Throughout the summer I'll be writing up each of the 34 players who played for the University of Minnesota under Tubby Smith. Why Tubby? Because it's the most recent era that's over. If this goes well perhaps I'll go back and do Monson as well. I'll be looking at any player who played at Minnesota under Tubby at some point, even if it was just a year. And I will be considering their entire Gopher career, so guys who started under Monson or finished under Pitino will have their whole career considered, but anyone who transferred in or out is only evaluated on their Gopher stats. With me? Here we go:
#34 to #31 can be found here.
#26-#30 can be found here.
25. TRAVIS BUSCH (2007-2009).
- I know what you're thinking. You're thinking he should be higher based solely on his heart and his hustle and his grit. Maybe so. But grit and a can do it attitude can only get you so far - like a career total of 132 points in a gopher uniform. I know you've talked yourself into remembering him as an impact player in his second year, but the fact of the matter is he only averaged 3.7 points per game that season. I think he had a handful of good games in a row or something at one point. Also, and I forgot this and only remembered when I was perusing my Busch archives, the team flat out decided not to renew his scholarship after his junior year. So that's something.
24. DEVRON BOSTICK (2008-2010).
- Ranks up there with Antoine Broxsie as one of the most disappointing Gophers in my lifetime. I remember reading up on him after the Gophers signed him out of JuCo and thinking damn he sounds good. A polished scorer with two years of JuCo experience? I figured him to come in and be instant offense at worst. Never happened. He averaged just 3.7 points per game in his Gopher career, and played less than 10 minutes per game his senior year. Course, that'll happen when you shoot just 43%. He had games where he started to look like he was putting it together, and he could certainly be a smooth offensive player at times, but time ran out before he could put it all together.
23. CHIP ARMELIN (2010-2012).
- Another disappointing Gopher, and other than Busch this whole post could just be labeled "The Disappointments", Armelin also never quite managed to put it all together. He averaged 4.5 points per game in 12.5 minutes per game in his two years here, and although he certainly had some serious athletic ability it never really manifested itself. He didn't put up good rebounding numbers, he wasn't a great defender, and he shot just 42%. He blossomed in his senior year after transferring to Mississippi State, but like I said, that means nothing here. I initially had him below Bostick, but I forgot how ineffective Bostick actually was. Armelin outscored him by 132 points, out-rebounded him by 32, and out-assisted him by 10.
22. OTO OSENIEKS (2011-2014).
- Another guy who never quite put it all together. Oto had a weird career, culminating in a career ending injury until the Gophers needed another big guy and then suddenly he could play again. His willingness to help the team is commendable, and he was maybe is a coach or grad assistant or something so that's great, but he also averaged just 3.5 points per game in his 3-year Gopher career and was a pretty god awful rebounder despite being 6-8. I always liked Oto, and I really wanted him to succeed since it seemed to me everyone was a bit too hard on him. Somehow, my want never made it so.
21. PAUL CARTER (2008-2010).
- Carter played just two years for the Gophers before transferring to UIC to be closer to his sick sister, but he ranks this highly because he's actually good. He had the most points and second most rebounds of any player ranked so far despite just the two seasons. Carter really made some strides between his first and second seasons and could have been a potential star, and he blossomed quite a bit once he enrolled at UIC. It was a bummer when he left, and I'll always remember his huge block in the big comeback win in Madison which, by the way, I was in attendance for. After the game and then after the bar we went to some pizza place and there was some punk kid there who moved our stuff and was sitting in our seat and he wouldn't move and wouldn't even look at us or acknowledge us in any way so Dawger slapped the pizza out of his stupid mouth and then we got kicked out. Still got to take our pizza with us though.
Tuesday, July 21, 2015
Sunday, July 5, 2015
Best Gophers of the Tubby Era: #26-30
Throughout the summer I'll be writing up each of the 34 players who played for the University of Minnesota under Tubby Smith. Why Tubby? Because it's the most recent era that's over. If this goes well perhaps I'll go back and do Monson as well. I'll be looking at any player who played at Minnesota under Tubby at some point, even if it was just a year. And I will be considering their entire Gopher career, so guys who started under Monson or finished under Pitino will have their whole career considered, but anyone who transferred in or out is only evaluated on their Gopher stats. With me? Here we go:
#34 to #31 can be found here.
30. JUSTIN COBBS (2009-2010).
- He had a completely acceptable freshman year backing up Al Nolen, averaging 2 pts and 1 assist per game in about 11 minutes, and he looked like he'd end up being a quality player. He did, ending his playing days with career averages of 11.3 points and 4.2 assists per game including points per game averages over 15 each of his last two seasons. The only problem is his last three years all happened at Cal after Cobbs transferred out following his first season here. His overall career would rank him significantly higher on this list, but with only 363 of his career minutes coming as a Gopher he has to land here.
29. KENDAL SHELL (2011-2015).
- Significantly less minutes in his Gopher career than even Cobbs with just 86 in his four years, I put Shell here because he's just been a good Gopher - no not playing wise but you know what I mean. There's something endearing about a guy willing to walk-on for four straight years (I know he got a stray scholarship or something at some point but the point stands). Did you know he wore three different jersey numbers in his time as a Gopher? Basketball Reference says, and Google Images confirms, that he wore 34, 2, and 12. Like, last season Nate Mason came in and wanted 2, so Shell shifted to 12. I assume the same thing happened with the switch from 34 to 2, though I can't come up with who wore 34 recently. Probably because I'm a little drunk. Anyway, Kendal Shell was a good soldier for four years, and I'd love to put him higher. With 17 career points, however, I cannot.
28. JONATHAN WILLIAMS (2004-2009).
- The longest tenured of anybody on this list with 5 years spent in the maroon and gold, he actually has better total numbers than a lot of people who will be ranked above him but that's a product of those five years. He played in 107 games but never averaged more than 3 points or rebounds per game. Basketball Reference doesn't have his minutes stats for some reason, but he finished his career with under two field goal attempts per game so it's safe to say he didn't get a lot of run (I'm struggling to clearly remember him at all). I went back in my archives to see what I said about him and he's been tagged five times in posts. They're, uh, not good. I found this:
So there you go.
27. KEVIN PAYTON (2006-2009).
- He just never developed. I remember he was a 3-star, and at 6-6 when he was forced to play point he did it well and I was optimistic. That was silly. He never averaged more than the 2.2 points and 2.5 assists per game that he did as a freshman, and his numbers just kind of, trend down until he did nothing his junior year and then flat out quit playing basketball. Still have no idea what happened here.
26. ANDRE INGRAM (2011-2013).
- A Minnesota kid who came to the Gophers after two years at JuCo I always liked Ingram (to be clear, it has nothing to do with him being a Minnesota kid who came home because I'm not one of those types). He just seemed like he was trying really hard. Unfortunately he just wasn't very good, ending up with career averages of 1.8 points and 1.7 rebounds per game. I've wrote on this blog many times that Andre Ingram was a really intriguing sophomore. Unfortunately he was a senior. And the NCAA has pretty strict rules around eligibility. Fascists.
#34 to #31 can be found here.
30. JUSTIN COBBS (2009-2010).
- He had a completely acceptable freshman year backing up Al Nolen, averaging 2 pts and 1 assist per game in about 11 minutes, and he looked like he'd end up being a quality player. He did, ending his playing days with career averages of 11.3 points and 4.2 assists per game including points per game averages over 15 each of his last two seasons. The only problem is his last three years all happened at Cal after Cobbs transferred out following his first season here. His overall career would rank him significantly higher on this list, but with only 363 of his career minutes coming as a Gopher he has to land here.
29. KENDAL SHELL (2011-2015).
- Significantly less minutes in his Gopher career than even Cobbs with just 86 in his four years, I put Shell here because he's just been a good Gopher - no not playing wise but you know what I mean. There's something endearing about a guy willing to walk-on for four straight years (I know he got a stray scholarship or something at some point but the point stands). Did you know he wore three different jersey numbers in his time as a Gopher? Basketball Reference says, and Google Images confirms, that he wore 34, 2, and 12. Like, last season Nate Mason came in and wanted 2, so Shell shifted to 12. I assume the same thing happened with the switch from 34 to 2, though I can't come up with who wore 34 recently. Probably because I'm a little drunk. Anyway, Kendal Shell was a good soldier for four years, and I'd love to put him higher. With 17 career points, however, I cannot.
28. JONATHAN WILLIAMS (2004-2009).
- The longest tenured of anybody on this list with 5 years spent in the maroon and gold, he actually has better total numbers than a lot of people who will be ranked above him but that's a product of those five years. He played in 107 games but never averaged more than 3 points or rebounds per game. Basketball Reference doesn't have his minutes stats for some reason, but he finished his career with under two field goal attempts per game so it's safe to say he didn't get a lot of run (I'm struggling to clearly remember him at all). I went back in my archives to see what I said about him and he's been tagged five times in posts. They're, uh, not good. I found this:
The Ugly: Jon Williams. Forced to play a lot of minutes by Tollackson's foul trouble and Wisconsin's size, and now has me praying Sampson and Iverson can play immediately. Williams was 0-5 shooting, and somehow it was even uglier than that. All five misses were from inside 3 feet, including a missed dunk. He's completely overmatched in the Big Ten, and I don't know if he's fixable at this point.
So there you go.
27. KEVIN PAYTON (2006-2009).
- He just never developed. I remember he was a 3-star, and at 6-6 when he was forced to play point he did it well and I was optimistic. That was silly. He never averaged more than the 2.2 points and 2.5 assists per game that he did as a freshman, and his numbers just kind of, trend down until he did nothing his junior year and then flat out quit playing basketball. Still have no idea what happened here.
26. ANDRE INGRAM (2011-2013).
- A Minnesota kid who came to the Gophers after two years at JuCo I always liked Ingram (to be clear, it has nothing to do with him being a Minnesota kid who came home because I'm not one of those types). He just seemed like he was trying really hard. Unfortunately he just wasn't very good, ending up with career averages of 1.8 points and 1.7 rebounds per game. I've wrote on this blog many times that Andre Ingram was a really intriguing sophomore. Unfortunately he was a senior. And the NCAA has pretty strict rules around eligibility. Fascists.
Thursday, July 2, 2015
Best Gophers of the Tubby Era: #34-31
Throughout the summer I'll be writing up each of the 34 players who played for the University of Minnesota under Tubby Smith. Why Tubby? Because it's the most recent era that's over. If this goes well perhaps I'll go back and do Monson as well. I'll be looking at any player who played at Minnesota under Tubby at some point, even if it was just a year. And I will be considering their entire Gopher career, so guys who started under Monson or finished under Pitino will have their whole career considered, but anyone who transferred in or out is only evaluated on their Gopher stats. With me? Here we go:
34. DOMINIQUE DAWSON (2010-2011).
- This is the one guy I actually don't remember, perhaps because he only played in 10 games in his career totaling just 23 minutes. Unfortunately he only managed four shot attempts and missed them all, and since he never got to the line he ended his Gopher career with 0 total points. Following the 2011 season Dawson transferred to Division II Kentucky-Wesleyan where he averaged 9.5 points and 6.5 rebounds his senior year. Good for him.
33. BRYANT ALLEN (2009-2010).
- I remember Allen, though maybe only because he was going to be a two sport star. Unfortunately he totaled just 7 points on the basketball court (and 21 receptions on the football field) in his brief time as a Gopher. He would then transfer to Illinois State in a recently completed trade for Reggie Lynch and Zach Lofton and drop football to concentrate on hoops. He averaged 8.3 points per game for the Redbirds across two seasons, then was dismissed from the team because of drugs. Well, being arrested for drugs.
32. WALLY ELLENSON (2012-2014).
- He has better stats than a few guys who I'm ranking above him but that's mostly because of his playing time coming from his family using his younger, better brother to hold the coaches hostage. He played in 9 games in both of his seasons here and was terrible. He flashed an insane amount of athleticism to be sure, but shot just 31% for his career on his way to a total of 34 points, mostly because he absolutely loved to shoot and did not care one little bit if he, or anyone else, was open. He also only managed one career steal despite being one of the most athletic guys on the court every time he stepped out there. Basically he was terrible, a chucker, and a whiner with a over involved meddling family and a complete waste of a scholarship. He's at Marquette now and regains eligibility next season so that should be fun. I wish I could rank him lower.
31. CHRIS HALVORSEN (2011-2013).
- I only sort of remember Halvorsen, kind of like if you go to a fourth of July cookout at your wife's friends and one of her friend's husband is there and you get introduced and you make a note that he's the douche wearing his sunglasses backwards. He's a Minnesota kid from Henry Sibley who originally played at Valparaiso before transferring back to walk-on for the Gophers in a move that seems backwards. He didn't play much for the Crusaders so maybe he decided well whatevs, I'd rather sit the bench for the home team which is kind of nice. Played two years and in 16 games totaling 31 minutes, scoring a total of five points. Seems like a good guy.
34. DOMINIQUE DAWSON (2010-2011).
- This is the one guy I actually don't remember, perhaps because he only played in 10 games in his career totaling just 23 minutes. Unfortunately he only managed four shot attempts and missed them all, and since he never got to the line he ended his Gopher career with 0 total points. Following the 2011 season Dawson transferred to Division II Kentucky-Wesleyan where he averaged 9.5 points and 6.5 rebounds his senior year. Good for him.
33. BRYANT ALLEN (2009-2010).
- I remember Allen, though maybe only because he was going to be a two sport star. Unfortunately he totaled just 7 points on the basketball court (and 21 receptions on the football field) in his brief time as a Gopher. He would then transfer to Illinois State in a recently completed trade for Reggie Lynch and Zach Lofton and drop football to concentrate on hoops. He averaged 8.3 points per game for the Redbirds across two seasons, then was dismissed from the team because of drugs. Well, being arrested for drugs.
32. WALLY ELLENSON (2012-2014).
- He has better stats than a few guys who I'm ranking above him but that's mostly because of his playing time coming from his family using his younger, better brother to hold the coaches hostage. He played in 9 games in both of his seasons here and was terrible. He flashed an insane amount of athleticism to be sure, but shot just 31% for his career on his way to a total of 34 points, mostly because he absolutely loved to shoot and did not care one little bit if he, or anyone else, was open. He also only managed one career steal despite being one of the most athletic guys on the court every time he stepped out there. Basically he was terrible, a chucker, and a whiner with a over involved meddling family and a complete waste of a scholarship. He's at Marquette now and regains eligibility next season so that should be fun. I wish I could rank him lower.
31. CHRIS HALVORSEN (2011-2013).
- I only sort of remember Halvorsen, kind of like if you go to a fourth of July cookout at your wife's friends and one of her friend's husband is there and you get introduced and you make a note that he's the douche wearing his sunglasses backwards. He's a Minnesota kid from Henry Sibley who originally played at Valparaiso before transferring back to walk-on for the Gophers in a move that seems backwards. He didn't play much for the Crusaders so maybe he decided well whatevs, I'd rather sit the bench for the home team which is kind of nice. Played two years and in 16 games totaling 31 minutes, scoring a total of five points. Seems like a good guy.
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