Dain Dainja Transfer

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I'm sure Coach BJ reached out. Would be nice low post pairing with Payne.
 

FWIW - Doogie says the Gophers "definitely" have interest. Doogie added disclaimer that Dainja "needs to work on his body" which I take to mean he is out of shape, and Doogie said grades could be an issue.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
FWIW - Doogie says the Gophers "definitely" have interest. Doogie added disclaimer that Dainja "needs to work on his body" which I take to mean he is out of shape, and Doogie said grades could be an issue.
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Sounds like he needs some Grit in his life. No better place than here with Coach Ben.
 




short ornery norwegian said:
Doogie added disclaimer that Dainja "needs to work on his body" which I take to mean he is out of shape
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He's listed at 6'9" and 270 so that's a few too many pounds. Probably he should be at least 20 pounds lighter.
 

cjbfbp said:
He's listed at 6'9" and 270 so that's a few too many pounds. Probably he should be at least 20 pounds lighter.
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Why, he was 260 his senior year in high school, he moved fine back then, if he hit the weights the extra 10 pounds could easily be muscle.
 

jovs said:
Why, he was 260 his senior year in high school, he moved fine back then, if he hit the weights the extra 10 pounds could easily be muscle.
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Muscle or not, that still seems heavy to me. Not everyone can pull that off like Charles Barkley.

I'm sure at 6'9" and 260 he was dominant in high school but Baylor and the Big 12 conference are not high school.
 



could we get him for the 2nd semester of this year? Would add some truly needed size to this team!
 

C'mon Dain, Reset your basketball career here in Minnesota! The State will love you for it and plenty of big men have honed their skills at the barn. It is the right move!
 

short ornery norwegian said:
FWIW - Doogie says the Gophers "definitely" have interest. Doogie added disclaimer that Dainja "needs to work on his body" which I take to mean he is out of shape, and Doogie said grades could be an issue.
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I'm guessing if he was eligible to play at Baylor, the academics are probably no longer an issue. Sounds like he's had some foot injuries, which might be a cause for the fitness issues. Personally it's easier to lose weight than it is to pack on muscle, so if he's at 270, get him down to the 245 range without much trouble.
 

Gophs24 said:
could we get him for the 2nd semester of this year? Would add some truly needed size to this team!
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Well, supposedly, players have only one free transfer now so I would imagine that he's going to consider his next destination very carefully. That process may not be concluded by the spring semester.
 



Loved Dainja as a player coming out of high school. If he’s willing to buy in to the culture and work ethic, would be absolutely thrilled to have him here. Him, Payne, and Thompson would be a really interesting group of bigs with different play styles
 

Don’t get your hopes up too high. I have no info, but just because a guy can play basketball, doesn’t mean Ben would want him on the team. Ben is looking for a whole list of attributes from his players. I have no idea if Dainja fits or not, just do not want all of you to tear Ben up if he decides to pass.
 


alchemy2u said:
Don’t get your hopes up too high. I have no info, but just because a guy can play basketball, doesn’t mean Ben would want him on the team. Ben is looking for a whole list of attributes from his players. I have no idea if Dainja fits or not, just do not want all of you to tear Ben up if he decides to pass.
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But Doogie says there's interest, so it must be true...
 

cjbfbp said:
Muscle or not, that still seems heavy to me. Not everyone can pull that off like Charles Barkley.

I'm sure at 6'9" and 260 he was dominant in high school but Baylor and the Big 12 conference are not high school.
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He is heavy. You hit the nail on the head, he was able to be really effective in HS because it was HS. In every interview with him, there were conversations about conditioning, etc.

This isn't a knock on him. He has a ton of talent and sometimes it takes people a bit to figure that out. It took Mo Walker a few years, it sounds like Ky Thomas showed up to campus overweight. So it's fixable but that doesn't mean it isn't an issue.

As far as Ben trying to get him here. That'd be cool if Ben was interested. If he wasn't, I'd get that too.
 








I love Dainja. He came to Illinois over 300 pounds. Last year, he was 255, the best shape he had been in. He got a little heavier this season, but he got in better shape late in the year.

Dain can score around the hoop with either hand. He made 19 straight shots late in the season. He runs the floor, too.

The reason he didn’t play more is the style of play Illinois used this year. He is a back to the basket player with great feet. However, Illinois wanted the 5 to be able to stretch the floor. He clogged the lane for Domask and his booty ball and Shannon and his slashing. He also struggles to guard in space. There is also the “good Dain, bad Dain” dynamic. You take the bad with the good. Against Iowa State, for example, he got a steal then tried to dribble behind his back in traffic. Did not end well. Then with 12 seconds left, he leaped out and fouled someone else’s man shooting a three. Last thing you want. But he also had some key baskets. The thing I like best about Dain is he stayed ready even when he wasn’t getting minutes. Team player.

He really helped in the Big Ten tournament. Wouldn’t have won without him. Illinois was interested in him staying but he wanted to be a guaranteed starter and he wanted a bigger NIL. Illinois wasn’t willing to do $200,000 or so since they need to spend a bunch at other spots.

I hope Dain finds a great spot and gets paid. I think in a low post attack, he can be a 15 and 8 kind of player. If he goes midmajor, I think he might average 20.
 

Dainja is great but if we have the kind of $$ to land Dainja, I think I'd prefer to spend the $$ on another wing. He isn't an ideal fit next to Garcia (both much better with ball in their hands).

I'd obviously be more than happy to land Dainja.
 


Bob_Loblaw said:
Dainja is great but if we have the kind of $$ to land Dainja, I think I'd prefer to spend the $$ on another wing. He isn't an ideal fit next to Garcia (both much better with ball in their hands).

I'd obviously be more than happy to land Dainja.
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Damn this comment hit me hard. But it's true. There's a budget and a shopping list now in college basketball (sports) just like the pro leagues
 


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