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Amelia's Gophers notes: Freshmen supposed to play, Mbakwe will see time at 5, Welch loses weight ... and more

Some good nuggets from Amelia, I like this one:


Andre Hollins said his weight hasn’t changed, but he admitted to being in the gym a lot over the summer, weight-lifting. Smith’s response to the sophomore’s new toned figure was pretty great. “I don’t know about trimmed down, but I think he’s turned some of that little baby fat,” he said, chuckling. “You’re right, he did have a little puffy body. I used to call him the Pillsbury Dough Boy, but he’s starting to look a lot better.”


http://www.startribune.com/sports/blogs/175676001.html

Go Gophers!!
 



SI has the Big Ten as the top conference in the country:

1. Big Ten

You have the probable preseason No. 1 team in the nation in Indiana. You have very formidable Michigan and Michigan State teams. Ohio State, Wisconsin and Minnesota (with Trevor Mbakwe) should comfortably be NCAA teams. Iowa is going to be much improved this season and also could threaten for an NCAA bid. When you're assuming teams that could miss the NCAAs include Purdue, Illinois, Northwestern and Penn State, all of which have significant talent pieces returning, you know how difficult this league will be. (No, not to watch, to survive in.)

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/20...rence-power-rankings/index.html?sct=cb_t11_a0

Go Gophers!!
 


A few tweets from Tubby's Big Ten media day press conference:

MNDaily: Tubby Smith talking now: "It's another year to see where we are in our program, I like the sound of having 11 returning players" #Gophers

MNDaily: Smith said Rodney has "really grown as far as his leadership" #Gophers

Amelia: Rodney has capability to become a "great player" Smith said. He became a lot more comfortable last year. #Gophers #B1G

Amelia: Smith said Mbakwe has everything under control now both mentally and physically. Vague as ever about team's punishment for Mbakwe. #Gophers

Marcus: Tubby Smith said he hopes his son, Saul, is able to learn from his mistake and be humbled by the "public humiliation" of the DWI. #Gophers

Marcus: Tubby on Saul: "He'll recover and be better because of it. That's how we're looking at it with our family. He's very remorseful of this."

Go Gophers!!
 

Marcus tweet: "Tubby Smith told me that he thinks Trevor Mbakwe, Rodney Williams and Andre and Austin Hollins all have NBA potential. Agree? #Gophers"

Go Gophers!!
 

BleedGopher said:
Marcus tweet: "Tubby Smith told me that he thinks Trevor Mbakwe, Rodney Williams and Andre and Austin Hollins all have NBA potential. Agree? #Gophers"

Go Gophers!!
Click to expand...

Agreed. Tubby does recruit athletes and the one thing you notice in the NBA is athleticism. However, to this date, Tubby hasn't produced an NBA player while at the U of MN. Perhaps we'll see that change.
 




"He's grown up in this, so he knows the public scrutiny that you're under."

I'd beg to differ. It's quite apparent Saul doesn't know (or doesn't care) about the public scrutiny he (or the program) is under, especially in light of what had just occurred with Trevor Mbakwe. Otherwise Saul wouldn't have done what he did.

I hope he gets the help he needs.
 

SelectionSunday said:
"He's grown up in this, so he knows the public scrutiny that you're under."

I'd beg to differ. It's quite apparent Saul doesn't know (or doesn't care) about the public scrutiny he (or the program) is under, especially in light of what had just occurred with Trevor Mbakwe. Otherwise Saul wouldn't have done what he did.

I hope he gets the help he needs.
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Yes and no. There are a lot of people who have the mindset "it'll never happen to me". Even when people around them are getting caught or are in trouble because of the same thing.
 

SelectionSunday said:
"He's grown up in this, so he knows the public scrutiny that you're under."

I'd beg to differ. It's quite apparent Saul doesn't know (or doesn't care) about the public scrutiny he (or the program) is under, especially in light of what had just occurred with Trevor Mbakwe. Otherwise Saul wouldn't have done what he did.

I hope he gets the help he needs.
Click to expand...

Sometimes a person goes out drinking without the intention of getting drunk and it simply catches up to you. Should someone know when to stop...yes, but people are not always sensitive to it...

lets see how it plays out before thinking we already have it figured out. I would not assume he was not concerned.
 

BleedGopher said:
PiPress: Gophers' Tubby Smith expects son to return to job

http://www.twincities.com/sports/ci_21852810/gophers-tubby-smith-calls-sons-dwi-charge-very

Go Gophers!!
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If he expects this guy to return to his job, then I expect poor behavior to continue under Tubby. I know we don't always no what punishments are going on behind the scenes, but if people are able to engage in behavior this reckless and still be on the court/coaching on the bench, then I don't think the message is going to sink in.
 



bleedsmaroonandgold said:
If he expects this guy to return to his job, then I expect poor behavior to continue under Tubby. I know we don't always no what punishments are going on behind the scenes, but if people are able to engage in behavior this reckless and still be on the court/coaching on the bench, then I don't think the message is going to sink in.
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I unfortunately have had a few friends get a DUI and everyone of them has learned their lesson purely from the embarrassment and punishments handed down by the court. I don't think it's appropriate to assume how Saul will or won't respond to this incident. We'll just have to wait and see and hope that he learns his lesson.
 

MadtownGopher said:
I unfortunately have had a few friends get a DUI and everyone of them has learned their lesson purely from the embarrassment and punishments handed down by the court. I don't think it's appropriate to assume how Saul will or won't respond to this incident. We'll just have to wait and see and hope that he learns his lesson.
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I'm not making assumptions about how Saul individually will respond. I am saying that I think future players see that, whatever punishments do come down, it doesn't matter because you still get to play/coach.
 

MadtownGopher said:
I unfortunately have had a few friends get a DUI and everyone of them has learned their lesson purely from the embarrassment and punishments handed down by the court. I don't think it's appropriate to assume how Saul will or won't respond to this incident. We'll just have to wait and see and hope that he learns his lesson.
Click to expand...

We also don't know how Tubby or anyone with the Athletic department of even Kaler will respond...it is one thing for a player, and Trevor has stretched them to the breaking point...it is another thing with a coach. I would suspect some sort of suspension...maybe one to three months.

Personally I think the guy blew it, but it is only right to give him the opportunity to get it together and get up again.
 



bleedsmaroonandgold said:
I'm not making assumptions about how Saul individually will respond. I am saying that I think future players see that, whatever punishments do come down, it doesn't matter because you still get to play/coach.
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Some may respond that way, but I think you're not giving the players and people of that age enough credit. Some will understand how embarrassing it is. They hopefully will understand that even if he doesn't get fired, this would certainly won't help him down the road when/if he tries to get a job somewhere else. Mbakwe's troubles could affect where he gets drafted next year.
 

Per Doogie: ""U" source: Saul Smith news will be coming in the next day. He's not going anywhere because he's agreed to meet certain conditions. #gophers"

Go Gophers!!
 


PiPress: Gophers basketball: Tubby Smith finally raving about his team's talent

"If he can take care of the ball better and improve his defense, Andre is definitely one of the guys who can play at the next level," Smith said by telephone Thursday, Oct. 25, from Big Ten Media Day in Chicago. "That's what I think I see in Rodney, Trevor and another guy like Austin, who could play basketball beyond college. That's the type of talent we have in our program now. So it's a matter of staying healthy and playing together."

Smith said during his news conference that Williams is in "great shape," because the 6-foot-7 leaper worked hard on his conditioning over the summer.

"I see him making that next step to not just being a good player, but being a dominant player for us," Smith said.

http://www.twincities.com/sports/ci...rce=rss&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

Go Gophers!!
 


ESPN: What I can't wait to see: Big Ten

Will Minnesota flourish or implode in the face of adversity?

Year after year, the Gophers find ways to make headlines for all the wrong reasons. Trevor Mbakwe, who missed the 2009-10 campaign while awaiting trial on a felony assault charge in Miami, was convicted of DUI in September. The incident threatened to end his college career because it violated the terms of his probation from the earlier incident. Minnesota caught a break last week when a Florida judge ruled that Mbakwe wouldn’t serve jail time. Still, the incident was certainly frustrating for a program looking to shed its bad-boy image. Making matters worse was last weekend’s arrest of assistant coach Saul Smith, who has been suspended indefinitely. Saul is the son of head coach Tubby Smith. Minnesota is talented enough to do some damage in the Big Ten and contend for an NCAA tournament bid, but it won’t happen if the Gophers’ problems off the court lead to a lack of focus on it.

http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/65961/what-i-cant-wait-to-see-big-ten

Go Gophers!!
 

If this team had no off-court issues they would all be walking around in shock.

I figure Trevor and Saul took one for the team.

Go Gophers!!**
 


station19 said:
If this team had no off-court issues they would all be walking around in shock.

I figure Trevor and Saul took one for the team.

Go Gophers!!**
Click to expand...

Yeah, but once Trev leaves, where is it gonna come from? Not to jinx it, but we have some pretty good character kids in the program right now, I don't think we'll be having these problems in the upcoming years. Can't say anything for the coaching staff, but I feel pretty confident our drama (self-inflicted) should cease after this season.

Now whether that helps us in the win column....that's another story.
 



FSN: Gophers on the rise in Big Ten eyes


Michigan State guard Keith Appling was as high on Minnesota as anybody at Big Ten media day.

"I feel like Minnesota's going to have a pretty good chance to compete for a Big Ten championship," Appling said. "They've got a lot of returning players from last year. Those guys always play hard. Every time we play Minnesota, it's a tough game. So I feel like they're in the running for the Big Ten championship. They've got a lot of talent and a lot of players."

http://www.foxsportsnorth.com/10/26...nding_gophers.html?blockID=810329&feedID=3590

Go Gophers!!
 

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