2008 Prospects

As mentioned earlier, it looks pretty likely the Gophers will have four scholarships available for the class of 2008. Looking at scout.com, it doesn't look like a pretty picture, but seeing as Tubby has just started recruiting for Minnesota instead of Awesome Dan Monson, hopefully some of the players who weren't interested in the Gophers will change their minds.

The top two instate players are already gone (Thanks Dan!), both Jordan Taylor of Benilde and Jared Berggren of Princeton have signed with Wisconsin. So that sucks. There really isn't much other talent of note in the state, and the Gophers already signed two star center Andrew Brommer of Rosemount, who probably sucks since he was signed by Monson.

There are two three-star players who are listed as having interest in Minnesota right now, SF Klay Thompson from California, and PF Draymond Green from Michigan. Thompson is not likely, as every other school on his list is on the west coast, and it seems unlikely he would sign with the Gophers.

Green is a very interesting possibility, as he had originally signed with Kentucky and pulled out when Tubby left. What is also interesting about this, is that Tubby still has to hire to assistant coaches to round out his staff. According to Jeff Shelman, one person he's considering is Saginaw High School's head coach Lou Dawkins, which just so happens to be the school Draymond Green is attending.

Even more interesting, is that this doesn't look like it would be a simple hire just to get Green to sign. Dawkins played under Smith when he was at Tulsa, and has been very successful at Saginaw, going 78-7 in his three years there and winning the state title this year. Hiring him would not only get a good, up and coming assistant, but would also increase the chances of Draymond Green signing with the Gophers. So hurry up and do it already.

UPDATE: So Draymond Green is from Michigan, and I found a blog written by Joe Rexrode for the Lansing State Journal. He says that he talked to Green about Michigan State, and Green said '"Ever since I was a child, MSU was my dream school. Even this year I wanted to go there, but then Tubby Smith came and presented his program to me. I didn't have an offer from Michigan State and I can't just constantly wait, so I committed to him."
And if MSU came after him now? "I don't know what I would do right now," he said.'

So basically he wants to go to Michigan State, he just hasn't been offered (he's been offered by Minnesota, Clemson, Boston College, and DePaul.) The Spartans have signed just two players for 2008, and I have no idea what their scholarship situation is, but I think it would be nice to just hurry up and get him signed already.