Gopher Basketball
These days, the small town post player comes from Yankton, South Dakota, in the form of Colton Iverson. With his freshman season behind him, the 6’10″ sophomore looks to continue to work on his skills, and hopefully contribute to what hopes to be a rising Gopher basketball team. GopherHole’s Nick Walsh was able to speak with Iverson about what his expectations for the team are this year, as well as the growth of his own game, and the transition from high school to college basketball during his freshman year.
NW: You’ve got a year under your belt, and now you’re coming into your sophomore season”¦what are your thoughts?
CI: We’re looking forward to an exciting season. Obviously we had a pretty good season last year, but we want to go a lot further in the tournament this year. We’re looking forward to being Big Ten Champions, and we just want to keep improving every day and getting better. There’s a lot of competition on this team, which is good.
NW: Talk about your story a little bit. You come from Yankton, South Dakota as a freshman. Talk about the transition coming from high school to college basketball”¦
CI: It was definitely a big transition for me. It wasn’t easy at times, but I got through it. Coming from a small town in South Dakota, and coming to Minnesota, the transition was different, especially for basketball. It was a lot more competitive, a different type of game, a different style. But I think the transition went pretty smooth for the most part.
NW: How about when you got to the Big Ten season”¦did you find the level of play ratcheted up even more yet?
CI: Yeah, that definitely was a whole different level. It caught me a little off guard some games, but I thought for the most part we did all right. But I definitely look forward to doing a whole lot better this year.
NW: What’s it like as a freshman when one year you’re watching college ball and the NCAA tournament on TV, and the next year you’re playing against these guys”¦what’s that like?
CI: It didn’t hit me right away last year. I know that just the year before I was watching March Madness on TV, and all the sudden I was playing in it. It was a whole different feeling, but it was a great experience, and now we know what it’s like and we’re going to do a whole lot better this year.
NW: They always say it’s tougher for big men to come into college basketball and play right away”¦do you think that’s true?
CI: Well, I have no idea what it’s like to be a guard! (Laughs) I don’t know, I thought it went pretty smooth. I know some guards can come in and tear it up right away”¦it doesn’t seem like it’s as likely for a big man, but there definitely is their fair share of big men that can come in right away and do things.
NW: What do you think of your team in general?
CI: I think our team’s looking great this year”¦we’re looking for an exciting year. We’ve definitely got a lot of athletic people on this team, a lot of versatile players. It’s going to be very competitive this year.
NW: What do you think of this year’s crop of freshman?
CI: They’re fitting in really well”¦all the new guys are fitting in great so far. They’re learning everything really fast; we’ve all been practicing and working out together. I think they’re all having a good time so far, and I think they’re getting to know the program.
NW: What did you work on the most in the offseason to improve your own game?
CI: Basically just continue to work on my game from last year, and get stronger, obviously. I’ve been working on my offensive game a little more, working on a little jump show. It’s been a good summer, and I think we all got better in the offseason.
NW: Talk about your other tower next to you out there, Ralph Sampson III?
CI: Oh, he’s doing great. I think he’s gotten a lot better in the offseason too. He’s been working on getting stronger in the weight room, and he’s a lot more physical I think. I think he’s enjoying it right now, and he’s excited for the season, too.
NW: How good do you think this team can be?
CI: Sky’s the limit”¦I think the sky’s the limit.
NW: How deep do you think the Big Ten is going to be this year?
CI: I think the Big Ten is going to be a very competitive league this year. There’s going to be a lot of returning players coming back, and the programs in the Big Ten are moving up, along with Minnesota, so it’s going to be very competitive. We’re looking to play against all of them.
NW: The Gophers made the NCAA tournament last year, which raises expectations for the team. That’s got to be a good thing as a player, right?
CI: Yeah, definitely, our expectations our higher. But we’re not going to predict anything, we just want to go out and do a lot better this year. I think we’re more prepared for it this year.
NW: Last thing”¦what do you think of the new floor at the Barn?
CI: I like the new floor. It’s something different, and the block “œM” is a little better than Goldy. I love Goldy, but the block “œM” is a little more appealing to me.
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