2011-2012 Gophers

[Scott M]

Never too early to get this party started.

I see Andy Katz still has a crush on the Gophers. This snippet is from a column on 2011-2012 NCAA sleepers:

Minnesota

Andy Katz: I know, I know. I've gone down this road before with the Golden Gophers. Haven't I learned my lesson with this squad? Well, apparently not. They were my sleeper team a year ago to challenge for the Big Ten title and the Gophers didn't even make the postseason. But they did have some legitimate excuses. Devoe Joseph left in the middle of the season, and that crushed their guard play. Why? Because Al Nolen was hurt and Blake Hoffarber wasn't a true point. The Gophers were never a complete team and it showed throughout the Big Ten season.

But Minnesota has hope. The Gophers return one of the toughest big men in the country in Trevor Mbakwe, who will be a beast to deal with on the interior. Ralph Sampson III decided against staying in the NBA draft and should finally be ready to reach his potential. If Maurice Walker is healthy from a knee injury and if Rodney Williams can live up to the hype and do more than be an athletic wing, the Gophers will have the deepest and most productive frontcourt in the Big Ten outside of the one-man wrecking crew at Ohio State.

The main question: Are guards like Austin Hollins, Chip Armelin and Maverik Ahanmisi ready to step up their production and leadership? If the Gophers can get quality guard play, this team will surprise. The early schedule is manageable and should build confidence heading into the Big Ten with a weak Old Spice Classic and home games against rebuilding Virginia Tech and USC. Tubby Smith has always had Minnesota competitive. The Gophers will always defend well -- the issue for this team has been scoring. That shouldn't be a problem inside. If they can make perimeter shots and not waste possessions with costly turnovers, these Gophers can make some noise.

[schmitty3]

That seems rather optimistic to me. I just don't see them doing much with those guards. No of them have good permiter shooting, and it seemed like they all had their issues ball handling under pressure. Yea the inside should be good with Mbakwe back. Who is an absolute beast, but you still have to have better guard play. I sure hope im wrong and those young guards mature, but i just don't see it happening. I see them at 5th in the conference.

[Scott M]

I'd take 5th in a heartbeat. That's NCAA bound. This group hasn't been better than what, 6th in the conference and .500 in conference play?

[CJH]

In modern basketball, the most important position on the court is point guard. Last year was a prime example of this. Not sure these young guys are ready. As they go, so will the goph's.

[Northlander]

They will be lucky to see a 500 season for many years to come.

[Scott M]

They will be lucky to see a 500 season for many years to come.

I'm more afraid that all they're gonna see is .500 seasons (B.T. play) for many years to come!

[Bryce]

13 point win over a glorified junior college. Not impressed.

[CJH]

I was not impressed either with the overall performance. However 8 assists to 0 turnovers is pretty darn good for a freshman point guard's (Hollins) first game, no matter the opponent. And yes, it will get tougher, and he will go through some growing pains.

[Scott M]

Augustana tonight.

[hamrej23]

That glorified juco comment is way off. The NSIC is one of the best d2 conferences in the nation.

A lot of those schools could be competitive in division 1.

Bemidji state isn't on top of the conference but still plays some tough competition.

I remember when SMSU went to the barn and played the gopher close a few years ago also as well as Winona State.

SMSU just went to Colorado State and held its own out there.

Winona State, Mankato State and SMSU have all represented MN in the D2 elite 8 the last few years and have played BSU in some close games.

Gophs will be just fine

[Scott M]

Mo Walker might get red shirted. He's coming back awful slow from last year's knee surgery. If Mbakwe or Sampson get in foul trouble, the frontcourt thins down considerably.

[hamrej23]

They talking big ten opener? That's what I had heard. Or is his knee not responding that quick?

[Juan Grande]

The Gophs will be much improved. Their front court will be very solid and they have more shooters than last year. Hoffharber was literally the only shooter they had. Hollins and Coleman can both shoot well and will see good minutes this season.

[Scott M]

Andre Hollins to start at point guard in opener

by Marcus Fuller

St. Paul Pioneer Press

Minnesota Gophers freshman Andre Hollins likely will start at point guard in the team's regular season opener Friday night against Bucknell at Williams Arena, coach Tubby Smith said today.

Hollins, a Memphis native and last year's Mr. Basketball in Tennessee, started in both exhibition games for the Gophers. He had six points and eight assists in a 71-58 win against Bemidji State last week. Hollins struggled with just three points and one assist after getting four fouls in a 72-60 win against Augustana on Monday.

"Andre is the most talented of the (point guards) as far as his athleticism, physique and size," Smith said. "But he's still learning how to be a point guard, and in (the Big Ten) as a freshman - it's tough. But he started the first two exhibition games, and he'll probably start tomorrow. He's learning on the job."

Junior college transfer Julian Welch, who was competing for the starting point guard spot, made his debut against Augustana on Monday, finishing with seven points and one assist in 18 minutes.

Smith said Welch is ready to play after suffering an ankle sprain that caused him to miss the first exhibition game. Smith is counting on Welch for help off the bench.

"He did a good job of getting us into the offense and knocking down a couple shots," Smith said. "So we need his leadership and maturity because he is older and more experienced."

[Scott M]

Gophers sign shooting guard Wally Ellenson, forward Charles Buggs

by Marcus Fuller

St. Paul Pioneer Press

When Gophers men's basketball coach Tubby Smith got his first good look at Wally Ellenson, the Wisconsin native hit six three-pointers and scored 30 points in an AAU game in July in Bloomington.

Smith came away thinking Ellenson was a three-point specialist.

The Rice Lake (Wis.) senior actually wasn't. He was a dunker.

Outside shooting was just something Ellenson had been working on - but because he had expanded his game, the Gophers offered him a scholarship. On Wednesday, Ellenson signed his letter of intent to join Hargrave Military Academy (Va.) forward Charles Buggs in Smith's 2012 recruiting class.

"I definitely want to be known that I can drive and pull-up for a jump shot - being able to beat my defender in many ways," Ellenson said. "I'm still a shooting guard, but I'm also going to run a little bit at point (guard) this year, too."

The 6-foot-5, 210-pound Ellenson had strong interest in the Gophers ever since he first visited campus and attended a basketball game at Williams Arena during his freshman year in high school.

His familiarity with Smith's program is much different from Buggs, who didn't even have Minnesota on his list of schools until the fall.

The 6-8, 210-pound forward from Arlington, Texas, graduated from Martin High School with a 3.7 grade-point average. He's now attending prep school because his family wanted Buggs to get a chance to mature physically before entering college.

He is averaging 19 points, 11 rebounds and three steals this season to help lead his high school team to a 4-0 record.

"He's got a very good skill set because he can shoot, pass and dribble," Hargrave coach A.W. Hamilton said. "What Charles has got to do is work on getting physically stronger. If he does that and what he needs to at Minnesota, he can make an impact."

Buggs and Ellenson are both more comfortable on the perimeter, so the Gophers are still hoping to add another player to the 2012 class who can help them replace their senior frontcourt of Trevor Mbakwe and Ralph Sampson III. Smith's top target is four-star Milwaukee Riverside center Phillip Nolan.

The 6-11 Nolan is a former AAU teammate of Ellenson, who is trying to persuade him to join the Gophers, as well.

[Scott M]

Nice to see us raiding Wisconsin of talent and not the other way around.

[Dotch]

I like it anytime someone makes Bo scowl and his eyes bug out of his head.

[Scott M]

Gophers pull away with a couple minutes left, 70-58. It was nip and tuck all game. Waiting for the box score....

[Scott M]

Sampson fouls out with 8 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists. Mbakwe with 17-10 and most importantly, 9 of 13 on free throws. Freshman Andre Hollins got the start, 6 points and 2 assists. Julian Welch, the Juco transfer, got nearly as many minutes at the point and ended with 7 points, 2 assists. Rodney with 6 points. A bucket or two for nearly everyone on the bench. Waiting to see a spark from Ahanmisi. He went scoreless tonight.

[hamrej23]

I was at the game tonight. Just got back home.

Well, I have mixed feelings.

Bucknell is a good team, they will wind a lot of games this year and probably their conference.

Gophs- where is the shooting? We missed countless layups. Body language was poor, ft shooting was poor. Didn't hit more than 3 15 fters.

I would like to see hollins the freshman play more. He has potential..coleman is solid as a role player... the german kid osenkis(sp) was out of it...not very athletic and dissapionted me...

Ok, but I think this team is the complete opposite of last year...I don't think they fade I think they get better through the year. The younger backcourt has serious potential. I liked sampson and trevor.

Ahanmhisi did not get a lot of minutes in the 2nd..either did coleman....

Welch deserved to play, he can play d...so can the hollins boys.!

Ill be @ most games!

[Scott M]

71-55 Gophers outpace the Jackrabbits. SDSU should fall in behind Oral Roberts and Oakland in the Summit League. Wolters had a nice game. He wanted a lot of calls but he's got a nice teardrop, good handle and body control, and a nice stroke in his repertoire.

It was nip and tuck until there was about 10 minutes left, then the Gophers harassing defense unnerved SDSU and the Gophs pulled away. They had a little 18-1 spurt that blew the game open. Gophers were getting outrebounded most of the game, but closed the gap in the second half. Lots of steals and blocks by Minnesota.

Right now, this team doesn't pass the eye test for NCAA tournament. Way too many issues, guard play being a big one. I don't think you can even say the Gophers have a huge advantage in the front court. When you are watching Sampson and Mbakwe catch the ball 2 feet from the three point line? Against SDSU's bigs? What happens when you try and post up Sullinger? With all the other Big Ten teams making improvements I don't think it's happening this year, I'll get that out of the way early. If they committed to actually working it inside and if the bigs actually showed some moves, the whole floor would open up. Tonight I didn't see a single good post entry, and didn't see a single move by a big man. It was catch, turn, go up. It's like the football analogy of running to set up the pass and passing to set up the run. Work it inside to open the perimeter up or hit outside shots to free up driving lanes and space for the bigs. I don't see a commitment to either philosophy. Tubby's team have zero offense.

The shooting situation is baffling. Osenieks, Au. Hollins, Armelin, and Ahanmisi can all shoot with time, but we have no one that can shoot off the dribble.

The same Tubby issues remain. I can't for the life of me, figure out why Tubby has teams that

* go 9-10 deep

* feature athletic players that (mostly) can't shoot

* cannot operate in the halfcourt

If you always have teams with those three characteristics, wouldn't you feature a full court press for easy baskets or an aggressive trapping half court zone? It's his fifth year and we have yet to see it.

Rant over. Tonight Mbakwe went 17-10, mostly in the second half in garbage time. Sampson scored 10. Armelin had 9 and Ahanmisi 8 in limited time. Those two reserve, sophomore guards are good for change of pace and instant offense. Andre Hollins was in foul trouble early after getting the start. Welch was mostly unproductive. Everybody played. I keep hearing all this raving about Joe Coleman but he hasn't had much of an impact in the first couple games. The raving comes from the coaches; apparently he's the second leading scorer in practice and is getting a lot of deflections and steals (which they covet). Eliason and Ingram aren't bringing much to the table as front court subs. Better hope Sampson and Mbakwe are in good cardiovascular shape and don't get in foul trouble.

[Harmonica Bear]

Nice report, thanks!

[Scott M]

Fairfield is expected to challenge Iona (beaten on a Hummel Boilermaker Buzer Beater) for the Metro Atlantic crown. So this one should help the RPI.

Fairfield played zone to try and slow down the Gophers, but the Gophers defense was good enough to win the game. I really liked the intensity I saw on defense from the start.

They won by 10 but it should have been a blowout. It wasn't for two reasons.

*Gophers didn't take care of the gold last night. 23 turnovers, including 17 by your starters. Ouch. I hope it was just an off night. Way too many were unforced. Nothing of a pattern, yet.

*Gophers didn't rebound. Remember those comments about that frontcourt? You can add rebounding to that list. For such an experienced frontline, they don't box out or hit the glass. Mbakwe is the only guy that does. Ralph relies on a 7 foot frame to get rebounds. They gave up 10 offensive rebounds, and won the margin of total rebounds by 3. They had the size, bulk, and athleticism to easily win the rebound stats but they don't have the mentality of commitment to positioning to dominate this category. I predict they are going to get toasted on the glass in conference play.

Highlights

* Another double double by Mbakwe, 20-10. And while we're on Trevor, what a transformation on free throws! His free throw shooting improvement excites me more than his ability to dunk on guys' heads. 16 for 18 on free throws, and his stroke just looks so much better. The team shot 27 of 31. Kudos to them, lets keep it up.

* Andre Hollins stepping up. He didn't take care of the rock by leading the team in turnovers, but he's finding ways to impact the game. Second leading scorer with 12, 8 of 9 on free throws.

* Osenieks can be the three guy. Given space and time, he can dial it up. This guy will likely be the zone buster. The coaching staff did wonders to improve Hoffarber's release time, if they can do the same for Oto we'll be in good shape. Would be nice to have a guy that can pull up off the dribble. Rodney has the dribble-pull up skill set but doesn't use it enough.

*Tubby was better with playing time management. Starters got most of the work, and the bench filled in. I don't like the line changes and I think he doesn't utilize his 12 man bench (see earlier post about pressing), but tonight he gave minutes to his horses that should be out there most of the time. ***Speaking of pressing, I hope Tubby was paying attention. Austin Hollins got some cheap run outs by leaving his man on the man press and doubling a dead ball for steals. Imagine a zone press or a trapping man press...this team would get tons of points.

* The last highlight was literally a highlight. Austin Hollins had a sweet tip dunk. He was lucky enough to time it just right and got above Mbakwe and slammed a miss home. Very nice finish. Check it out below:

[Dotch]

Nice summary and assessment of the game as always. Sampson III just continues to disappoint though, doesn't he? At one point when I was watching in the 2nd half I saw him get the ball in the paint and thought to myself, "wait for it..." He brings the ball down, puts it on the floor and away the Fairfield player goes with an easy steal and hoop on the other end. Shortly after that he was on the bench and while I realize he messed his ankle up, that little episode probably didn't help.

This was the 1st game I've been able to watch. It was entertaining and the guard play was improved over what I remember from last year in spite of the turnovers. If Mbakwe gets his wrist healed up some and can make some buckets while drawing the foul, this could be fun to watch at least until they start playing tougher Big 10 opponents. Unless someone else steps it up in the front court, it'll be tough for Mbakwe to carry the load constantly on both ends of the floor. Catch the ball Ralph and hang onto it! Pass the ball! Don't dribble it! Man up and get yourself into a position where you can make a play! Is that too much to ask?

[Scott M]

Didn't see a lick of the game tonight versus Mount St. Mary's. This was a cupcake, final score 85-56. Starters didn't play much after halftime. Lots of minutes for subs. Gophers started the game on a 25-4 run.