Much has been said about the future of Tubby Smith, and whether he'll be on his way out as the coach of the Minnesota Golden Gophers - for whatever reason. There was some early talk of leaving coaching, but now the talk has centered around potentially leaving for another school. The most prominent rumor has been one of Smith returning to Tulsa, where Smith began his NCAA head coaching career.
The Star Tribune recently published a quote from Smith that would seem to put those rumors to rest:
"I'm a candidate for Minnesota," Smith said. "That's it. It's good to hear that sometimes, but it doesn't help with your recruiting and things like that.''
As noted, Smith began his head coaching career there. He led the Golden Hurricane to a 79-43 record between 1991-95 and two Sweet 16 appearances. Smith has also been linked to South Carolina, among others. It's believed that Tulsa wouldn't have the salary to bring Smith in near the amount he's making now - about $1.8 million annually, according to Tulsa World.
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