All Things Ellis/Foster Thread UPDATED 5/15 Ellis signs w/ MSU, Foster signs w/ TTech

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Golden13

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Richard Pitino landed his first recruit at Minnesota with the commitment of Daquein McNeil (Baltimore/Vermont Academy), reported the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Pitino has now landed his first commit and will attempt to keep the momentum in his pursuit for former Minnesota commits who decommitted after the departure of Tubby Smith

The 6-foot-3 point guard McNeil originally committed to Florida International, where Pitino was previously head coach, and brings to the table offensive playmaking ability and solid court vision. He's also shown the potential to be an excellent defender. Pitino now turns to three-star Chicago natives, guard Alvin Ellis (Chicago/De La Salle Institute) and forward Alex Foster (Chicago/Seton Academy), who decommitted but are still considering Minnesota in their recruitment process. Landing either one will be impressive and key going into next season, especially given how rich the state of Minnesota is in the class of 2014. The tail end of the spring recruiting signing period may give some hints about Pitino's chances in the area going forward.
 

This smells like bull*&^!#*&^!#*&^!#*&^!#. Gotta wonder if this guy truly has any idea of what is going on. All indications are that those two are long gone.
 

Yeah, this guy is definitely not plugged in. Didn't we have confirmation from Foster and his coach that both parties had moved on?
 

Gold Vision said:
Yeah, this guy is definitely not plugged in. Didn't we have confirmation from Foster and his coach that both parties had moved on?
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And moving on also includes considering what ya had.
 

Gold Vision said:
Yeah, this guy is definitely not plugged in. Didn't we have confirmation from Foster and his coach that both parties had moved on?
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It doesn't seem like he is either, but he just published it on ESPN an hour ago. Up in the air if this is actually relevant
 



Two highly recruited players, who obviously fit his system. Coach P. knows what he's doing.
 


I could see Foster wanting to come back to Minnesota because his options are probably limited. Not so much Ellis. I also find it interesting that there is no word of Tubby trying to get these to to Texas Tech.
 



I'm pretty sure the only reason Foster decommitted was because one of the coaches called him and told him it would be best for him to explore other options so I'm pretty sure Foster isn't even on the radar. As for Ellis I haven't really heard much about him and the Gophers since he decided to open his recruitment back up. I thought Ellis was a good prospect but I wouldb't be suprised with already adding McNeil if the Gophers are pretty much done with trying to add guards for next season unless it is a perfect situation.
 

MadtownGopher said:
I could see Foster wanting to come back to Minnesota because his options are probably limited. Not so much Ellis. I also find it interesting that there is no word of Tubby trying to get these to to Texas Tech.
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Spin it anyway you want. Coach P. is the man.
 

If Payne or Harris leave MSU, it's a good bet Ellis will end up there. Would be hard for him to turn down Izzo.

However, if they both stay in East Lansing -- a very real possibility -- no reason the Gophers aren't still very much in the mix for Ellis.
 




Gold Vision said:
Sorry Don, that makes zero sense.
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Ya, it does, GV. Look at all of the goings on right now with other transfers, declaring NBA draft, etc. Don't ever forget the age old adage..."Grass ain't always greener......"
 

I'd take Ellis back if we had a 1 yr PF rental like Buckles or Black locked up (or both). I just hope we keep 4 open scholarships for next year. So I wouldn't be in favor of giving both Ellis and Foster scholarships, that would leave us with only 3 for next year.
 

MadtownGopher said:
I'd take Ellis back if we had a 1 yr PF rental like Buckles or Black locked up (or both). I just hope we keep 4 open scholarships for next year. So I wouldn't be in favor of giving both Ellis and Foster scholarships, that would leave us with only 3 for next year.
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+1
 

Could simply be part of recruiting process where RP was simply doing his recruiting homework, seen what is out there and decided to follow up on them. Ellis De-committed before RS was hired, so for him not a real stretch. Foster seemed like they looked at his tape and decided either he was not a right fit or maybe they wanted Foster to be sure he wanted to play for the new coaching staff?
 

SelectionSunday said:
If Payne or Harris leave MSU, it's a good bet Ellis will end up there. Would be hard for him to turn down Izzo.

However, if they both stay in East Lansing -- a very real possibility -- no reason the Gophers aren't still very much in the mix for Ellis.
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Don't really see him turning down Izzo, either, if that scholarship offer is official.

Perhaps it's all just a game of intrigue and Rich Pitino wanted to start fresh with the recruits so that he would be the one given credit for them in his class, even if he did end up landing the same ones. (Rather than history showing potentially Ellis or Foster as Tubby's recruits.)
 

Norwood decided to clean out the Tubby trash way before any coaching decision was made. Coach P. realizes these two are as good as anything out there during spring signing period. He also has a good feel on our chances on each of the BIG 3, just like Tubby did. If Coach P. wants to use all our tenders and not bank any, he has my full support as always.
 

howieramone said:
Norwood decided to clean out the Tubby trash way before any coaching decision was made. Coach P. realizes these two are as good as anything out there during spring signing period. He also has a good feel on our chances on each of the BIG 3, just like Tubby did. If Coach P. wants to use all our tenders and not bank any, he has my full support as always.
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Or this ESPN guy has no real information and he's speculating that Pitino would try to get the Chicago kids back.
 

MadtownGopher said:
I'd take Ellis back if we had a 1 yr PF rental like Buckles or Black locked up (or both). I just hope we keep 4 open scholarships for next year. So I wouldn't be in favor of giving both Ellis and Foster scholarships, that would leave us with only 3 for next year.
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It's not unreasonable to expect that one or two of the existing squad will not be able to adapt to Coach Patino's system and will transfer.
 

MN1nAZ said:
It's not unreasonable to expect that one or two of the existing squad will not be able to adapt to Coach Patino's system and will transfer.
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That's a fair point. I think the only two I could stomach to lose are Mo (obviously given his fit in Pitino's system) and Oto if he doesn't find his shot. Though they may stick around just because they are going to be redshirt Juniors. Otherwise I don't really see anyone wanting to transfer.
 

MadtownGopher said:
That's a fair point. I think the only two I could stomach to lose are Mo (obviously given his fit in Pitino's system) and Oto if he doesn't find his shot. Though they may stick around just because they are going to be redshirt Juniors. Otherwise I don't really see anyone wanting to transfer.
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I would hate to see Mo leave and doubt he does. This is a great challenge for Mo. Lose the weight and get in shape. He coudl be a good player- even in this system. He's got size, can shoot a little and has nice potential as a passer. I hope he stays and accepts the challenge.
 

bga1 said:
I would hate to see Mo leave and doubt he does. This is a great challenge for Mo. Lose the weight and get in shape. He coudl be a good player- even in this system. He's got size, can shoot a little and has nice potential as a passer. I hope he stays and accepts the challenge.
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I agree, I think Mo could develop into one of our best players if he lost the weight. I'm not sure he will though.
 

I would look to see who is losing minutes. Which starter lost minutes when we signed McNeil? If the gods of basketball favor us and we re-sign Ellis, who is losing minutes?
 

howieramone said:
I would look to see who is losing minutes. Which starter lost minutes when we signed McNeil? If the gods of basketball favor us and we re-sign Ellis, who is losing minutes?
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I'm going to guess McNeil isn't much of a factor next year unless he takes minutes from Mav. I like Wally to take Julian's wing minutes and I don't see Dre and Austin playing less minutes (unless Coach P's system requires them to need more breaks).

If Ellis signs, I think he eats into Joe and Wally's minutes (basically in competition with Wally).
 

Someone more educated on the subject needs to school me on why everyone is drooling over Ellis. I've never seen him play, so I have to go strictly by his rankings, and nothing stands out. I heard he was the second best player in Illinois at one point and that he was blue chip. Three stars and not ranked nationally within your position doesn't exactly scream superstardum. Sure, he would have been a nice piece, but I don't think he would have come in and elevated the program to another level. There are countless examples of 3-star recruits becoming great players, but there are no guarantees for a fringe player like Ellis.
 

Nic reiner doesn't have a clue, and lets wait to see who else comes aboard/leaves before we start debating who gets minutes where and from who. This roster likely will be different in Oct than it is today.
 

SDGopherFan said:
Nic reiner doesn't have a clue, and lets wait to see who else comes aboard/leaves before we start debating who gets minutes where and from who. This roster likely will be different in Oct than it is today.
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Uh, OK, and take away from GopherHole several threads of "conversation"?


p.s. SDGF, you are right on, but sheesh this would become boring if all we talked about was the shltty weather.
 

BigGopherFan said:
Someone more educated on the subject needs to school me on why everyone is drooling over Ellis. I've never seen him play, so I have to go strictly by his rankings, and nothing stands out. I heard he was the second best player in Illinois at one point and that he was blue chip. Three stars and not ranked nationally within your position doesn't exactly scream superstardum. Sure, he would have been a nice piece, but I don't think he would have come in and elevated the program to another level. There are countless examples of 3-star recruits becoming great players, but there are no guarantees for a fringe player like Ellis.
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He filled a need and had a very good senior high school season which resulted in him getting many offers after he decommited. I heard he was injured the majority of the AAU season which is why he wasn't highly ranked.
 

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