23-24 roster: How they hot here

Otis

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Here’s a list of our fine fifteen and where they were ranked by 247 out of high school and what they have done so far in college.

Listed in descending order:

Dawson Garcia - 4*, .9856, started at Marquette, did well and transferred to UNC. Started for a while until family issues derailed momentum and he transferred home to Gophers. Played very well when healthy and is a stud. Totally living up to his rankings.

Isaiah Ihnen - 4*, .9578, Highly touted German came in and performed ok. Sophomore year with no jump, then got hammered by multiple knee injuries. Hoping for a good recovery but not sure how complete.

Cameron Christie -4*, .92, great looking shooter who is long and plays tough. Thin frame may not be ready for the B1G. Upside is very high.

Mike Mitchell -3*(hs) .896, 4* (T) .92, good shooter with handles had nice stats at Pepperdine. Unknown how he will adapt to B1G.

Pharrell Payne - 3*, .9033, man child shrugged off B1G physicality and played well as a true freshman. Looking for a leap when he FINALLY moved into starting lineup.

Braden Carrington - 3*, .88, former Mr. Minnesota basketball had up and down freshman year marred by injury. Showed upside when able and should be a solid player if he can avoid injury.

Jack Wilson - 3*, .88, had decent scores as a high schooler. Weight lifting and training drive him to football. Now seeking return to basketball did little last year for Washington State while removing football weight. Could provide valuable backup big minutes if he is back in basketball condition.

Players with no rating on 247:

Kadyn Betts - redshirt freshman who signed ahead of schedule. Had a decent ranking on other services and has seasoned for a year with team in practice. Potential is there.

Elijah Hawkins - played HS at DeMatha, played in last years NCAA’s. Good stats and high turnovers. Potential is there.

Joshua Ola-Joseph - played well as a freshman starting in unnatural position for him most of season. Hopefully has chiseled body to deal with demands of SF position.

Parker Fox - as a transfer two years ago this high flyer and active player was viewed as a big signing! What’s left after two years of injury and rehab is an unknown.

Will Ramberg - former walk on gets by on tenacity and drive. Can provide a few minutes of play but lacks skills to provide a consistent asset.

Eric Reader - walk on freshman who isn’t expected to contribute much.

Jackson Purcel - redshirt sophomore who has not contributed to date and isn’t expected to in the future.

Kristupas Keinys - 3rd highest ranked player on his Lithuanian National Team is so unknown, GopherIllustrated doesn’t even have him on the roster! Not exactly the kind of background you can put a lot of hope behind.

So, we have seven guys who were rated coming out of HS, one of which quit basketball for football, four scholarship players with 1 who has yet to see the floor due to redshirt, the other three only has one who played in the B1G. And he played mostly out of position.

So who can we count on,

Garcia
Payne
Mitchell
JoJ

We think we can count on,
Hawkins
Carrington
Christie
Betts

God only knows,
Ihnen
Fox
Wilson
Keinys

Just not skilled enough,
Ramberg
Purcell
Reader

Expecting this team to go .500 in the B1G is like asking to win 15 consecutive hands of blackjack! Not enough known who can make a difference and too many “could be” types to expect anything over 4-6 wins in conference.

But hey, my $2 lottery ticket has a chance, right?
 


Here’s a list of our fine fifteen and where they were ranked by 247 out of high school and what they have done so far in college.

Listed in descending order:

Dawson Garcia - 4*, .9856, started at Marquette, did well and transferred to UNC. Started for a while until family issues derailed momentum and he transferred home to Gophers. Played very well when healthy and is a stud. Totally living up to his rankings.

Isaiah Ihnen - 4*, .9578, Highly touted German came in and performed ok. Sophomore year with no jump, then got hammered by multiple knee injuries. Hoping for a good recovery but not sure how complete.

Cameron Christie -4*, .92, great looking shooter who is long and plays tough. Thin frame may not be ready for the B1G. Upside is very high.

Mike Mitchell -3*(hs) .896, 4* (T) .92, good shooter with handles had nice stats at Pepperdine. Unknown how he will adapt to B1G.

Pharrell Payne - 3*, .9033, man child shrugged off B1G physicality and played well as a true freshman. Looking for a leap when he FINALLY moved into starting lineup.

Braden Carrington - 3*, .88, former Mr. Minnesota basketball had up and down freshman year marred by injury. Showed upside when able and should be a solid player if he can avoid injury.

Jack Wilson - 3*, .88, had decent scores as a high schooler. Weight lifting and training drive him to football. Now seeking return to basketball did little last year for Washington State while removing football weight. Could provide valuable backup big minutes if he is back in basketball condition.

Players with no rating on 247:

Kadyn Betts - redshirt freshman who signed ahead of schedule. Had a decent ranking on other services and has seasoned for a year with team in practice. Potential is there.

Elijah Hawkins - played HS at DeMatha, played in last years NCAA’s. Good stats and high turnovers. Potential is there.

Joshua Ola-Joseph - played well as a freshman starting in unnatural position for him most of season. Hopefully has chiseled body to deal with demands of SF position.

Parker Fox - as a transfer two years ago this high flyer and active player was viewed as a big signing! What’s left after two years of injury and rehab is an unknown.

Will Ramberg - former walk on gets by on tenacity and drive. Can provide a few minutes of play but lacks skills to provide a consistent asset.

Eric Reader - walk on freshman who isn’t expected to contribute much.

Jackson Purcel - redshirt sophomore who has not contributed to date and isn’t expected to in the future.

Kristupas Keinys - 3rd highest ranked player on his Lithuanian National Team is so unknown, GopherIllustrated doesn’t even have him on the roster! Not exactly the kind of background you can put a lot of hope behind.

So, we have seven guys who were rated coming out of HS, one of which quit basketball for football, four scholarship players with 1 who has yet to see the floor due to redshirt, the other three only has one who played in the B1G. And he played mostly out of position.

So who can we count on,

Garcia
Payne
Mitchell
JoJ

We think we can count on,
Hawkins
Carrington
Christie
Betts

God only knows,
Ihnen
Fox
Wilson
Keinys

Just not skilled enough,
Ramberg
Purcell
Reader

Expecting this team to go .500 in the B1G is like asking to win 15 consecutive hands of blackjack! Not enough known who can make a difference and too many “could be” types to expect anything over 4-6 wins in conference.

But hey, my $2 lottery ticket has a chance, right?
Shoddy work. But you tried your best. That’s an improvement! BTW, you have no chance.
 
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Here’s a list of our fine fifteen and where they were ranked by 247 out of high school and what they have done so far in college.

Listed in descending order:

Dawson Garcia - 4*, .9856, started at Marquette, did well and transferred to UNC. Started for a while until family issues derailed momentum and he transferred home to Gophers. Played very well when healthy and is a stud. Totally living up to his rankings.

Isaiah Ihnen - 4*, .9578, Highly touted German came in and performed ok. Sophomore year with no jump, then got hammered by multiple knee injuries. Hoping for a good recovery but not sure how complete.

Cameron Christie -4*, .92, great looking shooter who is long and plays tough. Thin frame may not be ready for the B1G. Upside is very high.

Mike Mitchell -3*(hs) .896, 4* (T) .92, good shooter with handles had nice stats at Pepperdine. Unknown how he will adapt to B1G.

Pharrell Payne - 3*, .9033, man child shrugged off B1G physicality and played well as a true freshman. Looking for a leap when he FINALLY moved into starting lineup.

Braden Carrington - 3*, .88, former Mr. Minnesota basketball had up and down freshman year marred by injury. Showed upside when able and should be a solid player if he can avoid injury.

Jack Wilson - 3*, .88, had decent scores as a high schooler. Weight lifting and training drive him to football. Now seeking return to basketball did little last year for Washington State while removing football weight. Could provide valuable backup big minutes if he is back in basketball condition.

Players with no rating on 247:

Kadyn Betts - redshirt freshman who signed ahead of schedule. Had a decent ranking on other services and has seasoned for a year with team in practice. Potential is there.

Elijah Hawkins - played HS at DeMatha, played in last years NCAA’s. Good stats and high turnovers. Potential is there.

Joshua Ola-Joseph - played well as a freshman starting in unnatural position for him most of season. Hopefully has chiseled body to deal with demands of SF position.

Parker Fox - as a transfer two years ago this high flyer and active player was viewed as a big signing! What’s left after two years of injury and rehab is an unknown.

Will Ramberg - former walk on gets by on tenacity and drive. Can provide a few minutes of play but lacks skills to provide a consistent asset.

Eric Reader - walk on freshman who isn’t expected to contribute much.

Jackson Purcel - redshirt sophomore who has not contributed to date and isn’t expected to in the future.

Kristupas Keinys - 3rd highest ranked player on his Lithuanian National Team is so unknown, GopherIllustrated doesn’t even have him on the roster! Not exactly the kind of background you can put a lot of hope behind.

So, we have seven guys who were rated coming out of HS, one of which quit basketball for football, four scholarship players with 1 who has yet to see the floor due to redshirt, the other three only has one who played in the B1G. And he played mostly out of position.

So who can we count on,

Garcia
Payne
Mitchell
JoJ

We think we can count on,
Hawkins
Carrington
Christie
Betts

God only knows,
Ihnen
Fox
Wilson
Keinys

Just not skilled enough,
Ramberg
Purcell
Reader

Expecting this team to go .500 in the B1G is like asking to win 15 consecutive hands of blackjack! Not enough known who can make a difference and too many “could be” types to expect anything over 4-6 wins in conference.

But hey, my $2 lottery ticket has a chance, right?
Predict how they will do in 2024 with everyone returning except Wilson and Ramberg...and adding Asuma and Grove.
 


Predict how they will do in 2024 with everyone returning except Wilson and Ramberg...and adding Asuma and Grove.

Who cares about 2024. We have a full season between now and then.

There's no guarantee everyone will stay. No one thought it was going to be Battle's, Henley's, and Cooper's last/only season 3 months before last season started.
 

Here’s a list of our fine fifteen and where they were ranked by 247 out of high school and what they have done so far in college.

Listed in descending order:

Dawson Garcia - 4*, .9856, started at Marquette, did well and transferred to UNC. Started for a while until family issues derailed momentum and he transferred home to Gophers. Played very well when healthy and is a stud. Totally living up to his rankings.

Isaiah Ihnen - 4*, .9578, Highly touted German came in and performed ok. Sophomore year with no jump, then got hammered by multiple knee injuries. Hoping for a good recovery but not sure how complete.

Cameron Christie -4*, .92, great looking shooter who is long and plays tough. Thin frame may not be ready for the B1G. Upside is very high.

Mike Mitchell -3*(hs) .896, 4* (T) .92, good shooter with handles had nice stats at Pepperdine. Unknown how he will adapt to B1G.

Pharrell Payne - 3*, .9033, man child shrugged off B1G physicality and played well as a true freshman. Looking for a leap when he FINALLY moved into starting lineup.

Braden Carrington - 3*, .88, former Mr. Minnesota basketball had up and down freshman year marred by injury. Showed upside when able and should be a solid player if he can avoid injury.

Jack Wilson - 3*, .88, had decent scores as a high schooler. Weight lifting and training drive him to football. Now seeking return to basketball did little last year for Washington State while removing football weight. Could provide valuable backup big minutes if he is back in basketball condition.

Players with no rating on 247:

Kadyn Betts - redshirt freshman who signed ahead of schedule. Had a decent ranking on other services and has seasoned for a year with team in practice. Potential is there.

Elijah Hawkins - played HS at DeMatha, played in last years NCAA’s. Good stats and high turnovers. Potential is there.

Joshua Ola-Joseph - played well as a freshman starting in unnatural position for him most of season. Hopefully has chiseled body to deal with demands of SF position.

Parker Fox - as a transfer two years ago this high flyer and active player was viewed as a big signing! What’s left after two years of injury and rehab is an unknown.

Will Ramberg - former walk on gets by on tenacity and drive. Can provide a few minutes of play but lacks skills to provide a consistent asset.

Eric Reader - walk on freshman who isn’t expected to contribute much.

Jackson Purcel - redshirt sophomore who has not contributed to date and isn’t expected to in the future.

Kristupas Keinys - 3rd highest ranked player on his Lithuanian National Team is so unknown, GopherIllustrated doesn’t even have him on the roster! Not exactly the kind of background you can put a lot of hope behind.

So, we have seven guys who were rated coming out of HS, one of which quit basketball for football, four scholarship players with 1 who has yet to see the floor due to redshirt, the other three only has one who played in the B1G. And he played mostly out of position.

So who can we count on,

Garcia
Payne
Mitchell
JoJ

We think we can count on,
Hawkins
Carrington
Christie
Betts

God only knows,
Ihnen
Fox
Wilson
Keinys

Just not skilled enough,
Ramberg
Purcell
Reader

Expecting this team to go .500 in the B1G is like asking to win 15 consecutive hands of blackjack! Not enough known who can make a difference and too many “could be” types to expect anything over 4-6 wins in conference.

But hey, my $2 lottery ticket has a chance, right?

JOJ was playing his natural position last season, or at least close to it. He's a 4, and I disagree he'll ever be a 3. That's why I would move him to 'Guys we think we can count on'.

I would add Betts to the 'God only knows' until we see him play. There is nearly zero historical precedence for guys like him making an impact as a freshman.

For those who disagree with me on Betts (not directed at any moniker that begins with rock) who is he going to play over?

He will for sure not play over Garcia, Payne, Mitchell, Hawkins, Christie, Carrington, and JOJ. If Ihnen is healthy, he won't play over him. Same case for Fox, but I don't believe Fox will ever be healthy enough to contribute. I can also see Wilson and even Ramberg being ahead of him for this season.

Ben isn't moving to a 10 man rotation. He's going to play his best 5 the majority of the time and have a general 7-8 man rotation when needed, which is what most other college coaches do.
 

JOJ was playing his natural position last season, or at least close to it. He's a 4, and I disagree he'll ever be a 3. That's why I would move him to 'Guys we think we can count on'.

I would add Betts to the 'God only knows' until we see him play. There is nearly zero historical precedence for guys like him making an impact as a freshman.

Define: "guys like him"
 




Define: "guys like him"
Where he was ranked.

Partially where he was ranked. Guys who reclassify are typically very highly rated guys - 5*s, not 3*s.

Also guys who redshirt. Redshirting is rare at the P6 level and guys who do it typically take a long time to develop.

Being a combination of both is extremely rare.
 

Predict how they will do in 2024 with everyone returning except Wilson and Ramberg...and adding Asuma and Grove.
A lot rides on whether there’s enough done this year to warrant Johnson’s retention. Key parts of the roster likely won’t be here in ‘24 if they don’t.
 

JOJ was playing his natural position last season, or at least close to it. He's a 4, and I disagree he'll ever be a 3. That's why I would move him to 'Guys we think we can count on'.

I would add Betts to the 'God only knows' until we see him play. There is nearly zero historical precedence for guys like him making an impact as a freshman.

For those who disagree with me on Betts (not directed at any moniker that begins with rock) who is he going to play over?

He will for sure not play over Garcia, Payne, Mitchell, Hawkins, Christie, Carrington, and JOJ. If Ihnen is healthy, he won't play over him. Same case for Fox, but I don't believe Fox will ever be healthy enough to contribute. I can also see Wilson and even Ramberg being ahead of him for this season.

Ben isn't moving to a 10 man rotation
. He's going to play his best 5 the majority of the time and have a general 7-8 man rotation when needed, which is what most other college coaches do.

You have no idea who Betts will play over and how he stacks up against his teammates (none of us do). You also have zero idea how Ben will manage his deepest roster to date.

I'd guess he has close to a 10-man rotation in the pre-season, and thus the reason for his soft scheduling (which I don't condone).

"If Inhen is healthy, he won't play over him." Why not?
"I can also see Wilson and even Ramberg being ahead of him." Rationale?

Genuinely curious how you came to some of these unquestionable conclusions.
 

You have no idea who Betts will play over and how he stacks up against his teammates (none of us do). You also have zero idea how Ben will manage his deepest roster to date.

I'd guess he has close to a 10-man rotation in the pre-season, and thus the reason for his soft scheduling (which I don't condone).

"If Inhen is healthy, he won't play over him." Why not?
"I can also see Wilson and even Ramberg being ahead of him." Rationale?

Genuinely curious how you came to some of these unquestionable conclusions.

A combination of the last 2 years and common sense. And the fact that Ben once only played 5 players in a BTT game because the bench allegedly ‘didn’t want to play’ 🙄
 



A lot rides on whether there’s enough done this year to warrant Johnson’s retention. Key parts of the roster likely won’t be here in ‘24 if they don’t.
And key parts of the roster will be replaced from the transfer portal.
We will likely get players like Mitchell, Hawkins and Wilson to replace deserters who couldn't earn playing time this year.
 

Partially where he was ranked. Guys who reclassify are typically very highly rated guys - 5*s, not 3*s.

Also guys who redshirt. Redshirting is rare at the P6 level and guys who do it typically take a long time to develop.

Being a combination of both is extremely rare.
I don't think you can fairly call a kid that reclassifies up a grade and then sits out- " a redshirt". Did he redshirt - yes. However, a typical redshirt is a kid who after graduating as a senior - just wasn't ready yet to go yet. Betts is advanced for his age. Right now he is better than most incoming frosh, easily, because he was a 3 to 4* who has now spent the last year training with the program.

The history of freshmen contributing in major conferences is very good. No reason to think he cannot.
 

I don't think you can fairly call a kid that reclassifies up a grade and then sits out- " a redshirt". Did he redshirt - yes. However, a typical redshirt is a kid who after graduating as a senior - just wasn't ready yet to go yet. Betts is advanced for his age. Right now he is better than most incoming frosh, easily, because he was a 3 to 4* who has now spent the last year training with the program.

The history of freshmen contributing in major conferences is very good. No reason to think he cannot.
That is what the term "one and done" refers to.
 

Hawkins should be a big upgrade at guard. Howard's game against Kansas is on YouTube if you want to see highlights of him against a top team.
 

I don't think you can fairly call a kid that reclassifies up a grade and then sits out- " a redshirt". Did he redshirt - yes. However, a typical redshirt is a kid who after graduating as a senior - just wasn't ready yet to go yet. Betts is advanced for his age. Right now he is better than most incoming frosh, easily, because he was a 3 to 4* who has now spent the last year training with the program.

The history of freshmen contributing in major conferences is very good. No reason to think he cannot.

Yes, top 25/50 guys are. Even if you want to say Betts is a top 90 recruit, even a lot in that range don't contribute much to a P6 team. Just look at the 2022 class. There is like 2 from 80-100 that contributed. One was at a G5 and the other was on an avg. OSU team.
 

And key parts of the roster will be replaced from the transfer portal.
We will likely get players like Mitchell, Hawkins and Wilson to replace deserters who couldn't earn playing time this year.
I'm saying there'll be a mass exodus if Johnson is let go - that's the way of the world these days. And, yes, the portal replenishes rosters.

I'll also point out that portalers gonna portal. Some. like Thompson, want more PT and end up at a lower level. A guy like Battle wanted to get paid. A guy like Henley may just have not wanted to stay. This will happen this year, too, and it'll be at least one guy you wished would stay. This is true everywhere these days.
 
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Jack Wilson was a 4* coming out of high school. Here's an article from when he signed with Oregon State:

Jack Wilson, 2018 4-star 7-footer, commits to Oregon State Beavers

Wilson, rated the No. 91 prospect in the country and the No. 1 center in the West region, chose the Beavers over offers from Cal, Montana, Nevada and others, as well as heavy interest from several Pac-12 programs.
 

Who cares about 2024. We have a full season between now and then.

There's no guarantee everyone will stay. No one thought it was going to be Battle's, Henley's, and Cooper's last/only season 3 months before last season started.
Glad all three are gone. They were the centerpieces of our defensive problems. Not all all of the 2023 guys are going to have a seat on 2024 either.
 

I don't think you can fairly call a kid that reclassifies up a grade and then sits out- " a redshirt". Did he redshirt - yes. However, a typical redshirt is a kid who after graduating as a senior - just wasn't ready yet to go yet. Betts is advanced for his age. Right now he is better than most incoming frosh, easily, because he was a 3 to 4* who has now spent the last year training with the program.

The history of freshmen contributing in major conferences is very good. No reason to think he cannot.

Based on what? Because he sat on the bench for one of the worst P6 programs in the country? That means absolutely nothing. Other similar rated recruits could have progressed more than him because they actually played in games last season.
 
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Based on what? Because he sat on the bench for one of the worst P6 programs in the country? That means absolutely nothing. Other similar rated recruits could have progressed more than him because they actually played in games last season.
Enjoying your comedy show. You should know basketball better for the effort you put into it.
 
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it is going to be a very interesting season, because things could go in a lot of different directions.

as Gopher fans, I think a lot of us (certainly not all....) are conditioned to expect the worst - or at least to never expect the best-case scenario.

But - going into this with an open mind, there are multiple possibilities:
- best-case scenario: everyone meets or exceeds expectations
-mid-level scenario: a majority of players meet or exceed expectations
-low-level scenario: a minority of players meet or exceed expectations
-worst-case scenario: no one meets or exceeds expectations.

and I don't have a clue which scenario is more likely. too many unknowns and uncertainties. but that is what makes sports interesting - the very notion that, most of the time, we don't know what is going to happen.
 


I’m optimistic. With a coach who is a basketball genius, and an assistant who is a guru anything can happen.
Hopefully they will perform better than, “The Love Guru”.
 

JOJ was playing his natural position last season, or at least close to it. He's a 4, and I disagree he'll ever be a 3. That's why I would move him to 'Guys we think we can count on'.

I would add Betts to the 'God only knows' until we see him play. There is nearly zero historical precedence for guys like him making an impact as a freshman.

For those who disagree with me on Betts (not directed at any moniker that begins with rock) who is he going to play over?

He will for sure not play over Garcia, Payne, Mitchell, Hawkins, Christie, Carrington, and JOJ. If Ihnen is healthy, he won't play over him. Same case for Fox, but I don't believe Fox will ever be healthy enough to contribute. I can also see Wilson and even Ramberg being ahead of him for this season.

Ben isn't moving to a 10 man rotation. He's going to play his best 5 the majority of the time and have a general 7-8 man rotation when needed, which is what most other college coaches do.
Great formula for a 2 win season.
 






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