Interesting article she said the right stuff but the road to B12 championships runs thru Baylor, Austin and Norman. Ames used to fit into this conversation, but not for a while. I'll be happy if we finish in the top 4 next yr.
As you know Whalen has a huge amount of street (court?) cred up here in the Twin Cities. If anyone can do it, she can. Has she ever competed at any level and not won? Only if you consider "only" getting to the Final Four not winning. I'll be pulling for her but I'm sure she will take away some recruits Bill would have gotten in the past up here.The Whalen hire is getting a lot of attention. Even Geno got interviewed on his take. He played her team in the 2004 Final Four and coached her on the Olympic team.
http://www.startribune.com/lindsay-...-reaction-to-mark-coyle-s-idea-wow/479652123/
Will see if she can pulled off a recruiting coup and get Paige Bueckers to commit to the Gophers and not UCONN or ND.
Whalen going to be a head coach, has she ever coached before? and continue to play in the WNBA.....that's a lot to manage.....
Totally agree here. If I were a Gopher fan I'd be very skeptical. Someone referenced a parallel between Whalen and Dawn Staley. That's quite a leap.Whalen going to be a head coach, has she ever coached before? and continue to play in the WNBA.....that's a lot to manage.....
This is the big question. I have seen a number of players who were very good players but poor coaches. One reason was that they were good and had never had to really work at being good and did not understand how to impart that to players and would get frustrated with them.
Totally agree here. If I were a Gopher fan I'd be very skeptical. Someone referenced a parallel between Whalen and Dawn Staley. That's quite a leap.
And also remember South Carolina hired Staley only after she become a proven, winning coach at a smaller school, Temple, which is where she coached while still in the WNBA. No one knows if Whalen can coach or not.It's more akin to Hoiberg.
I think this summer season with the Lynx is just honoring her commitment to them and not bailing for a better offer which is, of course, very un-Div I coachlike.
And also remember South Carolina hired Staley only after she become a proven, winning coach at a smaller school, Temple, which is where she coached while still in the WNBA. No one knows if Whalen can coach or not.
Yes. Just about everyone who has coached Whalen has characterized her as a coach on the floor and a player who understands the game like no other. She may struggle with just how much time doing both will take but I doubt she will struggle with the coaching part of it.Except that is exactly what Whalen is not. She's a gritty point guard that makes her team better without being a superstar or a supremely gifted athletic freak.
Also I am guessing this might be her last year of pro ball. She already stopped playing overseas and she is 35 (I think).
Gotta give the Gophers credit for communication. Got this email from them already this afternoon. I buy a couple tickets on occasion for games, not even once a year, and hear from them all of the time via email and snail mailings. I rarely hear from ISU Athletics even though I am a Cyclone Club member and buy tickets. Maybe we pretty much only correspond with season ticket holders? Or maybe they think I live too far away based on some algorithm or something.