Maturi said that following the Gophers’ Insight Bowl loss to Iowa State last December he saw something in the locker room that he hasn’t always witnessed in football and other sports. There were 115 players crying after the Gophers experienced a 14-13 loss to the Cyclones, a game Minnesota probably should have won.
“As a former player and coach, that meant a lot to me. It showed the hurt they felt and that they were buying into the program,” Maturi said. “They poured their hearts and souls into that game.”
Coach Tim Brewster’s first three seasons have produced records of 1-11, 7-6 and 6-7. A common off-season question is how many games does Minnesota need to win this fall to lessen the heat on the coach from the public and media.
But evaluation of Brewster for Maturi includes factors like the difficulty of the schedule, key injuries, competitiveness, progress of the program and academics. “It’s not about just wins and losses, and won’t be,” Maturi said. “In the end he has to win but I am not going to be impatient if the other things are done right.”
Maturi also said a contract extension for basketball coach Tubby Smith continues to be addressed. Smith’s existing contract has four more years but additional time and compensation are being negotiated. “We want to make sure he’s our coach,” Maturi said.
Smith, who has completed three seasons as Gophers coach and twice led the team to the NCAA tournament, is the fifth highest paid coach in the Big Ten, according to Maturi. Michigan State’s Tom Izzo is the best paid at $3 million or more while Smith’s salary is $1.8 million this year. Approaching Izzo’s compensation level, though, is “not even an option” for Maturi and his financially challenged department.
Smith was found liable for damages in the Jimmy Williams trial that ended recently. The jury ruled in favor of Williams and his claim that Smith and the University hired him and then decided not to employ him as an assistant basketball coach. The University is expected to appeal that decision. Maturi said insurance will pay for Smith’s financial liability if the trial outcome remains the same.