Ben Johnson is a Disaster

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jamiche said:
Of course Kansas and the other blue bloods have had good coaches. They've also been paying their players forever (and promising them NBA careers). Without the money, not nearly as many top players show up in a middle of nowhere place like Lawrence.

I do think Johnson can coach and recruit, although his record obviously doesn't show it. The reason I think he can coach is the game against tOSU that was broadcast on Fox1. The coaches were miked and there were no commercials. It was basically a live feed. I thought Johnson had good command of the huddle and the sideline. He was more assertive than he appears.

He can recruit because, as Gopher Playa said, he's recruited the top players in Illinois, Colorado and he brought in Henley and Evans. He lost Evans to a larger NIL offer. The portal is a problem.

This is a pivotal year. I think he has to get to about six wins and hold on to his players to keep his job. We'll see.
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Very fair and good post all around, thanks.

Bolded: sure, probably same for Lincoln. (Steroids and other corner cutting helped as well) But that was decades ago, to get the ball rolling. Now that the ball is rolling, it's impossible to decouple the factors: do players go to the best of the best program (talking strictly KU now), because they know that's the best path to success or do players only go there because they get the most money from shoes and now NIL?

I think you automatically get one with the other, now, you can't really decouple them.
 


I know this could easily be a minority opinion among top recruits ... but some may actually not want the distractions of being in a recognizable location let alone a major market. Allowing them to better focus on developing their game.

Of course, any major university is going to have some kind of party scene to find, somewhere, if you look for it.
 

The Gopher Basketball results have been a disaster under Ben Johnson. Agreed.
Predictions:
1. Ben Johnson gets a raise and extension in less than a year.
2. Big evelopmental leaps by Carrington, Payne, and JOJ. B1G starter quality play.
3. Betts an Christie. The best freshmen we have seen in many years.
4. Ihnen and Fox. Both could play better with prosthetics than what we got from Year 2 Battle.
5. Hawkins and Mitchell. Major League upgrades where we were really weak last year.
6. Wilson. We may not see much of what he brings to this team. He is a team player. A great attitude. An example for strength and conditioning. An additional assistant coach there. Hardening Payne in practice. Maybe some useful minutes.
7. I doubt any group is working harder at getting better than the coaching staff. We will see what they got when the season begins.
 

Rockraven said:
The Gopher Basketball results have been a disaster under Ben Johnson. Agreed.
Predictions:
1. Ben Johnson gets a raise and extension in less than a year.
2. Big evelopmental leaps by Carrington, Payne, and JOJ. B1G starter quality play.
3. Betts an Christie. The best freshmen we have seen in many years.
4. Ihnen and Fox. Both could play better with prosthetics than what we got from Year 2 Battle.
5. Hawkins and Mitchell. Major League upgrades where we were really weak last year.
6. Wilson. We may not see much of what he brings to this team. He is a team player. A great attitude. An example for strength and conditioning. An additional assistant coach there. Hardening Payne in practice. Maybe some useful minutes.
7. I doubt any group is working harder at getting better than the coaching staff. We will see what they got when the season begins.
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This is actually reasonable optimism. Is it likely that all happen? No. If most of them happen to one degree or another we will take a big jump this year. I don't see that any of these individual points are highly improbable.
 


bga1 said:
This is actually reasonable optimism. Is it likely that all happen? No. If most of them happen to one degree or another we will take a big jump this year. I don't see that any of these individual points are highly improbable.
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If it helps I guarantee them. My only concern are season ending injuries. Minor dings? Our depth has short term answers. Settling on 5 starters and substitution patterns needs to be settled by the coaches. Our depth elevates the entire team.
 

Rockraven said:
NIL has to get a start and then grow for us. It is one of the few ways we don’t we don’t become a blueblood feeder school when we do improve. HS kids are getting NIL now and agents follow the money. Don’t forget Evans had an agent. They work for NIL $$$.
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Agreed. But there actually has to be some success and some players that people want to invest in for it to work. We're a long way off from that. NIL money is a really tough sell with the current state of the program. Right now, the program simply needs to show some (any?) improvement in their on-court performance before we start worrying about NIL money.
 

Gophers_4life said:
I know this could easily be a minority opinion among top recruits ... but some may actually not want the distractions of being in a recognizable location let alone a major market. Allowing them to better focus on developing their game.

Of course, any major university is going to have some kind of party scene to find, somewhere, if you look for it.
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Depends what you mean by that. It's probably a lot easier for a player to be anonymous at Minnesota than at Iowa or Nebraska.
 

howeda7 said:
Depends what you mean by that. It's probably a lot easier for a player to be anonymous at Minnesota than at Iowa or Nebraska.
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Anonymous among the student body when walking around campus ... but that's not really the (hypothetical) distractions I'm thinking of.
 



howeda7 said:
Depends what you mean by that. It's probably a lot easier for a player to be anonymous at Minnesota than at Iowa or Nebraska.
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There was a story within the last couple of months about a player who thought UConn was great for the lack of non-basketball distractions - Storrs is a small town it's a ways to Hartford. All these guys stand out on campus, though, and are major celebrities in town and around the region.

It's opposite at MN or any urban school - though it's easy to spot Randy Breuer crossing from the West Bank to the East Bank on the Washington Av. bridge amongst the sea of humanity that are all over a foot shorter...
 

bga1 said:
This is actually reasonable optimism. Is it likely that all happen? No. If most of them happen to one degree or another we will take a big jump this year. I don't see that any of these individual points are highly improbable.
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(1) This isn't impossible but it is definitely improbable.
(2) Probable
(3) Absolutely improbable. The chance that both of these guys are better than Payne or Oturu. Again, it's not impossible, but it's definitely improbable.
(4) This is a bizarre take. It's possible, but neither of them have played a minute the last two seasons. It's improbable they both play most of the season much less outperform Battle.
(5) Almost a certainty.
(6) Absolutely improbable. He was AWFUL at other stops. He might play so few minutes that it doesn't matter that much, but there is nothing to suggest he'll be decent or play useful minutes. You can say it's a hope, but this is statistically improbable. Also - he won't be like an assistant coach, that's impossible. The guy barely played basketball and takes up a scholarship. Pilgrim is just making sh!t up here to feel better about this signing.
(7) Complete non-point, unprovable. I think

The vast majority of them are, at best, improbable. In totality, it's not a reasonable take at all.
 

Bob_Loblaw said:
(1) This isn't impossible but it is definitely improbable.
(2) Probable
(3) Absolutely improbable. The chance that both of these guys are better than Payne or Oturu. Again, it's not impossible, but it's definitely improbable.
(4) This is a bizarre take. It's possible, but neither of them have played a minute the last two seasons. It's improbable they both play most of the season much less outperform Battle.
(5) Almost a certainty.
(6) Absolutely improbable. He was AWFUL at other stops. He might play so few minutes that it doesn't matter that much, but there is nothing to suggest he'll be decent or play useful minutes. You can say it's a hope, but this is statistically improbable. Also - he won't be like an assistant coach, that's impossible. The guy barely played basketball and takes up a scholarship. Pilgrim is just making sh!t up here to feel better about this signing.
(7) Complete non-point, unprovable. I think

The vast majority of them are, at best, improbable. In totality, it's not a reasonable take at all.
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We’re waiting for the breakdown of each players future minutes played. Now that’s probable! Gut wrenching belly laugh. Thank you for that.
 

Rockraven said:
We’re waiting for the breakdown of each players future minutes played. Now that’s probable! Gut wrenching belly laugh. Thank you for that.
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I'm waiting for you to be so embarrassed by your awful takes that you have to change screen name for the 50th time. You're takes are so awful even someone as dumb as you gets embarrassed.

I listed out the minutes to show how easy it would have been for a competent coach to find 15+ minutes for Battle at his natural position.

You also clearly don't know what the word "probable" means. Chalk up another L for Pilgrim, DieEasy, RockRaven.
 




Rockraven said:
The Gopher Basketball results have been a disaster under Ben Johnson. Agreed.
Predictions:
1. Ben Johnson gets a raise and extension in less than a year.
2. Big evelopmental leaps by Carrington, Payne, and JOJ. B1G starter quality play.
3. Betts an Christie. The best freshmen we have seen in many years.
4. Ihnen and Fox. Both could play better with prosthetics than what we got from Year 2 Battle.
5. Hawkins and Mitchell. Major League upgrades where we were really weak last year.
6. Wilson. We may not see much of what he brings to this team. He is a team player. A great attitude. An example for strength and conditioning. An additional assistant coach there. Hardening Payne in practice. Maybe some useful minutes.
7. I doubt any group is working harder at getting better than the coaching staff. We will see what they got when the season begins.
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The bolded: how many years is many years? You know we're talking about a couple NBA draftees including one who's been in an NBA starting lineup. Betts and Christie will both be starting in the NBA?
 

Bad Gopher said:
The bolded: how many years is many years? You know we're talking about a couple NBA draftees including one who's been in an NBA starting lineup. Betts and Christie will both be starting in the NBA?
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After being All-B1G and leading us to 2-3 B1G titles? I would hope so!
 



Rockraven said:
We’re waiting for the breakdown of each players future minutes played. Now that’s probable! Gut wrenching belly laugh. Thank you for that.
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I'll take a shot at this! Looking at a 8-9 player rotation.

PG: Hawkins 30, Mitchell 10
SG: Mitchell 20, Carrington 10, Christie 10
SF: One of them 24 and the rest 16 ( JOJ, Christie, Betts, Ihnen)
PF: Garcia 24, JOJ 12, Ihnen 4
C: Payne 30, Garcia 10.

SF is the biggest ?? Who will step up to earn the most PT? Then #2?

Can't count on Fox as mum is the word and that isn't a good sign at this point. Ramberg, Wilson, etc will get mop up time duty unless both Payne and Garcia get in foul trouble then will have to put them out there.

Ben could use a 3 guard combo (Hawkins, Mitchell plus one) depending on who's looking good. In that case I see Carrington/Christie getting more PT.

Christie, Betts, Ihnen and Fox are the unkown/darkhorse's. We know about the others. If they aren't ready, then its Hawkins, Mitchell, JOJ/Carrington, Payne and Garcia and a bit of Ramberg and Wilson. Ouch!

This is about clear as mud!!!
 

Bayfieldgopher said:
I'll take a shot at this! Looking at a 8-9 player rotation.

PG: Hawkins 30, Mitchell 10
SG: Mitchell 20, Carrington 10, Christie 10
SF: One of them 24 and the rest 16 ( JOJ, Christie, Betts, Ihnen)
PF: Garcia 24, JOJ 12, Ihnen 4
C: Payne 30, Garcia 10.

SF is the biggest ?? Who will step up to earn the most PT? Then #2?

Can't count on Fox as mum is the word and that isn't a good sign at this point. Ramberg, Wilson, etc will get mop up time duty unless both Payne and Garcia get in foul trouble then will have to put them out there.

Ben could use a 3 guard combo (Hawkins, Mitchell plus one) depending on who's looking good. In that case I see Carrington/Christie getting more PT.

Christie, Betts, Ihnen and Fox are the unkown/darkhorse's. We know about the others. If they aren't ready, then its Hawkins, Mitchell, JOJ/Carrington, Payne and Garcia and a bit of Ramberg and Wilson. Ouch!

This is about clear as mud!!!
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There's no chance that Carrington and Christie only play 10 mpg each.
 

I don’t know why CBJ is so quiet about the team and player development. Although he does have a huge upgrade in talent and much better roster balance to work with this year. He has a lot of things to sort out. Good things, but I do wish he could publicly backup the things I’m telling you. I guess it is best to back them up on the court.
 

Rockraven said:
I don’t know why CBJ is so quiet about the team and player development. Although he does have a huge upgrade in talent and much better roster balance to work with this year. He has a lot of things to sort out. Good things, but I do wish he could publicly backup the things I’m telling you. I guess it is best to back them up on the court.
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What do you want him to say? That we won't finish last place? Hopefully he's learned his lesson on that one.
 

Zeppelin Gopher said:
There's no chance that Carrington and Christie only play 10 mpg each.
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Will be if Ben uses a 3 guard combo. If not, they both could be competing for PT with Mitchell. I'm going with the experienced players at this point except SF which seems to be the weak link. Christie may or may not be ready to contribute.

Sure like to see Ben nab a decent SF.
 
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Rockraven said:
I don’t know why CBJ is so quiet about the team and player development. Although he does have a huge upgrade in talent and much better roster balance to work with this year. He has a lot of things to sort out. Good things, but I do wish he could publicly backup the things I’m telling you. I guess it is best to back them up on the court.
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Oh my goodness.
 


jamiche said:
Of course Kansas and the other blue bloods have had good coaches. They've also been paying their players forever (and promising them NBA careers). Without the money, not nearly as many top players show up in a middle of nowhere place like Lawrence.

I do think Johnson can coach and recruit, although his record obviously doesn't show it. The reason I think he can coach is the game against tOSU that was broadcast on Fox1. The coaches were miked and there were no commercials. It was basically a live feed. I thought Johnson had good command of the huddle and the sideline. He was more assertive than he appears.

He can recruit because, as Gopher Playa said, he's recruited the top players in Illinois, Colorado and he brought in Henley and Evans. He lost Evans to a larger NIL offer. The portal is a problem.

This is a pivotal year. I think he has to get to about six wins and hold on to his players to keep his job. We'll see.
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Off base much? Lawrence, KS, Storrs, CT, Lubbock, TX just to name a few out of the way places where. What do they have in common? COACHES WHO CAN COACH.
Storied programs, regardless of location or sport, will for the most part always be just that. Why? Because when one great coach retires the school goes out and finds the next coach to continue the programs success.
Players are going to go play for a program and coach who they feel will bring out their best, they will win as well as have a wonderful chance to win a National Championship. Pretty simple really unless of course one wants to sit and make excuse after excuse after excuse as to why their beloved program is mired in mediocrity or less.
 

A-Town Owl said:
I basically agree with all this. I think they need to not play on Wednesday for Ben to keep his job. The win total is harder to project, but just don't finish in the bottom four.
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I've been saying at least an NIT appearance. But based on the non-conference schedule they have now, not making the NIT while also not finishing in the bottom 4 of the Big Ten would be nearly impossible.
 

RockChalk said:
Off base much? Lawrence, KS, Storrs, CT, Lubbock, TX just to name a few out of the way places where. What do they have in common? COACHES WHO CAN COACH.
Storied programs, regardless of location or sport, will for the most part always be just that. Why? Because when one great coach retires the school goes out and finds the next coach to continue the programs success.
Players are going to go play for a program and coach who they feel will bring out their best, they will win as well as have a wonderful chance to win a National Championship. Pretty simple really unless of course one wants to sit and make excuse after excuse after excuse as to why their beloved program is mired in mediocrity or less.
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Of course coaches have a lot to do with it. It might also have something to do with these blue blood programs in out of the way places paying their players a lot of money long before NIL came along.
 



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