Drew Peterson commits to Gophers!

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Arthiro said:
Has to be hard for a recruit to hear that they are second fiddle to someone. I am assuming Pitino told him that his offer was only good if Walton didn't commit. I am just happy this saga is over.
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Kid must have really wanted to play in big ten
 

builtbadgers said:
Love the optimism but it is based on edited highlights of a terrible mid major team. Let the young men gain some strength, adjust to new mates and a rugged conference.
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Disagree 100%. He has lifted weights and had top notch strength and conditioning at Rice for two years out of high school now. (Rice build a new strength facility for football, that all athletes use)

This will be his third season out of high school. He's not going to get much stronger or larger, he is what he is. He'll be fine.

If he can help the team this season, he should absolutely play. He'll still have 2021-22 as a senior.
 

howeda7 said:
I think it's clear he is not a starter. Either Ihnen or Mashburn start with Carr and Gabe.
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Right. And now we can have Mash take a little bit of the PG load off of Carr. Let him get a breather here and there.
 

BballJones said:
This worked out well for us with Willis. :rolleyes: I expect Carr back, but that could be a kick in shorts too. I agree it works well in certain situations, but like someone else mentioned earlier, the amount of transferring is unreal. So it's entirely possible that Drew sits, plays one year and then grad transfers. No thanks,
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Good point!

Pitino needs contributors this year, if he wants to save his job. He'll play. And he should, if he can legit help the team.
 

The other thing with a RS is, is that player going to help you more that 5th year? We could have RS Hurt but he would still have been a wasted spot, same with Greenlee, if he's just going to ride the pine why waste a spot another year. Not saying Peterson wouldn't, just making the point sometimes just cut your loses at 4 years, don't tack on another year
 


Things I like about Peterson:
  • Intriguing size and versatility. Helps us create a lot of lineups. Payton Willis was fairly one dimensional IMO.
  • Improved in every statistical category from freshman to sophomore year. One exception is turnovers, but it seems he was handling the ball a lot more. He did have a few huge turnover games (6, 7 and 8 TO's) and that makes me wonder what happened.
  • Improved throughout the year, too. One of his best games was their last one, a loss in the conference tournament (24 pts, 7-14 FG, 3-7 3PT, 6 reb, 4 ast, 1 stl, 1 blk, 6 TO)
  • I watched highlights from highschool and college, and he seems to be a really creative passer for a big guy. He can pass with high velocity on a dime. Last season he had some big assist games (10, 8, two 7's, four 6's). Nice to know he can keep the ball moving.
  • 82% FT shooter. Last year, Demir was actually our best FT shooting rotation player (77%). Gabe and Carr at 70% needs to improve.
  • I mentioned this a few weeks ago, but his game looks identical to a guy I played with at Minnehaha. Lots of pump fakes and jump stops in the lane, some outside shooting, and uses his height and length to pass, including some crafty no-look passes. So maybe some of this is just nostalgia.
  • I like that he mentioned Carlson as a reason for his commitment. If you check his Twitter feed, he follows the economy. If you know anything about Rice, it has an excellent academic reputation -- one of the top schools in the country. He clearly cares about his education and I like having those kinds of guys on the team and as alumni in the future.
Concerns
  • How will his body hold up in the B10? I'm 6'7" 225 and I can only imagine how skinny a 6'8" 185 guy is. I doubt he can guard PF's in the B10. Is he fast enough to guard 2's or 3's?
  • Do some of the moves that work against Houston Baptist and Southern Miss hold up against MSU or Wisconsin, when guys are faster and longer?
  • Can he get eligible this year? No family waiver for him so he needs the NCAA to vote. I do think the best thing for MN basketball would be for him to sit for a year to adjust, but best thing for Pitino is to play right away.
  • Who does he take PT away from? Maybe a good problem to have. I really wanted to see more of Ihnen this coming year. With Brandon Johnson coming in at the 4 and Peterson now committed, does Ihnen get as many minutes to develop?
 
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I think Badger was pointing out that that he should sit even if eligible and if we want the best player possible that's something we should do. How many games do you feel he'd win us next year if he played? I like the pick up but I don't think he's a game changer and I fail to see how way better than Willis. Then again I found more value in Willis than many on this board.
 

Pitino told Peterson he wants him to come in and play right away. Sorry built

"
“Coach Pitino emphasized he wants to me to come in and play right away,” Peterson said. “I’m going to do anything in my power, but I hope the [NCAA] meeting goes well May 20. Coach Pitino wants me ready to go, so hopefully we can get me playing first year.”
"
 



MplsGopher said:
Disagree 100%. He has lifted weights and had top notch strength and conditioning at Rice for two years out of high school now. (Rice build a new strength facility for football, that all athletes use)

This will be his third season out of high school. He's not going to get much stronger or larger, he is what he is. He'll be fine.

If he can help the team this season, he should absolutely play. He'll still have 2021-22 as a senior.
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They have weights at mid majors?? Ya right dude
 

MinnGopher said:
They have weights at mid majors?? Ya right dude
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I know you were joking, but for those curious, here is Rice's new-ish facility:

Patterson_Weight_Room_5.jpg
 

All, or most of, the eggs are in the basket of the NCAA declaring all transfers immediately eligible. Could happen that Liam is declared eligible without the rule change. I just think this is, on paper, a pretty high risk move given the situation. It seems we have put our fate in the hands of the NCAA bureaucracy, which is never a good thing.

I think we have a high character contributor in Peterson. Looking forward to him playing. No way he redshirts if he doesn't have to. At least he understands the risk he is taking and knows there is no assurance he can play this year.

Hoping for the best, but not anticipating it.
 

manderson1984 said:
I think Badger was pointing out that that he should sit even if eligible and if we want the best player possible that's something we should do. How many games do you feel he'd win us next year if he played? I like the pick up but I don't think he's a game changer and I fail to see how way better than Willis. Then again I found more value in Willis than many on this board.
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I think his effectiveness went down during the Big Ten season. Some of it might have been a nagging injury. He shot 35% overall FG % in the Big Ten- which is pretty brutal. He shot a decent 33% from 3pt range, but only decent for a guy who shoots over 70% of his shots from 3 point range. He just was not a threat to drive or score on a break. Defensively I didn't think he was real good. He didn't turn the ball over much - which is good. What did you see?
 



eker0016 said:
Concerns
  • How will his body hold up in the B10? I'm 6'7" 225 and I can only imagine how skinny a 6'8" 185 guy is. I doubt he can guard PF's in the B10. Is he fast enough to guard 2's or 3's?
  • Do some of the moves that work against Houston Baptist and Southern Miss hold up against MSU or Wisconsin, when guys are faster and longer?
  • Can he get eligible this year? No family waiver for him so he needs the NCAA to vote. I do think the best thing for MN basketball would be for him to sit for a year to adjust, but best thing for Pitino is to play right away.
  • Who does he take PT away from? Maybe a good problem to have. I really wanted to see more of Ihnen this coming year. With Brandon Johnson coming in at the 4 and Peterson now committed, does Ihnen get as many minutes to develop?
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Is he really 6'8" 185 now or were those his measurements coming out of high school?

Quite likely he won't be as productive, at least initially, at the Big Ten level. But, we've had guys on this team that wouldn't have been as productive as him at the Conference USA level.

Don't know. Keep your fingers crossed.

My guess is that Ihnen is going to play a lot based on the potential he showed late in the season. Although Ihnen is a pretty decent long-range shooter for his size, he started to develop into a more effective inside player as time went on. He's quick and appears to have a pretty good wingspan/reach. Ihnen is probably better groomed as a 4 who can step outside and shoot with some frequency.
 

cjbfbp said:
Is he really 6'8" 185 now or were those his measurements coming out of high school?

Quite likely he won't be as productive, at least initially, at the Big Ten level. But, we've had guys on this team that wouldn't have been as productive as him at the Conference USA level.

Don't know. Keep your fingers crossed.

My guess is that Ihnen is going to play a lot based on the potential he showed late in the season. Although Ihnen is a pretty decent long-range shooter for his size, he started to develop into a more effective inside player as time went on. He's quick and appears to have a pretty good wingspan/reach. Ihnen is probably better groomed as a 4 who can step outside and shoot with some frequency.
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Hard to say. He still looks really slight in videos from this year. The Rice roster still lists him at 185, while Rivals and 247 have him at 183 and 180 respectively.

I agree that Ihnen is better at the 4. I'm curious to see if we end up going with Brandon Johnson at the 5 and Ihnen at the 4 when Robbins is out. Or if Freeman/Omersa/Curry see time when he sits.

Builtbadgers has referenced a study by Jon Rothstein about how mid-major guys do when they transfer up, but it is an overly simplistic approach of just looking at their raw averages and not efficiency or per 40 numbers. I might take a stab at analyzing that sometime. I'm curious if there are any trends by conference/position/body type. Not an attack on you Built, I would just love to see more nuance. Just because a guy like Brandon Johnson who averages 15/8 comes to the Gophers and averages 9 and 6 in fewer minutes doesn't mean it was a mistake from either party's perspective.
 

eker0016 said:
Things I like about Peterson:
  • Intriguing size and versatility. Helps us create a lot of lineups. Payton Willis was fairly one dimensional IMO.
  • Improved in every statistical category from freshman to sophomore year. One exception is turnovers, but it seems he was handling the ball a lot more. He did have a few huge turnover games (6, 7 and 8 TO's) and that makes me wonder what happened.
  • Improved throughout the year, too. One of his best games was their last one, a loss in the conference tournament (24 pts, 7-14 FG, 3-7 3PT, 6 reb, 4 ast, 1 stl, 1 blk, 6 TO)
  • I watched highlights from highschool and college, and he seems to be a really creative passer for a big guy. He can pass with high velocity on a dime. Last season he had some big assist games (10, 8, two 7's, four 6's). Nice to know he can keep the ball moving.
  • 82% FT shooter. Last year, Demir was actually our best FT shooting rotation player (77%). Gabe and Carr at 70% needs to improve.
  • I mentioned this a few weeks ago, but his game looks identical to a guy I played with at Minnehaha. Lots of pump fakes and jump stops in the lane, some outside shooting, and uses his height and length to pass, including some crafty no-look passes. So maybe some of this is just nostalgia.
  • I like that he mentioned Carlson as a reason for his commitment. If you check his Twitter feed, he follows the economy. If you know anything about Rice, it has an excellent academic reputation -- one of the top schools in the country. He clearly cares about his education and I like having those kinds of guys on the team and as alumni in the future.
Concerns
  • How will his body hold up in the B10? I'm 6'7" 225 and I can only imagine how skinny a 6'8" 185 guy is. I doubt he can guard PF's in the B10. Is he fast enough to guard 2's or 3's?
  • Do some of the moves that work against Houston Baptist and Southern Miss hold up against MSU or Wisconsin, when guys are faster and longer?
  • Can he get eligible this year? No family waiver for him so he needs the NCAA to vote. I do think the best thing for MN basketball would be for him to sit for a year to adjust, but best thing for Pitino is to play right away.
  • Who does he take PT away from? Maybe a good problem to have. I really wanted to see more of Ihnen this coming year. With Brandon Johnson coming in at the 4 and Peterson now committed, does Ihnen get as many minutes to develop?
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Things I like about his game that makes me optimistic about its translation to B10 are:
  • A lot of his shots were with guys in his face, didn't seem to bother him.
  • He has a step back shot.
  • He is very good at squaring his shoulders as he is in the air on his jump shot.
  • I believe RP is going to scheme a lot of high pick and rolls which will give him room to do his thing.
  • I believe he is going to play a 3, or a 4 on the perimeter. At that position, 6'8" is not going to be on the short end of the stick in his match-up very often and if he has a traditional 4 on him, he is going to drive by them. On the D side there could be an issue, but having a post who can erase shots will help a lot.
 
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cjbfbp said:
Is he really 6'8" 185 now or were those his measurements coming out of high school?

Quite likely he won't be as productive, at least initially, at the Big Ten level. But, we've had guys on this team that wouldn't have been as productive as him at the Conference USA level.

Don't know. Keep your fingers crossed.

My guess is that Ihnen is going to play a lot based on the potential he showed late in the season. Although Ihnen is a pretty decent long-range shooter for his size, he started to develop into a more effective inside player as time went on. He's quick and appears to have a pretty good wingspan/reach. Ihnen is probably better groomed as a 4 who can step outside and shoot with some frequency.
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The development of Ihnen is going to be defining to this team IMO. If he makes a big leap in effectiveness and develops a well rounded game - defends well, drives well and shoots as he already can....then we get a LOT better. Oturu went from a 10pts 7 boards guy to 21 and 11. Can Ihnen go from an 11 minute 4 pt guy to a 20-25 minute 10-11 point 6 board guy? I think so. His last 7 games he averaged 7 pts 5 boards in 19 minutes...
 

Prep hoops had Drew ranked 167 nationally 3.5 star.. Not out of line for a high major player
 

MplsGopher said:
Disagree 100%. He has lifted weights and had top notch strength and conditioning at Rice for two years out of high school now. (Rice build a new strength facility for football, that all athletes use)

This will be his third season out of high school. He's not going to get much stronger or larger, he is what he is. He'll be fine.

If he can help the team this season, he should absolutely play. He'll still have 2021-22 as a senior.
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Watching his clips, yes I understand it is edited, he will definitely help the team this year. He has excellent vision and length. His spin move around the lane looks pretty decent for a 6-8 kid. By no means am I saying he is a star, but he will do things. Gonna say 8-11 points per game.
 


JoshuaT81 said:
Watching his clips, yes I understand it is edited, he will definitely help the team this year. He has excellent vision and length. His spin move around the lane looks pretty decent for a 6-8 kid. By no means am I saying he is a star, but he will do things. Gonna say 8-11 points per game.
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Peterson's clips reminds me a little of how Caleb McConnell of Rutgers played when he faced us. McConnell is 6-7 190.
 

For reasons others have laid out, redshirting by choice is going to all but disappear in basketball. Yes, you will still find some exceptions, but they will be outliers.

First off, if you're not a P6 coach you should be fired immediately if you redshirt any player. Those mid and low major schools are just feeder programs for the power schools. Any player good enough to redshirt will be long gone by the time you try to cash in the final year.

Second, even at a P6 you're counting on a player being in your program for five years. That's a pipe dream. Willis left with a year of eligibility remaining. Carr will almost certainly leave after next season with a year of eligibility remaining. (I know Willis and Carr sat out because of transfer rules, but the principle still applies) Oturu left early. Coffey left early. What if we'd redshirted Oturu and only gotten one year out of him?

Third, it's reasonable to assume that many players who go the distance on the roster are those who we're ready to move on from. Did we want to redshirt Bakary Konate and get a fifth year out him? A fifth year out of Gaston Diedhiou? Michael Hurt? Should we be looking to redshirt Greenlee or Omersa or Freeman so they can all be here for extra years? I'd rather have those scholarships available.
 

chri1673 said:
Gordon Hayward lite.

Quick 4-minute highlight video analysis: reminds me of how really good D3 players look, and i mean that as a compliment. Seems to have all the tools and tricks to score and create shots for himself and others might not be the most athletic player on the court but still gets by people and can score at all 3 levels. Moves very fluidly and has solid handles for his size could cause some mismatches. Hopefully they can get him to campus as early as possible and add a little bulk. Definitely seems to provide a type of game that we dont currently have on the roster. Hopefully he can keep his confidence up more akin to Springs vs. the Stulls of the world. Wide range of expectations from starting to Redshirting, fun to speculate with nothing else going on. Heres to hoping he can continue his upward trajectory and avg similar numbers to what he did at rice here next year. If he can get his 3% up to the mid 30s i think we would be in business.

Any word on his defense?

Looks like a team that could develop to have some good depth if Pitino allows and doesn't continue running the starters out there for 35+ minutes a night. (assuming eligibility) I am guessing they will schedule accordingly.
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(y) to the Nth degree
 

I definitely believe the physicality will be a challenge for him, but he also will have the benefit of not being the primary playmaker. As a role player for us (at least initially), his versatility could be a huge help. Having someone in the second unit who can make things happen will ease the pressure on Carr and Mashburn. Teams will definitely be looking to neutralize Carr. Having other threats on the floor who can do more than catch and shoot could be a lot of fun to watch. I look forward to more efficient ball movement next year (I hope).

As far as his weight is concerned, there have been plenty skinny guys who've gone on to be very successful, even at the next level. I'd be more comfortable if he were 225, but I'm not losing sleep over it. I don't think he'll be asked to back guys down or bang with MSU PF's.
 

bga1 said:
I think his effectiveness went down during the Big Ten season. Some of it might have been a nagging injury. He shot 35% overall FG % in the Big Ten- which is pretty brutal. He shot a decent 33% from 3pt range, but only decent for a guy who shoots over 70% of his shots from 3 point range. He just was not a threat to drive or score on a break. Defensively I didn't think he was real good. He didn't turn the ball over much - which is good. What did you see?
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I saw similar to what you saw and as a 4th or 5th starter it's fine if they defend. He was injured and that didn't help, but I thought he was average defensively. I'm not saying I loved him, but there are people on here who acted like he shouldn't have even been playing and that's not true.
 

Urbandale said:
For reasons others have laid out, redshirting by choice is going to all but disappear in basketball. Yes, you will still find some exceptions, but they will be outliers.

First off, if you're not a P6 coach you should be fired immediately if you redshirt any player. Those mid and low major schools are just feeder programs for the power schools. Any player good enough to redshirt will be long gone by the time you try to cash in the final year.

Second, even at a P6 you're counting on a player being in your program for five years. That's a pipe dream. Willis left with a year of eligibility remaining. Carr will almost certainly leave after next season with a year of eligibility remaining. (I know Willis and Carr sat out because of transfer rules, but the principle still applies) Oturu left early. Coffey left early. What if we'd redshirted Oturu and only gotten one year out of him?

Third, it's reasonable to assume that many players who go the distance on the roster are those who we're ready to move on from. Did we want to redshirt Bakary Konate and get a fifth year out him? A fifth year out of Gaston Diedhiou? Michael Hurt? Should we be looking to redshirt Greenlee or Omersa or Freeman so they can all be here for extra years? I'd rather have those scholarships available.
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I wonder if the transfer rules eliminate the sit out year, but only allowing one transfer will have a calming effect on player movement. I agree wholeheartedly the redshirt is turning gray and will rarely be used outside of injury in the future. All of the cases you listed above would have been roster cloggers if they had been redshirted and not helped the program.
 

What is Peterson's game, looks like a slightly less proficient 3pt shooter than Willis but has a decent 2pt percentage, is he more of a slasher that can hit a three. Shoots free throws at a high percentage.
 
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Does he come with a PG named Staubach?
 


eker0016 said:
Just because a guy like Brandon Johnson who averages 15/8 comes to the Gophers and averages 9 and 6 in fewer minutes doesn't mean it was a mistake from either party's perspective.
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No, it certainly doesn't. If he averages 9 and 6 in 25 minutes of play that would be pretty productive.
 

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