Drooling over next year.

[Go Gophs eh?]

people forget, Al's loss hurts yes, but were already used to playing w/o Al so it doesn't really hurt. Hollins will be a breath of fresh air. Freshman can play, look at aaron craft. blake will hurt, but austin, and rodney's improvement will suffice.

 

[Swede]

Its a fact, this year sucks. We are so close, but injuries and transfers f us over again. I still think we will make the tourney, but wont make the 2nd round. Im just really pumped about next year though. Hollins' in the backcourt will be a huge step up defensively, and offense wont be as deadly as hoff and nolen, but will be more deadly than hoff williams which is what we will see for the rest of the year. I expect rodney to be really good next year. not great, but hes been a lot better in B10 play this year than last, and i expect steady improvement. Andre hollins at pt, Au hollins at SG, and Williams at SF will be deadly, especially if Mbakwe stays, and colt/ralph/walker all improve. With chip, coleman, oto, eliason, and mav ready to step up on the bench, i think we'll have a good year next year. excited for a season that appears to be w/o distractions finally. crossed fingers.

I like to think of myself as an optimist, but this is a bit tough to swallow. Nolen and deadly offense do not belong in the same sentence. On what do you base your expectations of a Rodney being really good next year? His invisible 6' 7" NBA lottery pick season he's having this year? And your predicting that a back court consisting of a sophomore who's been slightly better than inconsistent this year and a kid who's never set foot on a college court and is barely a top 100 recruit will be deadly? Tubby's program is starting to look like Smilin' Glen's football program; bring in a bunch of relatively unheralded guys, hope there are a few diamonds in the rough, and be content with middling results.

 

[Swede]

There's a possibility that Trevor will leave, but it won't be because he's a first round pick.

True. He's now been with the squad nearly 2 years. When was the last time he was anywhere for 2 consecutive years? And actual NBA potential doesn't necessarily keep a guy from entering the draft. I think he'd get drafted. Heck, what's a guy like Craig Smith have on him except Trevor would be cheaper help with the same results. If a guy thinks he can do it, and the wrong people have his ear, he'll be gone. Look at the fool Rick Rickert. Plus, where there's smoke, there's fire, and Trevor could be one bad decision away from never playing for the U again.

 

[Go Gophs eh?]

first off, swede, rodney has been playing very well up until purdue, and indiana, and hes not even playing his natural position. People do get better over time too, not worse. He has the rest of this season, summer, and preseason to work on his game. I said he would be good, not great. secondly, if you havent been paying attention, austin gets like 15 minutes a game, if he gets 30 a game he puts up nice numbers, and he again has time to get better. lastly, andre hollins, that "unhearelded" recruit, put up 46 points on a prep team loaded with 4 and 5 star recruits making them look like middle schoolers, he is the leading scorer in one of the best basketball cities in the country, and has absolutly been making strides at PG. If you think nolen is good, imagine nolen with a jumpshot and scoring mentality

 

[khoffman43]

As soon as basketball players start playing games barefoot, that statistic will be relevant.

So if a 6'6" guy wears shoes with 4 inch lifts do you consider him 6'10"? NBA scouts would love that. Hoffarber should try that and then he can be marketed as a 6'8" shooting guard.

Also, if Love was 6'9.5" as you previously stated what shoes was he wearing that add nearly 2 inches to his height? Not sure what kind of shoes you wear but I've never owned shoes that add like that. Maybe I should have...

 

[dpodoll68]

So if a 6'6" guy wears shoes with 4 inch lifts do you consider him 6'10"? NBA scouts would love that. Hoffarber should try that and then he can be marketed as a 6'8" shooting guard.

Also, if Love was 6'9.5" as you previously stated what shoes was he wearing that add nearly 2 inches to his height? Not sure what kind of shoes you wear but I've never owned shoes that add like that. Maybe I should have...

What the hell are you talking about? What kind of shoes give 4" lift? Is this one of those women's games like they used to play in the commercials where they're all wearing high heels?

(P.S. 6'9.5" minus 6'7.75" equals 1.75". 1.5-1.75" height difference between bare feet and shoes is pretty standard.)

 

[khoffman43]

dpodoll68, I forget what were even talking about at this point. The height of Kevin Love is irrelevant. I think we both agree Mbakwe will be here next year. He is 6'7"-6'9.5" depending on what, if anything he has on his feet.

We have adequately and accurately broken down the various approximate heights that shoes can add.

I do think the Gophers will be very strong next year and losing Al this year will help them next year since the frosh guards are getting some run that they wouldnt have with a healthy Al.

 

[ruralgopher]

This thread is a microcosm of what it is like being a Minnesota fan.

 

[sunnyday2]

I like to think of myself as an optimist, Tubby's program is starting to look like Smilin' Glen's football program; bring in a bunch of relatively unheralded guys, hope there are a few diamonds in the rough, and be content with middling results.

What passes for optimism these days! You make it sound like Tubby and Glen gave some thought to whether they wanted to be middling or great and picked middling.

This thread is a microcosm of what it is like being a Minnesota fan.

Very true but grasping at straws to be optimistic beats the alternative.

Because the point of being a Minnesota fan is that the world is against you. You can't win with just local kids, you can barely put a nucleus together with just local kids. You gotta go to Florida or Texas or Ohio and recruit kids that the local universities don't want. And there's a huge constituency in Minnesota that thinks that sports aren't important and winning just proves that you have the wrong values. That drags things down. It's tough. But, hey, there's always next year.

 

[scher215]

This is what I find interesting, and am "drooling" over next year about:

Currently
8 Healthy Scholarship Players
1 Healthy Walk On Player

Next Year
13 Healthy Scholarship Players
2 Healthy Walk On Players

That's 6 extra bodies ... Wow will that be nice!

 

[dpodoll68]

You make it sound like Tubby and Glen gave some thought to whether they wanted to be middling or great and picked middling.

Not at all true for Tubby, but 100% on the mark for Mason. He made a de facto decision to be middling when he decided to stop doing the work it takes to be great.