All Things 2018 Gophers Basketball Recruiting Thread

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Winasota Gopher said:
The wolves have little use for a 20-year-old (?) SG IMO.
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Not to go too far off topic but the Wolves sole scorer off the bench is closing in on 40. I'm sure they'll try to resign D Rose too on the cheap but he's not a guy you can count on long term. Considering they'll probably be picking somewhere in the mid 20s they aren't going to find a prospect with a higher ceiling and sheer scoring ability than Simons. He's in the CJ McCollum, Donovan Mitchell, Jamal Murray mold. Those types of combo guards have proven to be incredibly valuable and game changers at least this season. Look how D Rose has brought the Wolves bench to life in the short time he's been here. If they have a shot at Simons in their draft position I'd be surprised if they passed on him. If he went to college he's easily a lottery pick if not a top 10 pick next year. You just aren't going to get that kind of talent where the Wolves will be drafting the next few years.

Speaking of combo guards and bringing it back to the Gophers...it's good to hear we are still hard after Trey McGowens. I know Dupree's had an inconsistent career but his versatility has been huge for us. I was worried about how we were going to replace him after missing on Eric Hunter.
 

GopherNuts said:
Not to go too far off topic but the Wolves sole scorer off the bench is closing in on 40. I'm sure they'll try to resign D Rose too on the cheap but he's not a guy you can count on long term. Considering they'll probably be picking somewhere in the mid 20s they aren't going to find a prospect with a higher ceiling and sheer scoring ability than Simons. He's in the CJ McCollum, Donovan Mitchell, Jamal Murray mold. Those types of combo guards have proven to be incredibly valuable and game changers at least this season. Look how D Rose has brought the Wolves bench to life in the short time he's been here. If they have a shot at Simons in their draft position I'd be surprised if they passed on him. If he went to college he's easily a lottery pick if not a top 10 pick next year. You just aren't going to get that kind of talent where the Wolves will be drafting the next few years.
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The last thing in the world the Wolves need is more shot creation. We already have more of that than any other team in the league.
 

RP can't afford to have a scholarship sit for a year. If he has a bad season I think he's done. Which I think would be a bummer.

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Zeppelin Gopher said:
The last thing in the world the Wolves need is more shot creation. We already have more of that than any other team in the league.
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As with college programs there's roster change every year. Crawford is a high usage player for the Wolves bench that will be gone if not this offseason through the opt out then next year as he'll probably retire. Thibs seems set on having a go to scorer like Crawford this year or Muhammad last year with the bench group. That scoring will need to be replaced by someone. The difference between him and those guys is he's shown to be much more of a playmaker while also having the scoring ability.
 




Either way a rotation of Murph/Curry/Oturu is going to be light years ahead of what we had this year. Hopefully Matz and Omersa (don’t red shirt) can contribute as well
 

I like Oturu, be hes' not beating out a healthy Curry, kid is skilled.

He'll get minutes.
 

HOOP DREAMS said:
I like Oturu, be hes' not beating out a healthy Curry, kid is skilled.

He'll get minutes.
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Curry can really play and he can play center, but he's not a natural center. I could see Curry playing 5-10 mins at center and 8-10 mins backing up Murph and even another 5+ minutes at the 3 spot. He's versatile.
 



I would be absolutely shocked and incredibly concerned if the Gophers took Payton Willis as a transfer. Why would the Gophers take a backup from Vanderbilt who shot 34.8% from the floor? If we're taking a transfer who needs to sit out a year, it certainly needs to be a guy who projects as a starter. I would assume Willis ends up transferring down a level or ends up someplace with a bunch of open scholarships like Pittsburgh.
 

LongLiveMilesTarver said:
Hopefully Curry recovers better than Fitzgerald seemingly did.
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If I remember correctly, that was Fitzgerald's second knee injury. Pitino stated that Curry was doing really well and could've even played at the end of the season.
 

Oturu is 6'9"? or 6'10"? He seems to be a very good defensive player who can block shots. Curry is 6'8"? Coming off a knee injury and did not display shot blocking acumen in his freshman season.

I think Oturu is better equipped to provide what date rape Reggie provided on defense. It's pretty clear Lynch was the Gophers MVP. Oturu will start.
 

Otis said:
Oturu is 6'9"? or 6'10"? He seems to be a very good defensive player who can block shots. Curry is 6'8"? Coming off a knee injury and did not display shot blocking acumen in his freshman season.

I think Oturu is better equipped to provide what date rape Reggie provided on defense. It's pretty clear Lynch was the Gophers MVP. Oturu will start.
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I'm betting Oturu will start as well.

Plus having an experienced, versatile player like Curry as the first big off the bench would be awesome.
 



Otis said:
Curry is 6'8"?
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Curry is 6'-9" min., probably closer to 6'-10" (without the hair). Looked really tall at the Pro-Am, easily had Mbakwe by a couple inches, was up there with Reggie height wise.

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Not saying he's a center, but he can rebound well, get some blocks, decent passer, can take it to the rack, shoots pretty good, all-around nice player to have.
 

Holf said:
Either way a rotation of Murph/Curry/Oturu is going to be light years ahead of what we had this year. Hopefully Matz and Omersa (don’t red shirt) can contribute as well
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My only hope for Matz is that he doesn't injure one of his teammates in practice.
 

Seems like next year we'll have a much higher number of league average or better players than we did this year. Guys that can come in and be weapons and not just float around.
 

fraternity2017 said:
Seems like next year we'll have a much higher number of league average or better players than we did this year. Guys that can come in and be weapons and not just float around.
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Gophers return many really good players. How well they respond to their roles is always the challenge. Very optimistic.
 

fraternity2017 said:
Seems like next year we'll have a much higher number of league average or better players than we did this year. Guys that can come in and be weapons and not just float around.
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Yes, especially frontcourt players. The backcourt is a bit more suspect. I’m encouraged by IW’s play late last season, so he should be solid, though still in learning mode. McBrayer is solid at the 2 spot if he can stay healthy. Beyond those two we have question marks, which means we really don’t have any depth. Can Harris become a steady player in spite of his physical limitations? Will Gabe be able to contribute right away as a freshman? Will Pitino manage to sign someone eligible right away that can contribute?


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Bordergopher said:
Yes, especially frontcourt players. The backcourt is a bit more suspect. I’m encouraged by IW’s play late last season, so he should be solid, though still in learning mode. McBrayer is solid at the 2 spot if he can stay healthy. Beyond those two we have question marks, which means we really don’t have any depth. Can Harris become a steady player in spite of his physical limitations? Will Gabe be able to contribute right away as a freshman? Will Pitino manage to sign someone eligible right away that can contribute?


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Big need for at least one more guard that will contribute right away, be it Kalschuer or a Strickland commit or a grad transfer, whomever but the need is huge.
 

Bad Gopher said:
My only hope for Matz is that he doesn't injure one of his teammates in practice.
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Matz is thin but he has more offensive skills than Bakary ever had. He'll be a lower energy version of the Dutch guy on Purdue and play about 10-12 minutes a game if things are going well. He won't dominate, but he will contribute.
 

Holy Man said:
Matz is thin but he has more offensive skills than Bakary ever had. He'll be a lower energy version of the Dutch guy on Purdue and play about 10-12 minutes a game if things are going well. He won't dominate, but he will contribute.
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I am hopeful your analysis is accurate. Unfortunately, that one year is not worth the price of two, imo. There were many better decisions available.
 

It does seem like a guy that can't play for whatever reason (injury or waiting for the transfer year) shouldn't count towards your scholarship cap.
 

Livingat45north said:
It does seem like a guy that can't play for whatever reason (injury or waiting for the transfer year) shouldn't count towards your scholarship cap.
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then you'll have 26 guys on Kentucky and they can just pick the 12 best each year to play.
 


60's Guy said:
I am hopeful your analysis is accurate. Unfortunately, that one year is not worth the price of two, imo. There were many better decisions available.
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I wonder if Pitino took Matz before he knew Oturu was coming. Don't recall the timeline.
 


60's Guy said:
I am hopeful your analysis is accurate. Unfortunately, that one year is not worth the price of two, imo. There were many better decisions available.
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Yes, but that's what they refer to in financial decision making as a "sunk cost." Looking forward, we can't judge him based on what decisions could have been made instead of offering him a scholarship (we've already paid the price for him being selected instead of a grad transfer). Now all we can do is judge him on how he plays next year.
 

BarnBall said:
Jalen Suggs needs to be a Gopher!
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Don't see it happening. Hell of a player, obviously. He will be a one year player no matter where he goes. Other programs currently allow such players to gather for 3 months with other similar players.
 


balds said:
Don't see it happening. Hell of a player, obviously. He will be a one year player no matter where he goes. Other programs currently allow such players to gather for 3 months with other similar players.
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Yes. How many big ten teams have had a one-and-done. Michigan State obviously. I assume Ohio St., Michigan, and Indiana as well. As far as I can remember the other 10 teams have not had a one and done. Which is why it would be such a huge deal if we could get Hurt and Suggs. It just doesn't happen in the big ten very often.
 

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