Femi Odukale commits

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007gopherfan said:
Coaches job is to recruit the best players for their system. Players job is to earn their playing time. There will be some competition next year in the SF/G positions as many are now upperclassmen.
Like to see Ben get his PG to be more of 20 PPG guy and I think Patterson could be that guy. Hoping he commits to make it official soon. That would take more pressure off Garcia. Cooper and Hawkins were definitely more pass first.
Think Williams and Rigsby could help kind of like Fox does being a spark plug here and there with still the ability to score the basketball. We really lacked bench scoring in many games last year.

Interested to see who else we may land here.
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Who wouldn’t want their PG to be a 20 PPG guy. How many teams had such a guy last year. Some of you are crazy with what you wish for. Try being more realistic.
 



EasyThere Pilgrim said:
Better than Hawkins & Christie??

We are LITERALLY a minor-league team. A prep-team for the paying programs.

I guess hope really springs eternal. Like if a guy scores 1 point in 43 minutes...we fantasize that he's an incredible lockdown defender.
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You are all over the board. On the one hand, Ben is a spectacular coach who accumulated a Sweet 16 caliber roster. But also, his chosen replacements for next year suck and are a prep team.

Also, here's a picture of Gavin Newsome and the Minnesota Board of Regents who are in a conspiracy against college sports, and Ben specifically.

Get a grip.
 




howeda7 said:
You are all over the board. On the one hand, Ben is a spectacular coach who accumulated a Sweet 16 caliber roster. But also, his chosen replacements for next year suck and are a prep team.

Also, here's a picture of Gavin Newsome and the Minnesota Board of Regents who are in a conspiracy against college sports, and Ben specifically.

Get a grip.
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I use logic.

Ben did a great job of finding lower-profile guys like like Hawkins & Christie. But to win big, we have to keep them for more than 1 year.

I also think you and this board are delusional for thinking that Newsome did this out of love for the players and the game. And for thinking that Ben is the bad guy in all this.
 

EasyThere Pilgrim said:
Ben did a great job of finding lower-profile guys like like Hawkins & Christie. But to win big, we have to keep them for more than 1 year.

I also think you and this board are delusional for thinking that Newsome did this out of love for the players and the game. And for thinking that Ben is the bad guy in all this.
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He found a couple nice players. Unfortunately you need more than that, that's why we finished in 10th place. If he's good at finding low profile guys, why do you think the guys he's now finding are a bunch of stiffs and we have a prep team?

Either Ben is good at identifying talent and coaching it up or he isn't. Re-assembling your team each year is the new reality. If he can't adapt, he shouldn't be a head coach. No amount of insane raging at Gavin Newsome or the Minnesota BOR is going to change that.
 

howeda7 said:
What makes you think he's going to change his offense 4 years in?
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I am not saying I think he will. I just hope he does.

What he does now can work but it is more dependent on the ability of the players and their basketball instincts than on motion and ball movement. I am no basketball coach, but this looks more to me like what the pros do with 5 guys on the floor who are amazing at what they do.

Notice that we don't see the backdoor cuts and motion that we see from opponents we face. But we do have some guys that did it- Fox does it successfully even though they are not designed plays for him. So I think that the players are taught to move instinctively but not all of them know when or how. Christie really just stood on the perimeter waiting to get a pass for a shot opportunity. The standard was Payne setting a screen for Garcia hoping that Hawkins then broke someone down off the dribble- scrambling the defense and creating a pass to an open shooter or to a big down low.
It's not often that we saw quick side to side ball movement.

So this is why I feel like guys like JOJ got lost. He and Ihnen simply didn't have the instincts to know where to be on the floor in that offense. Just my opinion.
 




50PoundHead said:
At least it was the point guard dribbling with a purpose. A departure from Pitino's offense where it was mandatory that everyone dribble a lot, often aimlessly.
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I’m trying to remember the last elite team that had that much of a score first ball dominant point guard. I can’t recall one off the top of my head. It usually means there is a major talent gap on the team if point scores that much.
 

bga1 said:
I am not saying I think he will. I just hope he does.
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I don't hold out hope for any big changes to system or the coaching staff. They like the staff the way it is. They like "the system", if there even is one, the way it is. I'd love it if we brought in a Molinari clone and actually played defense. But it's not going to happen.
 

bga1 said:
I am not saying I think he will. I just hope he does.

What he does now can work but it is more dependent on the ability of the players and their basketball instincts than on motion and ball movement. I am no basketball coach, but this looks more to me like what the pros do with 5 guys on the floor who are amazing at what they do.

Notice that we don't see the backdoor cuts and motion that we see from opponents we face. But we do have some guys that did it- Fox does it successfully even though they are not designed plays for him. So I think that the players are taught to move instinctively but not all of them know when or how. Christie really just stood on the perimeter waiting to get a pass for a shot opportunity. The standard was Payne setting a screen for Garcia hoping that Hawkins then broke someone down off the dribble- scrambling the defense and creating a pass to an open shooter or to a big down low.
It's not often that we saw quick side to side ball movement.

So this is why I feel like guys like JOJ got lost. He and Ihnen simply didn't have the instincts to know where to be on the floor in that offense. Just my opinion.
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Totally agree that Hawkins would penetrate the lane, scramble the defense and then identify his passing opportunity. It was fun to watch, and very effective at times. In fact, I think it would get more effective as the players developed more and more chemistry. ...But, alas.

I think you might be right about relying on motion and ball movement, rather than on an asset that takes time to develop -- in an environment where there is no time to develop at all.
 



howeda7 said:
He found a couple nice players. Unfortunately you need more than that, that's why we finished in 10th place. If he's good at finding low profile guys, why do you think the guys he's now finding are a bunch of stiffs and we have a prep team?

Either Ben is good at identifying talent and coaching it up or he isn't. Re-assembling your team each year is the new reality. If he can't adapt, he shouldn't be a head coach. No amount of insane raging at Gavin Newsome or the Minnesota BOR is going to change that.
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If you had a brain, you'd realize that you have to keep low-profile guys that you coach-up for more than 1 year.

3 of our guys just left for $500K+ each. This does NOT mean Ben is a bad coach. It's the opposite. But you'd need a brain to understand this.

It figures that you'd put all the blame on Coach Johnson. And think Gavin Newsome is a great guy.
 

Press release from U of MN:

Odukale Set to Join Gopher Men’s Basketball
MINNEAPOLIS - University of Minnesota men’s basketball head coach Ben Johnson has announced that Femi Odukale (Brooklyn, N.Y.) will join the Golden Gopher program for the 2024-25 season. Odukale, who is transferring to Minnesota from New Mexico State, has one year of eligibility remaining.
“Femi is a player we targeted right away, and we’re happy to add him to the program,” Johnson said. “Femi brings a lot to the program with his ability to score, post up, attack, and play with force. He has great physicality and toughness to play both offensively and defensively. Femi is a veteran player, and I love the grit, versatility, and competitive fight he’ll bring to our locker room. Our fan base will love watching him compete this year.”
Odukale, a 6-foot, 6-inch guard, has played in over 110 collegiate games and 80 starts in his previous stints. Last year, Odukale ranked second in Aggie scoring when he averaged 10.7 points in 26 games played. He shot 43 percent from the field and averaged a team-best 6.4 rebounds per game en route to All-CUSA Third team honors. In conference action alone, Odukale ranked third in the league in rebounding (7.0), third in assist/turnover ratio (2.0), fifth in blocks (1.4) and sixth in assists (3.3).
Before his time at New Mexico State, Odukale was at Seton Hall in 2022-23, where he started in 32 games and averaged 7.3 points and 4.4 rebounds. Odukale began his collegiate career at Pittsburgh where he played for two years and competed in 53 games. Starting in 33 games as a Panther, Odukale averaged 9.1 points and 3.1 rebounds over the two years.
Odukale, a multiple academic all-conference selection, will receive a bachelor’s degree in individualized study and is also a past NABC Academic Honor Court selection.
 

EasyThere Pilgrim said:
If you had a brain, you'd realize that you have to keep low-profile guys that you coach-up for more than 1 year.

3 of our guys just left for $500K+ each. This does NOT mean Ben is a bad coach. It's the opposite. But you'd need a brain to understand this.

It figures that you'd put all the blame on Coach Johnson. And think Gavin Newsome is a great guy.
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Now Hawkins, Payne and Christie each got $500,000+? Cite your source please......
 



skiumah1 said:
I like this commit, and I don't mind this team once we lock down the Patterson commit.

Add 1 more post. Make it a good one.

Betts might be able to give us something this year as well.
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One would hope going into year 3.
 

Sane24 said:
If the bench players never leave the bench (in a 6-, -7-man rotation), it is impossible for them to score.
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Can't argue with that. Too few players playing too many minutes was a problem this past season.

It seems like the coach is trying to recruit enough players who have maturity and an extensive record of playing at the collegiate level. Perhaps that means that he has a goal of playing more of his bench. We'll see next season.
 

bga1 said:
This is what I would prefer to see anyway. More off the ball movement, screens and cuts, less standing around.
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Thank you, the standing around is what is really frustrating to watch. Seems like Stephens, Loewe, Sutherlin weren't the most athletic bunch, but they seemed to be high IQ basketball players and really moved well without the ball. JOJ, Carrington, etc really struggled with that. Ben needs a little bit better x's and o's this year, loved watching a team like Indiana State
 

Bob_Loblaw said:
Yeah, I like Hawkins and this isn't revisionist history, but he did dribble A LOT at times.
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Happened way too much, and he would look around and on one would move. Then they would look at him and he would keep dribbling. The 7.5 apg was a bit over rated. He is a great player, but I'll take some size and more of a scoring threat to replace him, Patterson would be a really good replacement..
 

Pretty versatile player, decent handle, can score with his back to the basket and hit some 3's. I guess a decent comp is a taller Sutherlin?
 

EasyThere Pilgrim said:
I use logic.

Ben did a great job of finding lower-profile guys like like Hawkins & Christie.
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Yes, lower-profile guys like Christie, a top-100 national player with more than a dozen high-major offers, whose first offer was from no-name program Michigan St. Oh, and his older brother plays in the NBA, but I'm sure no one "finding" such a lower-profile player knew that about him.

Great job using "logic."
 

cheeseheadgophfan said:
Now Hawkins, Payne and Christie each got $500,000+? Cite your source please......
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Mike Max was saying that it was rumored that Danja was getting in the 1 mill range from
Memphis. He also said his sources were saying Hawkins increased his NIL by 280k at Texas Tech. Nothing is verified because the numbers aren't published.
 

With this guy and Mitchell, talking about rebounds only, good chance better on the boards.
Mitchell is 16 per 40 (Fouled out 1 time last season)
Odukale is 9 per 40 (Fouled out 4 times last season)
Rigsby is 4.8
Garcia is 8.3
Williams ?
Patterson (if he comes) is 4.3
Mitchell, Garcia, Odukale, Patterson is 37.6
So, a chance

The 5 guys that left were 31.2 total rebounds per 40
Payne was 10.4
Carrington 6.1
Ola Joseph 5.5
Christie 4.8
Hawkins (great under 6' re-bounder) 4.4
 



dpodoll68 said:
Yes, lower-profile guys like Christie, a top-100 national player with more than a dozen high-major offers, whose first offer was from no-name program Michigan St. Oh, and his older brother plays in the NBA, but I'm sure no one "finding" such a lower-profile player knew that about him.

Great job using "logic."
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LOGIC means you pull your head out of your ass BEFORE YOU POST, not after..
 


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