BleedGopher
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Pitino was on with Tom Pelissero last night. Here is a full recap. This is not verbatim, but close:
Pitino on Gopher caravan tour...It's been great. What makes all of these places tremendous is the people. The amount of support that the entire state of Minnesota gives the program is what makes this place so special. It's been great.
Pitino on what Gopher fans want to hear from him...Most fans want to hear about my vision for the program. I give a little bit of opinion on each of the guys but to be honest I haven't spent a ton of time with them on the court.
Pitino on Coleman's transfer...Joe reached out to me a couple of days ago and told me that he was thinking about it for a while that he wanted a change of scenery. He's a great kid who has a great family. We wish him nothing but the best. He would have been great for our system and I think he'll be great wherever he goes.
Pitino on the new guys coming into the program (note, he can't talk about Smith yet)...Deandre Mathieu is a necessary addition as we didn't have a pure point guard in our system. I really like to play at least two PGs. Andre Hollins is a great player and he can play several positions. Daquein McNeil is a multiple position guy who has great skill, great speed and athleticism. His best basketball is ahead of him. Those are two quality additions.
Pitino on makeup of roster...We could have some three-guard line-ups. We may have to play small, that's just the way it works. When you are looking for Bigs late, it's tough to find. If we need to do that we'll do that. We've done it before.
Pitino on front court...I think Mo Walker and Elliot Eliason will have great years. Once they get in shape they will be in great shape. They both are working extremely hard. They are both going to have great years if they continue to work the way they are.
Pitino on Walker...He's been awesome. He's lost 20 pounds and needs to lose 30 or 40 more pounds. He's been great. He reminds me of Nazr Mohammed who played for my father. Mo is very talented he just needs to get in great shape. He's been extremely positive and he's off to a great start.
Pitino on playing a true 5...I'd love to have a true 5, and a 4 man who can shoot to stretch the defense.
Pitino on Eliason...He's been great too over the last couple of weeks. It's just staying in the gym, living in the gym. It's not just out on the court, it's what you put in your body. When you go in the weight room you have to treat it like a practice.
Pitino on what else he'd like to do to roster before next year...I'd like to get another Big if the right fit is out there. Maybe get another shooter in there. Certainly we need to beef up our front court as much as possible.
Pitino on starting 5...It's probably too soon to think about that. Some guys are great in individual instruction and not great in practice. Once we get into 5 on 5 in June I'll have a better gauge. I'd be very surprised if the two Hollins guys are not major, major parts of what we'll do. They've been so great and have embraced what we're doing.
Pitino on researching other Big Ten teams...I watched our game versus Michigan State at Williams Arena today on my ipad. I will watch a game or two a day.
Pitino on expectations in Year 1...We have to worry about today. We have to work extremely hard on what we want to implement. I'm really excited about the Staff. I am one of the youngest guys coaching and I wanted a staff that is similar. We have three guys that are tireless, tireless recruiters that work hard on the court too. I want them all to be well rounded. I want three great assistants that will make me better.
http://www.1500espn.com/ondemand/
Go Gophers!!
Pitino on Gopher caravan tour...It's been great. What makes all of these places tremendous is the people. The amount of support that the entire state of Minnesota gives the program is what makes this place so special. It's been great.
Pitino on what Gopher fans want to hear from him...Most fans want to hear about my vision for the program. I give a little bit of opinion on each of the guys but to be honest I haven't spent a ton of time with them on the court.
Pitino on Coleman's transfer...Joe reached out to me a couple of days ago and told me that he was thinking about it for a while that he wanted a change of scenery. He's a great kid who has a great family. We wish him nothing but the best. He would have been great for our system and I think he'll be great wherever he goes.
Pitino on the new guys coming into the program (note, he can't talk about Smith yet)...Deandre Mathieu is a necessary addition as we didn't have a pure point guard in our system. I really like to play at least two PGs. Andre Hollins is a great player and he can play several positions. Daquein McNeil is a multiple position guy who has great skill, great speed and athleticism. His best basketball is ahead of him. Those are two quality additions.
Pitino on makeup of roster...We could have some three-guard line-ups. We may have to play small, that's just the way it works. When you are looking for Bigs late, it's tough to find. If we need to do that we'll do that. We've done it before.
Pitino on front court...I think Mo Walker and Elliot Eliason will have great years. Once they get in shape they will be in great shape. They both are working extremely hard. They are both going to have great years if they continue to work the way they are.
Pitino on Walker...He's been awesome. He's lost 20 pounds and needs to lose 30 or 40 more pounds. He's been great. He reminds me of Nazr Mohammed who played for my father. Mo is very talented he just needs to get in great shape. He's been extremely positive and he's off to a great start.
Pitino on playing a true 5...I'd love to have a true 5, and a 4 man who can shoot to stretch the defense.
Pitino on Eliason...He's been great too over the last couple of weeks. It's just staying in the gym, living in the gym. It's not just out on the court, it's what you put in your body. When you go in the weight room you have to treat it like a practice.
Pitino on what else he'd like to do to roster before next year...I'd like to get another Big if the right fit is out there. Maybe get another shooter in there. Certainly we need to beef up our front court as much as possible.
Pitino on starting 5...It's probably too soon to think about that. Some guys are great in individual instruction and not great in practice. Once we get into 5 on 5 in June I'll have a better gauge. I'd be very surprised if the two Hollins guys are not major, major parts of what we'll do. They've been so great and have embraced what we're doing.
Pitino on researching other Big Ten teams...I watched our game versus Michigan State at Williams Arena today on my ipad. I will watch a game or two a day.
Pitino on expectations in Year 1...We have to worry about today. We have to work extremely hard on what we want to implement. I'm really excited about the Staff. I am one of the youngest guys coaching and I wanted a staff that is similar. We have three guys that are tireless, tireless recruiters that work hard on the court too. I want them all to be well rounded. I want three great assistants that will make me better.
http://www.1500espn.com/ondemand/
Go Gophers!!
