2022 Transfer Portal Discussion

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GopherWeatherGuy said:
I would take pretty much any of the guards we took as transfers last season over the list of guards who are currently scheduled to visit.
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Based on what? Were the resumes of Willis/ Loewe/ Stephens/ Sutherland significantly better than the guys we're in on now?
 

Fleckoff said:
Seems like this is the pecking order at each spot

PG 1) McIntosh 2) Honor 3) Thompson
Combo Guard 1) Spencer 2) Strong 3) Cooper
Wing 10 Stewart 2) Spencer could fill this spot as well 3) Kerwin if he enters the portal
Big 1) Garcia.

Seems like Garcia is all, but in the fold, Stewart visiting this weekend, seems like the wing spot is his to lose. Not sure if Honor already visited, but we are in his top three. Spencer wants to visit, not sure if he has already or will. McIntosh with a visit date ahead of Thompson makes me thing the lead guard spot is his to lose. Not sure if Strong has visited yet. McIntosh and Spencer I believe were both Academic All Conference, so on top of being really good players on their team, obviously guys you want in your culture if you're going to take a multi year player.
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Good stuff. I don't know if I would assume though that visit date is an indication of priority. Lot of things could go into when a guy visits.
 

GopherWeatherGuy said:
I would take pretty much any of the guards we took as transfers last season over the list of guards who are currently scheduled to visit.
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Ehhh I could understand that, but I disagree. This year they will get a ball-handler (or 2) and that should make a big difference.

I understand Willis scored and shot the ball well, but I wouldn't call him a great PG.

Our frontcourt is just so much better this year that maybe I'm having a hard time distinguishing.

If we start Garcia and Stewart I'll be feeling good. I know I'm way higher on Stewart than most, but I really think he can play.
 
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MNVCGUY said:
Good stuff. I don't know if I would assume though that visit date is an indication of priority. Lot of things could go into when a guy visits.
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True, but in Portal recruiting when you're trying fill spots up as fast as possible,, there's usually mutual interest on both sides so I don't think they would waste their time with a player if they were on the fence and I don't think the player would either. Plus if we really want McIntosh, we can use the Thompson visit as leverage, or if we want Stewart, we can say we have Spencer visiting on this date, Cooper and Strong etc.
 

MNVCGUY said:
Good stuff. I don't know if I would assume though that visit date is an indication of priority. Lot of things could go into when a guy visits.
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I did quickly look up Hunter McIntosh out of curiosity and it looks like he really beat up on some not so great competition. That is not to say they didn’t play some high majors. He did well against UNC & Florida but really struggled against Ole Miss. It looks like he some issues with fouls so if he is our primary ball handler I am in favor of both he and Thompson (even though I am not big on Thompson) in case the fouling persists. He looks like a score first guard to me. I would really love for them to find a way to get Spencer so they can have at least three high level 3 point shooting threats on the floor at the same time. I do think our post defense and rebounding will massively improve (I do respect what Curry gave us this past year) and our three point shooting kept us in games. I think it would be really intriguing to have a four around one style offense (like a 1-4 style) with a high pick and role/pick and pop. If we add Garcia and Ihnen can have a good shooting year (along with Battle) this team could make some noise.
 


skiumah1 said:
Ehhh I could understand that, but I disagree. This year they will get a ball-handler (or 2) and that should make a big difference.

I understand Willis scored and shot the ball well, but I wouldn't call him a great PG.

Our frontcourt is just so much better this year that maybe I'm having a hard time distinguishing.

If we start Garcia and Stewart I'll be feeling good. I know I'm way higher on Stewart than most, but I really think he can play.
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Agreed, Spencer IMO was a better player in the Patriot League than EJ was. Stewart absolutely torched us at Assembly Hall, I like the guards Ben brought in last year, but I think if we brought those two in, it would be a clear upgrade. Also Willis wound up being a lot better offensively, but he was better defensively his first go around here, I think running the point for 40 minutes a night definitely took a toll on him defensively and after the Rutgers win he was more ball dominant. However if I am a lead guard I would be very intrigued based on how Willis performed offensively last year
 


bfriedrichs10 said:
Based on what? Were the resumes of Willis/ Loewe/ Stephens/ Sutherland significantly better than the guys we're in on now?
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Willis started for us before and averaged 9 ppg despite playing through injuries, so we knew he could play at this level. Loewe and Stephens averaged 16 ppg prior to arriving. Sutherland was a wild card.

The current known visitors look like this:

Parker Stewart 6 ppg - started for Indiana but was a role player on a bubble team.
Isaiah Thompson - 4 ppg- started half of the games for Purdue but was also a role player and has seen his playing time slowly decline over the last two years.
Hunter McIntosh - 13 ppg for Elon
Ta'Lon Cooper - 9 ppg and 6 apg for Moorhead St

That's not an impressive list to me. Maybe they eventually land others, and I like Cam Spencer and Mike Jones, but as of now, I haven't seen them schedule a visit.
 

Bakary Konate’s Hands said:
I did quickly look up Hunter McIntosh out of curiosity and it looks like he really beat up on some not so great competition. That is not to say they didn’t play some high majors. He did well against UNC & Florida but really struggled against Ole Miss. It looks like he some issues with fouls so if he is our primary ball handler I am in favor of both he and Thompson (even though I am not big on Thompson) in case the fouling persists. He looks like a score first guard to me. I would really love for them to find a way to get Spencer so they can have at least three high level 3 point shooting threats on the floor at the same time. I do think our post defense and rebounding will massively improve (I do respect what Curry gave us this past year) and our three point shooting kept us in games. I think it would be really intriguing to have a four around one style offense (like a 1-4 style) with a high pick and role/pick and pop. If we add Garcia and Ihnen can have a good shooting year (along with Battle) this team could make some noise.
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He is also a turnover machine. I am intrigued by him, though and would like to see what Ben and staff could do with him.
 



GopherWeatherGuy said:
Willis started for us before and averaged 9 ppg despite playing through injuries, so we knew he could play at this level. Loewe averaged 17 ppg, and Stephens averaged 16 ppg prior to arriving. Sutherland was a wild card.

The current known visitors look like this:

Parker Stewart 6 ppg - started for Indiana but was a role player on a bubble team.
Isaiah Thompson - 4 ppg- started half of the games for Purdue but was also a role player and has seen his playing time slowly decline over the last two years.
Hunter McIntosh - 13 ppg for Elon
Ta'Lon Cooper - 9 ppg and 6 apg for Moorhead St

That's not an impressive list to me. Maybe they eventually land others, and I like Cam Spencer and Mike Jones, but as of now, I haven't seen them schedule a visit.
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That post is about right. It is not an impressive list- there is no spinning that. These are all depth players on a good team.
 

bga1 said:
With only one high major in the state. We should do better, no doubt.
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We are #22 in population so if we are #17 in basketball players we do well for our size. And yes, with only one high major, we can do better but once again, we are in rebuilding mode.
 

Gophs24 said:
Garcia would be a great get of BJ. And a great start to the transfer class. We really arent "in" on any other bigs and the roster make up makes sense that we arent going after any more bigs. Although a true stud 5 man would do this team wonders

Garcia as the big.

for the wing spot.
-Walton (if he enters. for me he would be a great addition and he would play a big role for us next year. multiple year guy)
-Jones (i am a little surprised we havent heard more on him as i think he would be a great addition, plus he is a multiple year guy)
-Spencer (became Loyola's go to scorer this year. and watching his highlights he has some of the best pump fakes i have ever seen 😆. His shooting percentage went down this year for him as he looks to have been basically there only offence so im sure thats part of the reason as sounds like he did have to force his shot. again a multiple year guy that i think can be a sharpshooter for a team where he isnt the primary scorer)
-Stewart (been around the block in his college career. Starter for Indiana. was an effective shooter for them. Not a big time scorer and would have a similar role here)
-any one else i am missing there?

PG-was hoping we would be in on some bigger fish
-Nick Honor-i think he would be a very solid add. Wouldnt be counted on as a big time scorer but a guy that can come in and control the game
-Isiah Thompson-Im pretty meh on this one. But he has been a solid big ten player.
josiah Strong-would be a great addidtion as a scoring punch off the bench. More of a combo guard but if you can get him to buy into the idea of coming in and being the 1st ball handler off the bench while also battling for minutes at the other guard spot
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I don't disagree much with this, the only thing I would say here is that while it would be nice to have another good big come in addition to Garcia, you're going to get defense and rebounding from Payne, who at 6'9 and 235 now (and will get bigger) is a superior athlete who will improve quickly and produce immediately. I think he and Garcia would play together, and along with Battle would make a tremendous front line. Yes, he's a freshman, blah, blah.. the kid has talent. He'll struggle a bit, but he'll surprise a lot of folks next year. Get some quality guards from the portal and you've got a pretty competitive team next year if Garcia commits.
 

GopherWeatherGuy said:
Willis started for us before and averaged 9 ppg despite playing through injuries, so we knew he could play at this level. Loewe and Stephens averaged 16 ppg prior to arriving. Sutherland was a wild card.

The current known visitors look like this:

Parker Stewart 6 ppg - started for Indiana but was a role player on a bubble team.
Isaiah Thompson - 4 ppg- started half of the games for Purdue but was also a role player and has seen his playing time slowly decline over the last two years.
Hunter McIntosh - 13 ppg for Elon
Ta'Lon Cooper - 9 ppg and 6 apg for Moorhead St

That's not an impressive list to me. Maybe they eventually land others, and I like Cam Spencer and Mike Jones, but as of now, I haven't seen them schedule a visit.
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If you believe Badger conspiracist 6 assist would turn into 14 with the Williams Arena Scorer
 




Cooper has interest from some solid schools. Hopefully he's the top target.
 

Gopherfan84 said:
Little more to it than that. You have to get the kid to listen first. That is the part we don’t get with most high end transfers at this time. Most of the high end guys have a list and focus on those only. Most have back channeled and seen if there was interest.

I also think it’s really hard to say we know that Willis, Loewe, or Stephens are better than Strong, Spencer, and Stewart for example. Michael Jones is for sure better than Loewe (and I liked Luke a lot). Just hard to tell. No one thought Willis would do as well as he did by looking at his previous stats for example.
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Hmmm. Whose job is it to get kids to listen…..,,.
 

Formerswish said:
I don't disagree much with this, the only thing I would say here is that while it would be nice to have another good big come in addition to Garcia, you're going to get defense and rebounding from Payne, who at 6'9 and 235 now (and will get bigger) is a superior athlete who will improve quickly and produce immediately. I think he and Garcia would play together, and along with Battle would make a tremendous front line. Yes, he's a freshman, blah, blah.. the kid has talent. He'll struggle a bit, but he'll surprise a lot of folks next year. Get some quality guards from the portal and you've got a pretty competitive team next year if Garcia commits.
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Parker Fox would love your attention.....still amazing how many people forget about him. If we get Garcia we don't need another front court player unless there is one that is just too good to pass up available.

Battle, Ihnen, Fox, Garcia, Thompson, Payne, Ola-Joseph.....
 

UpAndUnder43 said:
With Davis, college basketballs #22 scorer of all time, in the portal I did some research on the top 25. Two interesting tidbits.

If Pete Maravich (1st all time in points) played as many college games as Doug McDermott (6th all time) he'd have scored 6409 points. Doug scored 3150. And he had a 3pt line.

Of the top 25 scorers in NCAA history—4 have played under 100 games. All 4 are hall of famers. No one else in the top 25 is in the hall of fame.
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Pete could score from the bus or six rows up in the stands. They didn't count those.
 

GopherWeatherGuy said:
Willis started for us before and averaged 9 ppg despite playing through injuries, so we knew he could play at this level. Loewe and Stephens averaged 16 ppg prior to arriving. Sutherland was a wild card.

The current known visitors look like this:

Parker Stewart 6 ppg - started for Indiana but was a role player on a bubble team.
Isaiah Thompson - 4 ppg- started half of the games for Purdue but was also a role player and has seen his playing time slowly decline over the last two years.
Hunter McIntosh - 13 ppg for Elon
Ta'Lon Cooper - 9 ppg and 6 apg for Moorhead St

That's not an impressive list to me. Maybe they eventually land others, and I like Cam Spencer and Mike Jones, but as of now, I haven't seen them schedule a visit.
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So you point to the Willis' 9 points in 2019-2020, but we were a Weakling Wednesday team. Then you downplay Stewart and Thompson's contributions to their teams, but they made the tournament. So can you compare 9 points per game on a bad team to 6 points per game on a bubble team to 4 points per game on a good team? Maybe you have a conversion sheet for that but I don't. I look at is not much difference overall.

I'm fine with the mid major comparisons, but Cooper was an all conference player as a sophomore and added 6 assists and 4.5 rebounds with a 2.72 assist to turnover ratio, so he does more that just score.
 

bga1 said:
That post is about right. It is not an impressive list- there is no spinning that. These are all depth players on a good team.
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No argument, just saying the list wasn't impressive last year either, and most would agree they met/ exceeded expectations. You can't compare what last year's transfers turned out to be to what this year's transfers' prospects are.
 



bfriedrichs10 said:
So you point to the Willis' 9 points in 2019-2020, but we were a Weakling Wednesday team. Then you downplay Stewart and Thompson's contributions to their teams, but they made the tournament. So can you compare 9 points per game on a bad team to 6 points per game on a bubble team to 4 points per game on a good team? Maybe you have a conversion sheet for that but I don't. I look at is not much difference overall.

I'm fine with the mid major comparisons, but Cooper was an all conference player as a sophomore and added 6 assists and 4.5 rebounds with a 2.72 assist to turnover ratio, so he does more that just score.
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I wasn't really excited about Willis coming back either last year. Or really any of the guards. The only two transfers I really liked were Battle and Fox. With those transfers we were the worst team in the B1G. And right now I think those guards are better than the ones currently coming in for visits.

Cooper does have some intrigue because of the assist numbers, but is he someone you want to automatically plug in as the starting PG on a B1G team? Like bga1 said, these guys are depth players on a good team. Right now we have two starting guard spots open.
 

Dakota2 said:
The ranking had nothing to do with colleges.
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You miss the point. The ranking means we rank 17th in HS talent. That means- with one high D1 in then state, we have a nice advantage. That hasn't always been the case as in the past the talent level coming out of Minnesota was far lower, save for the annual big man. There wasn't a great deal of talent in the state during Dutcher or Clem's years, certainly not in terms of quantity.
 

GopherWeatherGuy said:
I agree on Jones and Spencer, but unless I missed it, I haven't seen either officially schedule a visit yet.
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Spencer had one scheduled I thought. I’m not hearing/reading anything on Jones which is sad. He was one I was really hoping for with Dawson.
 

In regard to Isaiah Thompson, I just shake my head reading some of these comments. The guy started 20 games last year for one of the best teams in the country. We aren't in Purdue's league....yet. His stats don't overwhelm you but think of the guys demanding the ball on that team (Ivey, Williams, Edey, Steffanovich, Hunter).....to think that he couldn't come in and start (or at least be a heavy contributor) doesn't make sense.
 
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BarnBurner said:
Hmmm. Whose job is it to get kids to listen…..,,.
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Can’t tie them up and make them respond to the phone call or text man. As a leader of any role, you can pursue anyone you want. They will not all listen. Some will listen and say no. A good leader identifies who fits and is right for here. There is only so much time and if you waste your time on big fish who aren’t taking your bait, you’ll miss out on a meal all together.
 

cheeseheadgophfan said:
In regard to Isaiah Thomas, I just shake my head reading some of these comments. The guy started 20 games last year for one of the best teams in the country. We aren't in Purdue's league....yet. His stats don't overwhelm you but think of the guys demanding the ball on that team (Ivey, Williams, Edey, Steffanovich, Hunter).....to think that he couldn't come in and start (or at least be a heavy contributor) doesn't make sense.
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I'd take Isaiah Thomas! I'm iffy on Thompson as the #1 option at PG but I'd be happy to have him and let him battle it out for PT.
 


GopherWeatherGuy said:
I wasn't really excited about Willis coming back either last year. Or really any of the guards. The only two transfers I really liked were Battle and Fox. With those transfers we were the worst team in the B1G. And right now I think those guards are better than the ones currently coming in for visits.

Cooper does have some intrigue because of the assist numbers, but is he someone you want to automatically plug in as the starting PG on a B1G team? Like bga1 said, these guys are depth players on a good team. Right now we have two starting guard spots open.
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The bold part of your last post is what we, and many people, are in agreement with about last year's group. I don't think the guys we're going after right now are the players we WANT to go after, they're the players we HAVE to go after until Ben has enough success to make Minnesota a destination for the bigger names. Just because they aren't the big names doesn't mean they can't contribute and have success though.

Last year (in my eyes) was about creating a foundation that can be built upon, not about wins and losses. Battle, Ihnen, Fox, and Thompson are coming back to show guys that come in what Ben wants Gopher basketball to be. The hope is every year, more progress is made and small steps on the front end pay off down the road and we get there.
 

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