BleedGopher
Well-known member
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- Nov 11, 2008
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per Marcus:
THOUGHTS ON NEWCOMERS
Daniel Oturu – Scrimmaged for the first time Tuesday since joining the Gophers. Called for the ball in the post, including when he scored off a nice drop step move on Omersa. Undersized centers will have difficulty dealing with his length and athleticism inside. It wasn’t as easy to hold position once matched up with the 7-foot, 240-pound Stockman. Oturu was taken out of the scrimmage and replaced by Omersa for a mistake in the scrimmage. Curry talked to him on the sideline and helped him learn. That was a glimpse of Curry’s leadership. Oturu runs the floor better than any Gopher player 6-10 or taller I’ve seen in years. He even ran ahead of the entire Maroon squad in several sprints. Oturu has a nice shooting stroke that should help him score outside of the paint and make him a solid free throw shooter. Biggest upside for a freshman big man in the program since Kris Humphries, the last Gopher to make the NBA Draft in 2004.
Gabe Kalscheur – Don’t call him just a shooter. There was a drill where a defender has to turn the ball handler as many times as he can down the length of the floor in a confined space. Kalscheur forced several turns on Washington, who has the best handles on the team. It was impressive to see a freshman that competitive and committed to moving his feet defensively. DeLaSalle High taught him to value defense for sure. Kalscheur didn’t shoot the ball from three-point range like he’s capable of in the scrimmage. But it didn’t matter. He continued to get open shots and launched from deep. That’s what shooters do.
Brock Stull – From the first time he set foot on campus last month until now, Stull’s body has definitely changed after getting into the U’s strength and conditioning program. After trimming down, the Wisconsin-Milwaukee graduate transfer will now have to digest the playbook and get into better shape. He’ll have time before the regular season to get acclimated. He made a tough three-pointer in the corner falling down under pressure. Those are the type of plays he made the last two years in the Horizon League. The Big Ten is another level. His leadership is where Stull can make the most impact right away like grad transfer Akeem Springs in 2016-17. He just has to be louder, Pitino said. Making the team run early in practice when Stull’s teammates couldn’t hear his instructions for a jumping jacks drill.
Jarvis Omersa – Blessed with incredible leaping ability, length and a college-ready frame, Omersa definitely looks like he belongs on the court physically. At times, the Orono product couldn’t find ways to stay involved when the game slowed down to half court. He always plays with the high energy. So that consistent effort and his explosiveness should get him on the court this season. Understanding where he needs to be will help Omersa do less thinking and more reacting, a process most freshmen go through. His dunk off a pass from Coffey made the gym go “Oooh.” He played some alongside Murphy in the scrimmage. It reminded me of Pitino’s version of small-ball last season with Davonte Fitzgerald, who transferred in the spring. Pitino kept telling Omersa to "go score the ball" when he had the defender on his back down low, so finally he did just that late in practice.
Matz Stockman – Technically, Stockman’s not a newcomer since he was on the team and sat out last season, but he fits into that category since he’s not played for the Gophers. There hasn’t been much to analyze with Stockman since he arrived from Louisville. He played a bit in last year’s open scrimmage at Williams Arena. He’s a giant who plays a finesse game. The Norway native prefers to take 8-10 footers rather than post up and finish at the rim. Sound familiar Gopher fans? Yes, his skills are very similar to former U big man Ralph Sampson III. Instead of trying to force him to be a physical presence, it probably serves Minnesota’s coaches best to let him play his game. If he can be half the shot blocker Sampson was it will go a long way to helping the Gophers replace Reggie Lynch’s defense in the middle.
http://www.startribune.com/early-go...-basketball-practice-of-the-season/494422791/
Go Gophers!!
THOUGHTS ON NEWCOMERS
Daniel Oturu – Scrimmaged for the first time Tuesday since joining the Gophers. Called for the ball in the post, including when he scored off a nice drop step move on Omersa. Undersized centers will have difficulty dealing with his length and athleticism inside. It wasn’t as easy to hold position once matched up with the 7-foot, 240-pound Stockman. Oturu was taken out of the scrimmage and replaced by Omersa for a mistake in the scrimmage. Curry talked to him on the sideline and helped him learn. That was a glimpse of Curry’s leadership. Oturu runs the floor better than any Gopher player 6-10 or taller I’ve seen in years. He even ran ahead of the entire Maroon squad in several sprints. Oturu has a nice shooting stroke that should help him score outside of the paint and make him a solid free throw shooter. Biggest upside for a freshman big man in the program since Kris Humphries, the last Gopher to make the NBA Draft in 2004.
Gabe Kalscheur – Don’t call him just a shooter. There was a drill where a defender has to turn the ball handler as many times as he can down the length of the floor in a confined space. Kalscheur forced several turns on Washington, who has the best handles on the team. It was impressive to see a freshman that competitive and committed to moving his feet defensively. DeLaSalle High taught him to value defense for sure. Kalscheur didn’t shoot the ball from three-point range like he’s capable of in the scrimmage. But it didn’t matter. He continued to get open shots and launched from deep. That’s what shooters do.
Brock Stull – From the first time he set foot on campus last month until now, Stull’s body has definitely changed after getting into the U’s strength and conditioning program. After trimming down, the Wisconsin-Milwaukee graduate transfer will now have to digest the playbook and get into better shape. He’ll have time before the regular season to get acclimated. He made a tough three-pointer in the corner falling down under pressure. Those are the type of plays he made the last two years in the Horizon League. The Big Ten is another level. His leadership is where Stull can make the most impact right away like grad transfer Akeem Springs in 2016-17. He just has to be louder, Pitino said. Making the team run early in practice when Stull’s teammates couldn’t hear his instructions for a jumping jacks drill.
Jarvis Omersa – Blessed with incredible leaping ability, length and a college-ready frame, Omersa definitely looks like he belongs on the court physically. At times, the Orono product couldn’t find ways to stay involved when the game slowed down to half court. He always plays with the high energy. So that consistent effort and his explosiveness should get him on the court this season. Understanding where he needs to be will help Omersa do less thinking and more reacting, a process most freshmen go through. His dunk off a pass from Coffey made the gym go “Oooh.” He played some alongside Murphy in the scrimmage. It reminded me of Pitino’s version of small-ball last season with Davonte Fitzgerald, who transferred in the spring. Pitino kept telling Omersa to "go score the ball" when he had the defender on his back down low, so finally he did just that late in practice.
Matz Stockman – Technically, Stockman’s not a newcomer since he was on the team and sat out last season, but he fits into that category since he’s not played for the Gophers. There hasn’t been much to analyze with Stockman since he arrived from Louisville. He played a bit in last year’s open scrimmage at Williams Arena. He’s a giant who plays a finesse game. The Norway native prefers to take 8-10 footers rather than post up and finish at the rim. Sound familiar Gopher fans? Yes, his skills are very similar to former U big man Ralph Sampson III. Instead of trying to force him to be a physical presence, it probably serves Minnesota’s coaches best to let him play his game. If he can be half the shot blocker Sampson was it will go a long way to helping the Gophers replace Reggie Lynch’s defense in the middle.
http://www.startribune.com/early-go...-basketball-practice-of-the-season/494422791/
Go Gophers!!
