The Gainful Employment of Ryan Saunders

WhimperWolf · Post #1 » by **WhimperWolf** » Tue Nov 9, 2021 6:35 pm

Former Wolves coach Ryan Saunders has been hired as an adjunct professor at the University of Northwestern in St. Paul for the Spring 2022 semester.

Saunders will teach Sports Leadership, a two-credit course in the College of Behavioral and Natural Sciences.

Saunders was head coach of the Timberwolves from 2019-2021 and has 12 years of NBA coaching experience.

The sports leadership course at Northwestern is aimed at giving students the chance to develop moral and ethical values and skills via the study of sports management issues. The course curriculum was written by Brad Ruiter, the former vice president of communications for the Timberwolves and Lynx.

Ruiter is currently chair of Northwestern's Physical Education, Kinesiology, Health and Sports Management department. The course was designed with a local professional coach or front office executive in mind.

Northwestern is a nondenominational Christian university with an enrollment of about 3,400 students.

winforlose · Post #2 » by **winforlose** » Tue Nov 9, 2021 6:45 pm

WhimperWolf wrote:Former Wolves coach Ryan Saunders has been hired as an adjunct professor at the University of Northwestern in St. Paul for the Spring 2022 semester.

Saunders will teach Sports Leadership, a two-credit course in the College of Behavioral and Natural Sciences.

Saunders was head coach of the Timberwolves from 2019-2021 and has 12 years of NBA coaching experience.

The sports leadership course at Northwestern is aimed at giving students the chance to develop moral and ethical values and skills via the study of sports management issues. The course curriculum was written by Brad Ruiter, the former vice president of communications for the Timberwolves and Lynx.

Ruiter is currently chair of Northwestern's Physical Education, Kinesiology, Health and Sports Management department. The course was designed with a local professional coach or front office executive in mind.

Northwestern is a nondenominational Christian university with an enrollment of about 3,400 students.

As long as he isn’t coaching.

Post #3 » by **Worm Guts** » Tue Nov 9, 2021 7:44 pm

I'm surprised he didn't catch on somewhere as an assistant. Or maybe he didn't want to do it anymore?

Dewey · Post #4 » by **Dewey** » Wed Nov 10, 2021 12:44 am

winforlose wrote:
WhimperWolf wrote:Former Wolves coach Ryan Saunders has been hired as an adjunct professor at the University of Northwestern in St. Paul for the Spring 2022 semester.

Saunders will teach Sports Leadership, a two-credit course in the College of Behavioral and Natural Sciences.

Saunders was head coach of the Timberwolves from 2019-2021 and has 12 years of NBA coaching experience.

The sports leadership course at Northwestern is aimed at giving students the chance to develop moral and ethical values and skills via the study of sports management issues. The course curriculum was written by Brad Ruiter, the former vice president of communications for the Timberwolves and Lynx.

Ruiter is currently chair of Northwestern's Physical Education, Kinesiology, Health and Sports Management department. The course was designed with a local professional coach or front office executive in mind.

Northwestern is a nondenominational Christian university with an enrollment of about 3,400 students.

As long as he isn’t coaching.

What a man … kick him when he’s down. Your all class as always

shangrila · Post #5 » by **shangrila** » Wed Nov 10, 2021 1:53 am

Dewey wrote:
winforlose wrote:
WhimperWolf wrote:Former Wolves coach Ryan Saunders has been hired as an adjunct professor at the University of Northwestern in St. Paul for the Spring 2022 semester.

Saunders will teach Sports Leadership, a two-credit course in the College of Behavioral and Natural Sciences.

Saunders was head coach of the Timberwolves from 2019-2021 and has 12 years of NBA coaching experience.

The sports leadership course at Northwestern is aimed at giving students the chance to develop moral and ethical values and skills via the study of sports management issues. The course curriculum was written by Brad Ruiter, the former vice president of communications for the Timberwolves and Lynx.

Ruiter is currently chair of Northwestern's Physical Education, Kinesiology, Health and Sports Management department. The course was designed with a local professional coach or front office executive in mind.

Northwestern is a nondenominational Christian university with an enrollment of about 3,400 students.

As long as he isn’t coaching.

What a man … kick him when he’s down. Your all class as always

When he's down?

He was gifted a job he didn't deserve, almost certainly due to cronyism, that paid him more in a year what most wouldn't see in decades. And now that he's been fired from that job, that he's still getting paid for AFAIK, he's now picked up a presumably well paying professor position that's being overseen by...well, would you look at that, a former associate.

The guy looks like he's doing fine.

GopherIt! · Post #6 » by **GopherIt!** » Wed Nov 10, 2021 2:21 am

This is cool.

TheAlanParsons · Post #7 » by **TheAlanParsons** » Thu Nov 11, 2021 8:02 pm

Good for him. He always seemed like a quality guy.

Wolf_Cry · Post #8 » by **Wolf_Cry** » Fri Nov 12, 2021 3:21 am

I'm happy for him. I have no resentment towards the guy. Was he deserving of the HC job? No. But he also was placed in an unfair situation to succeed. Rosas gave him a **** roster and then told him to run the team a certain way (*ahem* 3's all day *ahem*). I'm not saying Ryan's a good coach- but it's hard to tell how bad he was. It's become even more evident now that Finch is struggling with this squad as well.

babyjax13 · Post #9 » by **babyjax13** » Fri Nov 12, 2021 6:55 am

shangrila wrote:
Dewey wrote:
winforlose wrote:
As long as he isn’t coaching.

What a man … kick him when he’s down. Your all class as always

When he's down?

He was gifted a job he didn't deserve, almost certainly due to cronyism, that paid him more in a year what most wouldn't see in decades. And now that he's been fired from that job, that he's still getting paid for AFAIK, he's now picked up a presumably well paying professor position that's being overseen by...well, would you look at that, a former associate.

The guy looks like he's doing fine.

Adjunct professors make next to nothing. At my University, if you are lucky they will hire you part time for $1,300 a course. I'm sure Northwestern pays a bit better, but I doubt it is **much** better. Unless he is teaching 4+ sections a quarter (which would SUUUUUUCK) I'm sure this is just something to do while he looks for something.

PharmD · Post #10 » by **PharmD** » Fri Nov 12, 2021 2:08 pm

babyjax13 wrote:
shangrila wrote:
Dewey wrote:What a man … kick him when he’s down. Your all class as always

When he's down?

He was gifted a job he didn't deserve, almost certainly due to cronyism, that paid him more in a year what most wouldn't see in decades. And now that he's been fired from that job, that he's still getting paid for AFAIK, he's now picked up a presumably well paying professor position that's being overseen by...well, would you look at that, a former associate.

The guy looks like he's doing fine.

Adjunct professors make next to nothing. At my University, if you are lucky they will hire you part time for $1,300 a course. I'm sure Northwestern pays a bit better, but I doubt it is **much** better. Unless he is teaching 4+ sections a quarter (which would SUUUUUUCK) I'm sure this is just something to do while he looks for something.

Yeah for real. My exgf got $450 per credit hour. So teaching a 4 credit chemistry course pays $1800 for the semester.

winforlose · Post #11 » by **winforlose** » Fri Nov 12, 2021 2:38 pm

On his merits Ryan did not deserve the HC job. I don’t honestly believe he deserved an AC job in the bigs, but that is a whole different debate. I am watching nepotism destroy the Vikings season the same way I watched it destroy multiple Wolves seasons. Granted Finch doesn’t seem to be doing any better at present. If you want to get into the merits of was Ryan a good coach or not I think the data is pretty clear he wasn’t. I don’t want him coaching and I said so. If someone gives him another chance eventually let’s hope he actually earns it instead of using personal and family connections.

Post #12 » by **Worm Guts** » Fri Nov 12, 2021 3:08 pm

winforlose wrote:On his merits Ryan did not deserve the HC job. I don’t honestly believe he deserved an AC job in the bigs, but that is a whole different debate. I am watching nepotism destroy the Vikings season the same way I watched it destroy multiple Wolves seasons. Granted Finch doesn’t seem to be doing any better at present. If you want to get into the merits of was Ryan a good coach or not I think the data is pretty clear he wasn’t. I don’t want him coaching and I said so. If someone gives him another chance eventually let’s hope he actually earns it instead of using personal and family connections.

At this point he has enough experience that it’s hard to argue he’s not qualified have an assistants job. While he did get his jobs through nepotism, that’s not really his fault. I don’t see reason to be bitter towards him.

Post #13 » by **Calinks** » Fri Nov 12, 2021 3:15 pm

That's a cool gig and he gets to stay home for another year.

b7s4 · Post #14 » by **b7s4** » Mon Jun 13, 2022 3:35 pm

Former Timberwolves coach Saunders to be added to Nuggets staff

https://sports.yahoo.com/report-former-timberwolves-coach-saunders-120048313.html

Read on Twitter

KGdaBom · Post #15 » by **KGdaBom** » Mon Jun 13, 2022 5:08 pm

b7s4 wrote:
Former Timberwolves coach Saunders to be added to Nuggets staff

https://sports.yahoo.com/report-former-timberwolves-coach-saunders-120048313.html

Read on Twitter

Sounds like his teaching gig might be off unless he works remotely for one or the other.

shrink · Post #16 » by **shrink** » Mon Jun 13, 2022 6:48 pm

I think I heard an interview where Tim Connelly said he was good friends with Ryan Saunders, and would stop by his home and spend time with his family when he was in town. I wonder if Ryan asked Tim for a job, Tim didn’t want to add the previous coach to the current coach’s staff, and said, “Let me make a call back to Denver.”

KGdaBom · Post #17 » by **KGdaBom** » Tue Jun 14, 2022 1:02 am

shrink wrote:I think I heard an interview where Tim Connelly said he was good friends with Ryan Saunders, and would stop by his home and spend time with his family when he was in town. I wonder if Ryan asked Tim for a job, Tim didn’t want to add the previous coach to the current coach’s staff, and said, “Let me make a call back to Denver.”

That would make sense, but he just got a friend of his to leave. :roll: