The Future of Gopher Basketball

I'm on record as thinking the current season is going to be successful. BUT things are looking great for the future of the program. Tubby has landed a great class that will be on campus by next fall.

JUCO Transfers

SF - Devron Bostick - will come to the program as a junior. Last season Bostick was 2nd team All-American at the JUCO level. Back in the day in Racine, Wisconsin Bostick averaged 17 ppg and 6.4 rpg on an undefeated team. Bostick is a slasher and should come in immediately and help pick up the scoring that will be gone with the graduation of McKenzie, Tollackson and Coleman. The downside is that he'll come in and really be a stop-gap guy. His first season as a gopher will likely be a struggle with such a youthful team. His senior season might be more successful but he also might see limited min as we HOPE to have another outstanding recruiting class (you reading this Rodney and Royce?).

F - Paul Carter - I've read that the incoming sophomore has NBA talent. Currently he is having an outstanding season at the JUCO level. His first game of the year was a 28 point, 14 rebound performance on his way to winning the MVP of the season opening tourney. I expect that Carter will be an immediate starter but probably at the SF. This week Carter's team was in Minnesota for a couple games. While Gopher Nation was eager to land some help in the frontcourt it appears that Carter is more of the SF ilk than PF.

Incoming Freshmen

PG/SG - Devoe Joseph - At the last hour Joseph signed with Minnesota over Texas, Vanderbilt and along the way held off schools like Kansas and Illinois. Joseph is one of the top shooters in the 2008 recruit class and will likely have an immediate impact on the gophers. He wants to get a lot of work at the PG spot, where he'd be more suited in the NBA. But he also seems to be perfectly suited as a SG at the college level. So expect him to get plenty of minutes right away playing both positions.

As far as talent goes I think that Joseph is the best player in this class. But I am concerned a little bit about him. Throughout the recruiting process he has been very persnickity and high maintenance. A significant reason he is coming to Minnesota was that he'd get more exposure here. "“If he would have gone to Kansas or Texas, he would have been just another player,” said his Canadian AAU coach, Ro Russell. “Here, he’ll get more recognition.”

AREA of CONCERN? - I'm concerned that if this all doesn't turn into the "DJo Show" then he'll get disgruntled and his numbers will be secondary to winning.

PF - Colten Iverson - the 6'9" Iverson is going to be your reliable, hard working kid who will rebound and give a little scoring help. I was able to get him to answer a few questions for me a few weeks back. Iverson flirted with Florida a little bit then chose Minnesota over Nebraska.

From what I have read I would expect that Iverson will be a very good rebounder, a decent low block scorer and will work hard to be a great defensive post for Tubby. Every recruiting service raves about his rebounding. He has decent scoring moves in the post but I don't anticipate that he'll have more than 1 or 2 reliable moves that will work at the B10 level. He is agile and works hard so I expect he'll better over his full 4 years here.

AREA of CONCERN? - not a great offensive threat, but this doesn't concern me too much if he contributes as a rebounder and defender.

C - Ralph Sampson III - 6'10" son of Ralph Sampson the great college and NBA player. Tubby has been after Sampson for months, long before anyone else was after him. Eventually Minnesota won out over Georgia Tech, Kentucky and Maryland. Sampson did not have a great junior season but improved a ton and had a great summer. He is a lanky shot blocker with a good scoring touch. He may struggle against more physical posts in the B10 but I think he'll come in as an immediate contributor.

Let the speculation begin as to who will start next year at C, Williams or Sampson? My money is on Sampson as Williams has no business starting in the Big Ten.

AREA of CONCERN? - he is lacking in girth. Sampson may not be a great rebounder or 1-on-1 defender. I think he will have great touch around the rim, will run the floor well and will block a lot of shots as a helpside defender.

OVERALL Class

This is the best class Minnesota has seen since the Bobby Jackson, Quincy Lewis, Courtney James, Charles Thomas and Miles Tarver class that was instrumental to the Final Four run that never actually happened. It isn't at that level but it is very good for a number of reasons...

1 - They'll be here for a full career. The JUCO kids could have immediate impact, Joseph and Sampson could potentially play ball after their careers here at the U, but nobody is going to be leaving early from this group. When the current freshmen are seniors you should have a solid group of experienced players hat will hopefully compliment some younger studs. Having an experienced team is rare at the college level these days and with the right mix could be a dangerous tournament team.

2 - There are good complimentary players here. A scoring guard who can play both guard positions, a hard working PF who will rebound with tenacity, a C who will block shots and can score within 15 feet, a long SF/PF who will have position versatility and a SF slasher who hopefully can come in and start scoring from day 1. It looks you have some leaders here who will work hard and set the right tone for the next recruiting classes.

3 - It sets a tone. This is a consensus top 20 (pushing top 10) recruiting class. Tubby Smith came in and gave Minnesota instant credibility to land some very talented kids. No longer do in state kids have to look elsewhere for a top notch program. This year's high school junior class, within Minnesota has 2 kids who are consensus top 50 in the country. Now they know there is talent in front of them and opportunities to come into a program primed to win and win for 4 years.

There is 1 scholarship still available for next year but my money is on it being saved for next year. Where I expect we will land 3 outstanding players.

1 - Royce White
2 - Rodney Williams
3 - a top rated (4-star or better) PG or SG to compliment Joseph

I couldn't be more excited for the future of gopher basketball. I don't expect greatness in the 2007-08 season but it will be a lot of fun to watch this group of three freshmen and Carter develop.

Get to Know your Gopher Recruit - Colton Iverson

Currently the only incoming freshman for Coach Tubby Smith is PF Colton Iverson. Tubby does have more coming for the 2008 recruiting class, but Iverson is the lone player currently playing high school basketball.

Colton Iverson
Pos - PF
Rivals Ranks - 4-Star, 140th overall, 37th among PFs
Home - Yankton, SD
Size - 6'9", 240

Status - solid verbal commitment
Top schools - Nebraska, Iowa and had an offer from Florida

The current gopher seniors will leave a massive hole in the frontcourt and the Iverson is expected to come in an be a major contributor. After some invasive minor google-stalking and a little patience I was able to procure a brief e-mail interview with the incoming golden gopher.

Tell me a little bit about your current high school team. I know you went to state last year, are you expecting a return trip? Did you graduate key players?

My high school team went to state last year and we finished 5th after a double overtime loss in the first round.I am the only returning starter from last year, I think my classmates and the juniors will step up this year though so we are hoping for a return to state this year and are excited.

Your recruitment basically came down to Nebraska and Minnesota, what were the deciding factors that put Minnesota in the lead and eventually led to a commitment?

I visited 6 or 7 universitys and took time to listen to about 20 different schools before narrowing it down and I just know that the coaches at Minnesota are going to do a great job. I visited campus and liked everything about it.

The whole recruitment process is rather unique and something that most people do not get to experience. Walk me through the process. What parts did you most enjoy, which parts did you hate, what was your process for eliminating schools?

Well my recruitment really started after I went to the Bob Gibbons tournament in North Carolina with Mike Millers M33M Ballas. There was a lot of scouts there that saw a few of my games and after that tournament the calls were coming. It was all really exciting and great for me. Some of the recruitment process was not so fun though like when I would be back home for a few days between tournaments and the whole time I would be getting calls from scouts and coaches all day.

How excited are you to play for Tubby and his staff? In what ways do you think he will help you to grow as a basketball player?

I am really excited to play for Coach Smith and staff, I know they are all great guys and are going to do a great job. I know that they have produced players of my size and I believe they can do that with me.

When you aren't working out so you can lead Gopher Nation to the Final Four, what kinds of things do you do for fun?

I like to hang out with buddies and we go to bonfires and go to the lake and hang out all day, every once and a while we'll go golfing but we just like to have fun.

Besides preparing for a long professional career in basketball, what are you thinking about majoring at the U?

I am considering something in Business or Sports Managment but still far from deciding.

What can Gopher fans expect to see when the watch you play?

I think they can expect to see a hustle guy going for loose balls and rebounds and blocking shots.

Now that you are a gopher (or soon will be) tell us one reason why Wisconsin sucks!

Haha I don't know if I can comment on that....

EDITORIAL INTERJECTION - I think what he meant to say was, How do you get a Wisconsin grad off your front porch? Pay him for the pizza!

Anyway, thank you to Mr. Iverson for taking the time to respond to my questions. I am excited to see him in maroon and gold next year. By all accounts this current recruiting class is shaping up to be one of the better groups in the Big Ten so hopefully the return to a competitive and winning basketball program isn't as far off as some fear.

FINAL NOTE: for the record, I am in no way affiliated with the University of Minnesota, the basketball program, alumni groups, nor am I an alum myself and I have not contributed any money to the university. I don't believe any NCAA rules were violated with this interview.

It's Basketball Season!

I love basketball season and I love the start of practice. For 7 seasons I coached at the college level and there wasn't much better than mid-October and the first few weeks of practice.

I will surely get around to a full blown Golden Gopher Basketball preview but I'll save that for another day. I am excited about this season and although I am a known homer I really think there year has some potential. Here is my anticipated starting lineup.

PG - Lawrence McKenzie - we'd be a LOT better if Lawrence could play SG but I don't have any confidence that Payton or Nolen can play the point.
SG - Brandon Smith - I'm afraid that Abu Shamala will actually start here but he is not a Big Ten basketball player. Smith has a ton of talent and could be a matchup problem at SG.
SF - Damian Johnson- not sure how good Johnson is but I thought he improved last year and could be a solid forward for Tubby. Hopefully he can defend and be smart offensively.
PF - Dan Coleman - needs to polish his game a little and show some rebounding passion
C - Spencer Tollackson - it was obvious how much Tollackson meant to this team last year, they were unwatchable when he was injured. He provides some presence in the paint and is respected more by B10 opponents than he his by gopher fans.

That is my best guess. If Tubby can find a better PG I would bump McKenzie to SG, Smith to SF and Johnson to the bench. This team will have very little depth but I think Coach Smith will have these boys ready to play a better brand of basketball this year.

Recruiting Front

Things have been active in September and into October for the basketball staff. We currently have 3 commitments and are working hard to land probably 2 more players.

Committed...

• Colton Iverson - 6'9" PF from South Dakota. I've written some on the Iverson signing already but this is exciting and he will certainly contribute immediately as a freshman.
  
• Paul Carter - 6'8", PF JUCO transfer. Carter will come in as a sophomore and also should be an immediate contributer. He is more of a slasher than Iverson.
• Devron Bostick - 6'5", SF JUCO transfer - Bostick will come to the U as a junior. Last year Bostick was a 2nd team JUCO All-American. This kid is a scorer and is looking to improve his outside shot before he gets to MN. I'm guessing Bostick will be a major contributer immediately and will be relied upon to pick up the scoring hole left by McKenzie/Tollackson.

Significant Recruits Still on the Board - if Tubby could land both of these kids his recruiting class moves from decent to very good.

• Ralph Sampson - C - It was rumored that Sampson was giving an edge to Georgia Tech over Minnesota but soured on the Yellow Jackets when it became apparent that he was their 2nd choice. As GT fell out of favor, it appears that teams like Maryland and Kentucky have moved up the list. This would be a great signing for Tubby. He could use a solid but not flashy 4-star true center to man the paint.
• Devoe Joseph - G - Devoe is a 4-star guard out of Canada. He is likely a good SG at the college level but part of his recruitment surrounds his desire to play point as that would be his best shot at playing at the NBA level. I guess Joseph is kind of a big deal in Canada, mostly because basketball is not a chief export of our northern neighbors. Michigan, VirTech, Tex A&M and others have offered. UCONN and GTech are also interested.
  

Others we are after - these guys are likely 2nd and 3rd options but would be helpful.

• Krystopher Faber - C -another true center (6'11") that would look good in maroon and gold. Faber has a lot of interest from high major schools like Wash St, UConn, Minn, Ore, Syracuse, etc. But has only received scholarship offers from mid-major schools. He will take an official visit on Nov. 3rd. Faber is kind of hit right now but I have to imagine that is only because we are getting late in the recruiting game and landing any kid with size and some talent looks better and better as we get closer to the fall signing day.
  
• Scottie Haralson - SG - an athletic scorer who visited last weekend. You could argue that Haralson should be in the group above, but if we land Joseph I can't imagine that we'll also sign Scottie. The Mississippi native has offers from many SEC schools, OleMiss, Alabama, Arkansas and Auburn. I feel pretty good that Haralson will be our 5th or even 6th commitment this year.
  
• Verdell Jones - PG - another player who could be put up with Joseph and Sampson. We need a PG pretty bad but I would assume that if Jones committed we would lose Joseph as he wants to play PG. Jones is another 3-star kid and the 26th best PG according to Rivals. Minnesota will have to battle with Kentucky and Tennessee as other big schools who have offered Jones.
  
• Josh Crittle - PF - Kansas State and Oregon are the other high majors to offer Crittle who is a 3-star player and ranked as the 38th best PF according to Rivals. We need help in the frontcourt but with 2 PFs already committed I can't imagine we'll sign a 3rd unless we cannot land a true center. Crittle also visited last weekend with Haralson.
• Jarrod Jones - PF - another PF caught in a number crunch with Iverson and Carter. 3-star, 6'8" big man who has no offers from a high major school (including MN at this point). Jarrod did just visit unofficially and enjoyed his visit (but then who ever says they didn't enjoy their visit). I don't see him ending up a gopher but you just never know.
  

Good News for Tubby!

Tubby has signed a big man!

PF - Colton Iverson - is going to be a Golden Gopher.

The 6'9", 240 lb Iverson joins SF, JUCO transfer Paul Carter to give Minnesota a little bit of hope for their frontcourt in 2008.

Iverson is a 3-star player according to Rivals and is ranked 140th overall in this class. Prior to this summer Iverson was not a highly recruited player but a solid AAU summer season made him a hot commodity as he was offered scholarships from Florida, Iowa, Nebraska and Iowa State. His recruitment came down to Minnesota and Nebraska but the feeling all along was that Minnesota had the inside track.

ESPN's Insider has this to say about Iverson - "Iverson is a mobile big man who runs the floor very well, is very agile and is coordinated. He attacks the glass and is a very good rebounder. Colton has a good skill package for a big man. He has good fundamental post moves with a soft touch around the basket. Good jump hook and counter moves. He knows how to score in the low post. Needs to improve defensively in the post to play against major college opponents but has shown this summer that he can become a very effective college player."

My takes is that Iverson is the exact type of player that Tubby needs to be recruiting at this point. With Minnesota's lack of recent success it will be difficult to bring in top 50 type impact players. Tubby needs to bring in guys who are solid and who will play solid D, rebound well and has the ability to score.

This is a very big signing for many reasons not the least of which is that we graduate every player over 6'4" this year (Jonothan Williams being the lone exception). Congratulations to Tubby and his staff on this important signing for the basketball program.

Souix Falls Sports article - Iverson's high school team finished with a 16-10 record last year and a trip to the State Tournament.