All Things Amir Coffey Thread - UPDTAED: A Gophers Commit!

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Go Gophers!!
 

Hopkins against Apple Valley tomorrow at Minnetonka High School



3:45 p.m. on Main Court

Hopkins vs. Apple Valley

The Royals have ruled the court over the first five games. They’ve had challenges from the north and south metro, northern Minnesota and Iowa and all of them have fell by 25 to 75 points. The Royal running game has been flying with Amir Coffey, Simon Wright, Vinnie Shahid, and Xavier Johnson all averaging between 14 and 17 points per game. And now, Ishmael El-Amin is expected back soon. Their young talent is getting experienced run in these blowouts after the four listed starters (plus Erik Davis) go to the bench.

Apple Valley has trounced all of its Minnesota opponents and last weekend beat the best upper Midwest team in the five-state area not in Minnesota (Iowa City West). The Eagles have faced a fairly stiff schedule with Chaska, Minnetonka, and ICW but it hasn’t slowed Gary Trent Jr. “JR” is putting up 35.6 points per game and has three times gone over the 40-point barrier. All five Eagles starters are averaging in double figures (Jordan Bolton, Cameron Kirksey, Tre Jones, and Brock Bertram are the other starters).

Prediction: I’m not picking a winner. Why? I have no idea who will win. No clue. I couldn’t pick one if I tried. This is a game where you just have to sit back and watch what happens as this is the most anticipated game of the season next to the Class AAAA state title game. Enjoy it Minnesota (a side note is that both teams play good teams the night before: Hopkins/Wayzata and Apple Valley/Lakeville South).

http://www.breakdownsportsusa.com/news_article/show/587575?referrer_id=167639
 


It'll be interesting to see who gets Mr Basketball between Trent JR and Coffey. Has a Junior ever won the award?
 

How is attendance at these kinds of big time HS games? Would it be worthwhile to drive out to Minnetonka? Or will it probably be a sell out? Thanks in advance
 


Went to a game at Cooper a number of years back when Royce White was playing Rodney Williams. Got there at halftime of the JV game and was in the second to last row.
 


Holf said:
How is attendance at these kinds of big time HS games? Would it be worthwhile to drive out to Minnetonka? Or will it probably be a sell out? Thanks in advance
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It was absolutely packed in there. The Minnetonka fire chief came in and they had to stop the game so they could clear out the exits.

Coffey was good, he just doesn't really have a killer instinct when it comes to scoring. He's not a great shooter either but he can really distribute and handles the ball well for a guy who's 6'8. He's already a very good defender and could be an elite defender at the college level.
 

Jaykay said:
It was absolutely packed in there. The Minnetonka fire chief came in and they had to stop the game so they could clear out the exits.

Coffey was good, he just doesn't really have a killer instinct when it comes to scoring. He's not a great shooter either but he can really distribute and handles the ball well for a guy who's 6'8. He's already a very good defender and could be an elite defender at the college level.
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I would be careful about judging Coffey's shooting ability by watching yesterday's game. I have seen him shoot the ball very well. I was watching him warm up before last weekend's game against an Iowa team and he swished 12 three pointers in a row. I realize games are different than warm-ups, but he has a good looking shot with reasonable arc. I would say his best attribute is his ability to see the floor. He is a very willing and able passer. He is also a very good finisher around the basket taking advantange of his long wing span. Amir makes everyone on the floor around him a better player.
 



CDH27 said:
I would be careful about judging Coffey's shooting ability by watching yesterday's game. I have seen him shoot the ball very well. I was watching him warm up before last weekend's game against an Iowa team and he swished 12 three pointers in a row. I realize games are different than warm-ups, but he has a good looking shot with reasonable arc. I would say his best attribute is his ability to see the floor. He is a very willing and able passer. He is also a very good finisher around the basket taking advantange of his long wing span. Amir makes everyone on the floor around him a better player.
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That was the fourth time I've seen him play so it wasn't totally based on yesterday. I understand having a bad shooting day, I would say Trent had one yesterday and I would still consider him a great shooter. Typically good shooters always make their free throws whether they're shooting well or not, Coffey was 8-14 from the line yesterday and even airballed one.

I wouldn't say he's a bad shooter, but I think it's the weakest part of his game.
 

CDH27 said:
I would be careful about judging Coffey's shooting ability by watching yesterday's game. I have seen him shoot the ball very well. I was watching him warm up before last weekend's game against an Iowa team and he swished 12 three pointers in a row. I realize games are different than warm-ups, but he has a good looking shot with reasonable arc. I would say his best attribute is his ability to see the floor. He is a very willing and able passer. He is also a very good finisher around the basket taking advantange of his long wing span. Amir makes everyone on the floor around him a better player.
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what would your comparison be for Amir to a college player in recent years? maybe a more athletic Kyle Anderson (UCLA)?
 

My 2 cents on Amir; He is an elite talent (no **** Sherlock). When I have watched him I have not been impressed with his intensity, motor, aggressiveness, whatever you want to call it. Guessing what will not be a problem when he steps on the court at Williams, playing at the next level.

I'm betting on him to be a stud. Maybe his game is so smooth it just comes off that way. Can't take another RS3 nonchalant attitude.
 

I went to the game and thought Amir showed a lot of heart and leadership. He took a few momentum changing charges, including one in which he was one on one with Trent on a fast break. He had a couple of nice steals, passed the ball really well, and did a lot of the "intangibles" needed to win a game against a very good AV team. You would like to see him seek the ball more on offense, hopefully he will become more assertive as he continues to progress.

My biggest take away from that game was Coffey was the team guy that was going to do anything to get the win. Trent is clearly an incredible talent, but didn't seem to have the leadership qualities Coffey had. Did not see Coffey complain about a call all night, and his teammates seemed to really feed off of his unselfish play. I think he's the type of player the Gophs desperately need, even if he's not the prolific scorer you would get with Trent.
 



I would say Coffey is a poor man's Magic Johnson and I don't mean that as an insult, same type of player. Trent Jr seems to be more of a Kobe type. Would've been fun to watch that game. I would say Trent Jr right now is better than 90 percent of anything Coffey going to go up against next year.
 

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Go Gophers!!
 



Gold Vision said:
Lol. You said that all of last season. "I can't wait to get rid of all of Tubby's leftovers!"
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And then next year, when the entire rotation is freshmen and sophomores (except Mason, assuming he's still here), it will be "Wait until 2018 when we have a roster full of upperclassmen!"
 

Just like we've been saying for the last 10+ years. Let's not act like this is a Pitino/Tubby phenomena, this is a Minnesota/all power 5 non-top teir program situation.

"Wait until next year...."
 

Winasota Gopher said:
Just like we've been saying for the last 10+ years. Let's not act like this is a Pitino/Tubby phenomena, this is a Minnesota/all power 5 non-top teir program situation. "Wait until next year...."
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The only difference this year is we were saying it in mid December instead of February.
 

dpodoll68 said:
And then next year, when the entire rotation is freshmen and sophomores (except Mason, assuming he's still here), it will be "Wait until 2018 when we have a roster full of upperclassmen!"
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So you're enjoying this season. Only happy when you're not happy type?
 


Gold Vision said:
Lol. You said that all of last season. "I can't wait to get rid of all of Tubby's leftovers!"
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Honestly, I'm not missing many of last year's seniors. Maybe sophomore Dre and good Mo Walker. I'm hoping the Gophers can aspire to greatness beyond the mediocrity of my career fanhood (2004-present). Next year we'll finally have a blue chip guard/forward. Someone as good as Royce should have been for us. So sue me if I'm looking forward to next year.
 

bemidjigopher said:
So you're enjoying this season. Only happy when you're not happy type?
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When have I ever stated or implied that I'm enjoying this season? I will always love and support Gopher basketball, but I don't enjoy losing. My enjoyment of Gopher basketball waned dramatically when "we" decided that making the Tournament 50% of the time isn't good enough.
 

dpodoll68 said:
And then next year, when the entire rotation is freshmen and sophomores (except Mason, assuming he's still here), it will be "Wait until 2018 when we have a roster full of upperclassmen!"
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Lynch and Fitzgerald

I think there is some legitimacy to getting excited about the four frosh we have now being added to the three we have coming plus Lynch, Fitzgerald and Mason. I am starting to lose some of my hope for Konate, but I am not giving up on him either.

Actually, with his recent regression, I am wondering if Lynch, who is a great shot blocker, is snuffing Konate in practice making Konate start to lose confidence in his ability to get a shot off instead of just going up instinctively.

I think that when you are experiencing long term mediocrity - which we have to varying degrees since the Clem scandal- you have to at some point bottom out and build from the ground up. We are doing that right now. Whether or not we have the right players and coaches in place and incoming...only time will tell.
 

dpodoll68 said:
When have I ever stated or implied that I'm enjoying this season? I will always love and support Gopher basketball, but I don't enjoy losing. My enjoyment of Gopher basketball waned dramatically when "we" decided that making the Tournament 50% of the time isn't good enough.
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personally since we all know how you feel about Tubby I think you're enjoying Pitino's struggles, but you're right you've never directly said it. Will never know, but my opinion of that was we moved on a year earlier than anticipated. Who knows we might be moving on to a new coach after next year too. I for one would like to have a winning big ten record and more than once in a fifteen year period
 

bemidjigopher said:
personally since we all know how you feel about Tubby I think you're enjoying Pitino's struggles, but you're right you've never directly said it. Will never know, but my opinion of that was we moved on a year earlier than anticipated. Who knows we might be moving on to a new coach after next year too. I for one would like to have a winning big ten record and more than once in a fifteen year period
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STAAAAAAAHPPPPPPPPP
 

Gold Vision said:
Lol. You said that all of last season. "I can't wait to get rid of all of Tubby's leftovers!"
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And then if Coffey and the transfers can't lead us above the NIT, it'll be wait for the next year...then excitement over the next coach like these same posters had for Pitino. Rinse, wash, repeat.
 

RickDornsby said:
And then if Coffey and the transfers can't lead us above the NIT, it'll be wait for the next year...then excitement over the next coach like these same posters had for Pitino. Rinse, wash, repeat.
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What would be your alternative? Would you like to go back to peaking out at 7th place annually like we were doing with the last coach? I'll take my chances on someone who appears to at least aspire to recruit to a higher level than that- as Pitino does. Yes he might be learning on the job, I get that. We have a good frosh class on the floor. Another one coming. There is reasonable hope.
 

I'm not a Tubby supporter. We're always just being fed a new dose of hope that we convince ourselves to get excited about. It was the same for awhile with Tubby. Now we're excited about a "4-star" QB that nobody else was recruiting anymore. It's the same depressing stuff every year for us and we let ourselves get our hopes up a bit too high, generally.

Back to Pitino. Let's say the team is disappointing but Coffey looks good next year. What do we do? Fire a guy for not making the tournament for 4 years or let him go before there is a mass exodus of support players after the following year? (Mason, the transfers, Konate/Gaston)...honest question. I am not a Pitino hater by any means, but it could be a thing where we wonder how long of leash to give him.
 

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