All Things 2013 Basketball Recruiting Thread UPDATED 5/15: Malik Smith a Gopher!

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Dirk Diggler said:
I know this has all been said, but I need to say it:

Pitino needs to land a 4 and/or a 5. Oto and Buggs splitting the minutes at PF is TERRIFYING. Oto was among the worst players on the team last year and Buggs is a complete unknown. Has Pitino even seen him play? Buggs missed individual workouts with mono.

At the 5, Elliott can hustle and run so he'll have to be our rock. Mo couldn't be a worse fit for Pitino's system and he needs to radically change his body if he's going to contribute what-so-ever. To say we're thin up front is a giant understatement.

This front court is going to be DESTROYED in the Big Ten. We will go from one of the best rebounding and shot blocking teams to one of the worst in one year. I'd love to land this Freeman kid because he sounds like a stud, but we've got NOTHING up front.
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I was more concerned about this situation earlier in the offseason but now I am getting more alright with the idea of these 4 guys being our bigs. I think we could see a lot of 4 guard lineup which would mean only 1 of these guys on the floor at a time. I think Oto will be better with Pitino coaching him and I think a lot of that reason will just be confidence which I don't think Tubby really helped provide to any players. If I had to chose between getting Freeman or a average PF I would take Freeman every time. I think the ideal situation for Pitino is to get Freeman and then get a graduate transfer PF for next season so he is able to still have 3 open scholarships for 2014(assuming there are no transfers).
 


I did think about that. I think it is quite possible that Pitino would experiment with a 4 guard lineup at least in non-conference play mixing and matching different combinations to see what might work. I just think from an offensive standpoint Allerik is already more advanced than Joe which may give him the upper hand as starter in potential a 3-guard offense. I do believe Joe will eventually flourish under Pitino (think game at Illinois where he got a bunch easy transition buckets), however this system does emphasize good ball handling skills which is still a work in progress for him.
 

Goldy Gopher said:
I was more concerned about this situation earlier in the offseason but now I am getting more alright with the idea of these 4 guys being our bigs. I think we could see a lot of 4 guard lineup which would mean only 1 of these guys on the floor at a time. I think Oto will be better with Pitino coaching him and I think a lot of that reason will just be confidence which I don't think Tubby really helped provide to any players. If I had to chose between getting Freeman or a average PF I would take Freeman every time. I think the ideal situation for Pitino is to get Freeman and then get a graduate transfer PF for next season so he is able to still have 3 open scholarships for 2014(assuming there are no transfers).
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This only works if you have some bigger guards. You can't have a 6'4" Austin Hollins, Wally Ellenson, or Joe Coleman guarding a 4. We would get destroyed in the paint.
 

Gold Vision said:
This only works if you have some bigger guards. You can't have a 6'4" Austin Hollins, Wally Ellenson, or Joe Coleman guarding a 4. We would get destroyed in the paint.
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You'd have to go with a trapping zone and try to fluster the other team in to turnovers.
 


Gold Vision said:
This only works if you have some bigger guards. You can't have a 6'4" Austin Hollins, Wally Ellenson, or Joe Coleman guarding a 4. We would get destroyed in the paint.
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Yeah I would expect him to play a lot of zone when using a 4 guard lineup.
 

Gold Vision said:
This only works if you have some bigger guards. You can't have a 6'4" Austin Hollins, Wally Ellenson, or Joe Coleman guarding a 4. We would get destroyed in the paint.
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Not that it makes a huge difference, but Austin is probably closer to 6'-5", 6'-5 1/2".

I'd still love to have Freeman commit. Graduate transfer PFs don't grow on trees, Buckles would be a huge get.
 

Adding Buckles and Freeman would round this class out rather nicely. It would still give the Gophers 3 scholarships for next year as well. I wouldnt mind seeing those 3 schollies used on MN kids in next years class... Vaughn, Travis and Macura. Macura and Travis would be solid 4 year players that would be great building blocks for the program.
 

cjcarter8 said:
Adding Buckles and Freeman would round this class out rather nicely. It would still give the Gophers 3 scholarships for next year as well. I wouldnt mind seeing those 3 schollies used on MN kids in next years class... Vaughn, Travis and Macura. Macura and Travis would be solid 4 year players that would be great building blocks for the program.
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+1
 



Dirk Diggler said:
I know this has all been said, but I need to say it:

Pitino needs to land a 4 and/or a 5. Oto and Buggs splitting the minutes at PF is TERRIFYING. Oto was among the worst players on the team last year and Buggs is a complete unknown. Has Pitino even seen him play? Buggs missed individual workouts with mono.

At the 5, Elliott can hustle and run so he'll have to be our rock. Mo couldn't be a worse fit for Pitino's system and he needs to radically change his body if he's going to contribute what-so-ever. To say we're thin up front is a giant understatement.

This front court is going to be DESTROYED in the Big Ten. We will go from one of the best rebounding and shot blocking teams to one of the worst in one year. I'd love to land this Freeman kid because he sounds like a stud, but we've got NOTHING up front.
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SelectionSunday said:
My biggest concern as well. We need some beef for next season.
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Also; EE seems to be a little foul prone.
 

Freeman is off the board:

@gopherhole: #Gophers recruiting target, visited last week => RT @EvanDanielsFOX: Allerik Freeman just informed Scout that he has committed to Baylor.

Go Gophers!!
 


BleedGopher said:
Freeman is off the board:

@gopherhole: #Gophers recruiting target, visited last week => RT @EvanDanielsFOX: Allerik Freeman just informed Scout that he has committed to Baylor.

Go Gophers!!
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Have to wonder with Mathieu picking the Gophers today if that had any affect on Freeman's decison. Would have really been a nice get but it does now make the scholarship situation a little easier to manage. I would guess Pitino will use one of the scholarships on a power forward(hopefully a graduate transfer) and bank the other one.
 



Major bummer. Thought we had him.

Baylor shaping up nicely for 2013-14 adding Freeman to the return of Isaiah Austin & Cory Jefferson.
 

SelectionSunday said:
Major bummer. Thought we had him.

Baylor shaping up nicely for 2013-14 adding Freeman to the return of Isaiah Austin & Cory Jefferson.
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Yeah and I believe Heslip is back and if they can get him back to his 2012 form they could be a very dangerous team, at worst a tourney team.
 

That's odd that they committed within an hour or two of each other. Any chance the Gophers gave them a "first one" to commit gets the schollie? Did Freeman even get the chance to visit Baylor yet?
 

Man, I am disappointed. I can't help but worry a bit that Pitino is falling in to the same hole Tubby did with regards to Spring recruits. If you look ONLY at offers the Gophers landed a guy who was a decommit from FIU (and had several solid mid major offers) and a guy who chose the Gophers over Ole Miss and Pepperdine. On just that surface level, it looks very similar to adding a Oto and a Julian. Obviously, there are a lot of variables that don't make this a fair comparison. Adding Freeman would have been a big early get for the new staff and I really thought they were going to land him.

The way I see it is we have added two Spring recruits, but I don't feel significantly better about this team for 2013-2014. I thought it was an 8th-10th place team in the conference prior to the additions, and feel the exact same way after them. It seems like it might have been better to save the scholarships for the fall and just take our medicine this upcoming season.
 

JimmyJamesMD said:
That's odd that they committed within an hour or two of each other. Any chance the Gophers gave them a "first one" to commit gets the schollie? Did Freeman even get the chance to visit Baylor yet?
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I would guess it was the other away around. They needed a no from Freeman to make the offer to Mathieu a done deal.
 

EG#9 said:
Man, I am disappointed. I can't help but worry a bit that Pitino is falling in to the same hole Tubby did with regards to Spring recruits. If you look ONLY at offers the Gophers landed a guy who was a decommit from FIU (and had several solid mid major offers) and a guy who chose the Gophers over Ole Miss and Pepperdine. On just that surface level, it looks very similar to adding a Oto and a Julian. Obviously, there are a lot of variables that don't make this a fair comparison. Adding Freeman would have been a big early get for the new staff and I really thought they were going to land him.

The way I see it is we have added two Spring recruits, but I don't feel significantly better about this team for 2013-2014. I thought it was an 8th-10th place team in the conference prior to the additions, and feel the exact same way after them. It seems like it might have been better to save the scholarships for the fall and just take our medicine this upcoming season.
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Dumbest post of the day.

How about we give Pitino more than a few weeks before we lump him in with Tubby and his "spring recruits." My god man, give the guy some time.
 


MadtownGopher said:
Dumbest post of the day.

How about we give Pitino more than a few weeks before we lump him in with Tubby and his "spring recruits." My god man, give the guy some time.
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+1 Just watching some of the video clips of the 2 new guys should reveal that these 2 new recruits really fit well into the new system. Thank God we finally have a point guard. The last time we actually had a point guard was when Al Nolen broke his foot in Michigan.

I have to agree that it seems odd that these guys committed so close together (time wise). Dre changed his plans and moved his decision from Thursday to Tuesday. I do think that point guard was the highest priority, even though Freeman looks like a stud.
 


Gophers basketball lands 5-9 junior-college point guard
By Charley Walters
[email protected]
Posted: 05/07/2013 12:01:00 AM CDT
Updated: 05/07/2013 03:14:26 PM CDT

The University of Minnesota men's basketball team received a commitment from junior-college point guard Dre Mathieu on Tuesday, May 7, according to his coach, Jordan Dreiling of Central Arizona College.

"Dre's the best 5-foot-9 rebounder I've ever coached," Dreiling said.

Mathieu averaged 17.5 points and seven rebounds this season.

Memphis, Mississippi and Pepperdine also were considered by Mathieu, said Dreiling, who credited new Gophers coach Richard Pitino and assistant Kimani Young in landing Mathieu.

"Pitino was in to see him the first day after he got the job," Dreiling said. "It's a great sign for them. Pitino did a heck of a job. We're going to be big Gophers fans."

Dreiling calls Mathieu the second-best junior-college point guard in the country. No. 1, he says, is Chris Jones of Northwest Florida, who committed to NCAA champion Louisville, which is coached by Pitino's father, Rick.

Follow Charley Walters at twitter.com/Charley_Walters
 

howieramone said:
I would guess it was the other away around. They needed a no from Freeman to make the offer to Mathieu a done deal.
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But Mathieu said he was making a decision today. No where was it listed that Freeman was making his decision.
 

EG#9 said:
Man, I am disappointed. I can't help but worry a bit that Pitino is falling in to the same hole Tubby did with regards to Spring recruits. If you look ONLY at offers the Gophers landed a guy who was a decommit from FIU (and had several solid mid major offers) and a guy who chose the Gophers over Ole Miss and Pepperdine. On just that surface level, it looks very similar to adding a Oto and a Julian. Obviously, there are a lot of variables that don't make this a fair comparison. Adding Freeman would have been a big early get for the new staff and I really thought they were going to land him.

The way I see it is we have added two Spring recruits, but I don't feel significantly better about this team for 2013-2014. I thought it was an 8th-10th place team in the conference prior to the additions, and feel the exact same way after them. It seems like it might have been better to save the scholarships for the fall and just take our medicine this upcoming season.
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Is it a right time yet to say why did they lose Alex Foster?

At this point, Richard has done exactly what Tubby has done in TT. They both secured 2 good PGS for the teams.

Go Gophesr
 

station19 said:
Gophers basketball lands 5-9 junior-college point guard
By Charley Walters
[email protected]
Posted: 05/07/2013 12:01:00 AM CDT
Updated: 05/07/2013 03:14:26 PM CDT

The University of Minnesota men's basketball team received a commitment from junior-college point guard Dre Mathieu on Tuesday, May 7, according to his coach, Jordan Dreiling of Central Arizona College.

"Dre's the best 5-foot-9 rebounder I've ever coached," Dreiling said.

Mathieu averaged 17.5 points and seven rebounds this season.

Memphis, Mississippi and Pepperdine also were considered by Mathieu, said Dreiling, who credited new Gophers coach Richard Pitino and assistant Kimani Young in landing Mathieu.

"Pitino was in to see him the first day after he got the job," Dreiling said. "It's a great sign for them. Pitino did a heck of a job. We're going to be big Gophers fans."

Dreiling calls Mathieu the second-best junior-college point guard in the country. No. 1, he says, is Chris Jones of Northwest Florida, who committed to NCAA champion Louisville, which is coached by Pitino's father, Rick.

Follow Charley Walters at twitter.com/Charley_Walters
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See, his coach calls him 5'9" also. I really don't think it matters though, he plays much bigger than that by the sounds of it. He's got some serious leaping ability.
 

According to CBS sports he never visited the Baylor campus. Baylor seems to be recruiting at a surprisingly high level. Wonder if anyone is watching?
 

It seems as if the Gophers chose Mathieu over Freeman. I know that sounds crazy, but with the timing of the commitments it's almost as if Freeman was waiting for Mathieu to make a decision. I mean, Freeman did choose visiting Minnesota over Baylor, right? Could be a coincidence I guess. I could see Pitino favoring Mathieu if he was that desperate for a true PG. Sometimes a player's ranking doesn't tell the whole story.
 

Gold Vision said:
See, his coach calls him 5'9" also. I really don't think it matters though, he plays much bigger than that by the sounds of it. He's got some serious leaping ability.[/QUOTE

Forget calling him Dre. I am going to call him Nate Robinson and hope he can do half of what Nate has been doing in the playoffs.
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EG#9 said:
Man, I am disappointed. I can't help but worry a bit that Pitino is falling in to the same hole Tubby did with regards to Spring recruits. If you look ONLY at offers the Gophers landed a guy who was a decommit from FIU (and had several solid mid major offers) and a guy who chose the Gophers over Ole Miss and Pepperdine. On just that surface level, it looks very similar to adding a Oto and a Julian. Obviously, there are a lot of variables that don't make this a fair comparison. Adding Freeman would have been a big early get for the new staff and I really thought they were going to land him.

The way I see it is we have added two Spring recruits, but I don't feel significantly better about this team for 2013-2014. I thought it was an 8th-10th place team in the conference prior to the additions, and feel the exact same way after them. It seems like it might have been better to save the scholarships for the fall and just take our medicine this upcoming season.
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Tubby's spring recruiting problems came after a full year of recruiting. I don't think the Gophers will have to worry about not having enough scholarships next fall. By the way I see with Freeman Baylor now has over signed. Were there is a will ,there is a way.
 

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