 2009 recruiting class, in the freakishly athletic Rodney Williams and the solid Royce White, landing us a top 10 recruiting class. I cannot fathom this team not being a Bracket Buster for as long as Tubby decides to grace us with his presence. For every blood vessel that pops every Vikings game I watch, for every ulcer that is forthcoming due to Sebastian “Seabass” Telfair’s biological need to turn the ball over, I have Tubby. In Tubby we trust.