Dain Dainja Transfer


I'm sure Coach BJ reached out. Would be nice low post pairing with Payne.
 

FWIW - Doogie says the Gophers "definitely" have interest. Doogie added disclaimer that Dainja "needs to work on his body" which I take to mean he is out of shape, and Doogie said grades could be an issue.
 

FWIW - Doogie says the Gophers "definitely" have interest. Doogie added disclaimer that Dainja "needs to work on his body" which I take to mean he is out of shape, and Doogie said grades could be an issue.
Sounds like he needs some Grit in his life. No better place than here with Coach Ben.
 




Doogie added disclaimer that Dainja "needs to work on his body" which I take to mean he is out of shape

He's listed at 6'9" and 270 so that's a few too many pounds. Probably he should be at least 20 pounds lighter.
 

He's listed at 6'9" and 270 so that's a few too many pounds. Probably he should be at least 20 pounds lighter.
Why, he was 260 his senior year in high school, he moved fine back then, if he hit the weights the extra 10 pounds could easily be muscle.
 

Why, he was 260 his senior year in high school, he moved fine back then, if he hit the weights the extra 10 pounds could easily be muscle.

Muscle or not, that still seems heavy to me. Not everyone can pull that off like Charles Barkley.

I'm sure at 6'9" and 260 he was dominant in high school but Baylor and the Big 12 conference are not high school.
 



could we get him for the 2nd semester of this year? Would add some truly needed size to this team!
 

C'mon Dain, Reset your basketball career here in Minnesota! The State will love you for it and plenty of big men have honed their skills at the barn. It is the right move!
 

FWIW - Doogie says the Gophers "definitely" have interest. Doogie added disclaimer that Dainja "needs to work on his body" which I take to mean he is out of shape, and Doogie said grades could be an issue.
I'm guessing if he was eligible to play at Baylor, the academics are probably no longer an issue. Sounds like he's had some foot injuries, which might be a cause for the fitness issues. Personally it's easier to lose weight than it is to pack on muscle, so if he's at 270, get him down to the 245 range without much trouble.
 

could we get him for the 2nd semester of this year? Would add some truly needed size to this team!

Well, supposedly, players have only one free transfer now so I would imagine that he's going to consider his next destination very carefully. That process may not be concluded by the spring semester.
 



Loved Dainja as a player coming out of high school. If he’s willing to buy in to the culture and work ethic, would be absolutely thrilled to have him here. Him, Payne, and Thompson would be a really interesting group of bigs with different play styles
 

Don’t get your hopes up too high. I have no info, but just because a guy can play basketball, doesn’t mean Ben would want him on the team. Ben is looking for a whole list of attributes from his players. I have no idea if Dainja fits or not, just do not want all of you to tear Ben up if he decides to pass.
 


Don’t get your hopes up too high. I have no info, but just because a guy can play basketball, doesn’t mean Ben would want him on the team. Ben is looking for a whole list of attributes from his players. I have no idea if Dainja fits or not, just do not want all of you to tear Ben up if he decides to pass.
But Doogie says there's interest, so it must be true...
 

Muscle or not, that still seems heavy to me. Not everyone can pull that off like Charles Barkley.

I'm sure at 6'9" and 260 he was dominant in high school but Baylor and the Big 12 conference are not high school.
He is heavy. You hit the nail on the head, he was able to be really effective in HS because it was HS. In every interview with him, there were conversations about conditioning, etc.

This isn't a knock on him. He has a ton of talent and sometimes it takes people a bit to figure that out. It took Mo Walker a few years, it sounds like Ky Thomas showed up to campus overweight. So it's fixable but that doesn't mean it isn't an issue.

As far as Ben trying to get him here. That'd be cool if Ben was interested. If he wasn't, I'd get that too.
 

But Doogie says there's interest, so it must be true...
In the most Doogie way possible.

"Don't be surprised if Ben Johnson reaches out to Dain Dainja and the feeling could be mutual."
 









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