All Things 2014 Basketball Recruiting Thread

[Cayman]

That may be my greatest concern as well. We're losing three legit outside shooters to graduation. If Morris is as streaky as Austin, that's about a push. Mason has potential, but Mav and Malik are upwards of 40 percent three-point FG guys, and Malik has been a frickin secret weapon from outside. Mathieu is more deadly than he's given credit for, and Dre is a known commodity, but McNeil hasn't played enough yet that we really know what we have.

My overriding concern with Pitino's recruiting is that he ends up chasing star ratings and athleticism over long range shooting, which he himself acknowledges is the key to the modern game. Clem, Monson and Tubby all passed on dead-eye shooters who went on to make big shots for other programs. We were SURE Monson was going to replicate his formula of deadly-shooting guards and athletic, active forwards he employed at Gonzaga, but he ignored local players with those attributes to chase "Big Ten" style players who lacked skill and shooting ability. Too early to judge Pitino's approach; just sharing my vague fears based on being a long-time Gopher fan.

Tubby went after a few shooters, like Paul Jesperson and Matt Thomas. I recall both Austin and Oto being reportedly good shooters when they signed on to play here, but I suppose we haven't had another Hoffarber type who was money from 3 if he had an open look. That dude Ethan Wragge at Creighton is shooting nearly 50%(!) from 3 this year and has shot no less than 41% in any of his 4 full years there, but he was part of the 2009 class when we took Rodney, Royce, Trevor, and Cobbs.

Isn't Nate Mason supposed to be a good shooter? The stats for whatever team he's on with L.J. Peak and Theo Pinson have him at 35% from 3 this year.

 

[Bad Gopher]

I think if you look at Ritchie's dad's teams they try to get more shooting than the average team from the 4 and 5 spot to make up for having more athleticism and slashing ability from the 1 and 2.... I've got no problem with his recruiting vision, just scared straight that we might have some ugly nights that remind us of tubby ball next year where we score 60%+ in the paint.

I can't emphasize enough that I'm just babbling based on past Gopher experience and the prospect that our outside shooting will probably be somewhat down next year. Long term, if Rich can reel in some of these big fish he's had nibbling on the worm, there's no telling where this could go. And based on the apparent keen eye for talent that got us DeAndre Mathieu, I feel hopeful about making the most of available scholarships.

 

[Gopherfan12]

Ryan James‏@RyanJamesMN23 mins
Check http://Minnesota.Rivals.com for our update on 2014 wing Kobe Eubanks. He's likely to visit in February. Visits likely to be set next week.

 

[BleedGopher]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p><a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Gophers&src=hash">#Gophers</a> offered this week => RT <a href="https://twitter.com/kobeeubanks">@kobeeubanks</a>: I will be announcing my list of schools Tomorrow or Friday..</p>— GopherHole.com (@GopherHole) <a href="https://twitter.com/GopherHole/statuses/428898364613484544">January 30, 2014</a></blockquote>
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Go Gophers!!

 

[Winasota Gopher]

I can't emphasize enough that I'm just babbling based on past Gopher experience and the prospect that our outside shooting will probably be somewhat down next year. Long term, if Rich can reel in some of these big fish he's had nibbling on the worm, there's no telling where this could go. And based on the apparent keen eye for talent that got us DeAndre Mathieu, I feel hopeful about making the most of available scholarships.

Yeah, i got that from your post. I think you had said something about how prior coaches had gone after Big 10 bodys and neglected shooters. My response was that, right now, my thought is that Richard may follow the mantra of recruiting bigs that can shoot and guards that can score in the paint. I bounce back and forth on that when I think about some of his comments about shooting 3's because there are no 4's....

To reiterate, it's a little concerning that we wont have a floor stretcher like Malik next year, as he has been vital of pulling us back into games with some of those daggers. Not to mention the kid is an absolute leader as well. My hope is Andre becomes that guy next year and we get more shooting from the 4 via Martin and Mason or McNeil surprises a few.

 

[Bad Gopher]

Yeah, i got that from your post. I think you had said something about how prior coaches had gone after Big 10 bodys and neglected shooters. My response was that, right now, my thought is that Richard may follow the mantra of recruiting bigs that can shoot and guards that can score in the paint. I bounce back and forth on that when I think about some of his comments about shooting 3's because there are no 4's....

To reiterate, it's a little concerning that we wont have a floor stretcher like Malik next year, as he has been vital of pulling us back into games with some of those daggers. Not to mention the kid is an absolute leader as well. My hope is Andre becomes that guy next year and we get more shooting from the 4 via Martin and Mason or McNeil surprises a few.

D Hollins has shown he can hit from way out there. He needs to work on becoming consistent from deep range and adopt an assassin's mindset. The dagger he hit against OSU was a good start.

 

[march madness]

Shooters versus atheletes. I did some quick searching on both Austin and Oto and I can not find anything about them being good 3pt shooters in high school. With Austin they talk about him having a nice mid range jumper. They also mention him being a catch and shoot 3pt shooter, not a dribble shooter from there. Oto all i can find are his prep school pts and reb averages. I have a feeling we just assumed since Austin's dad was a lights out shooter and that Oto was a European big that they both could shoot the three very well. Austin shot it best as a soph 37%, and Oto is shooting ok for a stretch for at 32% this year, last year was bruttal.

I think if we look at Louisville's nat'l championship team you will see physical athletes in the frontcourt(Dieng, blackshear,Behanan, Harrell), one shooter (Hancock), lot's of depth, and really mentally tough players who are fearless attacking the rim (Siva, Smith).

I think both Dre's fit the mentally tough attacking players, i see Smith as the shooter, we do not have the physical athletes in the frontcourt. So yes we need a shooter but we also need physical athletes up front. Hopefully Martin can be one of those pieces.

Tubby went after a few shooters, like Paul Jesperson and Matt Thomas. I recall both Austin and Oto being reportedly good shooters when they signed on to play here, but I suppose we haven't had another Hoffarber type who was money from 3 if he had an open look. That dude Ethan Wragge at Creighton is shooting nearly 50%(!) from 3 this year and has shot no less than 41% in any of his 4 full years there, but he was part of the 2009 class when we took Rodney, Royce, Trevor, and Cobbs.

Isn't Nate Mason supposed to be a good shooter? The stats for whatever team he's on with L.J. Peak and Theo Pinson have him at 35% from 3 this year.

 

[march madness]

From ESPN insider Jan 28, 2014.
Mason is a scorer, but more of a sg in a pg body. Trying to become a pg. Sounds a bit like Dre Hollins. More of a scorer than shooter though.

 

[Winasota Gopher]

Shooters versus atheletes. I did some quick searching on both Austin and Oto and I can not find anything about them being good 3pt shooters in high school. With Austin they talk about him having a nice mid range jumper. They also mention him being a catch and shoot 3pt shooter, not a dribble shooter from there. Oto all i can find are his prep school pts and reb averages. I have a feeling we just assumed since Austin's dad was a lights out shooter and that Oto was a European big that they both could shoot the three very well. Austin shot it best as a soph 37%, and Oto is shooting ok for a stretch for at 32% this year, last year was bruttal.

I think if we look at Louisville's nat'l championship team you will see physical athletes in the frontcourt(Dieng, blackshear,Behanan, Harrell), one shooter (Hancock), lot's of depth, and really mentally tough players who are fearless attacking the rim (Siva, Smith).

I think both Dre's fit the mentally tough attacking players, i see Smith as the shooter, we do not have the physical athletes in the frontcourt. So yes we need a shooter but we also need physical athletes up front. Hopefully Martin can be one of those pieces.

That's a good point, about Louisville's last year roster makeup.... My posts made some pretty false assumptions that Behanan was a bigger role and a recurring role in the makeup of Pitino's teams.

From ESPN insider Jan 28, 2014.
Mason is a scorer, but more of a sg in a pg body. Trying to become a pg. Sounds a bit like Dre Hollins. More of a scorer than shooter though.

Sounds like Russ Smith!

 

[BballJones]

Eubanks, Piper or Mahmoud would be excellent additions. If somehow we pull 2 of those 3 with somebody transferring, that would be ideal.

 

[MadtownGopher]

Eubanks, Piper or Mahmoud would be excellent additions. If somehow we pull 2 of those 3 with somebody transferring, that would be ideal.

My preferred order: Mahmoud, Piper, Eubanks.

Mahmoud just sounds like a rare talent, though I wish there was some video on him so we could tell how raw or polished he is.

 

[jmag21]

Eubanks, Piper or Mahmoud would be excellent additions. If somehow we pull 2 of those 3 with somebody transferring, that would be ideal.

Do we have the schollies to take 2 more people without a transfer?

 

[MadtownGopher]

Do we have the schollies to take 2 more people without a transfer?

No.

 

[dpodoll68]

And based on the apparent keen eye for talent that got us DeAndre Mathieu, I feel hopeful about making the most of available scholarships.

Your comment implies that Mathieu was lightly recruited and that Pitino's "keen eye for talent" brought an under-the-radar player to Minnesota. He had offers from UCLA, Memphis, Ole Miss, and Washington St., among others.

 

[Johnnyboy18]

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/recruiting/basketball/mens/story/_/id/10373291/mcdonald-all-american-game-rosters-headlined-jahlil-okafor-cliff-alexander

 

[Bad Gopher]

Your comment implies that Mathieu was lightly recruited and that Pitino's "keen eye for talent" brought an under-the-radar player to Minnesota. He had offers from UCLA, Memphis, Ole Miss, and Washington St., among others.

There are many players with those types of offers who don't play nearly as well as Mathieu. That's my point FWIW.

 

[dpodoll68]

There are many players with those types of offers who don't play nearly as well as Mathieu. That's my point FWIW.

Thank you for clarifying. That is a far more reasonable point.

 

[Gopherfan12]

Anyone know if Kobe Eubanks announced his final list of schools? He said on his twitter Wednesday that it would be coming out Thursday or Friday, but haven't heard anything.

 

[BleedGopher]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Senior SG <a href="https://twitter.com/kobeeubanks">@kobeeubanks</a> tell us his list that have offered includes <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Gophers&src=hash">#Gophers</a>, Pitt, USC, Wichita St, Baylor, Missouri & Murray St.</p>— GopherHole.com (@GopherHole) <a href="https://twitter.com/GopherHole/statuses/431609849601097728">February 7, 2014</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>The NY senior <a href="https://twitter.com/kobeeubanks">@kobeeubanks</a> is also getting interest from Syracuse, Michigan, Louisville, UNLV and Oklahoma State.</p>— GopherHole.com (@GopherHole) <a href="https://twitter.com/GopherHole/statuses/431610026411982849">February 7, 2014</a></blockquote>
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Go Gophers!!

 

[scher215]

Tweet from Eric Bossi.

Not sure if Gophers will have/ had interest, or if it'd even be mutual, but big name SG is back on the market.

2015 stud SG Austin Grandstaff is going to open his recruitment. Grandstaff informed Travis Ford and Oklahoma State coaches this evening.

 

[GuyFawkes]

Tweet from Eric Bossi.

Not sure if Gophers will have/ had interest, or if it'd even be mutual, but big name SG is back on the market.

2015 stud SG Austin Grandstaff is going to open his recruitment. Grandstaff informed Travis Ford and Oklahoma State coaches this evening.

isn't he 2015?

 

[scher215]

isn't he 2015?

Yeah. Noticed that as I was posting. Didn't look like it posted though so didn't correct it. Now looks like it did post.

Anyways, my bad.

 

[BleedGopher]

Marcus blog: Gophers recruiting: Four-star wing Djuan Piper and three-star forward A.D. Gueye to visit this weekend

The Gophers not only need to win to snap a three-game losing skid Saturday against Indiana at home, but they also want to put on a good show for visiting 2014 recruits Djuan Piper and Abdoulaye “A.D.” Gueye.

Piper (pictured right), a 6-foot-6, 185-pound swingman from Seattle Rainier Beach High School, has four schools recruiting him the hardest right now with Minnesota, Washington, Gonzaga and Texas A&M.

The 6-10, 215-pound Gueye is from Senegal but plays basketball at Central Park Christian in Birmingham, Ala. He hasn’t narrowed his list of schools. But Minnesota joined Auburn, Memphis and Mississippi State among the programs to offer Gueye a scholarship last summer.

http://blogs.twincities.com/gophers...e-star-pf-abdoulaye-gueye-visit-this-weekend/

Go Gophers!!

 

[Nate]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>I will be cutting my list by the end and of the Month and Setting up Official Visits</p>— kobe eubanks (@kobeeubanks) <a href="https://twitter.com/kobeeubanks/statuses/431616552027570177">February 7, 2014</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>my List that have Offered Univ Pitt USC Southern Cal Wichita State Univ, Minnesota Univ Baylor Univ, Missouri Univ, Murray State, School wi</p>— kobe eubanks (@kobeeubanks) <a href="https://twitter.com/kobeeubanks/statuses/431619965222146048">February 7, 2014</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>(2/2) th intrest Syracuse Univ Michgan Univ Louisville Univ UNLV Univ. Oklahoma State Univ.</p>— kobe eubanks (@kobeeubanks) <a href="https://twitter.com/kobeeubanks/statuses/431620031324364800">February 7, 2014</a></blockquote>
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[GopherHole Staff]

GopherHole Q&A: Future Gophers Guard Nate Mason Says He Watches Every Gopher Game on TV

http://www.gopherhole.com/news_article/show/347541?referrer_id=388419

 

[station19]

GopherHole Q&A: Future Gophers Guard Nate Mason Says He Watches Every Gopher Game on TV

http://www.gopherhole.com/news_article/show/347541?referrer_id=388419

"Gopher Hole: Have you had a chance to watch Minnesota on television this year?

Nate Mason: Yes. I've watched every game."


MSC must still be on the air in FLA.

 

[LongTimeGopher]

MSC must still be on the air in FLA

BTN, MSC, FSN.. Heck for the right price, they'll even throw in the BB version of AggieVision.

 

[Rouser]

My preferred order: Mahmoud, Piper, Eubanks.

Mahmoud just sounds like a rare talent, though I wish there was some video on him so we could tell how raw or polished he is.

I'm really intrigued by Eubanks. Everything I read on him makes him seem like a Malik Smith clone.. sharpshooter, needs to work on his handle, etc. IF he can shoot the rock, we need him.

 

[scher215]

I'm really intrigued by Eubanks. Everything I read on him makes him seem like a Malik Smith clone.. sharpshooter, needs to work on his handle, etc. IF he can shoot the rock, we need him.

His name is Kobe, what's not to like?

 

[PhillyGopher]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Oakland Zoo fans pushing there case!! Shocker Nation pic is Sick!!! hearing good things about gopher fans and the Barn Rocking!!</p>— kobe eubanks (@kobeeubanks) <a href="https://twitter.com/kobeeubanks/statuses/432001281553465345">February 8, 2014</a></blockquote>
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