- Joined
- Nov 3, 2008
- Messages
- 5,109
- Reaction score
- 1,259
- Points
- 113
BY DARREN WOLFSON PULLEY
IMPRESSIONS: MONDAY JULY 6
The grand poobah of college basketball experts, ESPN's Andy Katz, recently listed the Gophers as his No. 19 team in the country entering the season, fifth best in the Big Ten behind: Michigan State (#2), Purdue (#6), Michigan (#13), and Ohio State (#16). Clearly, a conference that arguably has been down for some time, has a chance to be very special in '09-'10.Perception can become reality, at least in these parts, thanks to head coach Tubby Smith returning the entire core of his NCAA tournament team of a season ago to go along with a heralded recruiting class.
Two-fourths of the incoming group was on display on Monday night in St. Paul at the Howard Pulley Pro City League.
In game No. 1, all eyes were on Hopkins' Royce White, who was inexplicably passed up for the McDonald's All-American Game. I am guilty as charged - overthinking who White plays like - instead of letting his game speak for itself. For the record, I still can't come up with a sufficient comparison. White, by my count, had five steals in his team's win in the first half. He was aggressive, yet let the game come to him. He zigged and zagged through the Pat Madison Magic defense, making everything look so natural. It was easy to see why so many college coaches wanted him on their respective campus.Then, the third quarter came. White simply disappeared. While playing the entire quarter, he attempted just one shot and made two free throws. And the one attempt came after he got the ball on an out of bounds play, and it was easy to tell that he wasn't getting his, so he forced up a bad shot. He pouted late in the quarter when his team went from having a 17 point lead to holding just a two point margin. A timeout was called and White sat on the bench as his teammates gathered in the huddle. Undoubtedly, Smith and his staff will have their hands full soon enough. He'll need to be reigned in. If he can conform to Tubby, he could be their best player as soon as next year. In the fourth quarter, he regained his composure, and with that, his ability to dazzle followed. On back-to-back possessions, he threw it down with authority.
If you thought he was strong in March, watching the state tournament, he's gotten stronger. He has a big-time Big Ten body right now. The No. 1 storyline this Gophers season may be the Tubby-Royce dynamic. As a vested observer, I look forward to seeing how that relationship develops.
Game No. 2 featured Gophers' Blake Hoffarber & Rodney Williams Jr. Former Gopher Zach Puchtel is a teammate of both.
Puchtel on Hoffarber: "Blake is any coaches dream. Basketball IQ through the roof, sharp, and deadly from outside. Having another Hopkins guy on the court makes the game flow a lot more smoothly and effectively as well. He teaches through a sort of osmosis that players naturally grasp, making everyone around him better."
Puchtel on Williams Jr.: "A highlight-a-minute sort of guy, Rodney is going to be a great player. His tenacity on the boards, when combined with his leaping ability, make him an inside threat the Gophers will be lucky to have. Add to that his first step, and his improved outside game, and you can start to envision the upside to this player once he spends a year or two in the weight room. Also, I've been pleasantly surprised with Rodney's humble nature, which is always a necessary component when striving for greatness."
Puchtel's view on Williams Jr. is spot on. His jump shot needs work, but his athleticism will allow him to have success as early as next season. His on-ball defense can improve, but his help-side defense is above average. He does need to become very good friends with the weight room.A loosey-goosey type game doesn't fit Hoffarber's strengths, so if you plan on seeing any Pulley games, don't formulate strong opinions on what takes place in St. Paul. Case in point: Devron Bostick looked like a mix of Joe Johnson and Kevin Martin in Pulley games last summer, yet in Tubby's structured system with an emphasis on defense, he, for lack of better words, was a fish out of water at times.An argument can be made that Hoffarber is the Gophers' smartest player...and he has Tubby's trust. Aside from struggling in Monday night's first half, which is a side story, he looked noticeably stronger. He must be working hard in the weight room, particularly with his shoulders.
IMPRESSIONS: MONDAY JULY 6
The grand poobah of college basketball experts, ESPN's Andy Katz, recently listed the Gophers as his No. 19 team in the country entering the season, fifth best in the Big Ten behind: Michigan State (#2), Purdue (#6), Michigan (#13), and Ohio State (#16). Clearly, a conference that arguably has been down for some time, has a chance to be very special in '09-'10.Perception can become reality, at least in these parts, thanks to head coach Tubby Smith returning the entire core of his NCAA tournament team of a season ago to go along with a heralded recruiting class.
Two-fourths of the incoming group was on display on Monday night in St. Paul at the Howard Pulley Pro City League.
In game No. 1, all eyes were on Hopkins' Royce White, who was inexplicably passed up for the McDonald's All-American Game. I am guilty as charged - overthinking who White plays like - instead of letting his game speak for itself. For the record, I still can't come up with a sufficient comparison. White, by my count, had five steals in his team's win in the first half. He was aggressive, yet let the game come to him. He zigged and zagged through the Pat Madison Magic defense, making everything look so natural. It was easy to see why so many college coaches wanted him on their respective campus.Then, the third quarter came. White simply disappeared. While playing the entire quarter, he attempted just one shot and made two free throws. And the one attempt came after he got the ball on an out of bounds play, and it was easy to tell that he wasn't getting his, so he forced up a bad shot. He pouted late in the quarter when his team went from having a 17 point lead to holding just a two point margin. A timeout was called and White sat on the bench as his teammates gathered in the huddle. Undoubtedly, Smith and his staff will have their hands full soon enough. He'll need to be reigned in. If he can conform to Tubby, he could be their best player as soon as next year. In the fourth quarter, he regained his composure, and with that, his ability to dazzle followed. On back-to-back possessions, he threw it down with authority.
If you thought he was strong in March, watching the state tournament, he's gotten stronger. He has a big-time Big Ten body right now. The No. 1 storyline this Gophers season may be the Tubby-Royce dynamic. As a vested observer, I look forward to seeing how that relationship develops.
Game No. 2 featured Gophers' Blake Hoffarber & Rodney Williams Jr. Former Gopher Zach Puchtel is a teammate of both.
Puchtel on Hoffarber: "Blake is any coaches dream. Basketball IQ through the roof, sharp, and deadly from outside. Having another Hopkins guy on the court makes the game flow a lot more smoothly and effectively as well. He teaches through a sort of osmosis that players naturally grasp, making everyone around him better."
Puchtel on Williams Jr.: "A highlight-a-minute sort of guy, Rodney is going to be a great player. His tenacity on the boards, when combined with his leaping ability, make him an inside threat the Gophers will be lucky to have. Add to that his first step, and his improved outside game, and you can start to envision the upside to this player once he spends a year or two in the weight room. Also, I've been pleasantly surprised with Rodney's humble nature, which is always a necessary component when striving for greatness."
Puchtel's view on Williams Jr. is spot on. His jump shot needs work, but his athleticism will allow him to have success as early as next season. His on-ball defense can improve, but his help-side defense is above average. He does need to become very good friends with the weight room.A loosey-goosey type game doesn't fit Hoffarber's strengths, so if you plan on seeing any Pulley games, don't formulate strong opinions on what takes place in St. Paul. Case in point: Devron Bostick looked like a mix of Joe Johnson and Kevin Martin in Pulley games last summer, yet in Tubby's structured system with an emphasis on defense, he, for lack of better words, was a fish out of water at times.An argument can be made that Hoffarber is the Gophers' smartest player...and he has Tubby's trust. Aside from struggling in Monday night's first half, which is a side story, he looked noticeably stronger. He must be working hard in the weight room, particularly with his shoulders.