a WAY early look at 2008-09 Basketball

Tomorrow is the 4th of July (for those of you who didn't already know this) and starting next week the countdown to football should really heat up. But before we all go into full on gridiron mode I'd like to take a moment to look ahead to basketball.

This week I made a trip over to St. Paul to watch some of our current and incoming Gophers play in the Howard Pulley Pro City League. I am not going to reproduce any game recaps done by Ryan James over at Rivals but I'm going to use my observations there to help form my thoughts on the 2008-09 season.

Starting Lineup (best guess)

PG - Al Nolen

I am a big fan of Nolen and what he brings to the court. Watching him play at Pro City League (PCL) reminded me how good he is defensively but is also reiterated that he is not much of a shooter. He reminds me of Eric Harris early in his career. Harris worked his tail off to become a better shooter and by his senior year shot nearly 39% from behind the arc. But I'm not concerned with Nolen's shooting (we have scorers), I love his defense and what he does to get the rest of his team involved. The PCL is great for a guy like Nolen who gets to guard guys like Troy Bell, Kammron Taylor and Ariel McDonald. For next season I am counting on a similar defensive presence and improved passing on the offensive end. He was able to penetrate the lane last year but often threw passes away or couldn't quite thread the needle in traffic.

SG - Devoe Joseph

I'm taking a shot here, but I think Joseph will be our starting SG by the time we get to the Big Ten season. I'm probably wrong as this spot could go to Westbrook, Hoffarber or even Bostick but I'm taking a shot here. Joseph as most of you know was allowed to try out for the Canadian national team. He did not make the team but is considered to be an integral part of Canadian basketball future. But again the competition and increased speed/intensity can only be a good thing for a kid like Joseph. Jason Thom has this to say about Joseph on his Inside Training Camp blog...

The kid is a shooter...more importantly, he is coachable. Mike Malone, Dave Smart and Leo all took him aside at different times to explain something in practice. He listens, asks questions and without the blank stare that many young players have. It was a glimpse into Canada’s future when he was grouped with Sammy D and Carl English during a few drills.

HERE is a link to a short video of Joseph talking about the privilege of playing with Canada on your jersey while he shoots around.

Basically Joseph is a big time wild card. He could potentially come in and stand out early as a scorer or he could blend in with the handful of other perimeter players we have as he matures and fills out that thin frame.

SF - Devron Bostick

JUCO national player of the year and a big time scorer. After watching Bostick at PCL I'm really not sold on his jump shot. I watched him closely during warmups and was not impresed, but then questioned my original analysis when he drained a deep three early in the contest. But Bostick then went 2 for his next 9. This was just one game but to me he didn't have a great follow through and I don't see a consistent shot coming from him when the Big Ten season speeds things up a little bit. I could be completely wrong as Bostick shot 6/12 from NBA threes in his previous PCL game. And he did attempt 186 threes last year making 33% of them. But my hunch is that he will not be reliable or shoot that % next year in the Big Ten.

With that said the kid is a scorer. I envision him starting here in the small forward spot and getting plenty of minutes at SG throughout the game when Tubby goes bigger. At 6'5" he isn't ideally suited for SF but smaller lineups and three guard offenses are more the norm in college ball these days and I envision a small starting lineup.

Bostick will be our leading scorer.

PF - Damien Johnson

Again, smaller starting lineup will require Johnson to play PF which he often played last year when Coleman was on the bench. Johnson also played on Tuesday in PCL and he continues to amaze me in how far he has come since his freshman season. 15 pts, 16 rebounds, a couple blocked shots and an impressive put back dunk. I'm counting on Johnson to really be the heart and soul of this team. I don't know if he is ready or even capable of leading but if he lets his play do the talking others will follow. DJ will not be our leading scorer but will probably lead the team in rebounding.

C - Ralph Sampson

Big Jon Williams is the more experienced returner in the post but I think Sampson will earn the starting spot. This is the guy I was most looking forward to watching at PCL but he was not present. It is hard to gauge Sampson's impact on next season but everything I have read says that he is continually improving and will be ready for the Big Ten. I think his preferred position is PF, but until we have a center we can count on I expect he'll start at C. Envisioning a lineup where we have someone else at C and Sampson at PF is fun to think about but for now neither Iverson or Williams can be relied on to start at C.

His first PCL game has him scoring 20 and grabbing 6 boards. This was against a weaker team but encouraging none the less for a kid just out of high school.

BENCH (in order of who will enter the game first)

G-Lawrence Westbrook - will come in at either guard spot. Westbrook had an inconsistent season last year, but at times was our primary scorer. The kid isn't afraid to put the ball up, but he also was prone to some awful turnovers. An increase role in the offense and better decision making will allow Westbrook to be more successful this year but also with the incoming talent I see the offense being geared more for the likes of Sampson, Joseph, Bostick and Hoffarber. Westbrook should be used to adjusting by now. He'll be a key perimeter defender and an occasional offensive shot in the arm.

SG-Blake Hoffarber - needs to get better at everything except shooting. I don't think The Hoff is as stoic as others do, but he does need to do more than just shoot. The kid is arguably the best shooter in the conference and that will be his primary role. I don't care that he can't create his own shot or that he won't penetrate the lane. Not his role on the offense. What he does need to get better at is defending the perimeter and he needs to contribute as a rebounder. I do believe he is athletic and is capable of more than just shooting but at the same time his shooting is what other teams will fear and it is exactly what we need him to provide.

C-Jon Williams - Big Jon will likely see the biggest increase in minutes. I don't think you'll see much more scoring out of the big man but he is going to have to be a factor defensively and most importantly on the boards. As his minutes creep up to about 25 min / game can he average 5 of 6 reb/game? That will be significant.

C/F-Colt Iverson - I was able to see Iverson play this week at PCL. When he did not have the ball he looked like a plodding big white guy. But with the ball or attacking the glass Iverson displayed some athleticism and desire. The kid has 7 boards in each of his first two PCL games. Much like Williams I don't see Iverson as a scorer we will be counting on this year. Minimum shots and any points we can get will be a bonus but rebounds and defense will make a big difference for this team. I'm expecting 15-20 min per game.

F-Paul Carter - Our second JUCO commit but not yet on campus. Carter is another wild card who could really be a significant contributor or not. Carter and Johnson are probably our only true SF type players and will give us some size/length when playing at the SF spot. My hope is Carter is able to defend athletic SF's around the conference (think Raymar Morgan). He put up solid numbers last year as a first year JUCO. In an interview with his JUCO coach Carter's length and athleticism kept coming up as his strengths so hopefully he'll be a big boost in all areas off the bench.

G-Jamal Abu-Shamala - I have never been a supporter of JAS on this blog. I just don't think he is a Big Ten caliber player. This summer JAS has tried out for and made the Jordanian National basketball team. They did not qualify for the Olympics but JAS will get the opportunity to compete with and against a different level of competition which can only benefit him in preparation for his senior season in Minnesota. But he is essentially a less athletic and not as good a shooter as Hoffarber. Expect about 10 min per game.

G-Kevin Payton - again someone I do not endorse as a viable option off the bench. From my perspective Payton is taking up a scholarship I'd rather use on a PG for next season. There are rumors that his junior season will actually be his last as the staff is pushing for him to graduate this year and then possibly help out coaching (much like Ryan Saunders). I endorse this move. I am sure Payton is a great guy but he just offers very little value on the floor and that is what we are talking about here.

G-Travis Busch - another scholarship that belongs with someone more talented. Busch's scholarship is already in play to be yanked next year, but considering he is a walk on he has to know this was potentially coming. I love his hustle, when given minutes last year he outworked more talented players but that hustle is best utilized in practice to make others better. Glad he's on the team, don't want to see him in games.


Some random predictions...

Leading Scorer - Devron Bostick
Leading Rebounder - Damien Johnson
Steals Leader - Al Nolen
Assist Leader - Al Nolen
Blocked Shots - Ralph Sampson
All three-point categories - Blake Hoffarber

Final record? - can't give that without a schedule
Big Ten Finish - 3rd place behind Purdue and Ohio State. 3rd place will be a battle with Wisconsin and Michigan State
NCAA Tournament - YES


I am eagerly watching for the Gophers to release their non-conference schedule. Thus far all we know is that they'll be playing Louisville in the Stadium Shootout (Dec 20) and Virginia in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge (Dec 2).

Gopher Recruiting Notes...

Here are several random notes on football and basketball recruiting. Before I get into it PJS also just happened to be talking a bit of recruiting and linked a Wisconsin Journal Sentinel article on border battle recruiting.

** Congratulations Ralph Sampson. I'm not exactly sure how the Georgia state basketball playoffs work but I think if you make it to the Regional semi-finals (final 4), you are a state finalist. So it works like this (I think). You win the quarter-final game in your Region and then you continue to play out the Regional games for seeding. Once you are in the semi's you could lose your next two games (finishing 4th in the region) and you still get to continue on to the State tournament. So today Ralph Sampson and his Northview team will play in their Regional consolation game fighting for a better seed in next week's State Tournament.

----------

** Deveron Bostick. Bostick's SW Ill CC teams is 23-2 and ranked #4 in the NJCAA Div.1 heading into today's game. Bostick is a very intriguing player and could be a real impact player next year. Through Feb. 4 Bostick is averaging per game...

• 19.6 points
• 5.0 reb
• 3.4 assists
• 2.0 steals
• 2.5 threes made (35.6%)

It is interesting that he only gets to the free throw line less than 3 times per game. But he has been scoring and leading his team so next year he could finally give us a scoring shot in the arm
from the SF position.

----------

** Paul Carter's numbers - while we are on the subject of JUCO players coming in here are Carter's numbers through Feb. 12. Carter is the team's third leading scorer and they are 23-4 ranked #19 in the country.

• 9.7 points
• 7.6 reb
• 1.8 asts

For me Carter's stock is dropping. When originally signed he was viewed as a PF who could come and help the front court right away. But as time went on it became clear he is more of a SF and his numbers aren't anything that jump out at you. If he averaged those numbers next year I'll be ecstatic but the transition to the B10 should see those drop. I don't want to be too down on him as he will be needed to contribute immediately and I'm sure he'll help, I was just expecting more when he first committed.

----------

** 5 signed, more coming? There are still rumors circulating and picking up steam that Minnesota may still sign either or even both of the following players. Assuming nobody transfers, if we add one of these players Travis Busch will go without a scholarship next season. If we add both then Jamal Abu-Shamala will have to pay his senior year tuition.

PG - Verdell Jones - one of the best remaining guards in the country and is considering Minnesota along with Tennessee and Kentucky. Landing a quality true PG would help this team out an awful lot. Nolen is a good PG who will be a great defender and should improve offensively, but after that we have nobody who can adequately run the point. His other offers indicate he would be a valuable recruit.

C - Krys Faber - 6'11" and nearly 250, Faber is a big rebounding force, to the tune of 17+ per game. Whether or not Minnesota has offered is unclear but adding another big man who can help us rebound would be nice. Faber is kind of a project as he is unpolished but his rebounding and shot blocking numbers are undeniable so whether or not he'd redshirt would also be an interesting debate. Officially I would love to sign Faber as we are going to be very thin inside and getting somebody who can block shots and rebound will help a ton. Sampson will be an athletic/scoring big man but I'd enjoy seeing a bigger and slightly more talented version of Jon Williams. Also important it should be noted that Faber plays for he Ribet Academy Fighting Frogs!

----------

** 2009 Signing Day is less than 12 months away. After inking a top 25 recruiting class for the first time in my life, Brewster has wasted no time in getting commitments for 2009. Moses Alipate is a highly rated (4-star) QB from Bloomington (MN). Alipate is currently and will likely be the highest rated in state prospect and has already given his verbal to Minnesota.

----------

** Official Gopher Nation wish list for 2009 recruits...

Basketball

1. C - DeShonte Riley - 5-star center and would be a great addition
   
2. SF - Royce White - local top 50 player
3. SG/F - Rodney Williams - local top 60 player
4. SF - Ari Stewart - 5-star forward, his Wheeler team just beat up Sampson's Northview
   
5. PG - Johnnie Lacy - Wisconsin kid, would be nice to steal a great PG
6. PG - Mfon Udofia - from Georgia, we need to sign a PG in 2009
7. SF - Jamil Wilson - need a F in this class as well, 4-star kid
8. PG - Chris Colvin - Chicago kid offers from Iowa and Illinois
   
9. SF - Diamond Taylor - Marq and Wis have offered this Chicago kid

Football - this list will change as lists of 2009 recruits will grow as we get into the summer.

1. QB - Moses Alipate - signed, #57 in Rivals top 100
2. DT - Chris Davenport - 5-star player, will be a tough to land over LSU, Tenn, etc.
   
3. WR - Je'Ron Stokes - heavily recruited with Penn State his likely destination #34
4. OT - Marcus Hall - Ohio native #26 according to Rivals
5. LB - TyQuan Hammock - LB is a need, Hammock would be a solid addition
6. DE - Randall Dent - Texas DE with offers from LSU, Tex and more
7. WR - Bryce McNeal - local WR and we need to keep him around
8. TE - Ra'shede Hageman - 6'5", 230 TE from Mpls
9. OG - Chris Watt - offered this OG along with Ohio St, Ill, AZ and others
   
10. OT - Josh Campion - signed, MN kid and we need some OL help with this class

Like I said that football list will change but those are some good names to keep an eye on and dream of.

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.

We Got Him!

Ralph Sampson III has committed to Minnesota.

Rumors had been surfacing all day that he'd make his decision within 48 hours, tonight, this afternoon!

Rivals is reporting that he will sign with Tubby Smith and the golden gophers! This is a big deal.

More analysis later, but I'm heading home.

Recruiting UPDATE

Here is a quick update on probably the biggest recruits for basketball and football respectivley....

Mike Floyd - HERE is a very informative article on a Notre Dame site (BlueandGold.com). Inside it tells us that Minnesota is solidly in his top 3 but probably behind Ohio State and Notre Dame. Michigan and Florida seem to be a distant 4th/5th. As discussed several times, Floyd is the biggest recruiting target that Brewster has. Landing Floyd would be bigger than huge. For 1, the gophers lose the best players from Cretin-Derham Hall every year and landing a player of this magnitude may help to plug this leak.

Interesting how fans at Notre Dame immediately wondered how Matt Carufel leaving the Irish would affect Floyd's recruitment. Carufel is a former teammate of Floyd's and current CDH assistant Andy Bischoff says that it won't be an issue for him. I can't help but think that it will have to have some affect. The CDH coaches can tell him to treat his recruitment like it is separate from Carufel's, but he'll be playing for the same coaches and attending the same Notre Dame practices. I assume they will talk and that Floyd will at least hear Matt's concerns.

In summation, I guess it is encouraging to know that we are top 3 and still in the running. If Notre Dame stays at the top till the end I would put money Floyd playing on NBC next fall. Any player from CDH in recent memory who has been pursued by Notre Dame has gone to Notre Dame.

UPDATE: Floyd played tonight scoring 3 TDs. 65 yd reception, punt return and one rushing. His game was against Adam Weber's old high school so let hope they had a fun little conversation about playing together next season. OH, and I guess he sprained his ankle and was on crutches.

Ralph Sampson - is the presumptive #1 recruit for Tubby. A month ago it appeared that the golden gophers would finish 2nd to Georgia Tech. Then it became rumored that the Yellow Jackets were holding Sampson off while they waited on another big man's decision. Ralph didn't like being a second choice and his recruitment opened up a little bit. Kentucky, Maryland and Clemson became bigger players here and we all wondered if Minnesota was falling back a little.

Apparently Sampson has narrowed his list down to an official 4. Georgia Tech and Minnesota are clearly top 2 with Maryland and Clemson still in the running. The encouraging news is that Kentucky is now out and a decision could come by the end of the month.

At this point my money is still on Sampson playing at Williams Arena next year. I think playing time and being viewed as the school's #1 guy are important to Ralph. He has that here. He'll be the starting center next season and that will be the deciding factor.

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.
  

Basketball recruiting

Lets take a quick break from football for a moment. While this week's game vs. Miami (Ohio) is important to the Golden Gopher footballers, I believe that the basketball team has a bigger weekend ahead.

Let's all welcome Ralph Sampson III and Colten Iverson to the Minnesota. Both are top 150 players are both are taking official visits to the U this weekend. I've talked about them before but here is what I know...

Ralph Sampson III - C - 6'11", 220 - RSIII is the son of one of the great college basketball players. 3 or 4 months ago he was not receiving scholarships from big time programs. Tubby was one of the first to call on RSIII. Now Kentucky, Maryland, Georgia Tech and others are pursuing him. Fortunately Ralph's says that the fact that Tubby got to him early is important to him. This weekend is big, we need to "WOW" him and get him to commit soon. The longer he is out there and the fewer legitimate center prospects remain, the harder it will be to land him.

Colten Iverson - PF - 6'9", 240 - Colten is another big man who has gotten hot lately. Florida was high on Iverson and he took an official visit down there, but the lack of playing time early and I believe a recent transfer to Florida has dried up their available scholarships. It seems now that Iverson has his list narrowed to Minnesota, Nebraska and a few others (most think it is down to MN or Neb). I believe that playing time is going to be a factor for Iverson. Well, I guess in that regard we are lucky to be graduating every player over 6'2" (slight exaggeration).

We need help in the paint. These guys are very likely our best available big men out there. I think we legitimately have a shot at them and we clearly need them. Neither of these guys will turn this program around but they will be solid players to build a base. I really feel that this recruiting class has to be solid and the next recruiting class needs to have 2 or 3 studs (top 50 guys). Landing Iverson and Sampson along with the JUCO recruit, Paul Carter is a good start. Getting SG - Devoe Joseph along with these big men is the class I'm hoping to see sign.

We have a basketball commitment!

Paul Carter - PF/SF - has committed to Tubby and staff. Carter is an redshirted JUCO freshman and will have 3 years of eligibility for the Golden Gophers. At 6'8" he will fill a need in the paint, but at 190 lbs he won't be a banger or likely a strong post defender. Carter's JUCO coach says he will remind Gopher fans of Quincy Lewis. That is a good thing and a bad thing. We like guys who can score but we also lose all of our inside presence after this season and a thin PF/SF will only help so much.

You can watch Paul play this year as Missouri State-West Plains will be playing Mpls CC on Nov 24th. Get your tickets now.

Ultimately this is a good thing as we need size (vertically and horizontally) and help scoring beginning next season. Here is a look at what we can expect the 2008-09 roster to look like (my projected starters in bold)...

G
Jamal Abu-Shamala - Sr
Kevin Payton - Jr
Lawrence Westbrook - Jr
Blake Hoffarber - So
Nate Garth - RsFr
Al Nolen - RsFr


F
Brandon Smith - Sr
Travis Busch - Sr
Damien Johnson - Jr
Paul Carter - So

C
Jonathan Williams - Sr

Reports are that on Sept 7th we will have 2 official visits from a couple big men. Ralph Sampson III (6'11", 220) and Colton Iverson (6'9", 240) will both be on campus. This is a big date landing 1 of these young guys is a must and both would be very good. Sampson leads my recruit wish list, but Iverson will fill a need. I'd love to see these guys starting along side each other in a couple years.

Lets talk some basektball

I would consider myself much more of a basketball guy than a football guy. I love football and I think I know more than your average rube on the technical aspects of the game. But having spent several years coaching basketball at the collegiate level, I have a deeper passion and knowledge base for basketball.

So after that self-promotion, my point...This has been a football heavy blog for the last couple months and it's time for some basketball info.

This is not going to be a 2007-08 season preview but I need to state my thoughts as a starting point. I think there is actually talent on this current roster. Not the kind of talent to finish top 3 in the conference or make a run into the tournament. But enough talent that on a given night they can beat just about anybody this year (with Wis and OSU down and nobody significantly up). A top 5 finish (read 4th or 5th) and a bubble team that makes the tourney is not out of the question, imo.

Why I think this and what kind of meds I'm taking can be discussed another time.

My point for this particular post is that while I think there is some talent for 2007-08, there is very little talent (read NONE) for the following season. Nathan Garth may come in and help out as a red shirted freshmen but that won't make up for losing Coleman, Tollackson and McKenzie. Last season's "prized" recruit was Bryce Webster. Webster was supposed to provide some stability and an inside presence after this year's senior big men graduated. Well Bryce is very likely leaving the team (and quiting basketball altogether).

So that leaves the 2008-09 roster looking something like this...

PG - Nate Garth - rsFr
SG - Abu-Shamala - Sr (God help us)
SF - Brandon Smith - Sr (if he's still on the team, he is talented)
PF - Damian Johnson - Jr
C - um, Jonathan Williams? - Sr

Hoffarber - So
Kevin Payton - Jr
Lawrence Westbrook - Jr
Travis Busch - Sr
Al Nolen - So

That is an awful lineup that would struggle in the MIAC (not really, but they'd be bad). Garth may be decent, Smith is very talented and I have hope for Damian Johnson and Hoffarber but there just isn't Big Ten talent/depth there.

How will Tubby and staff give us a roster worth watching in 2008-09? Even with a stellar recruiting class of incoming freshmen, it will be tough to win with that roster. From the sounds of it Tubby is hitting the JUCO circuit rather hard.

• Paul Carter - PF, 6'8", Missouri-West Plains - Carter is almost a certain Gopher. He has 3 other offers but lists MN as a clear cut #1. Good news is that the other offers are from weaker schools like Baylor, Charlotte and Wyoming. The bad news is that the only other schools offering are Baylor, Charlotte and Wyoming. He will have 3 seasons of eligibility left at the D1 level and as we have seen with other Tubby recruits he is known as a coachable kid, who has leadership traits and a strong work ethic. We will keep an eye on Carter and his successes this season. "Paul is a special player. He will be one of the premier players in Region 16 and the country," head coach Brian Ostermann said to JucoJunction "He will challenge for Player of the Year honors, and fans will really enjoy watching him play." That is high praise and time will tell.
  
• Festus Ezeli - C, 6'11", Yuba CC - Ezeli is a VERY interesting recruit. He is technically a JUCO recruit but he has 4 years of eligibility and pending academic approval from the NCAA will be a part of D1 program this fall. Ezeli has gone from a relative unknown to one of the hottest names on the scene. He is what you would call a raw talent, but over the summer has shown enough promise/talent/improvement that he is getting interest from just about any school in need of help in the paint. Fortunately for MN he is playing AAU ball with Nate Garth who has already committed to Tubby and will be on campus after the 1st semester. Unfortunate for MN is that schools like Ohio State, Flor, UCLA, Cal and others. Minnesota has not actually offered (unsure why but not my decision) this Nigerian but if he has any interest in the Gophers I would expect to see one very soon.
• Tony Dennison - SG, 6'2", Broward CC (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) - Dennison is described as one of the most prolific scorers in the country. His coach tells Rivals that as a freshman Dennison averaged nearly 28 ppg. That is impressive and is exactly the kind of shot in the arm this team will need next season. What I find interesting is that if he is such a dynamic scorer then why is his only scholarship offer from Hofstra? He has interest from OK, Miami, Kan, KSt, Gonzaga and MN but no offers yet. Maybe that is another topic for another day, but it does make one wonder.
• Orlando Allen - PF, 6'10", Paris JC - Formerly a Seton Hall recruit out of high school but now is open to anyone. Has interest from the likes of Indiana, Kent, OK, GTech, Neb, Penn St and MN to name a few; but has no official offers. Out of high school Allen was one of the top 15 players in the Cincinnati area. His numbers seemed very average last season but we'll see what this big man can produce as a soph. Yet another potential recruit with a strong work ethic (I'm seeing a pattern here).

There seem to be more on their radar but these are the 4 bigger names that were worth mentioning.

He have scholarships to give and so far nobody willing to take them. Landing a couple quality JUCO players along with a couple of very talented freshmen (Royce White and Rodney Williams in particular) would help to jump start this program and get it back to a competitive level.

How about an official Gopher Nation Top 10(11) basketball recruit list...

1. Elroy Vargas - PF - 5 star and #10 overall
2. Ralph Sampson III - C - 4 star
3. Devoe Joseph - SG - 4 star
4. Festus Ezeli - C - JUCO
5. Stan Simpson - PF - 3 star
6. Paul Carter - PF - JUCO
7. Tony Dennison - SG - JUCO
8. Colton Iverson - SF - 3 star
9. Orlando Allen - C - JUCO
10. Lewis Jackson - PG - 3 star
11. Justin Brownlee - SF - 4 star
    

Gopher Recruiting 2008

Here is a list of 2008 Gopher basketball recruits. I'm pretty confident that this is a solid and accurate list based on the info I have available to me. After the small 2007 recruiting class and the several seniors graduating, Tubby has 5 scholarships that he can offer for the 2008 class.

COMMITTED

• PG Nathen Garth (6'3") - Discussed HERE. 18 pts, 8 ast and 3 steals as a junior. Garth seems to be a solid recruit who will be called upon to be the on floor coach. Hard worker and possibly still growing into a 6'4" PG. Expect Saul Smith to groom Garth. Received offers from UTEP, Ole Miss, Santa Clara and unconfirmed offer from Cal.
  
• PF Andrew Brommer (6'8") - in state PF who has been discussed VERY LITTLE here (or anywhere for that matter). Brommer plays for Rosemount High School and Cris Carr's AAU program 43 Hoops. Brommer was a Monson recruit that Tubby is currently still giving a scholarship to. But I would guess that if some of the bigger names below want to sign with the U, then Tubby might convince Brommer that he'll be better off somewhere else. As I said before I know very little about Brommer so I can't accurately comment on whether or not he is a Big Ten PF or not. He did receive interest from Wisconsin, Illinois, Virginia and N.Iowa.

OFFERED

• SG Iman Shumpert (6'4") - #41 overall, Rivals 4-star from Oak Park,Ill. Shumpert is a newer name on my radar but Rivals states that he may be the 4-star recruit playing the best basketball right now. Offers from Clem, GTech, Tenn, Wis and handful of Mid-Majors. Interest from schools like Duke, Ill, Notre Dame, Cal, AZ St, Marq and Mich.
  
• PF Draymond Green (6'7") - #79 overall, Rivals 4-star recruit from the state of Michigan. Green appears to be the most likely 4-star recruit to end up at Minnesota in this class. He is a former Kentucky commit who has since backed down from that verbal (not sure who's decision that was though). Green is supposed to be an outstanding rebounder with an offensive game that needs improving. Indiana, Dayton and Xavier have offered as well. Michigan and Michigan State have both shown interest.
  
• SG Devoe Joseph (6'2") - #101 overall, Rivals 3-star from Ontario, Canada. Nearly a top 100 kid, but Joseph is not receiving many offers from major conference schools with the excpetion of Minnesota and Washington State. Duquesne, Santa Clara, Loyola and Fairfield are the other schools currently offering to Joseph.

VERY INTERESTED - not yet offered

• PF/C Stan Simpson (6'9") - #83 overall, Rivals 4-star from Chicago. Simpson is an AAU teammate of Shumpert so maybe we can get these guys as a package. Rivals analysis of Simpson is that he is best in the paint on offense and has shot blocking ability on the other end. He lists his top 5 schools as Illinois, UConn, Minnesota, Ohio State and Virginia. He has offers from Indiana and Virginia.
  
• C Ralph Sampson III (6'10") - Scout.com has as #22 among Centers, Rivals 3-star who has taken an unofficial visit to campus. RSIII is an intriguing prospect. He seems to be a very hard working kid who has improved over the last year. I would expect that you'll see him move up recruiting lists in the near future. He currently has interest from Alabama, Cal, Indiana, NC State and his AAU coach tells Rivals that Georgia has offered. I would personally like to see Tubby land Sampson.
  

With our 3 remaining scholarships my top 3 to land would be Shumpert, Green and Sampson. I think that would give us a solid class to start building the program. I would view it as a talented SG (Shumpert) and PF (Green), hard working and improving PG (Garth) and C (RSIII), and a red shirt project at PF (Brommer). Then land the 2 Minnesota big names from the 09 class and I think you have a competitive team in just a couple years.

PG - Garth
SG - Shumpert / Rodney Williams
SF - Royce White
PF - Green / Brommer
C - Sampson

Really, who knows how good these guys can be but it is a very interesting recruiting season to say the least. Get some of these guys, improve then start landing top 40 guys on a regular basis and make this program a perennial Big Ten power!

Gopher Basketball tidbits

Star Tribune with a nice article on Tubby enhancing the brand awareness of the University of Minnesota. Having Tubby Smith as your head coach makes kids listen to your pitch. It was kind of late in the game to really affect the 2007 recruiting class but I'm anxious to see what kind of talent Tubby can bring in starting in 2008. He has 2 difficult tasks, in my opinion.

• Keep the best MN kids in MN. This one will get easier if he can show any kind of success on the court and reenergize The Barn. The results of this will have to wait as the best 2007 and 2008 kids have already committed. Getting White and Williams from the class of 2009 will be an interesting story to watch.
• Get top notch players from outside the state! This was much tougher for previous coaching staffs, they had to get good players that they "hoped" would become great (see Rico Tucker). Tubby has the street cred that he can get kids to come up here.
  

I think Tubby can do it, in Kentucky getting talent wasn't a problem it was living up to UK expectations. In Minnesota if he gets talented kids and makes this program competitive, people will be happy (for now).

"The one thing Tubby did was get top-100 players, players who would fit into his system," Telep said. "What the rabid Kentucky fans wanted him to do was be in with every elite player. What was important to Tubby Smith and what was important to Joe Kentucky Fan didn't match."

Ast. Coach Saul Smith as interviewed by gophersports.com. I'm not completely sold on Saul, I'm afraid that he is going to be "groomed" as Tubby's replacement in the future when he is far too young to know if he can succeed at this level. But time will tell. If he gets his name attached to a big recruit coming in or if we see a noticable improvement in the guard play over the next year or 2 then I'll start giving him a bit more respect. Tubby has it, Saul has to earn it. He took a LOT of heat in Kentucky and seemed to handle that well so I'll give him the benefit of the doubt for now.

Recruiting News

• Ralph Sampson III - 6'10" son of NBA great Ralph Sampson. RSIII was on campus this weekend for an unofficial visit. Currently #22 overall C on Scout.com's list. Other than local media talking about his visit I do not see much giving me a gauge on his interest, but we will need frontcourt help and RSIII is a big kid with a pedigree. Add him to the list!