Jamison Battle to enter the Transfer Portal

Prediction, Battle to ISU.
I’m not sure if that is worst case scenario or not, but it seems like it could be. Prized local kid going to regional rival and continuing a pipeline. Also strikes me as unlikely given that they are a defense first program and that isn’t Jamison’s calling card. He’s not getting the number of shots there that he did here, either.
 


If you had to choose, who do you pick?

I'd figure out how to make it work with both of them. Why would Ben recruit both of them if he couldn't? Now we're making excuses for Battle leaving because Garcia's better and they can't play together, even though the team was worse this year with Garcia on it.

This is just more excuse making for Ben. His roster construction is horrific, and the team is worse off with Battle leaving.
 

Boy, there is a hell of a lot of dreamy speculation there. So, the coach is the reason that Battle was worse this year? How come the coach didn't have that effect last season when Battle had his best year? Battle was terrible when he first came back from the injury and he improved as the year went on but he never really jelled with this year's roster very well. Do you know Battle personally? Maybe the other guys on the team didn't like him.
There was no speculation in what I posted, it was a complete recounting of what happened. Battle was preseason all B1G, he was on the preseason watchlist for national best small forward.

Do you think Battle actually got less skilled from last year to this year? That his offseason practice actually made him worse? Whose job is it to get the team to jell, its the coaches' job. Did Battle jell with the team in year 1, he most certainly did, so it's not that Battle is a person who can't get along. Battle played worse because of the roster construction and playing him out of position, those are all coaches' decisions.

I guarantee Battle will go to a different program and have much more success because the coach will know how to put his players in a position to succeed, so the variable will not be Battle. He knows it as well, that's why his position is anywhere but here.

You are the one creating conjecture ("Maybe the other guys on the team didn't like him.") and making up reasons to support your desired outcome, I guess you will accept any reason accept coaching.
 

I'd figure out how to make it work with both of them. Why would Ben recruit both of them if he couldn't? Now we're making excuses for Battle leaving because Garcia's better and they can't play together, even though the team was worse this year with Garcia on it.

This is just more excuse making for Ben. His roster construction is horrific, and the team is worse off with Battle leaving.
Read closer. I have said his roster construction was lousy. I have also said that Ben should have used Battle for less minutes. Battle is just not good enough to play the starring shot chucker role he envisioned himself in and Ben should have reined that in. My argument is that Battle leaving is not a real big deal - not because he wasn't one of our better players but because the fit and the mentality of the player to win as a team were not there.
 


Read closer. I have said his roster construction was lousy. I have also said that Ben should have used Battle for less minutes. Battle is just not good enough to play the starring shot chucker role he envisioned himself in and Ben should have reined that in. My argument is that Battle leaving is not a real big deal - not because he wasn't one of our better players but because the fit and the mentality of the player to win as a team were not there.

Far more important for Johnson to convince Cooper to stay.
 

Read closer. I have said his roster construction was lousy. I have also said that Ben should have used Battle for less minutes. Battle is just not good enough to play the starring shot chucker role he envisioned himself in and Ben should have reined that in. My argument is that Battle leaving is not a real big deal - not because he wasn't one of our better players but because the fit and the mentality of the player to win as a team were not there.

He was our best player on a better team last season
 

There was no speculation in what I posted, it was a complete recounting of what happened. Battle was preseason all B1G, he was on the preseason watchlist for national best small forward.

Do you think Battle actually got less skilled from last year to this year? That his offseason practice actually made him worse? Whose job is it to get the team to jell, its the coaches' job. Did Battle jell with the team in year 1, he most certainly did, so it's not that Battle is a person who can't get along. Battle played worse because of the roster construction and playing him out of position, those are all coaches' decisions.

I guarantee Battle will go to a different program and have much more success because the coach will know how to put his players in a position to succeed, so the variable will not be Battle. He knows it as well, that's why his position is anywhere but here.

You are the one creating conjecture ("Maybe the other guys on the team didn't like him.") and making up reasons to support your desired outcome, I guess you will accept any reason accept coaching.
What position would you have played Battle at?
 




There was no speculation in what I posted, it was a complete recounting of what happened. Battle was preseason all B1G, he was on the preseason watchlist for national best small forward.

Do you think Battle actually got less skilled from last year to this year? That his offseason practice actually made him worse? Whose job is it to get the team to jell, its the coaches' job. Did Battle jell with the team in year 1, he most certainly did, so it's not that Battle is a person who can't get along. Battle played worse because of the roster construction and playing him out of position, those are all coaches' decisions.

I guarantee Battle will go to a different program and have much more success because the coach will know how to put his players in a position to succeed, so the variable will not be Battle. He knows it as well, that's why his position is anywhere but here.

You are the one creating conjecture ("Maybe the other guys on the team didn't like him.") and making up reasons to support your desired outcome, I guess you will accept any reason accept coaching.
If he doesn't go pro, I hope he has success at his next stop. He seems to be a good guy and an exemplary student athlete and is deserving of a chance to compete in the postseason. Wherever he goes, I expect him to make some big shots.
 


What position would you have played Battle at?
You are missing the entire point of my original post. The damage of this situation is not the delta of the 4 position for next year, its the damage to Ben's whole sales story to Minnesota players.

From the positive angle, the more Minnesotan's that go through the program that get to the NBA, the more of a sales story you have. You now can go into the next kid's living room and say, hey player X was a Minnesota kid like you and we molded him and put him in a position to succeed and now he's in the NBA.

Well the opposite is also true, when Minnesota kid's see guys "like them" or actually knew them or their coaches knew the player, and then that player gets thrown out of the program, or treated unfairly, or you didn't even recruit him enough, or used poorly due to coaching and actually becomes worse, well you are poisoning your recruiting ground.

Ben has nothing to point at for recruiting all he can sell is hope, and when you actually devolve your players and people can point to real cases and you just come in with a word salad, you are screwed.

So again as I said in conclusion on my original post: yeah fine we have a forward to fill the gap next year, but this is a huge red mark on Ben and the whole story of how Ben will succeed, in reality it debunks what we have been sold.
 

You are missing the entire point of my original post. The damage of this situation is not the delta of the 4 position for next year, its the damage to Ben's whole sales story to Minnesota players.

From the positive angle, the more Minnesotan's that go through the program that get to the NBA, the more of a sales story you have. You now can go into the next kid's living room and say, hey player X was a Minnesota kid like you and we molded him and put him in a position to succeed and now he's in the NBA.

Well the opposite is also true, when Minnesota kid's see guys "like them" or actually knew them or their coaches knew the player, and then that player gets thrown out of the program, or treated unfairly, or you didn't even recruit him enough, or used poorly due to coaching and actually becomes worse, well you are poisoning your recruiting ground.

Ben has nothing to point at for recruiting all he can sell is hope, and when you actually devolve your players and people can point to real cases and you just come in with a word salad, you are screwed.

So again as I said in conclusion on my original post: yeah fine we have a forward to fill the gap next year, but this is a huge red mark on Ben and the whole story of how Ben will succeed, in reality it debunks what we have been sold.
Not to mention another ISLANDER transferring out.
 



Oh really? 9-22 (2-17) with Garcia. 13-17 (4-16) without him.
Seriously? Like other players didn’t have anything to do with that? You saw the team this year play better when he was there metrically and with the eye test. I get it this is awful and we need to move on in your opinion and that’s fine, but stay honest.
 

I'd figure out how to make it work with both of them. Why would Ben recruit both of them if he couldn't? Now we're making excuses for Battle leaving because Garcia's better and they can't play together, even though the team was worse this year with Garcia on it.

This is just more excuse making for Ben. His roster construction is horrific, and the team is worse off with Battle leaving.
The reality is Ben can’t coach. Constant excuses for Ben, who do you think was advising Battle to go pro. I highly doubt it was his parents the Dad worked for Timberwolves so well aware of the struggles of being a pro.
 

i like Battle, but when you consistently miss open 3’s it doesn’t make any difference whether you were 3 or a 4, you still missed an open 3. Shooting is like hitting a baseball or golf. Sometimes it just doesn’t go well. Maybe he will be another Gabe K. Somewhere else. Or maybe he will be last nights Gabe K. The shooting woes are on Battle, Ben gave him minutes and freedom, that’s all a coach can do for a shooter.
 

Not to mention another ISLANDER transferring out.
i like Battle, but when you consistently miss open 3’s it doesn’t make any difference whether you were 3 or a 4, you still missed an open 3. Shooting is like hitting a baseball or golf. Sometimes it just doesn’t go well. Maybe he will be another Gabe K. Somewhere else. Or maybe he will be last nights Gabe K. The shooting woes are on Battle, Ben gave him minutes and freedom, that’s all a coach can do for a
i like Battle, but when you consistently miss open 3’s it doesn’t make any difference whether you were 3 or a 4, you still missed an open 3. Shooting is like hitting a baseball or golf. Sometimes it just doesn’t go well. Maybe he will be another Gabe K. Somewhere else. Or maybe he will be last nights Gabe K. The shooting woes are on Battle, Ben gave him minutes and freedom, that’s all a coach can do for a shooter.
Everyone on the team had the green light 😂
 




Seriously? Like other players didn’t have anything to do with that? You saw the team this year play better when he was there metrically and with the eye test. I get it this is awful and we need to move on in your opinion and that’s fine, but stay honest.

So explain to me how Ben's plan was to now recruit over his best player on a last place team, to make them even worse because they couldn't play together? Even you tried to make Battle a SG prior to the season when I said this team had no guards, and defend how they were going to be better because of it.

Battle was one of Ben's first and best recruits here, told everyone how great it was to be playing back at home, and now he's bailing on Ben with eligibility remaining. The people that are now ok with Battle leaving, are generally the same that continue to defend the disaster that is Ben.
 

So explain to me how Ben's plan was to now recruit over his best player on a last place team, to make them even worse because they couldn't play together? Even you tried to make Battle a SG prior to the season when I said this team had no guards, and defend how they were going to be better because of it.

Battle was one of Ben's first and best recruits here, told everyone how great it was to be playing back at home, and now he's bailing on Ben with eligibility remaining. The people that are now ok with Battle leaving, are generally the same that continue to defend the disaster that is Ben.
None of this is what I was talking about. The team was better with Garcia. That’s all. The rest is your opinion and you have great stats to back it up. Just don’t have to pile on everything.
 

None of this is what I was talking about. The team was better with Garcia. That’s all. The rest is your opinion and you have great stats to back it up. Just don’t have to pile on everything.

The team was better with Battle and lower level guards than it was with Battle, Garcia and Cooper, who were 'better' than the low level transfers they brought in last season, plus 'talented freshman'. Maybe Battle isn't the issue, as some continue to make it out to be.
 

The team was better with Battle and lower level guards than it was with Battle, Garcia and Cooper, who were 'better' than the low level transfers they brought in last season, plus 'talented freshman'. Maybe Battle isn't the issue, as some continue to make it out to be.
Look he is responsible for his own play to a degree. He was the least efficient of the top 7 players and not by a little. That's his problem. I know, I know, I know- you MUST tie absolutely everything back to Ben's bad coaching. Ben might be a bad coach- although it is odd that he was a better coach his first year. Battle played poorly just admit that.
 

So explain to me how Ben's plan was to now recruit over his best player on a last place team, to make them even worse because they couldn't play together? Even you tried to make Battle a SG prior to the season when I said this team had no guards, and defend how they were going to be better because of it.

Battle was one of Ben's first and best recruits here, told everyone how great it was to be playing back at home, and now he's bailing on Ben with eligibility remaining. The people that are now ok with Battle leaving, are generally the same that continue to defend the disaster that is Ben.
So you would NOT have taken Garcia (that's who he recruited over Battle)?
 

The team was better with Battle and lower level guards than it was with Battle, Garcia and Cooper, who were 'better' than the low level transfers they brought in last season, plus 'talented freshman'. Maybe Battle isn't the issue, as some continue to make it out to be.
None of any of this is what was wha it was mentioning. I’ll gladly say I misread then and bow out as I’m only referring to Garcia and this specific team. I didn’t say squat about Battle. I like him and will miss him.
 

You are missing the entire point of my original post. The damage of this situation is not the delta of the 4 position for next year, its the damage to Ben's whole sales story to Minnesota players.

From the positive angle, the more Minnesotan's that go through the program that get to the NBA, the more of a sales story you have. You now can go into the next kid's living room and say, hey player X was a Minnesota kid like you and we molded him and put him in a position to succeed and now he's in the NBA.

Well the opposite is also true, when Minnesota kid's see guys "like them" or actually knew them or their coaches knew the player, and then that player gets thrown out of the program, or treated unfairly, or you didn't even recruit him enough, or used poorly due to coaching and actually becomes worse, well you are poisoning your recruiting ground.

Ben has nothing to point at for recruiting all he can sell is hope, and when you actually devolve your players and people can point to real cases and you just come in with a word salad, you are screwed.

So again as I said in conclusion on my original post: yeah fine we have a forward to fill the gap next year, but this is a huge red mark on Ben and the whole story of how Ben will succeed, in reality it debunks what we have been sold.
The key isn't who goes to the NBA for the local sell- Battle was never ever going to the NBA. No chance. The key is what does Battle say to locals about Ben? Does he say good things or bad things? Is there any chance that it has nothing to do with Ben and everything to do with Battle finding a place to play where he can showcase himself to European league team and perhaps make a little cash on the way? That's my guess. And face it- we are all guessing. I, by the way, am not a Ben apologist. I was against the hire. He has a lot to learn. I am now in the mode of rooting for him to succeed until he leaves.
 

Look he is responsible for his own play to a degree. He was the least efficient of the top 7 players and not by a little. That's his problem. I know, I know, I know- you MUST tie absolutely everything back to Ben's bad coaching. Ben might be a bad coach- although it is odd that he was a better coach his first year. Battle played poorly just admit that.

Ben may not be a bad coach, he may just actually be a bad recruiter and roster constructor.
 






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