2010-2011 Gophers

[slabz]

do you think that the gophers do a good enough job recruiting right here in minnesota? The gophers could have guys like jon leuer, jordan taylor, noah dahlmann, alex wolters, mike bruziwitz, and im sure im missing many more but these guys are 20 points a game scorers! something the gophers never get...

[CJH]

The Coleman kid who is coming next year is supposed to be pretty good. Gotta remember that Jordan Taylor and Leuer were right at the end of Monson. Tubby didn't really have a shot at getting them at that point. That being said, you always want them to keep the best kids here in the state, but some just want to go to elite programs. (EX: Cole Aldrich - Kansas) I think he is doing alright, the problem is some of the in state kids haven't panned out. (Rodney Williams, Royce White)

[gloomiseye]

The Coleman kid who is coming next year is supposed to be pretty good. Gotta remember that Jordan Taylor and Leuer were right at the end of Monson. Tubby didn't really have a shot at getting them at that point. That being said, you always want them to keep the best kids here in the state, but some just want to go to elite programs. (EX: Cole Aldrich - Kansas) I think he is doing alright, the problem is some of the in state kids haven't panned out. (Rodney Williams, Royce White)

Im a die hard Iowa State fan. We are hoping that White is the real deal here in Ames. He has stayed out of trouble and seems to love the school. With him and Chris Allen from Mich St, I think we will be good.

[TR21HP]

A lot of times recruiting isn't enough. The really good kids are playing on select summer teams, get to know others and end up going to some college together. Another issue is these AAU coaches and recruiting services hired by colleges who are telling kids where to go and where not to go based on the coaching style the college coach utilizes and their potential exposure and chance to go pro .

[Scott M]

Wiscy will stay right with Butler...they have a legitimate shot at a Final Four. Really the Gophers could have been in the same situation but between injuries, bad personnel and coaching moves, lack of maturity, etc. (see previous 20 pages) they didn't reach that level. And you need a little luck. Wisconsin was supposed to get to the sweet 16 remember. Bucky took care of home court and won enough road games. They got trounced by OSU to end the regular season and got upset by PSU in the BTT. Now they play Butler to get to the Elite 8....they play a team that plays smart and doesn't have a really athletic team that will give them trouble. They can hang right with Butler and outgrind them and win. And that's what I think will happen.

As far as the Minnesota kid thing, yeah, as has been discussed, it was a transition period in coaching regimes. If I was a MN product I would have gone elsewhere too. Tubby just got on too late. But if more recently you would have taken Jared Berggren and Mike Bruesewitz over Royce White, Rodney Williams, Justin Cobbs, and Trevor Mbakwe you're crazy. Bo Ryan is killing Tubby in player development, utilization of player skills, offensive scheme set to players....that's the difference.

[hunter76]

I think we need a new coach.

[Scott M]

Well if Leuer and Taylor had showed up Wiscy would have had a real shot. They had a nice run. Congrats to the Badger fans on a good season.

[rundrave]

Just saw on the news here in so dak that colton iverson requested and was granted a release from the gophers

Another one bites the dust under tubby.

[Scott M]

The ship is sinking folks. It's not selfish kids, it's Tubby. The Yankton Newspaper's sports editor tweeted that Iverson got his scholarship release. I bet he wishes he had left a year early as he was supposedly deliberating last year. This tells me that Mbakwe is back.

[zepman]

Just another available scholarship.

[Canon Guy]

The loss of Iverson is no loss at all.

[Scott M]

With consistent minutes he could have been something. Those double doubles in Maui and in the 2010 BTT weren't garbage. His biggest downfall was not moving his feet on defense and getting dumb fouls. Ralph can't move his feet either.

[Coach1310]

I haven't been on in a while so bear with me....

#1... Tubby is part of the problem. While sitting here watching some of the exciting basketball like VCU and other programs play the Gophers style is laughable point guard or no point guard

#2. Unfortunately, I think Tubby is about the biggest name the U could ever land. A guy like Bruce Pearl would be a HUGE get just from an excitement factor for the program, but if you aren't squeaky clean and then some, no go here at the U.

#3. Iverson is NO loss in my opinion. He is big and relatively strong but he doesn't really compare to Mbakwe in any category. I've had enough waiting around to see him improve... if he needed more minutes, I could live with him playing more if he knew how to play defense AND it didn't mean a less minutes for Mbakwe.

#4. We have done alright recruting MN, but with the nature of NCAA basketball and recruiting we'll never land the big dogs any more.

[CJH]

With consistent minutes he could have been something. Those double doubles in Maui and in the 2010 BTT weren't garbage. His biggest downfall was not moving his feet on defense and getting dumb fouls. Ralph can't move his feet either.

+1 Tubby has done a poor job developing the bigs. Iverson never got the minutes he should have to develop, and had multiple good games when he did - and they actually got him the ball in the post. He is much more of a threat than Sampson on offense, who has the skills of a 7th grader. No, he wasn't a great defender, but this team needed offense this year more than interior defense, as the perimeter defense was much worse.

Supposedly he thought about transferring last year, and I am sure he regrets that he didn't!! (and I don't blame him)

Tubby, that's 5 players to transfer in 2.5 years - get your act together!!!

[Snag]

Tubby interviewed for Missouri. I'm glad Maturi didn't give him a raise and called the bluff.

[CJH]

In an odd turn of events, Ralphy decided to put his name in for the NBA draft. It has not been confirmed if he has hired an agent or not. He can withdraw if he hasn't hired one.

From Sid in the Strib:

What a mistake Gophers junior center Ralph Sampson III will make if he hires an agent and tries to join the NBA. Teammate Trevor Mbakwe never filed for the draft and will be back with Gophers coach Tubby Smith next year. But Sampson, who isn't nearly as qualified for the draft as Mbakwe, has filed. The word is that his father, former three-time college player of the year and NBA great Ralph Sampson Jr., believes his son is not ready for the NBA while his mother, Aleize, believes the opposite.

Just proves he is clueless, not sure what he is thinking......

[ozzie]

yeah who would you trust your dad that played in the NBA and wasn't too shaby or your mom........hhhhhhhmmmmmmmmm no way will he sign an agent unless he is looking to play in some run down gym for a team in egypt!!

[Scott M]

From Myron Medcalf's blog, Star Tribune:

"It looks like Ralph Sampson III has had a change of heart.

Athletic director Joel Maturi said he expects the 6-11 junior center to play for the Gophers next season, just days after many seemed convinced that he would keep his name in the NBA draft.

"I expect Ralph to be here next year," Maturi said via text.

DeWayne Jackson, who coached Sampson when he was a member of the Atlanta Celtics AAU program, confirmed that Sampson has decided to stay in school.

"He is pulling his name out of the draft," Jackson said Monday. "It’s 100 percent a done deal."

UPDATE: The Gophers confirmed Sampson's return with a statement Monday afternoon.

“We want to welcome Ralph Sampson III back to the Golden Gopher basketball program,” Tubby Smith said via the statement. “One thing the NCAA allows players to do is test the draft waters and having done that and also by consulting with his family he came to the decision to return to Minnesota. He is coming off a good junior season and I think having gone through the NBA workouts will only help him as we head into next season.”

As late as Sunday evening, some folks close to Sampson believed he planned to stay in the NBA draft pool and leave school to pursue a professional future.

Another former AAU coach, Norman Parker, said Sampson had decided to go pro because he "feels like it's his time." But his uncle, Alan Dial, didn't sound so sure.

He cast doubt on the notion Sunday night when he told me to "check my sources."

Throughout the entire process, which included workouts with reputable NBA trainer Tim Grover in Chicago, Sampson and his family stayed quiet as he mulled his decision.

Sunday was the deadline for players without agents to withdraw from the draft and preserve their collegiate eligibility.

Next season, Sampson and all-Big Ten second-teamer Trevor Mbakwe will form one of the most experienced and talented frontcourts in a Big Ten with a multitude of youngsters playing in the paint."

I don't know if I should be happy or upset. His cinderblock feet and 5th grade girls basketball toughness leave a lot to be desired. The delusion of him being drafted was comical. How can he possibly think that he would be drafted given his body of work?

[goblueM]

well he's got more sense than Darius Morris anyways...

[mrklean]

good to have him back they even said he had very little chance of getting drafted so he can only improve his stock coming back a year

[CJH]

That boy needs to drink some protein shakes and go lift with the football team!! He gets pushed around in college, he would get destroyed in the NBA!

[EBass]

You'd think that the trainers working him would have him lift - everyone knows he's a rail and needs to bulk up.