All Things Summer Updates On Current Players

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drakegopher said:
I'm a little late with this response, but I thought I could add a little insight towards Joey King. I watched a number of Drake games last year and King was a nice offensive weapon off the bench for the Bulldogs. Speaking with a few people in Des Moines, they did refer to him being a "me first" type of player, but they certainly were a bit disappointed that he left the University. As for my thoughts, he doesn't have a great basketball IQ just yet. He commonly gets into foul trouble and he always seemed out of position defensively. Of course, part of that is coaching. Drake has since fired Mark Phelps, so he definitely didn't help Joey's cause as a Freshman. My biggest concern will be him trying to defend the more athletic 3's and 4's in the Big Ten.

He definitely has the ability to light it up from 3, so maybe Pitino's style will pay huge dividends for him. I'm hoping he is a great addition, but I think he has alot of work ahead of him to be a decent player in the conference.
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All our guys need a lot of work. He should fit right in. I am in awe of the job Pitino and staff appear to be doing coaching and recruiting. Obviously we don't know for sure about the coaching and recruiting yet, but the guys are getting in the right condition bodywise and the attitudes seem to be right. We seem to have gone from fighting for 3* players to competing for 5* players. The transfers have been good to help remold the team quickly.

I would guess that King and Buggs are going to be difference makers this year. We will get 4 or 5 * guards (expect Newton or Perkins, expect Whitehead or Vaughn. JP will be here.). We NEED Reid Travis. Travis is my only recruiting concern. The rest will fall in place.
 

MinneStoa said:
I think there are plenty of folks who are being very cautious, as the U has already been burned by a smooth-talking coach with little experience. With that said, trying to compare basketball to football is absurd.
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If so, they are comparing apples to rutabagas. One coach was the hand picked protege of two the games most successful programs, was responsible for developing the games plans, recruiting top players and was the head coach of a team full of walk-ons that came within one basket of making the NCAA tourney. The other one was a wide receiver coach at some nice programs and could smooth talk a handful of questionable 4 star recruits, but did not know how to run a program.

Repeatedly, Pitino has shown class and a knowledge of the game, he is obviously a coach and not just a wannabe. He has shown no fear in his recruiting and refuses to accept the "second tier" attitude the has surrounded the program and been chanted by the fans for decades. It is obvious by anyone who takes the time to dig into the Pitino story that he will be a winner at The U.
 

I'm thrilled. He already has us contending for big time recruits and we don't have to watch Tubby's half court sets that were going nowhere.
 

alchemy2u said:
If so, they are comparing apples to rutabagas. One coach was the hand picked protege of two the games most successful programs, was responsible for developing the games plans, recruiting top players and was the head coach of a team full of walk-ons that came within one basket of making the NCAA tourney. The other one was a wide receiver coach at some nice programs and could smooth talk a handful of questionable 4 star recruits, but did not know how to run a program.

Repeatedly, Pitino has shown class and a knowledge of the game, he is obviously a coach and not just a wannabe. He has shown no fear in his recruiting and refuses to accept the "second tier" attitude the has surrounded the program and been chanted by the fans for decades. It is obvious by anyone who takes the time to dig into the Pitino story that he will be a winner at The U.
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I would rather have a slick recruiter type for basketball as they only need to bring in ~3 recruits per year, and not manage a program CEO style like a football coach does. Connections in the somewhat slimy AAU are a necessary evil in basketball. A basketball program can be dramatically turned around in a mere 1-2 years with a crop of high level recruits.

For Football, I would rather have a disciplinarian that has vision and is good at executing, rather than a salesman. He is the respectable figurehead that manages a stable of coaches and staff members, and he has the big picture in mind. Football programs take a long time to turn around, as there are so many moving pieces (players and coaches) and players take longer to physically mature.

I am cautiously optimistic that we have the right guy in place for each program.
 

Great post, eker...I agree completely with your assessment.
 


Slim Tubby said:
Great post, eker...I agree completely with your assessment.
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Isn't it funny that we had the slick salesman for football until two years ago,, and the old school disciplinarian for basketball until March? We sure like our polar opposites here in Minnesota when we hire.
 

Wally grew an inch:

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Wally our 19 year old just grew an inch what does that mean for Ellwood and Henry? <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23playhardhavefun&src=hash">#playhardhavefun</a></p>— Holly Ellenson (@HollyJElle) <a href="https://twitter.com/HollyJElle/statuses/362682698365550592">July 31, 2013</a></blockquote>
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Go Gophers!!
 





"Just grew an inch" makes it sound like he ate a magic mushroom and woke up an inch taller.

I'm excited to see how a healthy Wally plays this year in Pitino's offense.
 

Richard Pitino (@MNCoachPitino) tweeted at 9:10 PM on Wed, Jul 31, 2013:Congrats to @aHolli_20 for winning student athlete of the month.*&^!# He is the epitome of a student athlete.
 

BleedGopher said:
Wally grew an inch:

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Wally our 19 year old just grew an inch what does that mean for Ellwood and Henry? <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23playhardhavefun&src=hash">#playhardhavefun</a></p>— Holly Ellenson (@HollyJElle) <a href="https://twitter.com/HollyJElle/statuses/362682698365550592">July 31, 2013</a></blockquote>
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Go Gophers!!
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Tell Mrs Ellenson that it means that Henry MUST BE A GOPHER and it's too soon to say for Ellwood.
 




<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Gopher fans, really enjoyed being around <a href="https://twitter.com/AndreHollins">@AndreHollins</a> this week. A quality player and competitor. Even better person. Was raised right!</p>— Fran Fraschilla (@franfraschilla) <a href="https://twitter.com/franfraschilla/statuses/364159253986021378">August 4, 2013</a></blockquote>
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MadtownGopher said:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Gopher fans, really enjoyed being around <a href="https://twitter.com/AndreHollins">@AndreHollins</a> this week. A quality player and competitor. Even better person. Was raised right!</p>— Fran Fraschilla (@franfraschilla) <a href="https://twitter.com/franfraschilla/statuses/364159253986021378">August 4, 2013</a></blockquote>
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That seems to be the overall consensus from people who are around him. With all the junk we're hearing in sports lately, it sure is refreshing.
 

Speaking of "summer updates on current players," what's the latest on our starting center? Anybody seen Eliason lately ... does he look like he's hit the weight room and is ready to own the paint this year?
 

WanderingGopher said:
Speaking of "summer updates on current players," what's the latest on our starting center? Anybody seen Eliason lately ... does he look like he's hit the weight room and is ready to own the paint this year?
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Saw him in Dinkytown the other night, looked maybe a little bigger but nothing as drastic as Buggs/Big Mo. Always has had pretty broad shoulders but looks to be filling out a little.
 

GoldyForLife said:
Saw him in Dinkytown the other night, looked maybe a little bigger but nothing as drastic as Buggs/Big Mo. Always has had pretty broad shoulders but looks to be filling out a little.
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I'd agree with that. I saw him and a bunch of other players (including Joe Coleman, so there must not be any hard feelings there) out and about Friday evening. He doesn't look too different, but Mo sure does.
 

Pretty cool.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p><a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Gophers&src=hash">#Gophers</a> 2-sport athlete Wally Ellenson received USA gear, per his mom <a href="https://twitter.com/HollyJElle">@HollyJElle</a>. Will high jump in Pan-Am games. <a href="http://t.co/beqeLNQknb">pic.twitter.com/beqeLNQknb</a>"</p>— PiPress Gophers Now (@GophersNow) <a href="https://twitter.com/GophersNow/statuses/365935264029356032">August 9, 2013</a></blockquote>
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per Amelia:

Mo Walker: how impactful will his new svelte form manifest in minutes a game?
@mikelinnemann

Well, here’s the thing: While what Mo Walker has done is truly impressive, he’s still pretty far away from where he needs to be to excel in this new system. As Pitino has pointed out, Walker will never be athletic, and simply getting conditioned enough to run as much as he will be expected to will be a significant battle, even if/after his ultimate weight loss goal is met. My guess is that you’re going to see Walker get minutes – after all, this Gophers team isn’t the deepest in the frontcourt – but he’s not going to be a starter, and frankly, he still has a lot to improve (and will need to work on that jump shot) if he wants to play a major role in 2013-14.

http://www.startribune.com/sports/blogs/219016441.html

Go Gophers!!
 

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p><a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Gophers&src=hash">#Gophers</a> in-coming guard Dre Mathieu => RT <a href="https://twitter.com/DRIIIIIZZZZZYYY">@driiiiizzzzzyyy</a>: Summer school all passed next stop the University of Minnesota go gophers</p>— GopherHole.com (@GopherHole) <a href="https://twitter.com/GopherHole/statuses/366367168893423618">August 11, 2013</a></blockquote>
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Go Gophers!!
 

WEAU: Wally Ellenson prepares for 2013 Pan American Junior Championships

"I'm very excited. I'm so excited that I can represent Team USA down at the Pan-Am games and I can't wait for that experience and how that really is. It's really just to better myself down there. I obviously want to be the best under-19 in the world. That is definitely the goal, but just raising the bar again so I can get ready for senior competition next year. The first year was a big transition with the travel and every thing that I had to go through, but with all this experience with the first year I'm pretty confident in next year. Oh, it's crazy, it's a ton of fun. I've gone across the nation every weekend and I just get to see a ton of places. It's really fun, but it's nice to be home too."

http://www.weau.com/sports/headline...-American-Junior-Championships-219141681.html

Go Gophers!!
 

I don't know a lot about the ideal body type and training for high jumping, but is it possible to train and compete at an ELITE level at both high jumping and Big Ten basketball? Is the training and desired muscle mass consistent? (even putting aside the incredible time constraints to master both the subtle mechanics of high jumping as well as ball skills, footwork and shooting in basketball).
 

WanderingGopher said:
I don't know a lot about the ideal body type and training for high jumping, but is it possible to train and compete at an ELITE level at both high jumping and Big Ten basketball? Is the training and desired muscle mass consistent? (even putting aside the incredible time constraints to master both the subtle mechanics of high jumping as well as ball skills, footwork and shooting in basketball).
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Don't know much about high jumping, but pretty sure Wally has already said that you want different body types for each sport.
 



Darren Wolfson (@DarrenWolfson) tweeted at 1:09 PM on Mon, Aug 12, 2013:#Gophers expect to hear very, very soon. They are pretty confident. RT @CoachRCarlson @DarrenWolfson is King making progress on his waiver?
 

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Grateful for the opportunity to learn from the best pg in the business! <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23CP3&src=hash">#CP3</a> <a href="http://t.co/hvG9HNVvR2">pic.twitter.com/hvG9HNVvR2</a></p>— Andre Hollins (@AndreHollins) <a href="https://twitter.com/AndreHollins/statuses/367044393347211265">August 12, 2013</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Wheels up 10 am to Minneapolis YES!!!!</p>— Attack Mathieu (@DRIIIIIZZZZZYYY) <a href="https://twitter.com/DRIIIIIZZZZZYYY/statuses/370651316474744832">August 22, 2013</a></blockquote>
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Go Gophers!!
 

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