All Things Gophers Basketball Class of 2022 Recruiting Thread

[cjbfbp]

Ihnen is a kid with a ton of ability who always looked uncertain about his role on the court. Build his confidence and put him in places on the court where he can succeed and he can be a big asset, IMO.

Amen. Pitino did not play him to his strengths (at least not often enough).

 

[UpAndUnder43]

I think he was miscast as a small forward by Pitino for much of his time here. He doesn't shoot outside well enough or handle the ball well enough for that role. Maybe his initial luck in shooting threes as a freshman had something to do with that but it became clear by half way through his sophomore year that he should rarely take those. He was a solid shooter on two-pointers (54.8%) during his two years of playing here. Ridiculously he took only 42 twos in those two years while taking 105 threes where he was 28.8%. He is an 81% free throw shooter; unfortunately he's taken only 21 of those. Those measures are further indicators of Pitino's foolish stubbornness in his usage of players.

His best moments during his two years were when he played in the interior. He is a decent interior defender and is a good rebounder due to his length and quick reflexes. He also is a very willing passer out of the post so he won't be a black hole in there. He did show some ability to take maybe one or two dribbles and go to the hole and, when he got fouled and took shots, he did well at that.

Hopefully, Ben will use him more wisely than Pitino did. If the first year is any indication, Ben has the ability to recruit pretty good outside shooters. If he repeats that next season, he shouldn't need to have Ihnen shooting threes very much.

Ihnen shot a similar 3pt % to Gabe last year. Gabe miscast as a shooting guard also?

 

[Spottedmuskie]

Ihnen settled way to much just jacking up 3s. I'm excited to see how Ben uses him. This Gopher squad had a chance to be around 9-10 in the B1Gthis season with Fox and Ihnen. It's too bad all these injuries happened to Ben his first year

 

[Formerswish]

Fox is already cleared to practice, has been dunking with ease in warmups, and looks nearly 100%. He was dominant at the lower levels, and making that jump up is not as difficult in basketball as it is in other sports. This is why he had many offers from top programs before signing with MN.

Ihnen has never been dominant at any level, and his recovery is a ? right now. He has also been a poor shooter. He has potential but hasn't come close to realizing it in 2 years.

I don't see minutes being similar between the two next season. I think people are underselling Fox and overselling Ihnen.

I think it will be awfully hard to project who will be more effective next year between Ihnen and Fox. Comebacks from knee injuries are always hard to predict. I do think Ihnen is a better shooter, but at least you're talking about 2 guys who have some athleticism and an ability to defend and rebound. Those 2 things were sorely missing on the front line this year. We'll see how much inside scoring Payne can provide as a freshman-but if he doesn't provide much and if the transfer portal doesn't provide an inside scoring presence, that will remain an area of need for this team.

 

[MinnGopher]

Fox is already cleared to practice, has been dunking with ease in warmups, and looks nearly 100%. He was dominant at the lower levels, and making that jump up is not as difficult in basketball as it is in other sports. This is why he had many offers from top programs before signing with MN.

Ihnen has never been dominant at any level, and his recovery is a ? right now. He has also been a poor shooter. He has potential but hasn't come close to realizing it in 2 years.

I don't see minutes being similar between the two next season. I think people are underselling Fox and overselling Ihnen.

You don't need to dominate a level to have potential to be a good player. Its a new system with way better floor spacing and he didn't have the luxury of beating up on NSIC bigs. I get thinking Fox is going to better, I do and he very well might be, but to dismiss Ihnen completely is a little silly imo.

 

[MinnGopher]

Ihnen settled way to much just jacking up 3s. I'm excited to see how Ben uses him. This Gopher squad had a chance to be around 9-10 in the B1Gthis season with Fox and Ihnen. It's too bad all these injuries happened to Ben his first year

Exactly, seems like people are discounting this. We have seen a massive increase in offensive efficiency/shooting percentages under Ben.

 

[GopherWeatherGuy]

Exactly, seems like people are discounting this. We have seen a massive increase in offensive efficiency/shooting percentages under Ben.

That still remains to be seen. 3 point percentage has improved significantly, but much of that has to do with Battle and Willis hitting tough, contested 3's on a regular basis.

Gabe moved to a better offense as well, and his 3 point % is nearly identical to last season.

 

[Johnnyboy18]

That still remains to be seen. 3 point percentage has improved significantly, but much of that has to do with Battle and Willis hitting tough, contested 3's on a regular basis.

Gabe moved to a better offense as well, and his 3 point % is nearly identical to last season.

Have you watched ISU this year? They are awful offensively.

 

[MinnGopher]

That still remains to be seen. 3 point percentage has improved significantly, but much of that has to do with Battle and Willis hitting tough, contested 3's on a regular basis.

Gabe moved to a better offense as well, and his 3 point % is nearly identical to last season.

^ISU this year

^Gophers last year

Sports reference also has the gophers playing a tougher schedule so thats not much of a point to make. Marginally better at best. Its absolutely factual to say we have a more efficient offense, looks at the numbers/results from this year compared to last lol. Not even close

 

[GopherWeatherGuy]

View attachment 17355
^ISU this year
View attachment 17356
^Gophers last year

Sports reference also has the gophers playing a tougher schedule so thats not much of a point to make. Marginally better at best. Its absolutely factual to say we have a more efficient offense, looks at the numbers/results from this year compared to last lol. Not even close

I'm still not sure how you're getting that the gophers offense is significantly more efficient this year? ISU's offense is a better shooting team compared to the Gophers last year. Otzelberger has proven to be a pretty good offensive coach. It didn't affect Gabe's numbers this year.

The Gophers offense has been brutal this year if they aren't hitting 3s. They have a better 3 point shooting team this year, but that doesn't mean they are more efficient.

 

[SPB_Gophers]

HS regular season is done. Carrington has lead Park Center to a 25-1 record, with the only hiccup a 3 point loss to Totino, which they avenged with a 30 point win in the rematch. PC's average scoring margin, per game, is +24.2 lol.
The thing is, if PC and Wayzata both make State, PC will likely be the #2 seed because the MSHSL uses some wonky formula created by some random dude. In the FAQ's of the QRF, it states that margin of victory is not part of the formula. Not to mention PC already beat Wayzata this season. It really shouldn't matter anyways, because PC should be the heavy favorite at AAAA.

Really curious as to what that guys reasoning could possibly be for Wayzata > PC at this point

 

[MennoSota]

I'm still not sure how you're getting that the gophers offense is significantly more efficient this year? ISU's offense is a better shooting team compared to the Gophers last year. Otzelberger has proven to be a pretty good offensive coach. It didn't affect Gabe's numbers this year.

The Gophers offense has been brutal this year if they aren't hitting 3s. They have a better 3 point shooting team this year, but that doesn't mean they are more efficient.

We simply have no inside presence. This meant creating ball movement and taking 3 point shots with no offensive rebounds. We knew this was a huge problem. I'm just glad Eric Curry decided to come back. Without him it's even worse.

 

[GopherWeatherGuy]

We simply have no inside presence. This meant creating ball movement and taking 3 point shots with no offensive rebounds. We knew this was a huge problem. I'm just glad Eric Curry decided to come back. Without him it's even worse.

I get that, but I just haven't seen this great ball movement and efficient offense people are talking about. I think it has improved slightly, but that may have more to do with the subtraction of Marcus Carr.

I've seen a lot of 1-1 ball, especially from Willis and Battle. They are just better 3 point shooters than anyone we had on last year's team. That doesn't mean ball movement won't get better when there are better players on the roster, time will tell.

 

[cjbfbp]

Ihnen shot a similar 3pt % to Gabe last year. Gabe miscast as a shooting guard also?

If you're asking me, I would say yes. Gabe is a defensive player who will occasionally have a good offensive game. He is the kind of guy you put in a starting lineup if you have three more consistent shooters and reliable scorers. Unless he gets hot, you limit his shots and/or you try to get him to the line more often where he has a better success rate.

 

[bc2211]

I get that, but I just haven't seen this great ball movement and efficient offense people are talking about. I think it has improved slightly, but that may have more to do with the subtraction of Marcus Carr.

I've seen a lot of 1-1 ball, especially from Willis and Battle. They are just better 3 point shooters than anyone we had on last year's team. That doesn't mean ball movement won't get better when there are better players on the roster, time will tell.

The ball does swing around a bit more, which I suppose “makes the defense work”, but I think a lot of it is window dressing. battle and Willis run a lot of the same 12 second iso offense as Carr did last year, and for the same reason: they are significantly better options offensively than the alternatives.

What I like: fewer threes off of perimeter swing passes. Completely unsupported by stats, but it seems to me like there is a higher clip of threes off of penetration for guys not named battle or Willis.

What I don’t like: none of this ball movement has created easy looks near the rim. We are a pure jump shooting team.

 

[MinnGopher]

I'm still not sure how you're getting that the gophers offense is significantly more efficient this year? ISU's offense is a better shooting team compared to the Gophers last year. Otzelberger has proven to be a pretty good offensive coach. It didn't affect Gabe's numbers this year.

The Gophers offense has been brutal this year if they aren't hitting 3s. They have a better 3 point shooting team this year, but that doesn't mean they are more efficient.

We are up in most efficiency metrics, anywhere from 14 spots to 23 in points per 100 possessions. I'm not talking about ISU, only the fact that you mentioned them as a better offense than the gophers last year, which they are.

EDIT: Yeah also this years ISU team was less efficient using the same stats as the gophers team last year

 

[MennoSota]

The ball does swing around a bit more, which I suppose “makes the defense work”, but I think a lot of it is window dressing. battle and Willis run a lot of the same 12 second iso offense as Carr did last year, and for the same reason: they are significantly better options offensively than the alternatives.

What I like: fewer threes off of perimeter swing passes. Completely unsupported by stats, but it seems to me like there is a higher clip of threes off of penetration for guys not named battle or Willis.

What I don’t like: none of this ball movement has created easy looks near the rim. We are a pure jump shooting team.

Good analysis.
Our lack of ability to crash the offensive board or post up on the blocks lead to a one dimensional option of mid-range to 3 pt shots with no second chances.
As much as I appreciate Curry giving it another go, he is not a 5 and therefore left us extremely vulnerable. The B1G exploited this vulnerability.

Seeing no significant growth in our freshman class, it does make it hard to imagine the Gophers climbing out of the 14th spot next year. But, time will tell.
This is a longer build than a casual fan will like.

 

[Lion King]

I get that, but I just haven't seen this great ball movement and efficient offense people are talking about. I think it has improved slightly, but that may have more to do with the subtraction of Marcus Carr.

I've seen a lot of 1-1 ball, especially from Willis and Battle. They are just better 3 point shooters than anyone we had on last year's team. That doesn't mean ball movement won't get better when there are better players on the roster, time will tell.

Right,time will tell,it could be worse.

 

[Zeppelin Gopher]

I saw Carrington leaving the Indiana game. I was taken aback at how tall he was. He is at a minimum 6’4, maybe even 6’5.

Confirmed- he's a legit 6'5" after seeing him in the Barn concourse a few times this season.

 

[Spottedmuskie]

If you're asking me, I would say yes. Gabe is a defensive player who will occasionally have a good offensive game. He is the kind of guy you put in a starting lineup if you have three more consistent shooters and reliable scorers. Unless he gets hot, you limit his shots and/or you try to get him to the line more often where he has a better success rate.

Gabe is one of the best defenders in the country often guarding the opposing teams top 1-2. That being said, he shoots too much with those percentages

 

[Spottedmuskie]

Confirmed- he's a legit 6'5" after seeing him in the Barn concourse a few times this season.

Point Forward, next Ben Simmons

 

[Outsider]

Point Forward, next Ben Simmons

I hope not he can’t shoot at all. If you say point forward who can shoot then I can jump onboard.

 

[cjbfbp]

I hope not he can’t shoot at all. If you say point forward who can shoot then I can jump onboard.

I also wouldn't want a prima donna who is a bit of a mental case. Those can ruin a team.

 

[BleedGopher]

per Shooter:

Could 6-11 Dawson Garcia from Prior Lake become available to the Gophers men’s basketball team via the transfer portal? Garcia averaged nine points and 5.5 rebounds before leaving North Carolina in January to be with family members with medical issues.

The Gophers men’s basketball program, which signed a half-dozen players from the NCAA transfer portal last year, again will be aggressive in the portal for next season, seeking a big center.

Charley Walters: It’s been 60 years since Eric Magdanz set a Gophers’ record

It was 60 years ago Saturday that Eric Magdanz set a University of Minnesota men’s basketball single-game scoring record with 42 points at Michigan. “I could have kicked it and it would have gone i…

www.twincities.com

Go Gophers!!

 

[DeathClutch]

Really curious as to what that guys reasoning could possibly be for Wayzata > PC at this point

It's based on his own formula.
On his website, in the FAQ, he states his formula does not include margin of victory at all, which basically is what RPI was in college basketball. The new Net Rankings include margin of victory up to 10 points and also net offensive and defensive efficiency.

 

[Dakota2]

I get that, but I just haven't seen this great ball movement and efficient offense people are talking about. I think it has improved slightly, but that may have more to do with the subtraction of Marcus Carr.

I've seen a lot of 1-1 ball, especially from Willis and Battle. They are just better 3 point shooters than anyone we had on last year's team. That doesn't mean ball movement won't get better when there are better players on the roster, time will tell.

Ball movement relies on inside / outside passing. You feed the post to draw in the defense then pass out to open 3-point shooter. We did not have effective post players with good hands and passing skills.

Curry was most likely to shoot rather than find an open guy outside. The Fiddler was prone to taking a couple dribbles and getting stripped. Thompson rarely posted up.

Just trying to pass around the perimeter, getting pushed further out, then trying a long, contested three is not effective ball movement.

 

[GopherWeatherGuy]

Ball movement relies on inside / outside passing. You feed the post to draw in the defense then pass out to open 3-point shooter. We did not have effective post players with good hands and passing skills.

Curry was most likely to shoot rather than find an open guy outside. The Fiddler was prone to taking a couple dribbles and getting stripped. Thompson rarely posted up.

Just trying to pass around the perimeter, getting pushed further out, then trying a long, contested three is not effective ball movement.

That's essentially what I am saying. People are talking about how our offense had better ball movement and was more efficient, but yet we didn't have much of a post presence, so how could that be?

I didn't see the same ball movement and efficiency others are claiming. When teams played good defense on us the second half of this season, we couldn't score.

 

[Dakota2]

That's essentially what I am saying. People are talking about how our offense had better ball movement and was more efficient, but yet we didn't have much of a post presence, so how could that be?

I didn't see the same ball movement and efficiency others are claiming. When teams played good defense on us the second half of this season, we couldn't score.

Right. The only context in which we improved ball movement was simply Carr's departure.

 

[bga1]

That's essentially what I am saying. People are talking about how our offense had better ball movement and was more efficient, but yet we didn't have much of a post presence, so how could that be?

I didn't see the same ball movement and efficiency others are claiming. When teams played good defense on us the second half of this season, we couldn't score.

I think it looked a little better at times because we had better shooters. A mediocre play looks good when finished with a basket. Battle and Willis are really solid shooters.

 

[Spottedmuskie]