All Things Class of 2020 Recruiting Thread

Donate To GopherHole

leib0039 said:
One of my favorite things on this board: Poster X "I know Walton (fill in star recruit we are not getting) is coming here I have a feeling from things I read!" Walton/Fill in player doesnt commit and all of a sudden "pshh hes not that good anyway we didnt need him" People like to call out negative people on here, where are the people who were SURE we were getting Walton!

That said, Johnson looks like a decent contributor. Nothing crazy but a guy we could plug in for 10-15 min and not get totally destroyed like we have had in recent years.
Click to expand...
what have you been smoking???
 

leib0039 said:
One of my favorite things on this board: Poster X "I know Walton (fill in star recruit we are not getting) is coming here I have a feeling from things I read!" Walton/Fill in player doesnt commit and all of a sudden "pshh hes not that good anyway we didnt need him" People like to call out negative people on here, where are the people who were SURE we were getting Walton!

That said, Johnson looks like a decent contributor. Nothing crazy but a guy we could plug in for 10-15 min and not get totally destroyed like we have had in recent years.
Click to expand...

10-15 minutes? He was one of the better players in the MAC. He will be playing a lot of minutes for us. He is physical and athletic. We will see how he translates to the Big Ten, but there aren't a lot of options Pitino could have gotten (transfer or incoming frosh) that will be as ready to contribute from the start.
 

I appreciate everyone thinks he will come in and be a monster, I hope thats true!, but lets not act like he is going to be a double-double guy every game here. I seem to remember a 15-6r a game guy we got last year who was going to be amazing, turns out Demir was hot trash. The MAC isnt exactly a powerhouse league and the B1G has a ton of good bigs year in and year out. is 10-15 low, maybe, but anyone who thinks he is 35min a game and 15-10 is also delusional

As a point of reference (yes it was 1 game), last year he played Michigan St, went 2/9 shooting, 4 points and 5 rebounds.
 

skiumah1 said:
I still think Pitino could clear a space if he really needed to. But we've done about as well as we can without knowing what Walton's gonna do.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I think Rick owes us a favor...
1. Matz Stockman
2. Getting almost every 50/50 call in the final four (I’m sorry but that was not a fouls on Courtney James)

I’d say Greenlee for Stockman and Walton would be highway robbery but that’s what happens when you trade “future picks” fingers crossed. The Gophers could be sneaky good next year
 


leib0039 said:
I appreciate everyone thinks he will come in and be a monster, I hope thats true!, but lets not act like he is going to be a double-double guy every game here. I seem to remember a 15-6r a game guy we got last year who was going to be amazing, turns out Demir was hot trash. The MAC isnt exactly a powerhouse league and the B1G has a ton of good bigs year in and year out. is 10-15 low, maybe, but anyone who thinks he is 35min a game and 15-10 is also delusional

As a point of reference (yes it was 1 game), last year he played Michigan St, went 2/9 shooting, 4 points and 5 rebounds.
Click to expand...
Well, when we played Michigan State that’s about how most of our stat lines were too. I like his ability (along with Robbins) to step out and hit a three. It really opens up driving lanes for down hill guys that like to get to the cup like Carr. Looks like Flowers was his PG and he was more of a shooter than a down hill threat to the basket (assists are low and driving PG’s will normally have higher assist numbers than shooting PGs). A guy like Carr could do wonders for Johnson and vice versa because Johnson opens up the lane on pick and pops as opposed to being limited to pick and roles to the basket. Plus his tape looks like he is a very emotional player (in a good way as I think this sort of thing brings a type of mental toughness) with a high level Junk Yard Dog motor that will really help on the glass (especially from a weakside rebounding standpoint). I think Pitino is building more of a John Bieline type of roster the more and more I watch him. He just needs to play more than 6 guys now.
 

per Marcus:

“I knew guys who went to Illinois, so I pretty much idolized the Big Ten,” Johnson said in a phone interview. “Now that I have a chance to showcase my talent to the best of my ability and play in the Big Ten, I’m just excited.”

The transfer portal grew to more than 600 players this week, giving rebuilding teams like the Gophers options. Pitino needed someone versatile offensively with the physical toughness to play in the grind-it-out style of the Big Ten. Johnson believes he definitely fits that mold.

“Making this decision was tough, because every team on my list was I felt like a great fit for me,” Johnson said. “It just felt like Minnesota was the best fit out of everybody.

“[Pitino] told me, he basically doesn’t want my game to change. Everything that I did last year, he wants to build on that.”

Johnson, who also considered Dayton and Connecticut, saw his production skyrocket at the end of the season. In his last 11 games at Western Michigan, he averaged 17 points, 8.1 rebounds, 1.2 blocks and shot 79% from the foul line (50-for-63) and 60% from three-point range (9-for-15). He had four 20-point games and three double-doubles during that stretch, including a career-high 29 points vs. Ball State.

“I feel like I’m a good two-way player,” Johnson said. “Regardless if I’m scoring or if my shot is falling one night, I can still impact the game enough in order for my team to get a win.”

www.startribune.com

Gophers transfer news: Brandon Johnson in, Payton Willis out

Gophers' new forward is from Western Michigan.
www.startribune.com www.startribune.com

Go Gophers!!
 

Bakary Konate’s Hands said:
Yeah, I think Rick owes us a favor...
1. Matz Stockman
2. Getting almost every 50/50 call in the final four (I’m sorry but that was not a fouls on Courtney James)

I’d say Greenlee for Stockman and Walton would be highway robbery but that’s what happens when you trade “future picks” fingers crossed. The Gophers could be sneaky good next year
Click to expand...


That call on james was atrocious
 

WriterGoph said:
I honestly don't know how people aren't over his shtick. It's literally the same five talking points over and over and over. Sure, once in awhile offers some "inside" insight or educated speculation, but 90% of what he posts is a slightly different iteration of the same boring sound bite. ????
Click to expand...
From previous posts he is an 80 yr old minority who is a disabled war vet. I may have left some things out.
 






In all seriousness: good for those guys. Broaden your horizons, live abroad, enjoy that experience.
 



What are the Gopher's chances on getting Haarms in here from Purdue? IMO, he would be the biggest impact player the Gophers could bring in this year. I see us mentioned in his lists and that we are the only Big Ten team he is considering. IMO, this would be biggest transfer get that Pitino has had.
 



manderson1984 said:
I still think the best for your "brand" is still to go NCAA like Duke and Kentucky. Look what it did for Zion.
Click to expand...
Maybe, certainly for U.S. folks. If he had played in europe he'd be a big brand there as well as in the U.S. If your goal is the increase your "brand", it may be better to do a one-and-done season in Europe. The huge risk of not going to school, is that you don't have the four-year scholarship. Take Javis Johnson as one example of where that scholly was a great backup plan.
 

Which player has benefited from going overseas rather than play a year in college?

The big ones I can think of that did it are, Brandon Jennings (top-10 pick who could've gone to Arizona), Mudiay (top-5 pick who was committed to SMU) and Ferguson (1st round pick who could've gone to Arizona). This year there's the Ball kid (top-5 pick) and RJ Hampton who would've (by most accounts) gone to Kansas.

I doubt any of these guys positively or negatively impacted their stocks by playing overseas for a year. But I also think there would've been a benefit to playing for Bill Self, Larry Brown or even Sean Miller (as much as people hate on him).

Jennings did it because he was ineligible. I think Ferguson was ineligible too. I believe Mudiay was in the same boat though I don't remember. Ball's dad tanked his college career before it could get started. Hampton was quoted saying he never wanted to play college ball.

I love college hoops and hate the NBA, so I'm always bummed out when guys opt to play overseas rather than enhance the college game for a year. I know it's all about getting paid nowadays (more than I can ever remember it being) and players are much more aware of their 'brand' and the business than ever before, but I can't help but think there is value in playing a year at a huge school like Kansas, Duke, Memphis, Kentucky, wherever, and being in the public eye every week for a season before going to the league.

But I'm biased because of my love for college hoops and disregard for the players as people.
 


alchemy2u said:
A lot of early NBA draft picks from Europe have never played for a NCAA brand.
Click to expand...
And very few get shoe deals and other endorsements right away compared to if they make a name for themselves in the NCAA.
 

per the U:

University of Minnesota head men's basketball coach Richard Pitino announced Wednesday the addition of a pair of highly sought-after transfer student-athletes, welcoming center Liam Robbins and forward Brandon Johnson to the Gophers.

Robbins spent the previous two seasons at Drake, while Johnson spent four seasons at Western Michigan and will be eligible immediately as a graduate student.

"We are excited to announce the additions of Brandon and Liam to our basketball program," Pitino said. "We set out to add some important pieces to our front court and felt like we did that with both guys. We expect both student-athletes to make an immediate impact on and off the court."

The 7-foot, 235-pound Robbins, a native of Davenport, Iowa, spent two seasons with the Bulldogs and exploded in his sophomore campaign. He averaged team highs of 14.1 points and 7.1 rebounds along with 2.9 blocks per game, starting all 34 games for Drake and earning All-Missouri Valley Conference Second Team, All-Defensive Team and MVC Most Improved honors. He set a school record with 99 total blocks, the third most in MVC history, and finished fifth in the nation in that category.

"Liam is dominant on the low block but can also step out and stretch the defense," Pitino commented. "He is also one of the best shot blockers in the country."

Robbins, who tallied seven double-doubles on the season, was also an NABC All-District Second Team honoree. A product of Assumption High School, Robbins is the nephew of Gophers associate head coach Ed Conroy and cousin of rising senior Hunt Conroy.

Johnson has been a perennial starter for the Broncos, as the 6-8, 220-pound forward amassed 92 starts during his three years on the court. A third-team All-Mid-American Conference selection this year, Johnson led the team in rebounds (258), blocks (31) and double-doubles (6) while ranking second in scoring.

He averaged 15.4 points and 8.1 rebounds per game this year, ranking eighth in the latter category among all MAC players. He redshirted the 2018-19 season due to injury but steadily saw improvement in his stat totals during his freshman and sophomore seasons in Kalamazoo. Johnson graduated from Thea Bowman Leadership Academy in Gary, Ind., where he averaged 15 points and 6.5 rebounds during his senior prep season.

"Brandon provides a great inside out attack offensively," Pitino said. "He's tough and physical. His motor never stops running. He will be ready to compete in the Big Ten from day one."

Go Gophers!!
 



Makes you wonder, if neither Walton nor Peterson come ... why did Willis leave?

Was he told that Walton was about to commit?

If so, almost seems like a carbon copy of when Stockman announced he was leaving because it was assumed Gino was about to commit from UND.
 


MplsGopher said:
Makes you wonder, if neither Walton nor Peterson come ... why did Willis leave?

Was he told that Walton was about to commit?

If so, almost seems like a carbon copy of when Stockman announced he was leaving because it was assumed Gino was about to commit from UND.
Click to expand...

I think the timing looked to be telling, but didn't actually matter. I think considering where Willis chose to go, he wanted a larger role in the offense and that it was solely his choice to leave and there was no pressure given to him to go.
 



Keyser Söze said:
Willis very well could have been concerned about Mashburn taking his spot. Maybe he didn't see himself playing 30 minutes again.
Click to expand...
This could very well be it. But why the delay then? I guess it wasn’t that long of a delay from the end of season. But from when Mash committed?
 

MplsGopher said:
This could very well be it. But why the delay then? I guess it wasn’t that long of a delay from the end of season. But from when Mash committed?
Click to expand...

Who knows. Most people don't make tough decisions at the snap of a finger. Possible that the tipping point was when Johnson committed, as that means Ihnen will likely play more minutes at the 3, so now Willis would have had to compete with both Mashburn and Ihnen. Ihnen is progressing fast and has a very high ceiling, so he could very well be a better player than Willis next year.
 

You must log in or register to reply here.



Top Bottom