Gopher Mens Hoops

[Scott M]

 Originally Posted By: Dotch

Have a silly question though and maybe someone knows the answer. A lot of balls coming long off the rim like superballs tonight. Have noticed this other times in games played at Indiana that the rims appear to be fairly "live". In listening to broadcasters while watching the games played at the Barn, the rims are reputed to be "soft" and appear to give more. Is there supposed to be a standard resistance those rims are set to? Are they ever checked? Just curious.

I played in three intramural championship games on Williams and those are very soft rims. Not sure about a standard for testing baskets in the NCAAs. I know they get measured for height and centering since they are usually cranked down when not in use (in certain gyms like Assembly Hall, not Williams). That's part of the gamesmanship of basketball I guess. The Gophers have some really nice rims and supports...There are guy wires that run out to the upper deck at Williams. So that baby is not going to get pulled down. In general it is a pretty soft rim and with the right touch you can put down a lot of shots. It's not too hard...just soft enough to deaden most shots and let them slip through.

The gamesmanship of hoops goes way back. I can remember being taught to double team and trap guys on certain dead spots on the high school floor, where the volleyball posts got put away. It was alleged that the Boston Celtics in the old Boston Garden knew all the dead spots on the parquet floor and would steer their man into them. I can remember one gym in our conference that was really old and the baskets were hard bolted to the wall. You took a shot outside of 12 feet and if you missed the rebound was going long. On nights in those gym we'd thread it inside to the post man or run a wide open offense with lots of driving and cutting so we could get layups and good looks. With most school districts getting nicer gyms, baskets, and floors, those types of things are pretty rare. At the collegiate level even more so.

Some nights guys shoot flat and a lot of balls go long. Or they don't snap their wrists to get good spin on the ball and their shots roll off short. Sports Illustrated did an interview with Rodman about rebounding the first year he joined the Bulls. It was incredibly insightful. He went through every player on the team and how they shot, and what would happen to the ball when it hit the rim. He watched a ton of film and knew tendencies of every shooter in the league. And of course he was technically sound, he boxed out, he pinched down, he flopped, he spun, he kept moving, he kept his eye on the ball, he dove, he did everything he could to get the ball. He never just ran to or under the rim, like a lot of guys do.

[tisosy11]

Williams rims are some of the softest in college. The Barn is something that is extremely special to the U and is a great facility for college basketball. But the forgiving rims are too forgiving for away teams to come in and scorch...

[Dotch]

See? There, I learned something today. Now if they would just find a way to incorporate the use of field hockey sticks into the game, I'd begin to understand it better. Indeed, the Barn is a very special building and I always marveled at the architecture when I travelled from Moo U to the main campus. Of course, Williams was still new then! All I knew was doing some calculations while watching the likes of Osborne Lockhart, Ray Williams, Mychal Thompson, Cookie Holmes, Dave Winey, Flip Saunders, etc., it would hold a lot of hay. Thanks guys!

[ozzie]

I remember reading that Rodman article...it showed there was a reason behind him being one of the best rebounders of all time....I think it is odd how in high school you go to one gym and the floor made you just jump out of the gym and there were others that made you feel like you had weights on your ankles....in high school I could dunk at Anoka, Coon Rapids, and Champlin gyms easily and maybe Park Center but I was never able to really come close at my home gym of Elk River! Those floors are dead and the hoop always seem to point up slightly to me? weird-I have always thought

[Scott M]

"When Blake Hoffarber is your leading rebounder, you've got issues; you've got real problems" -Tubby after the game.

A loss at Illinois. Pretty pathetic ending. Streaky shooting, not anything resembling decent post play, no senior leadership, turnovers, no rebounding, and streaky defense. They might not even make the NIT, and if the continue to play this way they will lose their game in the Big Ten Tourney and any game thereafter.

I hope next year's product can find some fire and passion to play with, and can learn to play smart.

I didn't have high expectation until shortly before the season when I started looking at the state of other teams in the Big Ten and their nonconference schedule. They should have done better this year and gotten into the dance but they couldn't beat anyone good. That has to change in the future.

Hope springs eternal. I believe Tubby is the guy and this team will be a ranked team with lots of poise in the future. If next year's group of recruits is like this years', there will be good things in store for those wait. Next year may not be the year either, but it will be fun to watch the team get better. 2010 should be the year where the expectation is NCAAs.

[tisosy11]

the gophers will be on the doorstop next year...an actual bubble team and could sneak in with a big win.

THe gophers will soon be able to challenge my Badgers!

[Dotch]

I only saw the second half of the Illinoise game but it pretty well summed up what this team has been about all year long: Inconsistency. Missing critical free throws, failing to box out then hitting that 4 - 5 minute mark and choking when you need to put someone away has been a hallmark of this team against almost every opponent they needed to beat to get to the next level. Tubby was particularly frustrated by those things in the post game interview. Senior leadership as you said da chise was sorely lacking, not only in this game but too much of the time over the course of the season. As you also mentioned previously, he has to be tearing his hair out, no differently than I do when after working with a kid over and over on how to position themselves and their animal in the showring, then see them revert back to their bad habits. When Tubby got here the cupboard was bare so looks like what we've seen is an improvement with a makeshift squad. I don't follow the recruiting end of things well enough to know what he's got coming but something tells me it has to be better than what Monson was able to attract based on the past couple year's performances.

I'm optimistic about their future, too. Having seen coaches come and go before, knowing Tubby's reputation for winning wherever he's been and knowing the Gopher fans support and hunger for a winning program since the days of Musselman, a competitive winning team is just a matter of time. Good luck to them in the tournament and hopefully the NIT. The Barn still rocks!

[Scott M]

Was fortunate enough to catch the Gophers game this afternoon. Wow, they did their best to lose the dang thing but managed to pull it off. Two really bad teams.

Sorry, that's all the breakdown I can give at this point. Tubby might have to try 5 guards versus everyone.

Might see if Indy can beat MN for a third time tomorrow.

[tisosy11]

One win - THREE TO GO!!! ahha!

[hamrej23]

I actually think we match up really well with Indiana. Should be a close game. The worst part about it is that they basically have home court advantage( indianapolis )

[bassNspear]

wow, what a basketball game vs indy.

we played well, but didnt play that well in the second half of the game. Thank god for the buzzer beater!!

See what we have for Ill

[Scott M]

Well, the Patrick Ewing theory is in full effect (Ewing's teams tended to play better when he was benched, hurt, or fouled out...lots of examples like 99 Knicks and his Georgetown teams). No Spencer Tollackson, no problem. They are almost better with 5 guards, although D.J. White killed them.

I was prepared for the Gophers to lose in a new and devasting way. I don't care if a guy tries to rip you to the floor, you gotta grab that rebound. The box out was horrible. There was no way it should have come down to Hoffarber's buzzer beater.

Gophers get a quality win finally (better late than never) and Tubby even gets excited. He should, that win became like season 8 or 9 consecutively of 20-win seasons. Coleman doesn't show up. McKenzie is really shooting well lately, including free throws. Damian Johnson is your unsung hero. 17 points, four offensive rebounds, a block, steal, and assist. Lots of garbage points for the ragin' cajun.

I predict MN will hang tough with Illinois. They really should have been able to beat Illinois in either building. Illinois won 5 big ten games, including both against MN. They have terrific guard play from McCamey and Meachem and a decent post in Pruitt.

Gophers have won two games in a row in ugly fashion. I'll pull hard for them today versus Illinois, which is a better matchup for them than say Wisconsin, but I won't get carried away. They didn't roast NW or IU. I wouldn't hold my breath to see them win the tournament but at least they are off the NIT bubble.

[Coach1310]

It was great to see the Goph's so jacked up last night. Even downt he stretch the whole bench was living and dying with every play. Never saw that with Monson or Molinari!! I don't think they were ever on the NIT bubble...they draw too well to be left out. I'm sure the tank will be pretty empty today, but it is a game they can win. I would love to see them in the championship. The game means very little to Wisconsin or Mich State. Everyone wants to play well, but whether it is Wisc. or Mich State winning the Big Ten Tourney won't change their seed in the Dance...getting there is enough. Go Goph's. The odds are about 1 in 100, but if they could some how pull 2 more off and get the automatic bid, I would love to hear Common Man explain that away after he said he would, "Leave town" if the Gophers won the Big Ten tournament. It happens a lot when a team escapes after playing poorly(like we did round 1) where they find a spark. It also happens a lot where a big play like the buzzer beater last night sparks the team. The goph's have done both.....what does that mean??? The odds are pretty slim, but you just never know. That is why they call it MARCH MADNESS

[Scott M]

Pretty disappointing game, but that's this year's team's M.O. Consistently inconsistent. I'm sure they'll be hosting some NIT games as early as Tuesday. Thanks to the seniors for their efforts, but as I've said all year, where was your heart, drive, smarts? Our frontcourt got destroyed all year. It's really frustrating as a fan because you know how close they were...I predicted they would be on the bubble but I didn't realize how close they would be...imagine if they beat Illinois a time or two...they played this team 3 times, they could have won a couple considering Illinois won 5 conference games during the regular season...How about upsetting Indiana or MSU...Gotta defend the home court. Sprinkle a few of those wins into the resume and we're going dancing...They'll never know how close they were.

[tisosy11]

ahha - gophers dream died to a BAD illini team...a good win over a fading indiana squad

[Scott M]

Gophers play Maryland at Williams Arena on Tuesday night at 8:30 in the first round of NIT action.

[Flaco651]

Go Gophers!

[Coach1310]

They made a nice run in the Big Ten Tourney and Tubby got as much as any coach in the country would have gotten from this group. They have a tough matchup with Maryland, but we'll see. Talk about a tough draw with Tubby, Gary Williams and Jim Boheim all in this 4 team bracked you are talking about 3 coaches with a NCAA championship!! Go Gophers!!

[bassNspear]

how do all of you think there going to do in the NIT tourney. I think there going to play better and go alot farther then alot of people think there going to. There a good team, and can do some damage if they can put it all together. Tubby will have them ready, so we will have to see. Im hoping they do well

[tisosy11]

the gophers will lose first round - tough draw...maryland?

[Scott M]

Well the season is done. Minnesota is downed at home against Maryland, losers of 6 of their last 8 games. Out without so much as a whimper goes Dan Coleman, Spencer Tollackson, and Lawrence McKenzie. Tollackson did his best on a bad ankle and finishes with 6 points. Coleman, a thousand point scorer that appeared in over 3200 minutes of basketball in 127 games with dreams of professional basketball, finishes with no points. This is symbolic of his career. Many times the guy had no heart. He benefited from starting for four years and his height and athleticism may get him a contract in Europe. McKenzie's injury limited him to little more than a few minutes in memorandum.

Like the announcers said, I guess you have to appreciate what you got from this group, even if you're like me and a little disappointed.. A 9 win team from last year this year increases its win total to 20. I love seeing Damian Johnson back next year. He finishes the night with 14 and 12, a career high in rebounds, including 7 offensive boards.

They have some great pieces to work with next year. Williams can work on not swatting down on every shot and tuning his inside game. Hoffarber can work on setting players up better and getting more shots. Nolen can work on his shooting and driving. Johnson can work on post moves. Shamala needs to get his shot and confidence back and bulk up size wise and on defense. Westbrook can work on his shooting and decision making. Busch can work on his entire game. Joseph, Carter, Iverson, Sampson, and Bostick will all bring something to the table. Next year's team is very young but they have some pieces to be competitive. Perhaps guys make more strides than you counted on and they sneak in to the tournament. At any rate it will be fun to watch.

[Dotch]

I agree da chise. When I found out McKenzie was on the shelf last night, was afraid their chances of winning were diminished. The last half of the season, he seemed to be putting the rally killing guy who'd come down and jack the inopportune three-ball behind him and rather than trying to carry the load, letting the game come to him. Played 'em tough the fist half but Maryland was just too quick and physical for them to handle. Osby reminds me a little of Jim Brewer the way he's built. What a horse! The season overall though was a marked improvement and there was some quality entertainment, with high points being the win over Ohio St. and the last second game winner against Indiana in the tournament. Looks like that's a team that could be down next year although the team they really need to deliver a good old fashioned butt kicking to is IL. Enough with this 20 consecutive losses garbage especially in our house! Tubby appears to like the fans here and the feeling is mutual. His mocking the officials last night when they finally got a call right was humorous and the crowd loved it. I don't know a lot about the recruits so maybe some of you guys who are into that could fill some of the dummies like myself in if you have time and think of it someday. The players we saw for next year as you said are exciting. Hopefully the seniors can provide a little more of that leadership that was lacking much of the time this past season. And, they all need to figure out how to get those precious free throws to go through the hoop. At any rate, can't wait to see what next year's team will look like, one more year removed from the Monson disaster.

[tisosy11]

Why the heck was the barn empty last night?

[lawdog]

Regardless of the loss, congrats to Tubby and the Gophers for retoring some respectability to this program! Great job in hitting the 20 win mark!