Carson Shanks to Minnesota pretty much a done deal

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According to Ryan James, it is pretty much a given that Carson Shanks will transfer to Minnesota and be eligible to play the second half of next season. Apparently all that is being waited on is for Carson to get admitted to school for the next semester, which is not going to be a problem at all. As far as the scholarship situation goes, Kendal Shell was promised a scholarship for next semester and Pitino will honor that so Carson will have to pay his own way for the first semester, which he is willing to do. After that it sounds like Carson will be on scholarship.

Also of note, James said that Shanks was about to have his redshirt pulled at Utah State and would have seen playing time. This doesn't surprise me as we are pretty thin in the front court after arguably our best player, Jarred Shaw, was suspended indefinitely (not booted from school as James has claimed, Jarred is still a part of the team). Anyway, it seems like the coaching staff here was fairly high on Carson and disappointed to see him go.
 


I would be shocked if Shanks plays well enough to earn a scholarship based on his HS career. But if he does great!
 

He need to add weight and strength. If he wore black and stood sideways somebody would say: " Can I check your umbrella"?
 

I heard he gets his fingers stuck playing the piano and does jumping jacks in the shower to get wet.
 


Ben Johnson must have been a fan. Meh.
 

I trust the staff. Sounds like there is at least a chance he ends up being a walk-on. At least we'll have another big guy on the roster next year.
 

Also, if Shell is getting a scholarship next fall and Shanks next Spring, does that mean we are done with the 2013 class if no one transfers?
 

MadtownGopher said:
Also, if Shell is getting a scholarship next fall and Shanks next Spring, does that mean we are done with the 2013 class if no one transfers?
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I thought it seemed like Shell was going to have a scholarship for this Spring semester not next fall which would make sense because there is nobody else to use it on this Spring. I would think there is still one scholarship to work with for next season barring any transfers unless Shanks impresses in practice this 2nd half of the year and earns that scholarship.
 



Goldy Gopher said:
I thought it seemed like Shell was going to have a scholarship for this Spring semester not next fall which would make sense because there is nobody else to use it on this Spring. I would think there is still one scholarship to work with for next season barring any transfers unless Shanks impresses in practice this 2nd half of the year and earns that scholarship.
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Yeah, I misread the OP. My bad.
 



I am really hoping this is a walk on opportunity with the possibility to earn a scholarship at some point in the future. This team needs more good basketball players, not kids that "might contribute" at some point after they develop.

As for Shell, he's on scholarship this year because the Gophers had an open slot (partly due to Buckles staying at FIU) that was going unused. The only way Shell is on scholarship next year is if Pitino ends up with 12 kids again (highly unlikely).
 



was this his freshman year at utah state. On the positive side, it's a big body, he won't play much behind EE and Mo next year and if Alex or Henry commit here, either of them would pass him on the depth chart, the way I see it, if he can contribute 10-15 minutes as an upperclassmen, it'll help balance the classes for recruiting in the future, I don't have a problem with it.
 

bemidjigopher said:
was this his freshman year at utah state. On the positive side, it's a big body, he won't play much behind EE and Mo next year and if Alex or Henry commit here, either of them would pass him on the depth chart, the way I see it, if he can contribute 10-15 minutes as an upperclassmen, it'll help balance the classes for recruiting in the future, I don't have a problem with it.
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He really needs to use these next 9 months and add some muscle/weight and work on his offensive game. He's 7-0, 235 lbs, hardly strong enough to be a B1G center. If he can add 15 lbs, he'd do wonders for his ability to compete when EE/Mo graduate.
 

GameDay said:
He really needs to use these next 9 months and add some muscle/weight and work on his offensive game. He's 7-0, 235 lbs, hardly strong enough to be a B1G center. If he can add 15 lbs, he'd do wonders for his ability to compete when EE/Mo graduate.
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If Mo can drop 60, Carson can add 15 here's hoping
 

GameDay said:
He really needs to use these next 9 months and add some muscle/weight and work on his offensive game. He's 7-0, 235 lbs, hardly strong enough to be a B1G center. If he can add 15 lbs, he'd do wonders for his ability to compete when EE/Mo graduate.
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He's the same size as Frank Kaminsky. How's he working out for Wiscy? You all make it sound like he can't tip 200 in a soaking wet snow suit.
 

Gophers7NatTitlesBadgers0 said:
He's the same size as Frank Kaminsky. How's he working out for Wiscy? You all make it sound like he can't tip 200 in a soaking wet snow suit.
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Carson's size is fine. He'll be the same size EE is by the time he steps foot on Williams Arena. I'm not surprised at all if he impressed Pitino in an individual workout as Carson looks like a million bucks without anyone guarding him. Has all the moves, and can shoot lights out when no one is around.

My biggest concerns with Carson would be between the ears, he has a confidence issue and I would be really interested to see him in the heat of the moment in a crazy atmosphere in a big game on the road. He CAN be a lights out shooter, and he has all the tools to be an effective post player, but he has an affinity for brain farts and just real questionable play and the tendency to disappear.

I'm also quite concerned with his ability to get up and down the court, but I would think Pitino could get him in shape enough for that.
 

How old is he? How much time is there to mature physically and psychologically?
 


Winasota Gopher said:
Carson's size is fine. He'll be the same size EE is by the time he steps foot on Williams Arena. I'm not surprised at all if he impressed Pitino in an individual workout as Carson looks like a million bucks without anyone guarding him. Has all the moves, and can shoot lights out when no one is around.

My biggest concerns with Carson would be between the ears, he has a confidence issue and I would be really interested to see him in the heat of the moment in a crazy atmosphere in a big game on the road. He CAN be a lights out shooter, and he has all the tools to be an effective post player, but he has an affinity for brain farts and just real questionable play and the tendency to disappear.

I'm also quite concerned with his ability to get up and down the court, but I would think Pitino could get him in shape enough for that.
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I was merely responding to the previous posts that make him out to be the width of a blade of grass when he stands sideways. He could definitely add some muscle weight and as he matures he will, but he shouldn't have to roid up or anything drastic to do it
 

Winasota Gopher said:
Carson's size is fine. He'll be the same size EE is by the time he steps foot on Williams Arena. I'm not surprised at all if he impressed Pitino in an individual workout as Carson looks like a million bucks without anyone guarding him. Has all the moves, and can shoot lights out when no one is around.

My biggest concerns with Carson would be between the ears, he has a confidence issue and I would be really interested to see him in the heat of the moment in a crazy atmosphere in a big game on the road. He CAN be a lights out shooter, and he has all the tools to be an effective post player, but he has an affinity for brain farts and just real questionable play and the tendency to disappear.

I'm also quite concerned with his ability to get up and down the court, but I would think Pitino could get him in shape enough for that.
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If this is an accurate breakdown then I like that we are bringing him in. Pitino is much better at handling a player's psyche than Tubby. We've already seen this to be true with the returning players this year, most notably with Oto. If this kid is actually as skilled as you make him out to be then I trust Pitino will be able to work on him with his confidence and mental mistakes because after all he is just a freshman. I also like that we are adding another Minnesota kid, it is important to have some local kids on the team.
 

Freshman center Carson Shanks leaves Utah State basketball program

Published on Dec 19, 2013 10:21PM

Freshman center Carson Shanks has left the Utah State men's basketball program, his family confirmed Thursday afternoon.

The 7-foot Minnesota native elected to leave Logan after only one semester. His father, Michael Shanks, said his son was looking to transfer closer to home, and there were no other hard feelings involved.
Utah State was redshirting Shanks this season, the only incoming freshman not yet to play. His departure leaves the program precipitously thin at the center position, with only one man - 6-foot-10 Jordan Stone - slated to play at 5-spot next year. The Aggies will likely seek to bolster the depth at the position in the spring signing period.

Shanks averaged 12 points and 8 rebounds per game as a senior at Prior Lake in Minnesota.
—Kyle Goon

[email protected]

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/blogsususports/57288655-55/shanks-center-freshman-program.html.csp
 

Why is no one taking Pitino to task considering that so many of the players brought in by him and his staff are former low major players and/or recruits?
 

Gophers7NatTitlesBadgers0 said:
I was merely responding to the previous posts that make him out to be the width of a blade of grass when he stands sideways. He could definitely add some muscle weight and as he matures he will, but he shouldn't have to roid up or anything drastic to do it
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He's also got good genes, his father isn't slim, good sized man. Should fill out.

MadtownGopher said:
If this is an accurate breakdown then I like that we are bringing him in. Pitino is much better at handling a player's psyche than Tubby. We've already seen this to be true with the returning players this year, most notably with Oto. If this kid is actually as skilled as you make him out to be then I trust Pitino will be able to work on him with his confidence and mental mistakes because after all he is just a freshman. I also like that we are adding another Minnesota kid, it is important to have some local kids on the team.
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My knowledge of Carson may be dated, I'll add that, in that I haven't personally seen his games in a couple years. My current knowledge would be derived from 2nd hand conversations with those that have worked with and/or observed him play as well as reading recaps and other forums which have discussed his abilities/lack of abilities (utah state). However, from the mental side of things, those rarely change over the course of a high school career, and in this instance I don't see Carson's psyche changing, just the way those that are around him may have changed. Said differently, he probably benefited greatly from being away from home, and unfair expectations, for a while even though he became significantly homesick.

Carson has been tutored to be a big time college athlete since he was a little kid, so the finer points of the game he knows, its all in the execution. He is a completely different player in a drill than he is with a big boy banging on his backside. Like Madtown said, if coach P can do what he did with Oto, we will like what we get. It wont be a 35 minute a game dominating big in the middle. But it will be someone that can stand among the trees and alter shots and will be able to knock down shots from the elbow and wing with regularity.
 

dpodoll68 said:
Why is no one taking Pitino to task considering that so many of the players brought in by him and his staff are former low major players and/or recruits?
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If he is still doing this two years from now (and the current ones aren't working out), then I think people will start to get upset. But it's tough to complain about Malik, Mathieu or King at this point. And next year's class will likely only include Shanks as a "low major" recruit. The other 3 had some big-time offers.
 

dpodoll68 said:
Why is no one taking Pitino to task considering that so many of the players brought in by him and his staff are former low major players and/or recruits?
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DeAndre is better than any PG Tubby ever brought in. Malik has proven his worth as a zone buster and good option off the bench. Joey King has actually been a pleasant surprise considering he averaged 6 pts at Drake last year. It's still too early to properly judge McNeil, but he does seem to be getting better as the season goes on. So I'm not sure you could really "take him to task" yet. We'll see how his 2014 recruits turn out, but so far it doesn't look like he's completely missed on any of the players he's brought in, which is impressive considering how many scholarships he had to fill in such a short period of time.
 

Winasota Gopher said:
My knowledge of Carson may be dated, I'll add that, in that I haven't personally seen his games in a couple years. My current knowledge would be derived from 2nd hand conversations with those that have worked with and/or observed him play as well as reading recaps and other forums which have discussed his abilities/lack of abilities (utah state). However, from the mental side of things, those rarely change over the course of a high school career, and in this instance I don't see Carson's psyche changing, just the way those that are around him may have changed. Said differently, he probably benefited greatly from being away from home, and unfair expectations, for a while even though he became significantly homesick.

Carson has been tutored to be a big time college athlete since he was a little kid, so the finer points of the game he knows, its all in the execution. He is a completely different player in a drill than he is with a big boy banging on his backside. Like Madtown said, if coach P can do what he did with Oto, we will like what we get. It wont be a 35 minute a game dominating big in the middle. But it will be someone that can stand among the trees and alter shots and will be able to knock down shots from the elbow and wing with regularity.
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It appears that in the Pitino system, centers contribute more in terms of distributing the ball and don't have to be major scorers. If RP can get this kid to be a disruptive force down low defensively, get points off off. rebs., and can find open shooters on the perimeter, next years conference games should be exciting.
 

MadtownGopher said:
DeAndre is better than any PG Tubby ever brought in.
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Depends on whether you consider Hollins a PG. I also don't consider him part of the conversation, as he was never a low major recruit or player. And Tubby shouldn't be the recruiting standard for the supposed recruiting genius. Tubby's weakness was and always will be his unwillingness to play the AAU game, which is why he rarely recruited big-time studs. This is supposed to be Pitino's strength, getting rosters full of 4- and 5-star players. Their analogous 2008 and 2014 classes are heavily tilted (on paper) in Tubby's favor, and Tubby's not a great or even good on-paper recruiter. How long does Pitino get to keep bringing in 3-stars before the myth of him as the master recruiter is exposed?

In particular, I don't understand why he gets a pass on bringing in local low major players (King and Shanks) who were deemed to not be good enough for the Gophers in the first place? If Shanks is only a walk-on (doubtful), I withdraw my objection. But if Tubby had been bringing in King- and Shanks-type players in 2007/08, this board would've melted to the ground. When Pitino does it, it gets a "meh" or "I trust him".
 

dpodoll68 said:
Depends on whether you consider Hollins a PG. I also don't consider him part of the conversation, as he was never a low major recruit or player. And Tubby shouldn't be the recruiting standard for the supposed recruiting genius. Tubby's weakness was and always will be his unwillingness to play the AAU game, which is why he rarely recruited big-time studs. This is supposed to be Pitino's strength, getting rosters full of 4- and 5-star players. Their analogous 2008 and 2014 classes are heavily tilted (on paper) in Tubby's favor, and Tubby's not a great or even good on-paper recruiter. How long does Pitino get to keep bringing in 3-stars before the myth of him as the master recruiter is exposed?

In particular, I don't understand why he gets a pass on bringing in local low major players (King and Shanks) who were deemed to not be good enough for the Gophers in the first place? If Shanks is only a walk-on (doubtful), I withdraw my objection. But if Tubby had been bringing in King- and Shanks-type players in 2007/08, this board would've melted to the ground. When Pitino does it, it gets a "meh" or "I trust him".
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He hasn't even been the coach for a year yet. Give the guy some time. No one was going to take over the Minnesota job and get 4 and 5 star kids in the 13 and 14 class.
 

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