2009-2010 Gophers

[Scott M]

Bummer news as discussed in a previous thread. Mbakwe is ineligible to play until his court case is settled, which is unlikely to happen anytime soon. Some are saying he will be redshirted...it would have been nice to see him playing while we had Westbrook at the 2.

Royce White apparently is still an [PoorWordUsage]. He goes to Macy's at M.O.A. and tries some shoplifting. What could you possibly want that you couldn't pay for at Macy's? The thrill I guess...just had to get that adrenaline before the regular season tip. I'm guessing he won't play in any games until Christmas, if then.

I guess if you want to be an optimist you look at this team and say, well, they were an NCAA tournament team without the new additions, so nothing changes all that much. I look at the team and the schedule and couldn't care less about losing Royce White for a stretch of games (in the words of Tubby, 2-20 games). I am however concerned about the loss of Mbakwe. He could be a real difference maker in the post on his size and athleticism alone. When you have a team that could finish anywhere from 3-8 in the conference, he can help you stay in the upper quartile of the league. My gut feeling is this isn't over...he may have some legal grounds for breach of contract, "they're just allegations and not a conviction"....I can see him grasping for some legal leg to stand on in order to play. However, I think playing for a D1 school is a privilege and not a right so that may be hard to hammer out, especially in a timely matter.

I'm going to try and make the exhibition game tomorrow night against UMD....we'll see if I have time for a recap and some first impressions of the team...Leaving for deer camp Friday so I'll miss MSU-Moorhead but should be there for the season tip off next Friday.

[hamrej23]

Did you go to the game?

I heard it was a laugher

[IFallsRon]

You can't recruit dopes and not expect them not to be clowns.

[Scott M]

Went to the game but got home late then left early for deer hunting. I'm back now and will be at the game tomorrow night. The first exhibition was a laugher. They easily dropped the chalupa and everyone was in the books. Rodney Williams posterized some guy on an inside no look dish. He has the body/build of Kevin Durant. He even stroked a couple treys like Durant. But he really got pushed around, by UMD guys no less. Of course if they are short in the big man department, maybe he will play.

Mbakwe, Bostick, and White were all sitting in street clothes. Royce White looked nice in his suit stolen from Macy's.

I gave my ticket to a buddy for last Monday. I guess Williams and Carter played pin the ball on the glass for a few possessions and got a couple sweet tip dunks.

Tomorrow's game should be a blowout. I have a friend that goes to school at Tennessee Tech so I'll be sending him some in-game picture messages of the scoreboard.

[Scott M]

Caught the season opener yesterday at Williams.

Royce White wasn't there in street clothes. One buddy texted me that he was expelled, but nothing is official through the media. Might be too early to claim that. Another friend, the same one that works BB camps, told me that when Royce White was asked why he stole the clothes at Macy's, he said "I needed to look fresh for a party." Apparently, Tubby is pretty upset with Royce's entire apathetic attitude and White's "don't they know who I am" schtick. Also heard that Bostick got caught with weed and that Mbakwe has been a good soldier, and that things just look really bad in Florida because after the charges, he dropped out of school and quickly moved out of his apartment (looks suspicious)...there is some hope he will play because the judge is saying he will do everything he can to speed things along. This is all hearsay at this point...I don't know if anything in the above paragraph is true but its interesting to hear...time will tell if its accurate.

On to the game....

Westbrook caught lightning in a bottle and had a nice little spurt. He finished with 22 on 9 of 13 shooting. Also impressive was Rodney Williams. Rodney needs to learn the Randy Moss hand raise when he wants to be spoonfed for alley oops. They missed him about 3-4 times and botched one, but they got him the ball for a couple nice dunks on nifty inside passes...he had one with about 35 seconds left in the game where he looked like he could have dunked the ball on a 12 foot hoop. If there is a shortage of big men and Rodney keeps hitting outside shots (he had the confidence to pull up from NBA range a couple times and did knock one down) and making athletic plays on backdoors and in transition, he won't be getting a redshirt afterall. While its hard for him to bang down low size wise, his athleticism allows him to sometimes recover in time to block shots. I don't expect to see these in conference games or against big ten foes, but that's why you have a pair of nearly 7 foot sophomores that have gained some weight...Iverson and Sampson are putting some beef on their frames and their legs look heavier too.

Sampson had a solid 9 and 9. He showed a few more aggressive flashes and a few new post moves, but his indecisiveness with the ball and waiting had fans clamoring for him to "take" his man. Hopefully they will keep building him up mentally to go after guys in the post. He could have had more, but the gophers spent the first half chucking up outside shots and committing silly turnovers instead of working the ball around or inside. With 2 minutes left in the first half, TN Tech was within 7.

Damian Johnson was his usual pestlike self. I am going to call it now-he will be the Big Ten defensive player of the year. He is an even better harrasser and trapper...Most big men are not involved in a 2-1-2 zone press but Johnson plays in the backcourt as a blind side harrasser and finished with 6 steals to accentuate his 5 blocks inside.

Paul Carter was very efficient, but I fear he will be lost on the bench. He started Friday night, but had the second fewest minutes of all players with just 14. In that time he scored 9 points, grabbed 5 boards and blocked a shot.

Nolen played like the same guy we've seen for the last 2 years. He didn't take many shots but had some nice steals and finished with 7 assists. If teams play zone against Minnesota, I think Tubby is going to switch Nolen out for a scorer at the point like Joseph.

Hoffarber started the year off 1-4 for treys. He isn't getting the open looks anymore and his lack of defense is getting exposed. If you can't defend, you can't play for Tubby. He will be a strictly 3 point shooter that occasionally gets garbage layups on offensive putbacks and cuts to the basket.

Justin Cobbs is still looking for an identity. He appears to have the right defensive attitude to play point guard for the gophers, but he will likely do little more than spell the other guards.

The game was pretty sloppy in the first half but things looked better in the second. The Gophers got a good start on building momentum for the second half when Westbrook hit a lunging double pump 3 pointer to beat the buzzer on a broken play that began after a timeout under the opponents basket with 3 seconds left.

The Gophs need to keep working the inside. They ran few plays inside, yet still finished 44-10 advantage in the paint. If the team can apply pressure on the perimeter, they can afford to overplay the outside since they have such good size and athleticism inside. Friday they did a good job of protecting the paint by blocking 15 shots as a team. The inside out defense also forced 27 turnovers.

The team did a good job of sharing the ball, notching 25 assists on 34 made field goals. They cleaned things up in the second half by not making one pass too many and not trying to get too fancy.

Next game is Monday at home with Stephen F. Austin. May have a report. I will miss the Thursday Utah Valley game to pick up the deer rifle again, but so be it.

[CJH]

Thanks for the report!

It looks like the Utah Valley game is the first one that will be televised on the BTN. That will be alot of our first tastes of the new season. Can't wait!!

[Scott M]

Gophers 82, Stephen F. Austin 42.

Let's make it clear, Rodney Williams will not be getting a redshirt. Williams tore up the barn tonight, dropping 14 points in 17 minutes with a pair of treys and some monster dunks. While it's unrealistic for Rodney to continue to be the 2nd leading scorer, he has shown that his raw skill set and athleticism alone are enough to give him a ton of minutes, and this team already had a big shot of athleticism last year in Carter and Bostick.

Nolen was again himself, scoreless with 7 assists and no TOs. Damian Johnson fills up the stat line, 11 points, 5 assists, 5 steals, and 3 blocks. Sampson goes 8 and 11. Westbrook was an efficient 15 points on 10 shots. Carter had 2 points and 6 boards, Iverson 4 points 6 boards, Joseph went 3-3 on 3's, finished with 15, and Hoff had a couple treys to finish with 6 points.

Tubby kept substituting line changes but brought out Williams as a starter for the second half. The leading minute man was Johnson with 25...I get the impression Tubby is feeling his team out like last year. This preseason is pretty weak until Minnesota gets a crack at #10 Butler on Thanksgiving for the 76 Classic tournament. I'm not sure what these guys are learning from 40 point blowouts; if anything I hope the new guys are learning the ropes.

With a little more than 2 minutes left in the first, Minnesota only had a 1 point lead. That makes the final blowout that much more spectacular. Stephen F. Austin slowed the pace of the game down and forced Minnesota into a halfcourt game, and like last year it seemed the Gophers either didn't have the patience or the chemistry to make half court sets work. Eventually, they picked up the defense in the second half, went on a 27-3 run, and blew the game open off turnovers. Still would have liked to see the big men play meaner and grab more rebounds. The gophers do share the ball well; they had 21 assists on 29 made field goals.

I guess we'll see what happens with Utah Valley, then it's the 76 Classic, Big Ten/ACC at Miami, a run of jokers, and then B.T. opener with PSU. I will guess 10-2 entering Big Ten play, either losing to Miami away or a couple games in the 76 Classic. If they can show some toughness in Anaheim over Thanksgiving weekend, they might make some noise this year.

[CrappiesNCats]

good performance from the U. just wish they'd allow the other kids to play, i don't care if they have issues. Innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. They should be allowed to play until the case is over, then if guilty suspend them. Everything I read about Mbwake is that he will be cleared as its a weak case and he supposedly has a solid alibi.

[Scott M]

I missed the Utah Valley game for deer hunting, but I guess Rodney Williams got the start and responded with a nice effort. When I push the turkey aside on Thursday, I will probably skip the Denver Broncos-N.Y. Giants game to watch #16 Minny versus #10 Butler.

[Scott M]

If you go back and look at the season preview, quite a few CBB writers picked Butler to be a Final Four Sleeper/Cinderella...that is going to be a huge RPI game, not the weight of Louisville last year, but a team that might be in that 28-30 win tally.

Awesome effort by the Gophers, especially on defense. While I don't like the line change substitutions, Tubby has shown he has a deep bench and that he has a whole team of players craving time that will play defense and bring intensity to do so. Butler wasn't getting any looks tonight.

Huge first half by Colt 45. Double double and patrolled the lane. Joseph shows the range and confidence in the second half. Damian Johnson takes over...Lavin kept talking about his patience and he's completely right...when Johnson is at his best on offense is when he is picking a defense down with slow spins while in control.

I listened to the first half in the car on the way home and saw the second half on TV. Both crews of announcers talked about the terrible officiating, not letting the teams get into the flow of the game, but honestly, this sort of situation benefits the deeper Gopher bench. Without much of a contribution from Carter, Williams, Nolen, or Sampson, they get a solid effort from the rest...I expect someone different will step up each night throughout the season but much like last year, they will find themselves searching for an alpha dog, although I would guess if they need a bucket, they will draw something up off the dribble for Westbrook. I would have liked to see the Gophers go into the post more often once Howard had his 3rd, but they haven't figured out a post entry offense.

Not much more to say. I like the Gophers chances tomorrow night against either Portland or UCLA, and a Finals matchup with #8 West Virginia would be pretty sweet.

[knoppers]

westbrook was also a no show early in this, but had his usuall great spurt in the 2nd half. the gophs need to improve there free throws.

[Nick Kuhn]

I'd like to see a match against WV come up for the gophers. They had best not overlook Portland as they have proved to be a pretty steady group. If they can get past that to WV I hope the officiating changes, as there's no way a Big East/Big Ten matchup can be played without a lot of contact.

Tubby will always have this team playing great defense. The question remains can they compete on the boards with the big boys and score points in a half court offense.

[james_walleye]

Pretty stellar game last night. If they can find the offense they had in the 2nd half more often this is a dangerous team. Iverson was an absolute force in the middle. The timely 3 pointers in the last 10 minutes gave them the W.

[Dotch]

No doubt, a very satisfying win over Butler. Will see how they do tonite at 8:30 against Portland. Lets hope consuming too many creampuffs prior to the Butler game doesn't come back to haunt. Also in hopes the officials aren't whistle happy and let the teams play this evening. A lot of play stoppage may indeed help the Gophers, but it makes for a predictable, less exciting game overall from a fans perspective, especially when neither team can hit their free throws. Lavin had it right.

[CJH]

The refs were terrible in that game. Overall a solid Defensive effort for the Gophs, with timely shooting by Joseph and Hoffarber. Loved Colton in the first half. He doesn't get mentioned as much as everybody else, but his ability to muscle the paint will be critical in certain matchups. Wish they would play him more in the low with Sampson in the high post. That's a good combo, especially if you have shooters spread out on the perimeter.

I think the game tonight is on ESPNU, but looking at my Comcast sheet it doesn't look like that is listed (and we get all of the sports channels). Anybody have any insight?

[Snag]

I watched the game last night and was impressed with Bigs. Sampson didn't do much, but had a few good defensive plays and some nice passes. Nolan makes it 4 on 5 on offense, but plays good d. I was surprised to see the freshman from California play some in the first half. He hit a big 3 and ran the offense. If they get White to go along with this group, they should have a chance to compete with Michigan State. I liked Joseph last year and he looks good.

Google "free ESPNU online" and you can see the game. I watched ESPN2 last night on the computer.

[CJH]

Just found it on Channel 269. Its not even on my listing!

[james_walleye]

The offense looks putrid right now, they better get things on track.

[Dotch]

Putrid was right! 1/2 court offense stinks. Defense played respectably except when they'd fall asleep covering the open 3. The Dutchman ate Sampson's lunch and Campbell couldn't miss. The Gophers on the other hand couldn't hit the broad side of the Barn from 3 pt. range and the free throw shooting continued to be pathetic. Connect on a few of them and they're in the game. Miss as they did and they have to claw their way back and lose by 5. Be interesting to see how Portland plays against WV. Has Huggins recruited any thugs like he did at Cincy yet? Man those guys were scary looking!

[CJH]

Why the heck they don't get the ball in the post more in the halfcourt offense, makes no sense to me. Hopefully they get this garbage out of their system now!!!!!!

[james_walleye]

I agree, i see the bigs open in the middle and the ball has to go in there if only to kick it back out to the open shooter. The offense was stale, just passed it around the outside all night long. Teams will continue to do what Portland did last night and play that saggy zone not allowing penetration and forcing the gophers to prove they can hit an outside shot once in a while. I think they need to speed things more when they can. Get it up court fast and try to get something quick before that saggy zone can get set up.

[Snag]

After watching the game, you would think it was their first time playing together. Tubby's substitutions keep them fresh on D, but it seems to hurt the offense too much. They never get into a rythymn and if they do, they get yanked. They just don't play off each other very well.

The passing around the top against the zone was pathetic. 6th grade girls would have at least tried sending it into the post. They never tried to front the post on D, so Portland just went inside out and hit threes.

[Scott M]

Caught the game last night after a full day of hunting. A very spread 2-3 zone with quick players and size to protect the middle befuddled the young Gophers. They weren't patient for much of the game and took too many jumpshots. Teams should remember from last year that if you don't give up easy baskets in transition or run outs you can slow down the game and methodically beat the Gophers. Very good intensity and patience by Portland...they never deviated from the game plan.

I'm dissappointed in the team not finding a way to get the ball to the bigs...if they want to get better they will learn to use the posts, and I'm not talking about just this year, I'm talking about the next two...they have a good group of youngsters that needs to learn to dominate the middle now.

Hopefully Minnesota salvages a win against UCLA...I didn't expect a 3-0 tournament record, and this tourney means nothing so 2-1 should still be viewed as a good thing this early if the team learns from that loss.

[Dotch]

I've been impressed with the physical changes in both Iverson and Sampson but agree, now it's time to use their melons, get open and pull down the boards. The tools appear to be there. Think they play TX A&M at 4 p.m. on ESPN2 Sunday but yupper, a 2-1 record out of this tournament would be a positive.

[Nick Kuhn]

I think last nights poor performance was fatigue related. They didn't shoot well even from the line. My guess is playing back to back nights with only 10 players took it's toll.

[CJH]

FLAT again. Not the best way to end the tourney. At least they showed some spunk at the end of the game and pulled it close. Not sure why Sampson is starting, since Iverson is outplaying him hands down.

Anyboy know what the "disciplinary" benching of Nolan and Westbrook was about?

[Scott M]

I was wondering about the benching too. Didn't get to see the game, but read the recap. Sounds like they had a flat start...do that in the Big Ten this year and you will be a .500 team.

Beat Miami on Wednesday and they'll be back on the up and up. Miami is undefeated right now.

[pondhopper]

Iverson's play in the tournament really impressed me, his rebounding in particular. Two double-doubles in three games against higher quality opposition is encouraging.

[CJH]

About the benching, I read that they were benched due to their "lack of leadership". Basically, when they were in the game, they were jacking up shots, not running the offense (which isn't surprising with Westbrook, but is with Nolen). They shot around 24% from the field and were outplayed by every other guard combo they faced. Joseph and Hoffarber outplayed them also. Nolen played much better in the last half after the benching and had like 5 assists during that time frame, which is what we expect from him.

Just kind of getting sick of Westbrook's out of control play. You can get away with it against the garbage teams they played to start the season, but as the tourney proved, you can't do it against quality teams.

[CodyDawg]

Their free throw shooting is pathetic. man, i get frustrated watching that. And they have no "go to" guy. Westbrook isnt that guy, as much as he wants to be. He is a good 2nd or 3rd option, but not the #1 guy. I was a little dissapointed that Williams didnt play more....as I dont know if they really have a #1 guy on their roster. I hope it is Williams. And Devoe....man, he sure could pass up a shot now and then and it wouldnt bother me. Scoring 10 points on 4 for 15 shooting is not what we need.