Ellenson update?

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bga1

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What is the latest on Ellenson's injury? Is he a redshirt for sure? I have a feeling he could help this team find an extra scorer at times - unless Oto starts playing a lot better.
 

I don't see Oto's game changing much. In fact, I would not be surprised to see him transfer at the end of the year. It seems at this level the game is just too fast for him. He never seems really comfortable and is either forcing or pressing.
 

JMGIII said:
I don't see Oto's game changing much. In fact, I would not be surprised to see him transfer at the end of the year. It seems at this level the game is just too fast for him. He never seems really comfortable and is either forcing or pressing.
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Oto's just beginning his Soph year. I think think that once his shot starts to fall, he'll come around. Tubby knows he can play which is why he keeps sending him out there to try & work through it. He'll be a major contributor the next two years so we need to get him on the court a bit this year so that he's ready.
 

If Oto is going to be a major contributor the next two years than we be F'd.
 

I noticed that Wally dressed for the games in the Battle for Atlantis. I don't think he will play this year unless their are injuries.
 


Costa Rican Gopher said:
Oto's just beginning his Soph year. I think think that once his shot starts to fall, he'll come around. Tubby knows he can play which is why he keeps sending him out there to try & work through it. He'll be a major contributor the next two years so we need to get him on the court a bit this year so that he's ready.
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He'll probably get no more than 15 minutes next year with Buggs starting ahead of him. If Reid Travis comes here the following year I don't know how much playing time will be left over for him. I rarely post negative things on here, but if he's a major contributor here I'll be pleasantly surprised.
 

Costa Rican Gopher said:
Oto's just beginning his Soph year. I think think that once his shot starts to fall, he'll come around. Tubby knows he can play which is why he keeps sending him out there to try & work through it. He'll be a major contributor the next two years so we need to get him on the court a bit this year so that he's ready.
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Couldn't disagree more. Oto shot is completely diseased. It has gone from a decent looking jump shot last year, to a very slow release set shot this year. Dude is missing shots by a large margin. I do like his effort and toughness on the defensive end though.
 

GophersOnTheRise said:
He'll probably get no more than 15 minutes next year with Buggs starting ahead of him. If Reid Travis comes here the following year I don't know how much playing time will be left over for him. I rarely post negative things on here, but if he's a major contributor here I'll be pleasantly surprised.
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I think people write players off too quickly:

* 6 months ago Ingram was a waste of a scholarship & Tubby should be fired for bringing him in? Now he provides us an athletic big off the bench who does the dirty work & can play extended minutes in a pinch.

* I remember people wanting Austin run off for being such a non factor.

* I remember literally YEARS of people saying Rodney would never develop under Tubby.

* Dre was not a true point guard, too short to play SG & another one of Tubby's mistakes.

* Mav was the worst basketball player we've ever had at the U, couldn't even play for St Thomas as I recall? Now we see that as an upper-classman he'll be a contributor.

* Elliot was the worst big man Tubby had ever recruited & complete waste of a schollie who was going to transfer to a D2 by his Sophmore year.

* People wanted Al Nolen benched because he wasn't a scorer.

* People wanted Damien Johnson's schollie pulled his Sophomore year.

* etc etc etc

Oto's a legit 6'9" & plays much scrappier under the basket than I thought he would, plays ok in transition & is physical on defense. Once his shot comes around, I think he'll be a major contributor as an upper-classman. Look at the roster, next year we've got 3 R-Jr's up front in EE, Mo & Oto + Jr Joe Coleman as our core. We'll also have the two red-shirt Freshmen in Buggs & Ellenson, but Ellenson is a swingman & Buggs is 185lbs, like it or not Oto's going to play a lot unless we land a stud Juco forward (which is possible). I'm not having an Oto love-fest here, I see the same things you guys see, but I see the roster & Tubby putting him out there game after game & giving him the green light to shoot. I'm pretty confident he'll be counted on for serious minutes the next 2 years.

Why would you think Buggs would play ahead of Oto anyhow? A dunk contest?
 

Costa Rican Gopher said:
Oto's just beginning his Soph year. I think think that once his shot starts to fall, he'll come around. Tubby knows he can play which is why he keeps sending him out there to try & work through it. He'll be a major contributor the next two years so we need to get him on the court a bit this year so that he's ready.
Click to expand...

I hope you are correct. I'm not trying to bash the guy & maybe I am jumping the gun a little. Just stating what I see. I will not hammer on college kids as some do, so don't take my statement wrong. I stated I would not be surprised if he transferred. I did not say he did not deserve a scholarship or that he could not play at this level.

My opinion is that the game appears a bit fast for him & he may make the decision to play at a different level. Again, I hope I am wrong and would never want to see any recruit run off. I truly understand many players struggle their first couple of years and can/will develop into key parts of the team. I hated all the bashing of Mav, I thought there were enough signs to indicate he would contribute as an upper classman & early indications are that he can/will (IMO). Not as a starter, but a guy who the coaches can put in to give a guy rest, and trust he will not let the wheels fall off.

Watching these kids grow, develop & mature is why I love the college game. It’s a new team every year with unpredictable surprises & disappointments. Experience tells me it’s all part of being a college sports fan & why I love it. I’ve watched dozens of Gopher players grow into the level of play required. Some I’ve had my doubts with, but was pleasantly surprised by their Jr./Sr. years – I hope Oto is one of them.

Go Gophers!!
 



JMGIII said:
I hope you are correct. I'm not trying to bash the guy & maybe I am jumping the gun a little. Just stating what I see. I will not hammer on college kids as some do, so don't take my statement wrong. I stated I would not be surprised if he transferred. I did not say he did not deserve a scholarship or that he could not play at this level.

My opinion is that the game appears a bit fast for him & he may make the decision to play at a different level. Again, I hope I am wrong and would never want to see any recruit run off. I truly understand many players struggle their first couple of years and can/will develop into key parts of the team. I hated all the bashing of Mav, I thought there were enough signs to indicate he would contribute as an upper classman & early indications are that he can/will (IMO). Not as a starter, but a guy who the coaches can put in to give a guy rest, and trust he will not let the wheels fall off.

Watching these kids grow, develop & mature is why I love the college game. It’s a new team every year with unpredictable surprises & disappointments. Experience tells me it’s all part of being a college sports fan & why I love it. I’ve watched dozens of Gopher players grow into the level of play required. Some I’ve had my doubts with, but was pleasantly surprised by their Jr./Sr. years – I hope Oto is one of them.

Go Gophers!!
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That's fair & I can't fault people for lacking faith in Oto. Hell, Chip Armelin would still be getting minutes if I was coach, so what do I know? lol

I just don't think Oto played bad last year as a Freshman & I think he'll come around eventually to be a solid player. Just feels like people are writing him off based on 7 games as a Soph. Maybe it's my maroon colored glasses but I keep thinking "Tubby's not putting him out there because we lack bodies. Tubby thinks he'll be a player, so I'm just gonna be patient".
 

Not sure where chips minutes would come from if he was still on the team. But I have to admit I miss the energy he brought on the court every time he came into a game.
 

XMan said:
Not sure where chips minutes would come from if he was still on the team. But I have to admit I miss the energy he brought on the court every time he came into a game.
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Considering his play thus far this season he could probably take Welch's minutes. Hopefully he can get things figured out and contribute this year as we are pretty thin at the guard positions.

I agree on Chippers too. The guy drove me nuts plenty of the times but he was a lot of fun to watch at other times.
 

Costa Rican Gopher said:
I think people write players off too quickly:

* 6 months ago Ingram was a waste of a scholarship & Tubby should be fired for bringing him in? Now he provides us an athletic big off the bench who does the dirty work & can play extended minutes in a pinch.

* I remember people wanting Austin run off for being such a non factor.

* I remember literally YEARS of people saying Rodney would never develop under Tubby.

* Dre was not a true point guard, too short to play SG & another one of Tubby's mistakes.

* Mav was the worst basketball player we've ever had at the U, couldn't even play for St Thomas as I recall? Now we see that as an upper-classman he'll be a contributor.

* Elliot was the worst big man Tubby had ever recruited & complete waste of a schollie who was going to transfer to a D2 by his Sophmore year.

* People wanted Al Nolen benched because he wasn't a scorer.

* People wanted Damien Johnson's schollie pulled his Sophomore year.

* etc etc etc

Oto's a legit 6'9" & plays much scrappier under the basket than I thought he would, plays ok in transition & is physical on defense. Once his shot comes around, I think he'll be a major contributor as an upper-classman. Look at the roster, next year we've got 3 R-Jr's up front in EE, Mo & Oto + Jr Joe Coleman as our core. We'll also have the two red-shirt Freshmen in Buggs & Ellenson, but Ellenson is a swingman & Buggs is 185lbs, like it or not Oto's going to play a lot unless we land a stud Juco forward (which is possible). I'm not having an Oto love-fest here, I see the same things you guys see, but I see the roster & Tubby putting him out there game after game & giving him the green light to shoot. I'm pretty confident he'll be counted on for serious minutes the next 2 years.

Why would you think Buggs would play ahead of Oto anyhow? A dunk contest?
Click to expand...

I agree that people write players off too quickly, but I assure you I'm not one of them. I've supported and defended all of those players you mentioned and have often been called out for "drinking the kool aid" and being a "homer." I hope that I'm wrong about Oto, but I'm not sure why you're assuming that his shot will come around. Maybe it will improve, but that's never a given with a player. He shot a little under 27% from 3 last year and is shooting 0% this year (0-10). Maybe he just isn't a very good shooter?

I'm not basing my assumption that Buggs will be better from a dunk contest, he just looks more talented than Oto from what I've seen. I just don't know how Oto is helping the team and don't know how to defend him right now. Again, I hope he will improve and shows he's worthy of major minutes down the road.
 



Here is a little fun fact: Oto will turn 25 during his senior year
 


I agree that Wally could potentially help off the bench as a shooter this year. It was announced he was out 6-8 weeks on October 31, so I would assume that mid December would be the best case scenario for his first game action if he does not redshirt.

I thought Oto would be improved this year and it is an early concern of mine that he has struggled. I also wonder about Julian Welch's health, the guy doesn't move well on the court and seems to be even slower the last year. Those two guys (on paper) are probably who the Gophers had hoped to provide some outside shooting this year.

I'd argue that fans of the Gophers have been pretty accurate in their opinions of the play (and potential) of Gophers in recent years with the exceptions of Damian Johnson and Al Nolen. Damian turned out to be much better than anyone (other than ZTA gopher) thought he would be and Al Nolen's ability to force turnovers wasn't fully appreciated until he was gone. When I first started posting here, fans were much more critical and had higher expectations for this program (I really hope the higher expectations come back). The guy I remember thinking got a bad rap from Gopher fans was Kevin Burleson. He was continually ripped for his play...and I am not sure we've had a better all around player at PG since he graduated.
 

EG#9 said:
I agree that Wally could potentially help off the bench as a shooter this year. It was announced he was out 6-8 weeks on October 31, so I would assume that mid December would be the best case scenario for his first game action if he does not redshirt.

I thought Oto would be improved this year and it is an early concern of mine that he has struggled. I also wonder about Julian Welch's health, the guy doesn't move well on the court and seems to be even slower the last year. Those two guys (on paper) are probably who the Gophers had hoped to provide some outside shooting this year.

I'd argue that fans of the Gophers have been pretty accurate in their opinions of the play (and potential) of Gophers in recent years with the exceptions of Damian Johnson and Al Nolen. Damian turned out to be much better than anyone (other than ZTA gopher) thought he would be and Al Nolen's ability to force turnovers wasn't fully appreciated until he was gone. When I first started posting here, fans were much more critical and had higher expectations for this program (I really hope the higher expectations come back). The guy I remember thinking got a bad rap from Gopher fans was Kevin Burleson. He was continually ripped for his play...and I am not sure we've had a better all around player at PG since he graduated.
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I thought Welch looked better against Stanford. Still had a few "huh?????" moments, but hit a nice jump shot and that pass to Trevor for the dunk was very pretty.

I think we will be fine as the season goes on. He looks like he has lost weight and all the guys have talked about how good he has looked. I have no worries about him getting it put back together.
 

some things never change, always doom sayers, people hated on Justin Cobbs, he's doing pretty well at Cal


Costa Rican Gopher said:
I think people write players off too quickly:

* 6 months ago Ingram was a waste of a scholarship & Tubby should be fired for bringing him in? Now he provides us an athletic big off the bench who does the dirty work & can play extended minutes in a pinch.

* I remember people wanting Austin run off for being such a non factor.

* I remember literally YEARS of people saying Rodney would never develop under Tubby.

* Dre was not a true point guard, too short to play SG & another one of Tubby's mistakes.

* Mav was the worst basketball player we've ever had at the U, couldn't even play for St Thomas as I recall? Now we see that as an upper-classman he'll be a contributor.

* Elliot was the worst big man Tubby had ever recruited & complete waste of a schollie who was going to transfer to a D2 by his Sophmore year.

* People wanted Al Nolen benched because he wasn't a scorer.

* People wanted Damien Johnson's schollie pulled his Sophomore year.

* etc etc etc

Oto's a legit 6'9" & plays much scrappier under the basket than I thought he would, plays ok in transition & is physical on defense. Once his shot comes around, I think he'll be a major contributor as an upper-classman. Look at the roster, next year we've got 3 R-Jr's up front in EE, Mo & Oto + Jr Joe Coleman as our core. We'll also have the two red-shirt Freshmen in Buggs & Ellenson, but Ellenson is a swingman & Buggs is 185lbs, like it or not Oto's going to play a lot unless we land a stud Juco forward (which is possible). I'm not having an Oto love-fest here, I see the same things you guys see, but I see the roster & Tubby putting him out there game after game & giving him the green light to shoot. I'm pretty confident he'll be counted on for serious minutes the next 2 years.

Why would you think Buggs would play ahead of Oto anyhow? A dunk contest?
Click to expand...
 

I don't know what could be said to convince me that Oto is a good player. I haven't even seen flashes from him ever.
 

westcoastgopher11 said:
I don't know what could be said to convince me that Oto is a good player. I haven't even seen flashes from him ever.
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Re-watch the Ohio St massacre from last season, Oto was the only guy that didn't quit. I'm not trying to say the guy's playing well right now, just that his slow start this season doesn't mean he'll never become a solid player. Here's a link to last season's highlights, it gives you a feel for what he can contribute.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfds5OSuheQ
 

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