So much talent in that state but he couldn't recruit it or develop it.
Who's next? Andrew Carlson?
So much talent in that state but he couldn't recruit it or develop it.
Who's next? Andrew Carlson?
rip mr. placenta.
it is pretty wild how bad they are given they're the only D1 program for hundreds of miles in any direction in a major metro area with good HS programs. there's no reason they shouldn't be able to compete with wisconsin. hope to seem them turn things around.
Legitimately one of the worst coaches at an R1, D1 university. Look up the high school creds of their rosters over the years and you'll wonder how they weren't a consistent top 10 school at nats.
Minnesota deserved better for the past 25 years, at least they can have a fresh start now.
They have been better than Wisconsin at track lately. Basten is from Wisconsin.
Ole Miss Rocks wrote:
They have been better than Wisconsin at track lately. Basten is from Wisconsin.
Are we ranking distance running programs off of one or two runners a year now?
Also, better than another struggling program isn't exactly a high bar. They certainly don't have a history (recent or older) of being better than the Badgers.
2021 MN 3rd -WI 9th
2020 covid
2019 MN 8th - WI 10th
13 teams scored and MN averaged 5th/6th in a conference as strong as the B10 and that is failure? How is being above the center a failure. And somebody else had mentioned WI but MN has been better than them. I only pointed out Basten because MN was able to recruit him away from his own state school.
It's tough to recruit when for several years the U didn't even have a track of their own and before that it was broken and falling apart. And now they don't have an indoor track program. Plas picked a good time to leave.
Hopkins must be taking over for Plas because the open posting is an assistant position
fethullah gulen rupp wrote:
rip mr. placenta.
it is pretty wild how bad they are given they're the only D1 program for hundreds of miles in any direction in a major metro area with good HS programs. there's no reason they shouldn't be able to compete with wisconsin. hope to seem them turn things around.
I do not know why Placenta is taking heat for not landing top MN in-state recruits. Except for hockey and baseball, isn't this an overall issue with Minnesota Gopher Athletics? Minnesota Gopher landed David Winfield. Minnesota Gopher landed Kevin McHale. We can list so many top football and basketball players who attended Minnesota high schools who went elsewhere. A lot of kids growing up in greater Twin Cities area do not want to attend UMN for numerous reasons. UMN makes its academic rankings by reputation as a research institution and reputation of professional schools and graduate schools. In undergrad courses at UMN-TC, students are learning on their own.
Ole Miss Rocks wrote:
They have been better than Wisconsin at track lately. Basten is from Wisconsin.
Hold your burrito loco there, Goldie. And grab onto your hat before the wind blows it to the Mariucci.
The above post is only selectively true and because Wisconsin has had some down years performance wise. A solid handful Minnesota's greats actually came from Wisconsin. But Minnesota should indeed be more competitive with that comes out of the Twin Cities and the Dakotas. Even Montana.
It's hard to peg all the underdog years on the coach though. The kids up there dont have a lot of discipline when it comes to alcohol and partying. Say what you will about living monk lifestyles but no partying is better than partying when it comes to distance training and running.
I liked Roy Griak personally. He was benevolent. Steve Plasencia was a great runner but also had serious temperamental and interpersonal problems that took over in the role. Plasencia had most of the pieces to be a great coach but not all the pieces. You need all the pieces plus something extra to command a powerhouse program.
Hindsight being 20/20 - they should have hired Garry Bjorklund back in the day when he applied for the job rather than dealing with Pla. temperament challenges.
Info Seeker wrote:
Hindsight being 20/20 - they should have hired Garry Bjorklund back in the day when he applied for the job rather than dealing with Pla. temperament challenges.
Part of the problem is the bias toward hiring great runners. I think it helps to have that experience BUT being a talented runner is not the most important trait in a coach.
Say what you will about Plas, but he produced some great athletes. Mead, Blankenship, Ali and Basten. 2 olympians, and 2 trials finalists. Wisconsin is the only school in the Big Ten that can beat that group of 4 over the past 10 years. The next coach has some very large shoes to fill at UMN-TC
The Bridge wrote:
Say what you will about Plas, but he produced some great athletes. Mead, Blankenship, Ali and Basten. 2 olympians, and 2 trials finalists. Wisconsin is the only school in the Big Ten that can beat that group of 4 over the past 10 years. The next coach has some very large shoes to fill at UMN-TC
Yeah he did OK. Just OK.
Most all coaches have mixed results, even the best ones. Look at wetmore, martin smith, rob connor. Your odds for success if you have a few of the following:
- great academics ( stanford)
- unbelieveable college town (madison)
- altitude (colorado, nau)
- unlimited resources (oregon)
You can have some success without these but you have better odds for consistent long term success with them. The u of mn has virtually none of these things the end result for a good coach is pretty much the kind of record that the u of mn had under plascencia.
Of course he could have done better but that can be said of every coach. I am not an insider to the program. I have heard he is intense. When athletes didnt respond to the intensity then they didnt prrform. Fewer and fewer athletes respond to intensity these days. That is unfortunate. At the same time a coach needs to adapt to what works and even though they may be right they need to effectively get their point across and get enthusiastic buy in
Bet even Steve was surprised to keep the job as long as he did.
Minnesota distance: the program that time forgot.
Now the squad can go off the Xanax.
ranger wrote:
Hopkins must be taking over for Plas because the open posting is an assistant position
Looks like she is listed as a coach for men.
https://gophersports.com/sports/mens-cross-country/rosterAnd women.
https://gophersports.com/sports/womens-cross-country/rosterDes Linden: "The entire sport" has changed since she first started running Boston.
Ryan Eiler, 3rd American man at Boston, almost out of nowhere
Am I living in the twilight zone? The Boston Marathon weather was terrible!
Matt Choi was drinking beer halfway through the Boston Marathon
2024 College Track & Field Open Coaching Positions Discussion