So the Gophers are 4-0. It's probably nothing more than building up some false hope and this team's upside is still an NIT invite, but 4-0 feels good, particularly since two of the wins were against teams that aren't probably completely terrible. With three of the next four games against teams that pose an actual challenge (Arkansas, at Florida State, vs. Vandy in South Dakota) this seems like a good time to check in. I was at the game against Louisiana (but had my two weiner kids with me so it was hard to pay too much attention), half watched a replay of the game against UTSA on the computer while I was at work, and saw most of the St. Johns game on TV. Needless to say, I'm clearly qualified to have opinions. Here are some of those:
1. I LIKE this team. The last couple of seasons were made extra tough because there were just too many unlikable players. I don't mean as people because I don't know any of these guys, but to watch. From Carlos Morris to Kevin Dorsey to Bakary Konate to Gaston Diedhiou to Joey King to wondering what in the hell happened to DeAndre Matheiu it just wasn't a fun experience. But I really like this year's team thus far. I've always said the best college team you could put together would be four mostly interchangeable athletic guards/wings with one defensively dominant big man, and one of those wing types a go to scorer. I'm getting way ahead of myself I know, and I don't know who will be the scorer guy, but I like this team's makeup and they're fun to watch.
2. Reggie Lynch is amazing. I love this guy. Did you know he's ninth in the country in block rate right now? That's top 10! When is the last time the Gophers had an actual rim protector like this? Jerry Holman? And if you watch him he's more than just a shot blocker, he has an understanding of help defense and can handle a pick and roll and has a good knack for being in the right place. He's also got an extremely ugly hook shot that goes in once in a while, and I did see him drive to the rim once. Plus he's my son's favorite player. Only because he wears #22, which is also Andrew Wiggins number, but still, that helps. Big fan.
3. Also a big fan of Dupree McBrayer this year. He somewhere acquired some swagger, befitting his NYC point guard pedigree, and has seen an uptick in shots, shooting percentage, and scoring and his body language just screams team leader out there. He's putting up pretty amazing numbers efficiency wise right now and doing it while still not committing turnovers which is not what usually happens when you see an increase in usage so I'm expected a bit of a regression at some point. Still, even if the real Dupree this year is somewhere halfway between last year and what we've seen this year that's a nice leap in a sophomore season. Plus he somehow manages to be both herky jerky and smooth at the same time, something only a lefty can do for some reason.
4. The freshmen have looked really, really good. In the first couple games Amir Coffey was clearly used to being able to do whatever he wanted on the court and forced a few things that don't work against college level defense, but you could see he was on a higher level than most players. That finally all came together against St. John's with that incredible 30 point night. He's done a good job so far balancing being the best player on the floor (if not yet technically it won't be long) with not doing too much since that first game. Hopefully that continues. And how good is Eric Curry? He's the one guy on the team where I want to see him be more aggressive. More than once he's had an opportunity to look for his own shot and just passed the ball of without even exploring that option. Be aggressive Eric! You're good!
5. I've been so busy raving about all our shiny new toys I haven't even mentioned the two best players from last year, Nate Mason and Jordan Murphy, and how they've continued to do what they do. It's easy to take them for granted now while we look at what's changed from last year, but Murphy is averaging 12 and 8 while shooting 55%, and Mason is putting up a line of 13.5 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists per game - those are both really good! Both of these guys are better than they were last year, and with all the other improvements it's hard not to be optimistic. Believe me I'm trying.
6. Ok the one negative so far: Akeem Springs. Holy crap this guy is basically a cartoon character how much he completely fits the senior year transfer looking for his own shot to showcase his own value in order to hopefully have some kind of post-college basketball career. I mean he's taking a much higher percentage of shots while he's on the floor this year than ever before and he's on a much better team now! Chucker city. Since he's going to be an inefficient shooting machine, we can either hate him, or embrace him as a Malik Smith kind of guy. Since I'm in a good mood, I'll do the Malik Smith thing. Put him in as the first guy off the bench each half. If he's hitting - yay! If not, bench him for the rest of the half and give his minutes to Michael Hurt or Ahmad Gilbert. Win win.
There are a couple other potential issues like the team suddenly not creating turnovers and the usual issues defending the three pointer, but the team is 4-0. They're 4-0 with two wins over teams who could have beaten them and they're fun to watch. So I'm going to enjoy this for now. Mostly because they could be 5-3 after the end of next week and we'll be back in the dumper with a horrible season looming ahead of us - again. But I'm not going to think about that right now. I'm having fun.
Showing posts with label Dupree McBrayer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dupree McBrayer. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 22, 2016
Monday, December 14, 2015
Oklahoma State 62, Gophers 60
I suppose I saw this coming as a loss, which is why I bet Ok State -3, which is why Nate Mason's late lay-up instead of some desperate three clanging off the rim was a double killer. You either want the Gophers to win, or to win your bet. When neither happen it just sucks. Like the team this year. Anyway, here are 10 things I liked and didn't like (disclaimer: may not get to 10 because meh).
1. The defense was much better for most of the game. There were lapses of course, but in general the defense seemed much better both from an effort and a scheme stand point. The Gophers extended their zone out, way out, compared to usual in order to kind of take away the easy three pointer, and at the same time whoever was the anchor, Bakary Konate or whoever, laid back near the rim to discourage lay-ups. This forced the Cowboys into taking a lot of long twos, which is what you want. Considering Ok State shot a worse percentage from both 3 and 2 than the Gophers are allowing on the season I'd say it was a success. I want to see this exact defense in every game forever.
2. Kind of related to the effort and scheming on defense, the offense was much more active. It's like Pitino went into the lab on both offense and defense to change things up, and even though the Gophers shot like poop you could at least see more offense going on. Lots of off the ball screening, many times with a wing zooming from one side of the court all the way to the other, and far less reliance on pick and rolls. This helped facilitate a lot more ball movement than we've seen lately and will only make the team better in the long run. Of course, it's not all ball movement because Morris.
3. I don't see any reason to play Carlos Morris more than a token amount of minutes going forward. You can't just bench the guy because it's kind of a dick move to do that to a senior, but he doesn't fit the ball movement offense and just does some really dumb things. The passing up an open three to pump fake, then starting at the defender, and then shooting now that it's contested. The offensive rebound followed by fall away jumper that has no prayer of going in. Taking the ball at the rim in a one-on-four situation. And the ball stopping. Always the ball stopping. Last year, at least, you could point to his defense and high steal rate, but for whatever reason his steals are cut in half this year and he's just not adding anything of value. On a team that is going nowhere this year, there's no need to play a guy who isn't part of the future if he doesn't help you. Joey King at least gives you some shooting, even if that's about it.
4. Keep an eye on this Jordan Murphy character. His stats, obviously, are eye popping as he put up another double double with 11 points and 12 rebounds, his third in his last four games. His offensive rebounding is already elite with his quick jump ability and smarts (top 50ish) and his defensive rebounding is great too, mostly based on good positioning. His offensive game is decent as well, and if he can hit that open three-pointer to keep defenses honest it's going to open up so much more for him - and we're off to a good start there at 3-8 and they look good coming off his hand. His intelligence is what really sets him apart for me though. He and Mason ran a pick and roll, but the defender hedged so hard over the top the pick didn't really happen, so Murphy just flipped around and Mason came right back the other way. It was a smart, smart play. It resulted in a missed shot of course, but the Murphy/Mason pick and rolls should end up a staple of this team for the next few years.
5. Speaking of pick and rolls, I loved this one particular play. Pitino must have worked this one out in the lab because I can't recall seeing it before, but it should be used a minimum of once a half going forward. Mason has the ball, and Murphy and King set a double pick for him on the wing. Once he clears the pick, Murphy rolls to the hoop and King pops right out to the wing. It's brilliant. It gives Mason three immediate options - drive, hit Murphy diving to the hoop, or swing it back to King for an open three. Meanwhile the other two players are in the corners to clear spacing and give Mason the option of a kick out if their defenders collapse or jump to cover King. Really cool play.
6. Speaking of Mason, man this kid is good. He is just so under control at all times. He can drive and score, dish, or pull up and hit a jumper, and he can hit the open three (his shooting will come on despite a slow start). He took over running the offense this year and although the offense has been iffy at best, that's not his fault. Then there was a play that didn't work but just showed his court sense and vision. The Gophers got a rebound and outlet passed it to him, and Morris had broken down court (because OFFENSE OFFENSE OFFENSE is what is in his brain) and without even taking a dribble Mason turned and fired it all the way down court. The Ok State defender got a hand on it and knocked it out of bounds, but if he doesn't Morris catches it and dunks without having to dribble. Would have been a thing of beauty. Mason is a fun watch.
7. Where was Charles Buggs? After playing at least 23 minutes and starting in the first 8 games this season (I think), Buggs played zero minutes against Oklahoma State after getting just 8 in the South Dakota State game. According to Pitino it had nothing to do with discipline or injury, and he simply played the players he though would help him win the game, which included walk-on freshman Stephon Sharp getting 3 minutes (after having had 1 whole minute this season) and little used freshman Ahmad Gilbert 2 minutes (he had 27 coming into the game). I don't think Buggs is some big game changer, but he's been an extremely efficient scorer this year and has improved on defense considerably from last season. Considering he'll presumably be around next season, this is a surprising development. I'd bench Morris way before Buggs. Also, full disclosure, I didn't even realize Buggs wasn't playing until someone mentioned it on twitter, so....
8. Dupree McBrayer took Buggs's spot in the starting lineup, and I think I like him. He needs a lot of polish, and I mean a lot, but there's things here I like. He does a good job as a secondary ball handler, and even it that role he's actually second on the team in assist rate (behind Mason). He also leads the team in fouls drawn and free throw rate because he already has a good ability to attack the rim and very smooth and in control when he does it. Against Ok State there was a play where he drove and the dude set up for a charge and he was able to just slide himself enough to the side to turn it into a block. Very good play. Yes, he's had some lapses on both sides of the ball, is too left-hand dependent, and hasn't been able to shoot a lick this year, but I'm ok with that. As a freshman I've seen enough that I'm confident he'll be a solid player down the line.
9. Kevin Dorsey too. Yeah him too. I'm liking how this class is shaping up for the most part. Dorsey is more polished than McBrayer, which is why I'm more concerned with his shitty shooting than Brayer's shittier shooting since I think if he could hit a jumper we would have seen it by now, but he's a bull getting to the rim. He's already a master of using his body to draw fouls and is third on the team in FT rate (behind McBrayer and Murphy). Considering he hits around 80% of his foul shots that's a solid strategy (and gives me hope his jumper will come around).
10. Next up, Chicago State. Considering the Cougars are one of the worst teams in the entire country (#339 per kenpom) this needs to be a blowout. They do nothing at all well. They do however, hoist a ton of three pointers. They don't make them, but knowing this Gopher team that's always a bit of a concern. Their only three wins this season were against non-D1 opponents, and they lost to DePaul by 24, Iowa State by 42, and Northwestern by 42. They are a terrible team. Please let this not be close.
Gophers 88, Chicago State 66.
1. The defense was much better for most of the game. There were lapses of course, but in general the defense seemed much better both from an effort and a scheme stand point. The Gophers extended their zone out, way out, compared to usual in order to kind of take away the easy three pointer, and at the same time whoever was the anchor, Bakary Konate or whoever, laid back near the rim to discourage lay-ups. This forced the Cowboys into taking a lot of long twos, which is what you want. Considering Ok State shot a worse percentage from both 3 and 2 than the Gophers are allowing on the season I'd say it was a success. I want to see this exact defense in every game forever.
2. Kind of related to the effort and scheming on defense, the offense was much more active. It's like Pitino went into the lab on both offense and defense to change things up, and even though the Gophers shot like poop you could at least see more offense going on. Lots of off the ball screening, many times with a wing zooming from one side of the court all the way to the other, and far less reliance on pick and rolls. This helped facilitate a lot more ball movement than we've seen lately and will only make the team better in the long run. Of course, it's not all ball movement because Morris.
3. I don't see any reason to play Carlos Morris more than a token amount of minutes going forward. You can't just bench the guy because it's kind of a dick move to do that to a senior, but he doesn't fit the ball movement offense and just does some really dumb things. The passing up an open three to pump fake, then starting at the defender, and then shooting now that it's contested. The offensive rebound followed by fall away jumper that has no prayer of going in. Taking the ball at the rim in a one-on-four situation. And the ball stopping. Always the ball stopping. Last year, at least, you could point to his defense and high steal rate, but for whatever reason his steals are cut in half this year and he's just not adding anything of value. On a team that is going nowhere this year, there's no need to play a guy who isn't part of the future if he doesn't help you. Joey King at least gives you some shooting, even if that's about it.
4. Keep an eye on this Jordan Murphy character. His stats, obviously, are eye popping as he put up another double double with 11 points and 12 rebounds, his third in his last four games. His offensive rebounding is already elite with his quick jump ability and smarts (top 50ish) and his defensive rebounding is great too, mostly based on good positioning. His offensive game is decent as well, and if he can hit that open three-pointer to keep defenses honest it's going to open up so much more for him - and we're off to a good start there at 3-8 and they look good coming off his hand. His intelligence is what really sets him apart for me though. He and Mason ran a pick and roll, but the defender hedged so hard over the top the pick didn't really happen, so Murphy just flipped around and Mason came right back the other way. It was a smart, smart play. It resulted in a missed shot of course, but the Murphy/Mason pick and rolls should end up a staple of this team for the next few years.
5. Speaking of pick and rolls, I loved this one particular play. Pitino must have worked this one out in the lab because I can't recall seeing it before, but it should be used a minimum of once a half going forward. Mason has the ball, and Murphy and King set a double pick for him on the wing. Once he clears the pick, Murphy rolls to the hoop and King pops right out to the wing. It's brilliant. It gives Mason three immediate options - drive, hit Murphy diving to the hoop, or swing it back to King for an open three. Meanwhile the other two players are in the corners to clear spacing and give Mason the option of a kick out if their defenders collapse or jump to cover King. Really cool play.
6. Speaking of Mason, man this kid is good. He is just so under control at all times. He can drive and score, dish, or pull up and hit a jumper, and he can hit the open three (his shooting will come on despite a slow start). He took over running the offense this year and although the offense has been iffy at best, that's not his fault. Then there was a play that didn't work but just showed his court sense and vision. The Gophers got a rebound and outlet passed it to him, and Morris had broken down court (because OFFENSE OFFENSE OFFENSE is what is in his brain) and without even taking a dribble Mason turned and fired it all the way down court. The Ok State defender got a hand on it and knocked it out of bounds, but if he doesn't Morris catches it and dunks without having to dribble. Would have been a thing of beauty. Mason is a fun watch.
7. Where was Charles Buggs? After playing at least 23 minutes and starting in the first 8 games this season (I think), Buggs played zero minutes against Oklahoma State after getting just 8 in the South Dakota State game. According to Pitino it had nothing to do with discipline or injury, and he simply played the players he though would help him win the game, which included walk-on freshman Stephon Sharp getting 3 minutes (after having had 1 whole minute this season) and little used freshman Ahmad Gilbert 2 minutes (he had 27 coming into the game). I don't think Buggs is some big game changer, but he's been an extremely efficient scorer this year and has improved on defense considerably from last season. Considering he'll presumably be around next season, this is a surprising development. I'd bench Morris way before Buggs. Also, full disclosure, I didn't even realize Buggs wasn't playing until someone mentioned it on twitter, so....
8. Dupree McBrayer took Buggs's spot in the starting lineup, and I think I like him. He needs a lot of polish, and I mean a lot, but there's things here I like. He does a good job as a secondary ball handler, and even it that role he's actually second on the team in assist rate (behind Mason). He also leads the team in fouls drawn and free throw rate because he already has a good ability to attack the rim and very smooth and in control when he does it. Against Ok State there was a play where he drove and the dude set up for a charge and he was able to just slide himself enough to the side to turn it into a block. Very good play. Yes, he's had some lapses on both sides of the ball, is too left-hand dependent, and hasn't been able to shoot a lick this year, but I'm ok with that. As a freshman I've seen enough that I'm confident he'll be a solid player down the line.
9. Kevin Dorsey too. Yeah him too. I'm liking how this class is shaping up for the most part. Dorsey is more polished than McBrayer, which is why I'm more concerned with his shitty shooting than Brayer's shittier shooting since I think if he could hit a jumper we would have seen it by now, but he's a bull getting to the rim. He's already a master of using his body to draw fouls and is third on the team in FT rate (behind McBrayer and Murphy). Considering he hits around 80% of his foul shots that's a solid strategy (and gives me hope his jumper will come around).
10. Next up, Chicago State. Considering the Cougars are one of the worst teams in the entire country (#339 per kenpom) this needs to be a blowout. They do nothing at all well. They do however, hoist a ton of three pointers. They don't make them, but knowing this Gopher team that's always a bit of a concern. Their only three wins this season were against non-D1 opponents, and they lost to DePaul by 24, Iowa State by 42, and Northwestern by 42. They are a terrible team. Please let this not be close.
Gophers 88, Chicago State 66.
Monday, November 30, 2015
Gophers vs. Clemson Live Blog
Since this is basically the only interesting home non-conference opponent the Gophers are going to face this year and since I cannot be in attendance I might as well live blog the game.
Before that though, I went to the Gopher football game this weekend and actually tailgated for the first time. I know what you're thinking and yes there's probably something wrong with me, but it was my first time and it was a blast. I got to hook up with a couple of old college buddies who were in town from Wisconsin (including WSCTQB who used to comment on this blog back when it didn't suck so much), fun internet dudes Disco Stu and Stryker, and a big chunk of the Gopher Blogger/Twitterverse including @TreTanic (and his brother who I don't believe is on twitter anywhere), @MVoDT, @jdmill, and @Swannosaurus. I know I met other people but it's hard to remember because we did thinks like drink bourbon at 9:30am, destroy all of the beers, take an Uber from one parking lot to another, do back to back shots of fireball or fireball equivalent, and eat nothing but grilled sausages. It ruled. We also played a bunch of cornhole and MVoDT and I were the best team in history. I wish I could say I remembered more of the game, but I don't and then I died the next morning. Was a blast.
So anyone, on to the next crappy Gopher team. They opened as a pick 'em against Clemson tonight and have been bet all the way to -2 at some places. Which means someone is confident in the Gophers. I myself am not. Away we go.
Oh wait hold on. We had our Big Ten Basketball Fantasy Draft last night. Just a few notes:
And now away we go.
- And the game won't load on the stupid WatchESPN app. I swear to god someone will burn for this.
18:38 - It's 3-2 Clemson and I finally got it to load. I'm shocked the Gophers alllowed a 3. Shocked.
17:42 - Joey King posts up from about 16 out, then kicks a nice pass out of a double to Dupree McBrayer who first misses and easy rotation pass that would have resulted in an open 3, following that up by forcing up a terrible three pointer of his own. Then Clemson hits a 3 in transition. I can already sum this season up in once sequence.
17:14 - My son just snuck down to watch some of the game with me. I want to forbid him from being a Gopher fan so, so bad. Just as my Dad should have done for me.
15;50 - Buggs knocks down a 3 to make it 11-10 Clemson. I still have no idea what to make of Buggs.
15:21 - Clemson has done two things so far this game - offensive rebounds and make 3s. Stop me if you've heard this one before.
14:48 - Morris with a dumb floater that gets blocked, nobody fills to get back, layup Clemson. This may be the year I actually quit this dumb blog.
13:40 - No defense on either side, so at least it's fun. 18-14 Clemson.
12:58 - Mason drives and doesn't score, nobody fills and gets back, easy lay-up Clemson.
12:21 - McBrayer looks pretty smooth. Freshman-y, but smooth. TO THE FUTURE!
12:06 - Murphy gets completely lost and it's another Clemson lay-up. This is fairly unreal.
11:08 - Murphy's spin move from post to baseline, however, has gotten him multiple easy buckets this year including just now. There's some potential from some of these guys, no doubt.
9:30 - Murphy now hits a free throw line jumper. He's got an awfully good all around offensive game for a freshman. I expect "lots of potential but lots of young mistakes" to be this year's theme. Which I guess could be worse.
8:09 - And Murphy tip-dunk. This is just a Jordan Murphy live blog, apparently.
7:16 - Carlos Morris takes the pass in the left corner with a small window if he wants to shoot, jab steps instead and creates a little bit of room if he wants to drive, instead pulls back and shoots a contested 3-pointer which doesn't even come close to going in. This is what it sounds like when doves cry.
6:16 - Nice little double screen off the indbounds leads to a Mason jumper. Pitino still excels at drawing up offensive plays, either half court or off the inbounds. He sucks at a few things, but hopefully he'll learn, and he was more imaginative offensively than any other Gopher coach I can remember. Also Clemson hit a three while I was typing that.
4:30 - Buggs airballs a 3 by about 3 feet. Sure. Why not.
3:22 - Clemson just made a pass from wing to wing you should never be able to make against an aggressive zone. Led to a stupid 3, that went in of course, but just making that pass shouldn't happen.
2:50 - Joey King hits another open three and he's developed a pretty quick trigger. He still can't create his own offense and I don't see Big Ten coaches being unable to take him completely away, but he's at least reached a point where they'll have to scheme for him. Which I wouldn't have believed even a year ago.
0:30 - Clemson three. I almost can't wait to look at their kenpom numbers tomorrow. Hard to believe any other team in the country is getting killed by 3s like this. 42-36 half. I'm going to go watch whatever dumb show my wife is watching. I might be late for the second half. OH NO.
19:10 - Mason is so solid shooting. He's going to be really good.
17:24 - As I say that Mason gets caught standing around on defense. Some of the mistakes this team makes.........
16:25 - Morris goes one on 3 and somehow manages to kick it to Buggs who takes a dumb contested 3-pointer. Which hits front of rim, bounces up, and goes in. We'll take it, but that is not good basketball.
15:05 - Man Murphy just owns the baseline. Of course, then nobody gets back and it's yet another Clemson three. 51-50 Clemson.
14:04 - Another Clemson three on a drive and kick. Can't fault the Gophers too much on that one, but man it's just such a common pattern.
13:30 - Announcer guy, "King in the post. That's not really his offensive strength." No shit.
12:19 - Buggs hits just a stupid, stupid three pointer. Good for him I guess.
12:17 - I think I will have some sriracha beef jerky.
11:47 - Clemson sagging way off Dorsey already. I was hoping that wouldn't happen.
11:25 - Buggs fouled as he wildly drives the lane. He's much better at that then when he wildly chucks up contested threes.
11:00 - Dorsey steal and is blocked on the lay up, goes to McBrayer who wildly throws it in the direction of the rim, and then Murphy (who else) with the three point play to put the Gophers up 58-56. Huge coming out party against the Gophers toughest opponent to date. I still think McBrayer is going to be my guy from this team (behind Mason, who is everyone's guy) but Murphy showing some real chops.
9:11 - Lotta ugly and fast basketball here. Basically sums up the Pitino era so far. And I'm a fan!!
8:30 - I think that's Jabal Abu-Shamala behind the bench. Also the defense doesn't get back again.
8:22 - So I mention Shamala on twitter and my feed just blows up. You know who else people mentioned? Ryan Saunders and Blake Hoffarber. So many racists on twitter.
5:31 - of course that goes in
5:12 - OH SHIT McBrayer is from NYC? How the hell did I miss this? I LOVE NYC point guards. Told you he was my guy.
4:46 - Clemson misses a free throw. Somehow the rebound goes out of bounds off the Gophers. I need to drink more.
4:01 - Beautiful hesitation move into a lay-up by Dorsey. I take it all back. 71-65 Gophers.
3:31 - King just gets manhandled by Clemson big guy for deep position and easy lay-up. Probably shouldn't judge King on that since he shouldn't have to be in that position. Going to anyway.
2:40 - Murphy goes baseline again. Having an amazing game right now, 22 points and 8 rebounds on a team high 15 shots. Love it.
1:10 - Murphy tip in to pretty much end the game (80-73) and he came from the complete opposite block to get around the defense and get to that ball. What a game by this kid. Wow.
0:40 - Gophers up 85-78 and Pitino just called a timeout. Which means I'm bored now and it's time to go watch crappy tv with the wife. Jordan Murphy is amazing, and I see a ton of potential from Konate, Mason, Dorsey, and McBrayer. With some size transferring in I am currently way to optimistic about next year. Someone come hit me with something.
Before that though, I went to the Gopher football game this weekend and actually tailgated for the first time. I know what you're thinking and yes there's probably something wrong with me, but it was my first time and it was a blast. I got to hook up with a couple of old college buddies who were in town from Wisconsin (including WSCTQB who used to comment on this blog back when it didn't suck so much), fun internet dudes Disco Stu and Stryker, and a big chunk of the Gopher Blogger/Twitterverse including @TreTanic (and his brother who I don't believe is on twitter anywhere), @MVoDT, @jdmill, and @Swannosaurus. I know I met other people but it's hard to remember because we did thinks like drink bourbon at 9:30am, destroy all of the beers, take an Uber from one parking lot to another, do back to back shots of fireball or fireball equivalent, and eat nothing but grilled sausages. It ruled. We also played a bunch of cornhole and MVoDT and I were the best team in history. I wish I could say I remembered more of the game, but I don't and then I died the next morning. Was a blast.
So anyone, on to the next crappy Gopher team. They opened as a pick 'em against Clemson tonight and have been bet all the way to -2 at some places. Which means someone is confident in the Gophers. I myself am not. Away we go.
Oh wait hold on. We had our Big Ten Basketball Fantasy Draft last night. Just a few notes:
- Keepers: Nate Mason, Caris Levert, Denzel Valentine, Robert Blackmon, Shep Garner, Jake Layman, Melo Trimble, Keita Bates-Diop.
- First round: Yogi Ferrell, Nigel Hayes, Malcolm Hill, Jarrod Uthoff, Isaac Hayes, Mike Thorne, Troy Williams, Shavon Shields.
- My team: Levert, Hayes, Derrick Walton, Brandon Taylor, Jae'Sean Tate, Adam Woodbury, and Carlos Morris.
- Gophers taken: Mason, Morris, Joey King
- I would also list which teams had the most and fewest players taken, but the website is being a dick and this is already boring.
And now away we go.
- And the game won't load on the stupid WatchESPN app. I swear to god someone will burn for this.
18:38 - It's 3-2 Clemson and I finally got it to load. I'm shocked the Gophers alllowed a 3. Shocked.
17:42 - Joey King posts up from about 16 out, then kicks a nice pass out of a double to Dupree McBrayer who first misses and easy rotation pass that would have resulted in an open 3, following that up by forcing up a terrible three pointer of his own. Then Clemson hits a 3 in transition. I can already sum this season up in once sequence.
17:14 - My son just snuck down to watch some of the game with me. I want to forbid him from being a Gopher fan so, so bad. Just as my Dad should have done for me.
15;50 - Buggs knocks down a 3 to make it 11-10 Clemson. I still have no idea what to make of Buggs.
15:21 - Clemson has done two things so far this game - offensive rebounds and make 3s. Stop me if you've heard this one before.
14:48 - Morris with a dumb floater that gets blocked, nobody fills to get back, layup Clemson. This may be the year I actually quit this dumb blog.
13:40 - No defense on either side, so at least it's fun. 18-14 Clemson.
12:58 - Mason drives and doesn't score, nobody fills and gets back, easy lay-up Clemson.
12:21 - McBrayer looks pretty smooth. Freshman-y, but smooth. TO THE FUTURE!
12:06 - Murphy gets completely lost and it's another Clemson lay-up. This is fairly unreal.
11:08 - Murphy's spin move from post to baseline, however, has gotten him multiple easy buckets this year including just now. There's some potential from some of these guys, no doubt.
9:30 - Murphy now hits a free throw line jumper. He's got an awfully good all around offensive game for a freshman. I expect "lots of potential but lots of young mistakes" to be this year's theme. Which I guess could be worse.
8:09 - And Murphy tip-dunk. This is just a Jordan Murphy live blog, apparently.
7:16 - Carlos Morris takes the pass in the left corner with a small window if he wants to shoot, jab steps instead and creates a little bit of room if he wants to drive, instead pulls back and shoots a contested 3-pointer which doesn't even come close to going in. This is what it sounds like when doves cry.
6:16 - Nice little double screen off the indbounds leads to a Mason jumper. Pitino still excels at drawing up offensive plays, either half court or off the inbounds. He sucks at a few things, but hopefully he'll learn, and he was more imaginative offensively than any other Gopher coach I can remember. Also Clemson hit a three while I was typing that.
4:30 - Buggs airballs a 3 by about 3 feet. Sure. Why not.
3:22 - Clemson just made a pass from wing to wing you should never be able to make against an aggressive zone. Led to a stupid 3, that went in of course, but just making that pass shouldn't happen.
2:50 - Joey King hits another open three and he's developed a pretty quick trigger. He still can't create his own offense and I don't see Big Ten coaches being unable to take him completely away, but he's at least reached a point where they'll have to scheme for him. Which I wouldn't have believed even a year ago.
0:30 - Clemson three. I almost can't wait to look at their kenpom numbers tomorrow. Hard to believe any other team in the country is getting killed by 3s like this. 42-36 half. I'm going to go watch whatever dumb show my wife is watching. I might be late for the second half. OH NO.
19:10 - Mason is so solid shooting. He's going to be really good.
17:24 - As I say that Mason gets caught standing around on defense. Some of the mistakes this team makes.........
16:25 - Morris goes one on 3 and somehow manages to kick it to Buggs who takes a dumb contested 3-pointer. Which hits front of rim, bounces up, and goes in. We'll take it, but that is not good basketball.
15:05 - Man Murphy just owns the baseline. Of course, then nobody gets back and it's yet another Clemson three. 51-50 Clemson.
14:04 - Another Clemson three on a drive and kick. Can't fault the Gophers too much on that one, but man it's just such a common pattern.
13:30 - Announcer guy, "King in the post. That's not really his offensive strength." No shit.
12:19 - Buggs hits just a stupid, stupid three pointer. Good for him I guess.
12:17 - I think I will have some sriracha beef jerky.
11:47 - Clemson sagging way off Dorsey already. I was hoping that wouldn't happen.
11:25 - Buggs fouled as he wildly drives the lane. He's much better at that then when he wildly chucks up contested threes.
11:00 - Dorsey steal and is blocked on the lay up, goes to McBrayer who wildly throws it in the direction of the rim, and then Murphy (who else) with the three point play to put the Gophers up 58-56. Huge coming out party against the Gophers toughest opponent to date. I still think McBrayer is going to be my guy from this team (behind Mason, who is everyone's guy) but Murphy showing some real chops.
9:11 - Lotta ugly and fast basketball here. Basically sums up the Pitino era so far. And I'm a fan!!
8:30 - I think that's Jabal Abu-Shamala behind the bench. Also the defense doesn't get back again.
8:22 - So I mention Shamala on twitter and my feed just blows up. You know who else people mentioned? Ryan Saunders and Blake Hoffarber. So many racists on twitter.
5:31 - of course that goes in
5:12 - OH SHIT McBrayer is from NYC? How the hell did I miss this? I LOVE NYC point guards. Told you he was my guy.
4:46 - Clemson misses a free throw. Somehow the rebound goes out of bounds off the Gophers. I need to drink more.
4:01 - Beautiful hesitation move into a lay-up by Dorsey. I take it all back. 71-65 Gophers.
3:31 - King just gets manhandled by Clemson big guy for deep position and easy lay-up. Probably shouldn't judge King on that since he shouldn't have to be in that position. Going to anyway.
2:40 - Murphy goes baseline again. Having an amazing game right now, 22 points and 8 rebounds on a team high 15 shots. Love it.
1:10 - Murphy tip in to pretty much end the game (80-73) and he came from the complete opposite block to get around the defense and get to that ball. What a game by this kid. Wow.
0:40 - Gophers up 85-78 and Pitino just called a timeout. Which means I'm bored now and it's time to go watch crappy tv with the wife. Jordan Murphy is amazing, and I see a ton of potential from Konate, Mason, Dorsey, and McBrayer. With some size transferring in I am currently way to optimistic about next year. Someone come hit me with something.
Monday, September 8, 2014
Welcome Aboard, Jonathan Nwankwo!
I sort of feel like he has one too many Ws in his name, but it doesn't matter because those are now our Ws as Jonathan Nwankwo committed to your favorite basketball team over the weekend after registering for an account on Gopher Hole during his official visit and chatting with fans all weekend, then breaking the news on the message board. He's a 6-10, 245 lb. center with a Big Ten ready body and a 7-2 wingspan who shores up the Gophers' big man situation in case things continue to go south with Gaston Diedhiou. Not that he's any kind of back-up plan, considering he ranks as the #17 center and #147 overall by 247sports, and #23/#214 by the industry composite and by all accounts is rising up the ranks.
His highlight videos all seem to be like "oh you don't want me to dunk this basketball? Well I am very strong and jumpy and I am going to dunk this basketball and you can't stop me." I watched nearly two minutes of a highlight video and I'm not seeing a lot of offensive skills, which isn't really true because being an unstoppable dunking machine is a skill, but you know what I mean. Plus, Nwankwo fits Pitino's type. And in this case I don't mean a super athletic dude, although he is, but I mean the late blooming type who is shooting up rankings and everyone who is supposed to be an expert says things like "great get for the Gophers" and stuff like that. Assuming these guys all work out it's a great thing. Of course it could also mean that Pitino is just getting over aggressive offering guys who aren't that good. We'll find out. Right now I feel good, and I still have trust in Pitino. Because he's so freaking sweet.
The three signings - Nwakwo, Kevin Dorsey, and Dupree McBrayer - leave the Gophers with one open scholarship for 2015 (again, depending on what happens with Diedhiou) which has some people all in a tizzy because both of the top rated Minnesota kids - Jarvis Johnson and Alex Illikainen - are still out there. Seriously though, who cares? I mean, I would love the Gophers to get one or both because they're rated in the top 100-150 range depending on where you look, but as far as them being from Minnesota? Big whoop.
The whole point of recruiting home town kids is that you're supposed to have an advantage in snagging them, but how's that been working out lately? Minnesota kids have always known they can string the Gophers along and if things don't break the way they hope use them as their fall back option, partially because the fan base is so rabid in "keeping Minnesota kids home" because well, that's how this state generally thinks (why do you think Jason Kubel and Matt Guerrier were signed by the Twins this year?). Rather than holding off on signing comparable players and holding out hoping the home town kids stay home, Pitino is signing whoever he likes who is willing to sign. According to rankings Alex Illikainen is better than Jonathan Nwankwo, but why take a chance on losing both just to satisfy some bizarre yearning to build the team out of all Minnesota kids? (this ain't hockey) After all, a bush in hand is worth two birds who may end up at other schools I always say.
This being (relatively) big time basketball, nothing is guaranteed so it's possible both Johnson and Illikainen end up in maroon and gold. If they both want to be Gophers they likely will with a surprise transfer opening up a slot or something along those lines - it's a reality of big-time (relatively) college sports, and I'm ok with it. In the meantime, however, assuming Pitino doesn't have a strong positional preference at this time this puts pressure on them both to hurry up and commit. If things stay strong at only 4 new players for 2015 that means only one of them can get in, which means the Gophers said no to a quality Minnesota player because he took too long to make a decision. That's a message I can get behind, so move your ass Amir Coffey.
As of right now the Gophers have the #23 class in the country according to 247sports, and the #5 class in the Big Ten. This will likely move down as more of the high profile programs continue signing players and fill out their classes, but it's a big step the right direction for the program. Potentially, I suppose, but I'll take it.
His highlight videos all seem to be like "oh you don't want me to dunk this basketball? Well I am very strong and jumpy and I am going to dunk this basketball and you can't stop me." I watched nearly two minutes of a highlight video and I'm not seeing a lot of offensive skills, which isn't really true because being an unstoppable dunking machine is a skill, but you know what I mean. Plus, Nwankwo fits Pitino's type. And in this case I don't mean a super athletic dude, although he is, but I mean the late blooming type who is shooting up rankings and everyone who is supposed to be an expert says things like "great get for the Gophers" and stuff like that. Assuming these guys all work out it's a great thing. Of course it could also mean that Pitino is just getting over aggressive offering guys who aren't that good. We'll find out. Right now I feel good, and I still have trust in Pitino. Because he's so freaking sweet.
The three signings - Nwakwo, Kevin Dorsey, and Dupree McBrayer - leave the Gophers with one open scholarship for 2015 (again, depending on what happens with Diedhiou) which has some people all in a tizzy because both of the top rated Minnesota kids - Jarvis Johnson and Alex Illikainen - are still out there. Seriously though, who cares? I mean, I would love the Gophers to get one or both because they're rated in the top 100-150 range depending on where you look, but as far as them being from Minnesota? Big whoop.
The whole point of recruiting home town kids is that you're supposed to have an advantage in snagging them, but how's that been working out lately? Minnesota kids have always known they can string the Gophers along and if things don't break the way they hope use them as their fall back option, partially because the fan base is so rabid in "keeping Minnesota kids home" because well, that's how this state generally thinks (why do you think Jason Kubel and Matt Guerrier were signed by the Twins this year?). Rather than holding off on signing comparable players and holding out hoping the home town kids stay home, Pitino is signing whoever he likes who is willing to sign. According to rankings Alex Illikainen is better than Jonathan Nwankwo, but why take a chance on losing both just to satisfy some bizarre yearning to build the team out of all Minnesota kids? (this ain't hockey) After all, a bush in hand is worth two birds who may end up at other schools I always say.
This being (relatively) big time basketball, nothing is guaranteed so it's possible both Johnson and Illikainen end up in maroon and gold. If they both want to be Gophers they likely will with a surprise transfer opening up a slot or something along those lines - it's a reality of big-time (relatively) college sports, and I'm ok with it. In the meantime, however, assuming Pitino doesn't have a strong positional preference at this time this puts pressure on them both to hurry up and commit. If things stay strong at only 4 new players for 2015 that means only one of them can get in, which means the Gophers said no to a quality Minnesota player because he took too long to make a decision. That's a message I can get behind, so move your ass Amir Coffey.
As of right now the Gophers have the #23 class in the country according to 247sports, and the #5 class in the Big Ten. This will likely move down as more of the high profile programs continue signing players and fill out their classes, but it's a big step the right direction for the program. Potentially, I suppose, but I'll take it.
Sunday, August 24, 2014
Welcome aboard, Dupree McBrayer!
Richard Pitino added another to the class of 2015 over the weekend or late last week or whatever, with the hilariously awesomely named Dupree McBrayer declaring he'll be a Golden Gopher.
McBrayer, a 6-4 wing from New York, is ranked as the 218th best player in the class according to 247sports composite ranking (and #57 shooting guard), but is considered to be rising up the ranks after an excellent summer session. He fits in well with what Richard Pitino is trying to do here, as he's super athletic and can play multiple positions (1, 2, 3). He needs to get stronger, but he's already a skilled scorer particularly when it comes to getting to the rim. Along with Kevin Dorsey, the Gophers now have two attack, athletic guards who should be excellent defenders. A damn good start. Good enough, in fact, that according to 247sports the Gophers have the #21 recruiting class in the country at this point, and the fifth best in the Big 10.
Perhaps even better, McBrayer is from NYC, and with Dorsey from Maryland it shows Pitino and staff making significant inroads on the East Coast, especially considering both Seton Hall and St. John's were after McBrayer. Winning recruiting battles out of the region against other high major programs is a pretty big deal, and the Gophers have won two already this year. Next up: Jarvis Johnson and Alex Illikainen. Keep it rolling.
McBrayer, a 6-4 wing from New York, is ranked as the 218th best player in the class according to 247sports composite ranking (and #57 shooting guard), but is considered to be rising up the ranks after an excellent summer session. He fits in well with what Richard Pitino is trying to do here, as he's super athletic and can play multiple positions (1, 2, 3). He needs to get stronger, but he's already a skilled scorer particularly when it comes to getting to the rim. Along with Kevin Dorsey, the Gophers now have two attack, athletic guards who should be excellent defenders. A damn good start. Good enough, in fact, that according to 247sports the Gophers have the #21 recruiting class in the country at this point, and the fifth best in the Big 10.
Perhaps even better, McBrayer is from NYC, and with Dorsey from Maryland it shows Pitino and staff making significant inroads on the East Coast, especially considering both Seton Hall and St. John's were after McBrayer. Winning recruiting battles out of the region against other high major programs is a pretty big deal, and the Gophers have won two already this year. Next up: Jarvis Johnson and Alex Illikainen. Keep it rolling.
Tuesday, August 5, 2014
Gopher Hoops Recruiting Update
As you probably know, the Gophers recently picked up an excellent commitment from Kevin Dorsey. That is a good start. With the Gophers still having three open scholarships for 2015 in hand, and entering the period where recruiting news can fly fast and furious, I figured I might as well look at who the Gophers are looking at and where they stand. All ratings via 247 sports's industry composite rankings.
PG Jarvis Johnson (#128 overall, #25 PG). Jarvis is the De La Salle kid who it seems the Gophers have been waiting on forever. The Gophers already have Dorsey on board, but I've read that it hasn't deterred Johnson at all. Pitino is reportedly pitching putting Dorsey and Johnson (and don't forget Nate Mason) together to create a back court with an interchangeable #1 and #2, just like what UCONN had last year and Louisville two years ago. It would be pretty awesome. Both like to play uptempo and run the break, and you give Dorsey the ball-handler roll and Johnson the ball-handler/scorer role and it could work, especially if Johnson's shooting comes around. It seems like he's a pretty strong Gopher lean right now, but the longer things go without him making it official the more likely it becomes a situation where Izzo misses out on his top targets and then goes hard at Johnson or something like that. We've seen it before. It's crucial to get Johnson to commit soon.
PG Craig Randall (unranked). Not a ton of information out there about Randall, and it appears the Gophers are his first high major offer, though the mid-major offers he has are from some pretty good programs (Akron, LaSalle, St. Joe's, Kent State, UTEP). Scouting reports say he can already score from both the perimeter and on the drive, and at 6-2 he has good size already, though at just 165 lbs. he'll have to put on some weight. Clearly a back-up plan if the Gophers fail to land Jarvis, but maybe not the worst plan I've ever seen. Plus he shoots left-handed, which always looks cool.
PG K.J. Walton (#96 overall, #16 PG). Getting major interest from Walton, on the other hand, would certainly force Johnson's hand and Pitino may even prefer Walton to Johnson (purely a speculative maybe here). Walton is ranked slightly higher than Johnson, but maybe more importantly is already known as a defensive terror. His ability to come in and immediately lead Pitino's press is a major selling point. You'll hear this a lot, but he's a big time slasher who needs to work on this jump shot, but his general athletic ability and defense outweigh any jumper concerns. Although there hasn't been a ton of info coming out regarding Walton to the Gophers, they're still seen as a front runner along with Xavier, who Walton says have been recruiting him the longest. Additionally, rumors say if Indiana gets involved it's as good as over. Which makes sense since Tom Crean is in no way a terrible coach or an even worse person so why wouldn't you want to play for him and his hair.
SG/SF Chris Clarke (#116 overall, #37 SG). At one point the Gophers looked to be in decent shape for Mr. Clarke, but he's absolutely killed it this summer and is flying up recruiting boards (247 has him at #39 and #8, other services used to do the composite haven't been updated as recently). And it's not just recruiting services noticing him as he's picked up offers from UCONN and Florida lately. Seeing as how Richard Pitino is trying to turn the Gophers into a poor man's Florida, but now Clarke can just go to Florida, I think it's unfortunately time to move on. Too bad, too. Dude's a force.
SG Dupree McBrayer (#255, #72 SG). Not only does McBrayer have a sweet name, but he's moving up the recruiting boards as well (albeit not like Clarke, but it's still nice to see). The Gophers are thought to be in the lead for McBrayer, who was recently in the business of taking several unofficial visits including to the Minnesota campus. Most of those visits were to teams on a lower tier (in my opinion) than the Minnesota program, other than Seton Hall, but he also recently picked up an offer from Pitt so schools are starting to pay attention to him. McBrayer is from Queens and has some ties to Kimani Young (I think) which should help the Gophers, and his combo guard skills and ability to attack the rim should help him thrive if he comes to Dinkytown. He's another slasher who needs to work on his outside shot, but his athletic ability means he'll fit in with Pitino.
SG Landry Shamet (#221, #60 SG). Shamet is interesting because he's one of the few guys Pitino is after for 2015 who is a plus shooter. There's not a ton of info out there on Shamet, probably because he's been mainly recruited by mid-majors and Colorado prior to last week when both the Gophers and Illini offered, but from what I've seen he's very smooth with the ball. He comes off as a little bit slow, but I have a feeling that could be a deceptive slowness along the lines of Deron Williams or Kyle Anderson (not comparing him to those two dudes, I'm not crazy). He's clearly starting to get noticed, and I'm getting the distinct whiff of a sleeper coming off of him. I'm not really enamored with a guy named Landry, but I'm very interested in what happens with this guy - Gopher or not.
SF Danjel Purifoy (#54, #11 SF). Purifoy is the top rated player the Gophers are still in on, although it sounds like it might be tough to get him out of the South East as he lists Auburn, Alabama, and Georgia as his top schools. Minnesota seemed to mentioned in conjunction with him quite a bit a few months back, but may have dropped off his radar as they weren't mentioned in his most recent interview I found. It's too bad if that's the case, as Purifoy sounds like an already polished slasher and finisher and a top flight defender and rebounder. His only real weakness is lack of a jump shot, but Pitino's system needs the athletic slashers to set up the shooters so he'd be perfect. Of course, he recently transferred to Hargrave Military Academy which was either the plan all along or what he needed to do after getting kicked off his high school team for ditching spring practices. Since he's not likely to become a Gopher, I choose to believe this is a red flag. I reserve the right to change my mind if things change.
SF/PF Nate Grimes (#131, #26 SF). Grimes is a bit raw, which makes his high rating all the much more impressive, who relies mainly on raw athleticism for his buckets, and I don't necessarily mean that as a negative. He's an amazing athlete who can get to the rim with his quickness, and a great jumper so he can score on put backs. He can also hit a jump shot now and again, but his perimeter game needs work and he's limited in post-up situations as well. Put it altogether, and you have an exceptional athlete with tons of room to grow - a guy you'd really, really like to have. The Gophers primary competition is Mountain West and mid-major coast schools with New Mexico and San Diego State the top dogs, so you'd think the Gophers should at least be in the running here. The unfortunate (for the Gophers) thing I read is that he's planning on waiting until the late signing period to pick a school, which means if his game blossoms he's going to start garnering interest from a lot more top level programs.
PF Alex Illikainen (#103, #24 PF). As much as I said I'd love the Gophers to get Jarvis, this is the guy I really want. He's perfect. A stretch four who can shoot the lights out and run the floor, but has enough to work on (post game, strength) that the true power programs haven't come sniffing around, he's also from Grand Rapids and although the Gophers may struggle keeping city kids home they've always had good success with out state kids, which is a plus. Illikainen just transferred to Brewster Academy, a basketball factory prep school on Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire (NEW HAMPSHIRE! - no I'm not making the Lake Winnipesaukee thing up), although I don't think that really means much in terms of is intentions. Potentially playing against better competition and dominating could get him on more high profile programs' radars and it's always tougher to stay home when you have top programs flirting with you, so, as usual, the sooner they can lock him up the better. Right now Creighton, Iowa State, and Cal are the Gophers' biggest competition, and I think they can win him there. Pay attention to the offer list on this guy.
PF Ed Morrow (#122, #26 PF). Another Pitino style foward, Morrow has the size to play PF but the game to play SF. Though the reports say he needs to still work on his jumper, they also say he excels at the face up game and attacking the basket and should be an excellent defender. It's an uphill battle, however, with Nebraska holding a pretty strong lead. Not only have they "been recruiting him the longest" according to him, but both of his parents were Cornhuskers. Morrow recently announced he'll be visiting Nebraska and Iowa coming up (the Hawkeyes also earned his praise as being involved with him for a while), which leaves 3 more visits open so hopefully the Gophers can worm their way in there and make him realize how badly both Nebraska and Iowa suck as places to live. Or at least that's my impression after driving through both of them. Good enough for me.
PF/C Jonathan Nwankwo (#212, #50 PF). Of everyone on this list, this guy feels like the most likely to be a Gopher. He just cut his list to Minnesota, Temple, Rice, Tennessee, Fordham, and Seton Hall, and is in the process of setting up official visits to see the Gophers on September 4th and Tennessee on October 11th, and has already visited Fordham (unofficially) and Seton Hall (several times unofficially). I get a good feeling about Nwankwo because I've seen a couple of places where his handlers have stressed academics, and although all the schools on his list are pretty good academically the Gophers are behind only Rice and Fordham, neither of which have any kind of basketball program, if we're being honest. Temple, Tennessee, and Seton Hall all could make argument as to the best basketball program on his list, but all rank a good way behind Minnesota academically. Nwankwo would be a pretty solid get with a Big Ten ready body with good athletic ability and a chance to be a plus rebounder and defender the minute he steps on campus. He's got some work to do on the offensive end, but if everything goes according to plan they won't need a lot of scoring from him.
Let's hope everything goes according to plan.
PG Jarvis Johnson (#128 overall, #25 PG). Jarvis is the De La Salle kid who it seems the Gophers have been waiting on forever. The Gophers already have Dorsey on board, but I've read that it hasn't deterred Johnson at all. Pitino is reportedly pitching putting Dorsey and Johnson (and don't forget Nate Mason) together to create a back court with an interchangeable #1 and #2, just like what UCONN had last year and Louisville two years ago. It would be pretty awesome. Both like to play uptempo and run the break, and you give Dorsey the ball-handler roll and Johnson the ball-handler/scorer role and it could work, especially if Johnson's shooting comes around. It seems like he's a pretty strong Gopher lean right now, but the longer things go without him making it official the more likely it becomes a situation where Izzo misses out on his top targets and then goes hard at Johnson or something like that. We've seen it before. It's crucial to get Johnson to commit soon.
PG Craig Randall (unranked). Not a ton of information out there about Randall, and it appears the Gophers are his first high major offer, though the mid-major offers he has are from some pretty good programs (Akron, LaSalle, St. Joe's, Kent State, UTEP). Scouting reports say he can already score from both the perimeter and on the drive, and at 6-2 he has good size already, though at just 165 lbs. he'll have to put on some weight. Clearly a back-up plan if the Gophers fail to land Jarvis, but maybe not the worst plan I've ever seen. Plus he shoots left-handed, which always looks cool.
PG K.J. Walton (#96 overall, #16 PG). Getting major interest from Walton, on the other hand, would certainly force Johnson's hand and Pitino may even prefer Walton to Johnson (purely a speculative maybe here). Walton is ranked slightly higher than Johnson, but maybe more importantly is already known as a defensive terror. His ability to come in and immediately lead Pitino's press is a major selling point. You'll hear this a lot, but he's a big time slasher who needs to work on this jump shot, but his general athletic ability and defense outweigh any jumper concerns. Although there hasn't been a ton of info coming out regarding Walton to the Gophers, they're still seen as a front runner along with Xavier, who Walton says have been recruiting him the longest. Additionally, rumors say if Indiana gets involved it's as good as over. Which makes sense since Tom Crean is in no way a terrible coach or an even worse person so why wouldn't you want to play for him and his hair.
SG/SF Chris Clarke (#116 overall, #37 SG). At one point the Gophers looked to be in decent shape for Mr. Clarke, but he's absolutely killed it this summer and is flying up recruiting boards (247 has him at #39 and #8, other services used to do the composite haven't been updated as recently). And it's not just recruiting services noticing him as he's picked up offers from UCONN and Florida lately. Seeing as how Richard Pitino is trying to turn the Gophers into a poor man's Florida, but now Clarke can just go to Florida, I think it's unfortunately time to move on. Too bad, too. Dude's a force.
SG Dupree McBrayer (#255, #72 SG). Not only does McBrayer have a sweet name, but he's moving up the recruiting boards as well (albeit not like Clarke, but it's still nice to see). The Gophers are thought to be in the lead for McBrayer, who was recently in the business of taking several unofficial visits including to the Minnesota campus. Most of those visits were to teams on a lower tier (in my opinion) than the Minnesota program, other than Seton Hall, but he also recently picked up an offer from Pitt so schools are starting to pay attention to him. McBrayer is from Queens and has some ties to Kimani Young (I think) which should help the Gophers, and his combo guard skills and ability to attack the rim should help him thrive if he comes to Dinkytown. He's another slasher who needs to work on his outside shot, but his athletic ability means he'll fit in with Pitino.
SG Landry Shamet (#221, #60 SG). Shamet is interesting because he's one of the few guys Pitino is after for 2015 who is a plus shooter. There's not a ton of info out there on Shamet, probably because he's been mainly recruited by mid-majors and Colorado prior to last week when both the Gophers and Illini offered, but from what I've seen he's very smooth with the ball. He comes off as a little bit slow, but I have a feeling that could be a deceptive slowness along the lines of Deron Williams or Kyle Anderson (not comparing him to those two dudes, I'm not crazy). He's clearly starting to get noticed, and I'm getting the distinct whiff of a sleeper coming off of him. I'm not really enamored with a guy named Landry, but I'm very interested in what happens with this guy - Gopher or not.
SF Danjel Purifoy (#54, #11 SF). Purifoy is the top rated player the Gophers are still in on, although it sounds like it might be tough to get him out of the South East as he lists Auburn, Alabama, and Georgia as his top schools. Minnesota seemed to mentioned in conjunction with him quite a bit a few months back, but may have dropped off his radar as they weren't mentioned in his most recent interview I found. It's too bad if that's the case, as Purifoy sounds like an already polished slasher and finisher and a top flight defender and rebounder. His only real weakness is lack of a jump shot, but Pitino's system needs the athletic slashers to set up the shooters so he'd be perfect. Of course, he recently transferred to Hargrave Military Academy which was either the plan all along or what he needed to do after getting kicked off his high school team for ditching spring practices. Since he's not likely to become a Gopher, I choose to believe this is a red flag. I reserve the right to change my mind if things change.
SF/PF Nate Grimes (#131, #26 SF). Grimes is a bit raw, which makes his high rating all the much more impressive, who relies mainly on raw athleticism for his buckets, and I don't necessarily mean that as a negative. He's an amazing athlete who can get to the rim with his quickness, and a great jumper so he can score on put backs. He can also hit a jump shot now and again, but his perimeter game needs work and he's limited in post-up situations as well. Put it altogether, and you have an exceptional athlete with tons of room to grow - a guy you'd really, really like to have. The Gophers primary competition is Mountain West and mid-major coast schools with New Mexico and San Diego State the top dogs, so you'd think the Gophers should at least be in the running here. The unfortunate (for the Gophers) thing I read is that he's planning on waiting until the late signing period to pick a school, which means if his game blossoms he's going to start garnering interest from a lot more top level programs.
PF Alex Illikainen (#103, #24 PF). As much as I said I'd love the Gophers to get Jarvis, this is the guy I really want. He's perfect. A stretch four who can shoot the lights out and run the floor, but has enough to work on (post game, strength) that the true power programs haven't come sniffing around, he's also from Grand Rapids and although the Gophers may struggle keeping city kids home they've always had good success with out state kids, which is a plus. Illikainen just transferred to Brewster Academy, a basketball factory prep school on Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire (NEW HAMPSHIRE! - no I'm not making the Lake Winnipesaukee thing up), although I don't think that really means much in terms of is intentions. Potentially playing against better competition and dominating could get him on more high profile programs' radars and it's always tougher to stay home when you have top programs flirting with you, so, as usual, the sooner they can lock him up the better. Right now Creighton, Iowa State, and Cal are the Gophers' biggest competition, and I think they can win him there. Pay attention to the offer list on this guy.
PF Ed Morrow (#122, #26 PF). Another Pitino style foward, Morrow has the size to play PF but the game to play SF. Though the reports say he needs to still work on his jumper, they also say he excels at the face up game and attacking the basket and should be an excellent defender. It's an uphill battle, however, with Nebraska holding a pretty strong lead. Not only have they "been recruiting him the longest" according to him, but both of his parents were Cornhuskers. Morrow recently announced he'll be visiting Nebraska and Iowa coming up (the Hawkeyes also earned his praise as being involved with him for a while), which leaves 3 more visits open so hopefully the Gophers can worm their way in there and make him realize how badly both Nebraska and Iowa suck as places to live. Or at least that's my impression after driving through both of them. Good enough for me.
PF/C Jonathan Nwankwo (#212, #50 PF). Of everyone on this list, this guy feels like the most likely to be a Gopher. He just cut his list to Minnesota, Temple, Rice, Tennessee, Fordham, and Seton Hall, and is in the process of setting up official visits to see the Gophers on September 4th and Tennessee on October 11th, and has already visited Fordham (unofficially) and Seton Hall (several times unofficially). I get a good feeling about Nwankwo because I've seen a couple of places where his handlers have stressed academics, and although all the schools on his list are pretty good academically the Gophers are behind only Rice and Fordham, neither of which have any kind of basketball program, if we're being honest. Temple, Tennessee, and Seton Hall all could make argument as to the best basketball program on his list, but all rank a good way behind Minnesota academically. Nwankwo would be a pretty solid get with a Big Ten ready body with good athletic ability and a chance to be a plus rebounder and defender the minute he steps on campus. He's got some work to do on the offensive end, but if everything goes according to plan they won't need a lot of scoring from him.
Let's hope everything goes according to plan.
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