David Levine
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Borton's 12-year tenure as Gophers women's coach ends
Article by: KENT YOUNGBLOOD , Star Tribune Updated: March 28, 2014 - 3:34 PM
Pam Borton’s failure to reach the NCAA tournament the past five seasons led to the end of her 12-year run as Minnesota's head coach.
A 12-season coaching tenure that had a fantastic start but a frustrating finish ended Friday when Gophers women’s basketball coach Pam Borton was fired, a day after Minnesota’s season ended with a third-round loss to South Dakota State in the Women’s NIT tournament.
Borton, hired to replace Brenda Frese before the 2002-03 season, inherited a team anchored by stars Lindsay Whalen and Janel McCarville that was on the rise. The Gophers qualified for the NCAA tournament in Borton’s first four seasons — including the memorable run to the Final Four in the spring of 2004 — and in six of her first seven. But the Gophers have failed to return to the national tournament the past five seasons.
In a press release, athletic director Norwood Teague said: “Pam has had many successful seasons at the University of Minnesota, but we feel it is time to look at another leader to position this program for long-term success."
Borton had an overall record of 236-152 in her 12 seasons at Minnesota and was 105-95 in the Big Ten.
Assistant coach Kelly Roysland, a former Gophers player who has been an assistant for four years, was named acting head coach.
Borton’s early success was followed by controversy — five players quit the team after the 2005-06 season — and criticism of her failure to recruit the state’s top high school players. But Borton nonetheless received an extension by outgoing AD Joel Maturi during the summer of 2012 that stretched her contract two seasons through 2015-16. According to that extension, Borton is due a $335,000 buyout.
“I am grateful for my 12 seasons at the University of Minnesota. This is a great state and University, and I have enjoyed becoming a part of this community,” Borton said in a statement released by the university. “I want to thank my players and staff over the years. We’ve accomplished a lot together and they have made the experience truly special. I want to give a special thanks to our current players and staff. They are a great group and I have enjoyed coaching and working with them every day.”
The university's NCAA tournament drought has been accompanied by declining interest in the program. The Gophers drew an average announced crowd of 9,703 during the 2003-04 season, compared to 3,178 in the recently-concluded season.
The point at which the Gophers program began to struggle can be traced to that 2005-06 season when, after starting out 17-5 the Gophers lost six of their final eight games, including a first-round NCAA loss to Washington. After that season ended five players — including Jamie Broback and Liz Podominick — quit the team in the span of 13 days.
In the wake of those defections, Borton became the focus of an internal investigation that eventually cited a communications failure between the coach and her players. Borton acknowledged the 2005-06 team had a problem with a disconnect between veteran players and younger players. She said she learned from the experience.
Despite those problems, Maturi signed Borton to a new six-year deal in 2008. And then, shortly before leaving the position, Maturi extended Borton’s contract two more seasons, a deal the university did not make public at the time, and was revealed by Borton during an interview months later.
On the court, the Gophers returned to the NCAA in 2008, and won a game there in 2009, but have not returned since, going 84-79 overall and 31-51 in Big Ten Conference play the past five seasons. After finishing fourth or better in the conference in four of her first six seasons with the Gophers, Minnesota has not finished higher than a tie for sixth since.
One problem was recruiting. While Borton did win such prize in-state recruits such as Rachel Banham and Kayla Hirt, she missed out on several others, including Braham’s Rebekah Dahlman (who went to Vanderbilt) and Hopkins’ Nia Coffey (Northwestern), both McDonald All-America selections who graduated from high school in 2013.
Still, after consecutive losing seasons starting in the fall of 2009, the Gophers had experienced a bit more success. Banham — who led the Big Ten in scoring this season and should retire as the program’s all-time leading scorer — came aboard in 2011. Borton recruited Swedish center Amanda Zahui B., who just finished her first season by being named the Big Ten’s freshman of the year.
And Borton had recruited a well-regarded incoming freshman class, including New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva High School star guard Carlie Wagner, considered the top in-state recruit.
But this season’s NIT berth was a disappointment to many with a team led by a pair of All-Big Ten players: Banham and Zahui B. The Gophers finished 8-8 in the Big Ten, but failed to beat a team above them in the standings.
The lack of a significant victory was cited as a reason Minnesota failed not only to secure an NCAA tournament bid, but to be included in serious discussions; the Gophers were not among the first four to be excluded from the tournament, according to selection committee chair Carolayne Henry.
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