Athletic has Minnesota Ranked Number 2 in State Rankings

[Katogopher]

Couldn’t post the link, but those who have an Athletic Subscription, the WBB writers ranked the top 10 state rosters if local players stayed home. Gophers only behind California. Interesting read and highlights what we all know that Minnesota has good BB talent within its borders and as one commentator has said “oh what could’ve been”. Glad we the local players we have currently on the roster stayed home.

 

[Gopher Ally]

We would be in the sweet 16 and more every year if our top talent stayed home. Maybe one day we’ll see our Fab 5. One can dream

 

[Ignatius L Hoops]

If women’s NCAA basketball players stayed home for college, which state would win March Madness?

Imagine a team with Californians JuJu Watkins, Gabriela Jaquez, Kaitlyn Chen, Kiki Iriafen and Te-Hina Paopao.

www.nytimes.com

2. Minnesota​

Player	College	Position	Stats	City	High School
Paige Bueckers	UConn	G	19.0 ppg, 4.9 apg	Hopkins	Hopkins
Tessa Johnson	South Carolina	G	8.5 ppg, 41.1 3pt FG%	Albertville	Saint Michael Albertville
Alyssa Ustby	North Carolina	F	10.6 ppg, 9.5 rpg	Rochester	Lourdes
Ayoka Lee	Kansas State	C	15.5 ppg, 6.1 rpg	Byron	Byron
Olivia Olson	Michigan	G	16.2 ppg, 47.4 FG %	New Hope	Benilde St. Margaret's

 

[Slim Tubby]

If women’s NCAA basketball players stayed home for college, which state would win March Madness?

Imagine a team with Californians JuJu Watkins, Gabriela Jaquez, Kaitlyn Chen, Kiki Iriafen and Te-Hina Paopao.

www.nytimes.com

2. Minnesota​

Player	College	Position	Stats	City	High School
Paige Bueckers	UConn	G	19.0 ppg, 4.9 apg	Hopkins	Hopkins
Tessa Johnson	South Carolina	G	8.5 ppg, 41.1 3pt FG%	Albertville	Saint Michael Albertville
Alyssa Ustby	North Carolina	F	10.6 ppg, 9.5 rpg	Rochester	Lourdes
Ayoka Lee	Kansas State	C	15.5 ppg, 6.1 rpg	Byron	Byron
Olivia Olson	Michigan	G	16.2 ppg, 47.4 FG %	New Hope	Benilde St. Margaret's

 

[cheeseheadgophfan]

If women’s NCAA basketball players stayed home for college, which state would win March Madness?

Imagine a team with Californians JuJu Watkins, Gabriela Jaquez, Kaitlyn Chen, Kiki Iriafen and Te-Hina Paopao.

www.nytimes.com

2. Minnesota​

Player	College	Position	Stats	City	High School
Paige Bueckers	UConn	G	19.0 ppg, 4.9 apg	Hopkins	Hopkins
Tessa Johnson	South Carolina	G	8.5 ppg, 41.1 3pt FG%	Albertville	Saint Michael Albertville
Alyssa Ustby	North Carolina	F	10.6 ppg, 9.5 rpg	Rochester	Lourdes
Ayoka Lee	Kansas State	C	15.5 ppg, 6.1 rpg	Byron	Byron
Olivia Olson	Michigan	G	16.2 ppg, 47.4 FG %	New Hope	Benilde St. Margaret's

With LIv McGill coming off the bench???? WOW

 

[TruthSeeker]

If women’s NCAA basketball players stayed home for college, which state would win March Madness?

Imagine a team with Californians JuJu Watkins, Gabriela Jaquez, Kaitlyn Chen, Kiki Iriafen and Te-Hina Paopao.

www.nytimes.com

2. Minnesota​

Player	College	Position	Stats	City	High School
Paige Bueckers	UConn	G	19.0 ppg, 4.9 apg	Hopkins	Hopkins
Tessa Johnson	South Carolina	G	8.5 ppg, 41.1 3pt FG%	Albertville	Saint Michael Albertville
Alyssa Ustby	North Carolina	F	10.6 ppg, 9.5 rpg	Rochester	Lourdes
Ayoka Lee	Kansas State	C	15.5 ppg, 6.1 rpg	Byron	Byron
Olivia Olson	Michigan	G	16.2 ppg, 47.4 FG %	New Hope	Benilde St. Margaret's

That team could win the title right now.

The bench would be solid, too.

 

[gopherdudepart2]

Thankful for the Minnesota players we do have. Wish we could have gotten Liv McGill as a point guard. I know that was a longshot. McGill, she would have added some speed and passing to the Gophers roster.

 

[Aesop70]

An interesting article that builds pride as consolation prize. But it is a fools exercise. Minnesota is not a destination school. Programs with histories of deep NCAA runs and more enjoyable geography/climate will always pull from us. It is just the way it is unless we make multiple trips to the Final eight or better (create a history of deep runs).

To test this try an another exercise:

• Name as many states as you can where the #1 or #2 player from that state would ever potentially come to MN. Even if heavily recruited beginning very early.
  • I can think of one (obvious). 2-3 maybes.
• How many schools can list all 50 states where they'd could realistically land one of the top 2. Probably 7-8 programs.
• How many schools believe they could land one of MN's top 2 players?
  • Over 30 for sure (history would confirm this).

The program needs to grow that top number and reduce the bottom one.
I'm not trying to kill your buzz about the talent in the state. It 100% exists.
I want this program to win, not live vicariously through those that leave. And some will always leave as noted above unless they have a yearning to stay home regardless of recruiting. And that just doesn't naturally occur often enough to build a program.

Which is why winning is so critical and I get frustrated when we blow games that were within our reach. Those moments add that bottom bucket.

Go Gophers!

 

[Star City]

Which is why winning is so critical and I get frustrated when we blow games that were within our reach. Those moments add that bottom bucket.

Go Gophers!

That's why i'm always upset too. It seems like nowadays every team with Minnesota players who weren't 5-star mega-recruits are helping leading their teams to success while Minnesota, in the past 15 or so years, except for one year, never has any success (as in NCAA Tournament success).
Though I always to myself thought the ceiling for the Gophers this year, after the injuries, if everything went right, was a bubble team and have that be something to build on next year if everybody can be healthy. The difference between being a Top-25 team, a bubble-team, and a WBIT team doesn't seem to be that much. I need patience like I learned to have with the Vikings and winning a Super Bowl.