All Things Gophers Basketball Class of 2022 Recruiting Thread

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CentralGopher said:
I think I would be on board with banking one scholarship for next year to help balance classes. This year needs are starting pg, combo guard, and a big. Hoping Thiam can transform himself into a contributor at pg.

edit: wouldn’t Garcia need to sit a year without a waiver since he already transferred once?
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Yeah, Garcia would need a waiver, but he would probably get one pretty easily if he chose to play close to home. His dad was really sick and almost died and his grandmother is currently seriously ill. Hopefully everything turns out well for the Garcia family.
 

leftyslefty said:
If you want to make the case that these two don’t fit the way we want to play….I would at least listen, but Garcia and Walton are both 1st class people.

The big issue to me would be playing time for all. You’ve got four freshmen to break in, and two more who played very little this year. Fox and Battle will get significant court time…..then we have 6 young players, plus whomever else is added. Need at least two guards.
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The more those freshmen sit the better I think, unless they actually earn playing time. Drive up that competition level.

I still only see Payne as a main contributor out of the freshmen coming in next year. Henley and Carrington only out of necessity or in a smaller role based on who we get out of the portal.

Thiam and Thompson I would hope still play a smaller role as well unless they make a big jump. Once again depending on who we get to come in out of the portal.

I think it's a problem if Henley, Carrington and/or Thiam are big contributors.
 

DeathClutch said:
Yeah, Garcia would need a waiver, but he would probably get one pretty easily if he chose to play close to home. His dad was really sick and almost died and his grandmother is currently seriously ill. Hopefully everything turns out well for the Garcia family.
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We’ve taken that gamble before and lost so…
 

skiumah1 said:
The more those freshmen sit the better I think, unless they actually earn playing time. Drive up that competition level.

I still only see Payne as a main contributor out of the freshmen coming in next year. Henley and Carrington only out of necessity or in a smaller role based on who we get out of the portal.

Thiam and Thompson I would hope still play a smaller role as well unless they make a big jump. Once again depending on who we get to come in out of the portal.

I think it's a problem if Henley, Carrington and/or Thiam are big contributors.
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Ihnen should also see significant court time
 



skiumah1 said:
The more those freshmen sit the better I think, unless they actually earn playing time. Drive up that competition level.

I still only see Payne as a main contributor out of the freshmen coming in next year. Henley and Carrington only out of necessity or in a smaller role based on who we get out of the portal.

Thiam and Thompson I would hope still play a smaller role as well unless they make a big jump. Once again depending on who we get to come in out of the portal.

I think it's a problem if Henley, Carrington and/or Thiam are big contributors.
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If Payne and either Henley or Carrington ( or both) can see 10-15+ minutes per game then I would take it as a good sign that Ben has recruited quality players that he is developing for the long term. Relying on transfers to play the bulk of the minutes is not a recipe for sustainable success unless they are more than 1-year band aids (Battle, Fox, potentially Walton).
 

VanillaThunder said:
If Payne and either Henley or Carrington ( or both) can see 10-15+ minutes per game then I would take it as a good sign that Ben has recruited quality players that he is developing for the long term. Relying on transfers to play the bulk of the minutes is not a recipe for sustainable success unless they are more than 1-year band aids (Battle, Fox, potentially Walton).
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Agreed, but if you can fill 1 more year with transfers, you give freshmen a year to develop if they're not ready. If they are ready and are able to step in and play that's great. Payne sure seems like a guy that'll be able to step in next year and be effective. I hope so too with Carrington and/or Henley like you said. The current state of the roster looks more like we'd be expecting 30+ minutes from Carrington and/or Henley though.

I'd rather patch up next year with transfers as Ben works through being able to back fill with his own recruiting classes and get these guys into the program. They need time.

I agree transfers aren't sustainable long-term, but next year is looking like a bridge year as well. I'm all for quality players coming in each and every year from the portal though too if you can get them. Similar to what Fleck has done in the football portal.
 

Chico Gopher said:
Brings up another question. Our team is down right now, but hoping to build a contender that graduates players, follows NCAA rules, ect. Right now, if you had to choose one over the other, do you pick character with less talent, or do you pick talent with less character?
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Depends entirely on what you mean by less character. If you are talking really talented but a little rough around the edges that is one thing. If less character means likely to break rules or be a bad teammate then I go with the less talented, high character kid all day.
 

skiumah1 said:
The more those freshmen sit the better I think, unless they actually earn playing time. Drive up that competition level.

I still only see Payne as a main contributor out of the freshmen coming in next year. Henley and Carrington only out of necessity or in a smaller role based on who we get out of the portal.

Thiam and Thompson I would hope still play a smaller role as well unless they make a big jump. Once again depending on who we get to come in out of the portal.

I think it's a problem if Henley, Carrington and/or Thiam are big contributors.
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I don’t know about Henley, but Carrington will play for sure. He can shoot, defend, and handles the ball. There is no way he doesn’t play.
 



Chico Gopher said:
Certainly in no way meant to indicate that the two players in mentioned above are anything but 1st class people. The question is a little more general than that. Basically, do you take a player who is more talented, but doesn't quite fit your vision for culture and personality. Or do you take a less talented player that exactly fits your vision for culture and team personality. Obviously, you want to get the point where you have your choice of players who check both boxes. Maybe Garcia and Walton are exactly what checks all the boxes Coach Johnson is looking at.

Brings up another question. Our team is down right now, but hoping to build a contender that graduates players, follows NCAA rules, ect. Right now, if you had to choose one over the other, do you pick character with less talent, or do you pick talent with less character?
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You have a chance to build character. Fleck does it. Talent is set by this age.
 

Tucker32 said:
I don’t know about Henley, but Carrington will play for sure. He can shoot, defend, and handles the ball. There is no way he doesn’t play.
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I agree, he and Battle will be the best shooters by far next season. He gets 10 minutes off the bench at a very minimum
 

Although it is a very slim chance of happening, battle and garcia on the same court would be unreal. Both great scorers with good length and an ability to catch fire at any given moment. We could potentially have Carrington, Battle, Garcia and Thompson all on the court at once torching other teams from deep. That is bens vision and if he can make it work, it could get scary for the rest of the big ten
 

PeterMac05 said:
Although it is a very slim chance of happening, battle and garcia on the same court would be unreal. Both great scorers with good length and an ability to catch fire at any given moment. We could potentially have Carrington, Battle, Garcia and Thompson all on the court at once torching other teams from deep. That is bens vision and if he can make it work, it could get scary for the rest of the big ten
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In the limited sample size, unless you have an initiator, it’s not like they’re all going to be wide open. Mixed bag just spotting up shooters if no one can get them a shot
 




I wouldn't worry about sitting out a year at all for any transfers. Look no further than Robbins/Gach, both moved 2 straight years and no issues. I would bet less than 10% of guys actually sit a year anymore, you can make 10,000 cases as to why someone could get a waiver.
 

leib0039 said:
I wouldn't worry about sitting out a year at all for any transfers. Look no further than Robbins/Gach, both moved 2 straight years and no issues. I would bet less than 10% of guys actually sit a year anymore, you can make 10,000 cases as to why someone could get a waiver.
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True, although you wonder if they will start getting tougher on waivers now that everyone already has the free transfer.
 

Spottedmuskie said:
I agree, he and Battle will be the best shooters by far next season. He gets 10 minutes off the bench at a very minimum
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I couldn't agree more about Carrington. I've seen him live a few times now, and when you can defend, shoot, and can handle there will be a place for you to play. Especially impressed with his defense, his effort, and his leadership on the court. He needs to be able to finish drives stronger, but the kid is a gamer, and I think Johnson will find a way to play him some decent minutes. It all depends on the portal newcomers, but he'll be out there.
 

Tucker32 said:
I don’t know about Henley, but Carrington will play for sure. He can shoot, defend, and handles the ball. There is no way he doesn’t play.
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while i agree with you that Carrington will play.....i do question what your thoughts would be if Henley was from MN.....

Hes longer, better at getting to the rim and finishing, just as good of defender, plays against better competition, and when it comes to handles he was a point guard before he hit a growth spurt....im just saying to not sleep on him.

i can see both guys getting minutes next year
 
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Gophs24 said:
while i agree with you that Carrington will play.....i do question what your thoughts would be if Henley was from MN.....

Hes longer, better at getting to the rim and finishing, just as good of defender, plays against better competition, and when it comes to handles he was a point guard before he hit a growth spurt....im just saying to sleep on him.

i can see both guys getting minutes next year
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Get a true PG and a combo/shooting guard from the portal and let those two split time at the third guard spot.
 

Well, if none of the returning players transfer, on paper the Gophers have 10 players for next year.

Post- Payne
Forward - Battle, Fox, Ihnen, Thompson, Ramberg
SG/Wing - Carrington, Ola-Joseph, Henley, Thiam
PG - ?????

I would put biggest needs as a true PG and a post with some size and strength.
 





short ornery norwegian said:
Well, if none of the returning players transfer, on paper the Gophers have 10 players for next year.

Post- Payne
Forward - Battle, Fox, Ihnen, Thompson, Ramberg
SG/Wing - Carrington, Ola-Joseph, Henley, Thiam
PG - ?????

I would put biggest needs as a true PG and a post with some size and strength.
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Yep- 3 transfers. A combo G, a PG and a big wide body.
 

Gophs24 said:
while i agree with you that Carrington will play.....i do question what your thoughts would be if Henley was from MN.....

Hes longer, better at getting to the rim and finishing, just as good of defender, plays against better competition, and when it comes to handles he was a point guard before he hit a growth spurt....im just saying to not sleep on him.

i can see both guys getting minutes next year
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I have no idea what to think about Henley as I've only seen a few highlights of him. That's why I said I don't know about Henley. If he was from MN I might say something different because I would have seen him play and heard what others who know basketball well think of him. I say that about Carrington because I have seen him play numerous times, and know numerous coaches in HS's and AAU who have coached him or coached against him.

I hope you're right about Henley, I just have no idea as all I've seen is highlights and every kid looks good on those. Carrington and Payne both look great seeing them in person, and Ola-Joseph will see time as well because he will defend. We have a good class coming in, and it will feel like 6 newcomers because Fox and Ihnen will feel new after sitting out the year and they both will contribute a ton.
 

Tucker32 said:
I have no idea what to think about Henley as I've only seen a few highlights of him. That's why I said I don't know about Henley. If he was from MN I might say something different because I would have seen him play and heard what others who know basketball well think of him. I say that about Carrington because I have seen him play numerous times, and know numerous coaches in HS's and AAU who have coached him or coached against him.

I hope you're right about Henley, I just have no idea as all I've seen is highlights and every kid looks good on those. Carrington and Payne both look great seeing them in person, and Ola-Joseph will see time as well because he will defend. We have a good class coming in, and it will feel like 6 newcomers because Fox and Ihnen will feel new after sitting out the year and they both will contribute a ton.
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Henley does look great on the video highlights, and he could be the biggest surprise of all the new recruits, but I agree there's no way to tell until you see him live. What I like is Henley at 6'7 and Carrington at 6'5 have some great length to them as defenders and as ball handlers, and they are both known for their defense. And yes, they're freshmen, so they'll have some growing pains. I'd love to get a PG from the portal who can get by people and create for others, and that's what we don't have right now. Lots of holes to fill. You might say after watching again last night that the interior defense and rebounding needs a SLIGHT boost...That should be greatly improved next year, no matter who they bring in from the portal.
 

According to an article I read today, which is some "exclusive content" so I can't post it, the portal is going to be even larger this year.
One time transfer rule remains in effect
Have to get back to 13 scholarship limit
Thinks Freshmen will be transferring out because they are at schools they never actually visited before attending (Covid)
Figures there will likely be more than the 1,832 of last year
 


restovich said:
Ihnen should also see significant court time
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He was a top 100 recruit and had some impressive flashes - I think he’ll be a monster by the time he’s done.
Regarding Henley he’s the 20th ranked player in Cali now - I’ll take that any time.

we shouldn’t be scared of younger guys contributing - most of them should be able to (meaning we’re recruiting the right talent)especially the guards/wings.

TT is still growing into his body at this point and post players usually take longer to develop, unless they are in the top tier.
 
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