All Things 2014 Basketball Recruiting Thread

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Can't remember who tweeted it (either Ryan James or Marcus Fuller), but on this date last year we still had not signed Dre Mathieu, Joey King, or Daquein McNeil. There are still players to be had that can make significant impacts next year.
 


GameDay said:
Can't remember who tweeted it (either Ryan James or Marcus Fuller), but on this date last year we still had not signed Dre Mathieu, Joey King, or Daquein McNeil. There are still players to be had that can make significant impacts next year.
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I hope so, but I'm not reading anything about them. Most of the names being talke about are not immediate impact players. If there are any names out there that we have a shot at that could be immediate impact, I'm all ears. Little Dre was heads and shoulders above my expectations. Here's hoping Richard can find a power forward this spring with similar impact.
 

Piper has retweeted 2 Gopher fans within the lat hour. I know that is not an anomaly. Recruits retweet fans all the time, but if you asked my opinion, I think we got him!! He only retweeted Gopher fans amidst some sad tweets about the end of his HS career https://mobile.twitter.com/Youngyoson3
 


Holy Man said:
I hope so, but I'm not reading anything about them. Most of the names being talke about are not immediate impact players. If there are any names out there that we have a shot at that could be immediate impact, I'm all ears. Little Dre was heads and shoulders above my expectations. Here's hoping Richard can find a power forward this spring with similar impact.
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And you hadn't heard of Daquein McNeil, Dre Mathieu or Joey King at this time last year either.

Have faith grasshoppah. We will not with the NCAA tournament next year so don't worry if we don't have the lineup to do so yet.
 

The big kid who left St. John's would be the perfect transfer candidate IMHO. A real rim protector who would suit the Pitino big man style/history. He would sit next year while Mo and Elliot man the post, then be ready for fall of '15.
 

leftyslefty said:
The big kid who left St. John's would be the perfect transfer candidate IMHO. A real rim protector who would suit the Pitino big man style/history. He would sit next year while Mo and Elliot man the post, then be ready for fall of '15.
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+1, I'm sure he'll be a "prefect transfer candidate" for a lot of teams though so I'm not holding my breath, but I'd love to have him
 

PP

Richard Pitino's first season as University of Minnesota basketball coach was supposed to be about showing improvement and establishing his style and an identity.

His team accomplished that, and more.

The Gophers will be hoisting a championship banner at Williams Arena. And raising expectations along with it.

Minnesota hopes to use Thursday's NIT championship as a springboard to a more significant goal: a return to the NCAA tournament in 2014-15. After wrapping up a 25-13 season with five consecutive victories in the NIT, the Gophers expect to be in position to make that happen.

"We're going to work really, really hard this summer," junior point guard DeAndre Mathieu said after Minnesota's 65-63 win over Southern Methodist in the NIT final Thursday at Madison Square Garden. "Hopefully, everybody stays healthy and make a run at the NCAA tournament."

That's what the Gophers did after their previous two NIT championships. After winning the NIT in 1993, the Gophers advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament in 1994. They won the NIT again in 1998, then lost in the first round of the 1999 NCAA tournament.

Only four of the past seven NIT champions have been able to qualify for the NCAA tournament the following season, so there are no guarantees.

But three of the past four NIT winners reached the NCAA's Sweet Sixteen this season: Baylor, Dayton and Stanford. The only NIT winner since 2010 not in the Sweet Sixteen was 2011 champion Wichita State, which was 35-0 until a third-round NCAA tournament loss to Kentucky ended its Cinderella season.

Next season, the Gophers will have four seniors (Mathieu, Andre Hollins, Mo Walker, Elliott Eliason) and a junior (Joey King) among their top six players. Members of that group won an NCAA tournament game in 2013 and won an NIT championship this year.

"Not a lot of people have the opportunity to win championships and hang a banner in Williams Arena," Andre Hollins said. "To send our seniors off like this, and to give our coach, coach Pitino, a young guy, a championship this early (in his career), it's amazing."

The road to a solid NCAA tournament resume next season would be a lot smoother with another successful trip to New York City when the Gophers have a chance to advance to the preseason NIT semifinal round at Madison Square Garden in November.

Minnesota, Gonzaga, Georgia and St. John's make up the field right now. It will be critical for the Gophers to come away with a quality win -- or two.

The 2014-15 season opens Nov. 14 when Pitino coaches against his father, Rick, and Louisville on a Coast Guard base in Puerto Rico.

The 2014 recruiting class with Nate Mason, Josh Martin and Carlos Morris could still add at least two more prospects. Morris, a 6-5 junior college swingman at Chipola College in Florida, is expected to make the biggest impact, likely replacing Austin Hollins as a starter.

"I'm definitely a scoring guard," Morris said. "I can rebound from the perimeter. I'm going to bring a big guard who can defend multiple positions, shoot the ball and try to help the team wherever I can. I'm ready for that role. I'm a juco player, so I'm not looking to come off the bench."

Minnesota struck gold when it plucked Mathieu from a junior college program this season. The Gophers want to get him more exposure this summer with some NBA skills academies.

After fully recovering from his ankle injury, Eliason needs to work on improving his offensive game. All four returning post players -- Eliason, King, Walker and Charles Buggs -- need to get stronger.

All of that could lead to bigger things in Pitino's second year. But he still is amazed at how well this season ended.

"Anytime you win a title, especially in Year 1 at Minnesota, you're excited about it," Pitino said. "For (seniors) to walk off as champions, and for the guys coming back to understand what it takes to take that next step is exciting for us. I'm fired up for it, and hopefully we just keep moving forward as a program."

Follow Marcus R. Fuller at twitter.com/GophersNow.
 




Mathieu at a skills academy, yum. I hope he gets a bit smarter with when to push it
 

jaymil said:
Did a little digging on Obekpa, guess where he played AAU ball? New Heights in New York, the same AAU program Kimani Young was the athletic director for in two different stints. Young's bio says he was the AD there from '09-'12, and it looks like Obekpa played for New Heights in 2012, so Young may know him very well. If we want him we might have a good shot.

http://fantasticbasketballvideos.com/?p=4529
http://www.gophersports.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/kimani_young_844793.html
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That's what I was thinking but didn't have time to write. Kimani may be able to reel him in.
 

Jon said:
The 2014 recruiting class with Nate Mason, Josh Martin and Carlos Morris could still add at least two more prospects. Morris, a 6-5 junior college swingman at Chipola College in Florida, is expected to make the biggest impact, likely replacing Austin Hollins as a starter.

"I'm definitely a scoring guard," Morris said. "I can rebound from the perimeter. I'm going to bring a big guard who can defend multiple positions, shoot the ball and try to help the team wherever I can. I'm ready for that role. I'm a juco player, so I'm not looking to come off the bench."
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Obviously they didn't consult Howieanna before publishing this story.
 




MadtownGopher said:
+1 Mathieu could really be a handful next year if he improves his decision making and improves his 3 pointer just a tad.
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wasn't he like 42-45% from 3?? it's kinda hard to ask him to improve in that area

EDIT: he was 48.9% from 3
 

Lakers612 said:
wasn't he like 42-45% from 3?? it's kinda hard to ask him to improve in that area
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I should have specified, improve his 3 point shot enough that he can increase his shot volume while maintaining a high percentage. Maybe it's just confidence, but he shied away from the 3 at times.
 

jaymil said:
Did a little digging on Obekpa, guess where he played AAU ball? New Heights in New York, the same AAU program Kimani Young was the athletic director for in two different stints. Young's bio says he was the AD there from '09-'12, and it looks like Obekpa played for New Heights in 2012, so Young may know him very well. If we want him we might have a good shot.

http://fantasticbasketballvideos.com/?p=4529
http://www.gophersports.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/kimani_young_844793.html
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Thanks for this jaymil! It's worth monitoring for sure. I could definitely picture him and AI making up our front court for two years here. Both have different styles that would complement each other nicely as a PF/C duo.
 

MadtownGopher said:
I should have specified, improve his 3 point shot enough that he can increase his shot volume while maintaining a high percentage. Maybe it's just confidence, but he shied away from the 3 at times.
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I thought his shot selection was fine this year. He knew he had the Hollinses on the perimeter, and, as a point guard, he's got to feed the rock to his pure shooters. Plus, his refusal to take 5 shots a game from behind the arc allowed him to get very easy looks as defenses wouldn't take him seriously as a shooter.

He can definitely improve at the FT line tho
 

Had been said Gophers were interested but most expected him to head to Butler.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>NC State transfer Tyler Lewis is headed to Butler, sources told ESPN.</p>— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanESPN) <a href="https://twitter.com/GoodmanESPN/statuses/452207600365363200">April 4, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 

Lakers612 said:
I thought his shot selection was fine this year. He knew he had the Hollinses on the perimeter, and, as a point guard, he's got to feed the rock to his pure shooters. Plus, his refusal to take 5 shots a game from behind the arc allowed him to get very easy looks as defenses wouldn't take him seriously as a shooter.

He can definitely improve at the FT line tho
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+1, we don't don't need him to turn into malik smith and launch bad shots. He takes the shots when they are there and works on getting a better shot for himself or his teammates if its not there, exactly what you want from a PG
 

Watched the Piper game against Findlay and he was a complete non factor. Not that he played poorly, more that he barely touched the ball and honestly appeared to be the 5th option offensively and was content to stand around the perimeter. He has a ton of length and bounce though as he missed a transition dunk where he got his elbow above the rim in the blink of an eye. Of course his team was also extremely sloppy and took a ton of terrible shots and didn't have much structure in the offense as they only wanted to run but couldn't so his lack of involvement may not be indicative of his talent
 

http://go4report.com/decision-approaching-for-piper/

The high 3-star small forward won’t take an official visit to South Carolina or Washington before making a decision, but he’s attended “about all” of the Huskies’ home games. He says not taking official visits to two of his top three schools won’t matter.

After a third straight year missing the NCAA Tournament, Washington coach Lorenzo Romar is on the hot seat, which Djuan has mixed feelings about. “It’s a good and a bad. If I went to UDub, I want to play for Coach Romar. It’s a good because it’s still Dub; I’m still from Seattle.”
 

golfing18now said:
http://go4report.com/decision-approaching-for-piper/

The high 3-star small forward won’t take an official visit to South Carolina or Washington before making a decision, but he’s attended “about all” of the Huskies’ home games. He says not taking official visits to two of his top three schools won’t matter.


After a third straight year missing the NCAA Tournament, Washington coach Lorenzo Romar is on the hot seat, which Djuan has mixed feelings about. “It’s a good and a bad. If I went to UDub, I want to play for Coach Romar. It’s a good because it’s still Dub; I’m still from Seattle.”
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that article was written like two weeks ago and the gopher quote is from over a month ago
 

I wonder if he was at the Gophers game in MSG.....considering his team was playing there. If so......he has got to be considered a lock.


(using "lock" liberally)
 

oleboy41 said:
Watched the Piper game against Findlay and he was a complete non factor. Not that he played poorly, more that he barely touched the ball and honestly appeared to be the 5th option offensively and was content to stand around the perimeter. He has a ton of length and bounce though as he missed a transition dunk where he got his elbow above the rim in the blink of an eye. Of course his team was also extremely sloppy and took a ton of terrible shots and didn't have much structure in the offense as they only wanted to run but couldn't so his lack of involvement may not be indicative of his talent
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Hard to tell from one game but I don't see contributing much next year if he commits, looked to me like a raw talent that is going to take time.
 

Go4 said:
that article was written like two weeks ago and the gopher quote is from over a month ago
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I realize much of this article was posted before but I didn't remember seeing the quotes about South Carolina or Romar. If I missed it, I apologize. Piper just re-tweeted it tonight. Had a 4/5/13 date on it too.
 

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p><a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23NCState&src=hash">#NCState</a> point guard Tyler Lewis transferring to Butler <a href="http://t.co/F82OjblrSl">http://t.co/F82OjblrSl</a></p>— AP Top 25 (@AP_Top25) <a href="https://twitter.com/AP_Top25/statuses/452418407728943104">April 5, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Go Gophers!!
 

Djuan is already reacting correctly to Badger losses

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p><a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23BBN&src=hash">#BBN</a></p>— Djuan Anthony Piper (@Youngyoson3) <a href="https://twitter.com/Youngyoson3/statuses/452649594296741888">April 6, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 



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