Chapter 349: What a Difference A Tubby Makes
Okay, let me be straight with you. I’m not the biggest Minnesota Basketball booster. I love playing basketball with friends, I’m not a big NBA guy, or even, truth be told, a NCAA guy, but when it was announced that we were getting Tubby Smith as our head coach I have to admit that I was intrigued. So, for the first time in my post-college career, I have kept up with the happenings of the Gophers Men’s Basketball team. I think that the last time I followed Gophers b-ball this closely was when Lindsey Whelan and Janelle McCarville were ripping it up. Given the fact that Tubby Smith was starting with players he hadn’t recruited and an abysmal record from last year, this season was nothing short of miraculous. It is a testament to the power of a coach in a young athletes life because I guaran-damn-tee that without Coach Smith, Tollackson and a couple of the other slouches on the team would still be tossing up bricks and then whining about it. Not on Tubby’s watch.
Anyhow, after catching the highlight of the last second win and Laettner-esque shot by Blake Hoffarber against Indiana last night and then watching the Gophs keep pace with Illinois today I am pretty proud to be back as part of the Barnyard and am waiving my Tubby Towel full pace. Here’s to a great season and an even better 2009!
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