Gabe in Portal

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Gopher Teeth said:
If this is what it is, why wouldn’t everyone enter the portal? If that’s what happens this will be chaos.
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Have you seen how the list has been growing over the past week?
Chaos has been reached. Even the women have many in the transfer portal.

Gopher Teeth said:
If Ben doesn't get a great class this year, and the next two years are ugly, you aren't bringing in good players (Minnesotan or not) to a complete dumpster fire. No quality player is coming to the U to get hammered by 30 pts night in and night out. I assumed that Ben was going to be able to hold the core of the team together for next year and then just plug a few holes, but this is getting pretty bad. The more guys that go to the portal the more likely it is the rest will. There might not be a single person left on this roster, we are becoming Nebraska very quickly. Gabe was the last person I would have suspected would look to transfer.
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Northeastgopher said:
So I know people on this board debate how good Gabe is all the time, but at some point do we just get concerned about filling out a roster with competent players? We have half a roster open.
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Never. If you are just filling in with warm bodies, then you are asking for failure.
 

WriterGoph said:
We hired Johnson to keep FUTURE RECRUITS at home. You're talking about players on our team who already have years of bias/experience built up. Maybe they weren't happy with their role or the team's arc. You think a coach is gonna come in within a week or two and change years of what has happened to them as individuals? Any wise 20ish kid is going to take the opportunity to see what's out there.

Your logic is VERY flawed. You don't hire a new coach to salvage the existing team. You hire a new coach to BUILD A BETTER PROGRAM (which is by no means a two-week or single spring process).
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Of course, but the path laid out for him to build a better team is to keep more local recruits home. If he can't convince a current local player to stay under his leadership, one that he originally recruited, then that is a blemish on him plan. That is why I think that Gabe was told that his performance has to improve (of course he said he believes in him....) or he will not see as much court time. The local kids still have to beat out other players to play.
 

DEGopherfan said:
Not that it probably matters, but was there ever an explanation of how Gabe broke his right hand and when did it actually happen? I wonder if he wasn’t injured much earlier than when he actually went down. I hope he stays.
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Practice injury
 


JoshuaT81 said:
I totally get it. I was just saying what some people may think. It still holds true though. does it sound good that a person that recruited you out of high school and comes from your high school is now your coach and you throw your name in the portal? To me the coach may not be the reason but it isn't a good thing. It would be better if he would have done it before johnson was hired that way some people would not think that way. But I am betting some people will make their own assumptions with not realizing it's not about the coach, happens all the time and not really anything we can do about it.
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Quit doing so many back flips in trying to explain that it has nothing to do with our current coach.

The fact of the matter is that the school brought in a coach to appease the local players and the highest profile local player then decides he is leaving.
 

Block M said:
Probably as simple as he wants a better opportunity to play in the tournament next year and not be part of a rebuild. The flip side is that his shooting numbers have been bad and he might lose PT depending on where he transfers.

I am also of the opinion that he has to leave now that his name is in the portal. Door should not be open to a return.
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If the goal is to make the team worse in the short term while pissing off him, his teammates, and his former high school coaches, ultimately hurting both recruiting and morale, then this is a brilliant plan.
 

Gabe is looking for a better fit. I get it. Maybe a team where he is the seventh or eighth scoring option rather than #2.
 

Keyser Söze said:
There is a 0% chance that this happened. Ben was hired because of his relationships with MN high school coaches and his ability to recruit because of that. Pushing Gabe out would piss off the exact coaches that Johnson needs to have a good relationship with. Just absolutely no chance at all that Ben pushed him out. Gabe is also one of the best defenders in the Big Ten. Would make no sense for so many reasons.
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We will see where Gabe ends up, that will indicate how much he is valued by other programs.
 



alchemy2u said:
The fact of the matter is that the school brought in a coach to appease the local players and the highest profile local player then decides he is leaving.
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If we're worried about Gabe being the 'highest profile' local player, we're worrying about the wrong things...

Who knows, maybe Johnson told him to take his brick-laying over to the local trade union, since construction is booming.

Maybe Gabe, thinking that Ben really is a recruiting whiz, knows that Johnson is going to bring in some big-time talent that will force him further and further down the bench...

Maybe Gabe is being smart and seeing what his options are.
 

Keyser Söze said:
If the goal is to make the team worse in the short term while pissing off him, his teammates, and his former high school coaches, ultimately hurting both recruiting and morale, then this is a brilliant plan.
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This battle ain’t worth fighting. People on this board will continue to undervalue what he brings defensively and as a culture guy. He’s the exact type of guy you want in a year 1 scenario. I think we will have a shot to have him back but we will just have to see.
 

laazrakit said:
If we're worried about Gabe being the 'highest profile' local player, we're worrying about the wrong things...

Who knows, maybe Johnson told him to take his brick-laying over to the local trade union, since construction is booming.

Maybe Gabe, thinking that Ben really is a recruiting whiz, knows that Johnson is going to bring in some big-time talent that will force him further and further down the bench...

Maybe Gabe is being smart and seeing what his options are.
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I meant currently on the team. I agree with your other comments. I think Ben had something to do with this decision.
 

Gopher Teeth said:
If this is what it is, why wouldn’t everyone enter the portal? If that’s what happens this will be chaos.
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This is exactly what it is. Recruiting every player on your roster every year.

I guess the golden age of the player, but will people continue to show up to watch a constantly shuffling team? They were showing up in decreasing numbers before. Wonder if this will help?
 



alchemy2u said:
I meant currently on the team. I agree with your other comments. I think Ben had something to do with this decision.
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If Ben had anything to do with Gabe entering the portal it’ll be a short tenure for Ben.
Kids need inspiration....not threats. Highly doubt it was anything Ben said negatively about Gabe’s performance as a Gopher.
Ben may not have blown enough smoke up Gabe’s skirt for Gabe’s taste but anything
harsh about his play would be very dumb.
Why? Every team needs a lockdown defender. Hard worker. Straight arrow. Etc
It ain’t Ben that nudged him in the portal.
 

People need to look at the transfer portal as if it were an internet service. You pick a service and you test it for awhile. You hear that others are liking a different service or that the service you have has provided a better deal to others that you don't have. You can call your present company and ask for the same deal or you can shop around and pick a different company. Your present company may want your business so they give you the better deal and you choose to stay or the deal from the competition is just too good to pass up. Either way, you have internet service.
Gabe (and the others) is just shopping around to find the best deal. Any of us would do the same.
Personally, Gabe was such a lock down defender that his shooting was mitigated by his defense and selfless effort for the team. I hope he stays, but I won't begrudge him if he finds a better deal.
 

As many others have pointed out, the peripheral optics of this casts a negative image on Ben. Unfairly, I might add. Gabe is a glue guy that played terrific defense EVERY night he laced them up for the Gophers.

I have no idea what happened to his jumper...it equates to a Gold Glove 2nd baseman that all of sudden can’t make the throw to 1st.

Gabe seems to be a classy, well-adjusted kid that represented the U with honor. I can’t blame him for looking at options when you reflect on the last 2 seasons of Gopher Basketball. With all I that said, I’m just not that disappointed that he might transfer.
 

MaxyJR1 said:
Let’s be real, the transfer portal is like recruiting all over and similar to guys getting evaluated for the NBA draft. They get their ego stroked, get blunt advice and in the end make the best decision for them on and off the court. No reason to not take the opportunity unless you think you won’t get a scholarship somewhere.
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Exactly. It's why the number is so high now. Well said!
 

Ben needs to build his program with kids who want to be here. Tough spot right now, but shouldn't worry about kids who want to leave.
 

WriterGoph said:
Uhh, I'm pretty sure Indiana has already had a good number of guys enter the portal? At least 3-4 that I saw in the first day or two
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Indiana has a ton in the Portal but they all Portaled before Woodson was Hired and he already pulled one back.

Gabe entering is not a good look for Johnson. I don't buy the whole Johnson is why he is considering staying angle. If that was true he would have Portalled right after Pitino was fired. The fact he waited this long means he wasn't thrilled with the hire or at least with what Johnson told him.

Its not a good look but its not the end of the world. Its going to be a Rebuild and Gabe is going to be a senior next year. I am not a fan of the Johnson hiring but the key is going to be recruiting and developing young guys. Not retaining the Dregs of a bad team. The issue with them leaving is that a really bad year makes it harder to recruit.
 
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The portal/Transfer system right now is like being in a 10-year marriage and getting the chance to hit the eject button on the whole marriage and instantly wipe the slate clean with a new, more exciting partner. No ugly divorce, no hurt feelings, no anger, just instant situation. You can't blame players for looking at this option and weighing it.

Maybe things were going okay with you and Maggie Gyllenhall but you can put some feelers out and see if Scarlett Johanson will have you.
 

Obi-Wan Okogie said:
The portal/Transfer system right now is like being in a 10-year marriage and getting the chance to hit the eject button on the whole marriage and instantly wipe the slate clean with a new, more exciting partner. No ugly divorce, no hurt feelings, no anger, just instant situation. You can't blame players for looking at this option and weighing it.

Maybe things were going okay with you and Maggie Gyllenhall but you can put some feelers out and see if Scarlett Johanson will have you.
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Totally agree!
 


There will be plenty of fans who will be turned off by the vast turnover that ALL programs will have. Some really enjoyed watching kids grow, improve, become a team. All things change and those that adapt best will thrive. Gabe may very well be looking around but still return. Top programs are losing highly ranked recruits that do not want to sit, want a different campus, etc.. Players have the right to look around and they should but for some fans all the movement will be a turnoff and it would be hard to believe that new fans will come to the sport attracted by all the turnover. Some schools are considering doing away with the 4 year scholarship so that way if they do not you after a year your out so they can plan recruiting and roster management.
 

Even the NBA doesn’t have this much turnover every year, with every player. They have contracts that span more than one year.

I wonder if they will consider updating the rules at some point to limit access to the portal? Things like: you must spend at least two seasons at a school before you can use it, or you must have two years of eligibility left if you are not a grad transfer? Etc
 

builtbadgers said:
There will be plenty of fans who will be turned off by the vast turnover that ALL programs will have. Some really enjoyed watching kids grow, improve, become a team. All things change and those that adapt best will thrive. Gabe may very well be looking around but still return. Top programs are losing highly ranked recruits that do not want to sit, want a different campus, etc.. Players have the right to look around and they should but for some fans all the movement will be a turnoff and it would be hard to believe that new fans will come to the sport attracted by all the turnover. Some schools are considering doing away with the 4 year scholarship so that way if they do not you after a year your out so they can plan recruiting and roster management.
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The 4 year growth is the only positive that college basketball has left. If I want to watch a team full of players I don’t know, I’m going to choose to watch the league with polished players (NBA).
 



builtbadgers said:
There will be plenty of fans who will be turned off by the vast turnover that ALL programs will have. Some really enjoyed watching kids grow, improve, become a team. All things change and those that adapt best will thrive. Gabe may very well be looking around but still return. Top programs are losing highly ranked recruits that do not want to sit, want a different campus, etc.. Players have the right to look around and they should but for some fans all the movement will be a turnoff and it would be hard to believe that new fans will come to the sport attracted by all the turnover. Some schools are considering doing away with the 4 year scholarship so that way if they do not you after a year your out so they can plan recruiting and roster management.
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I say go back to the sit out year, but make coaches sit out a year too
 

builtbadgers said:
There will be plenty of fans who will be turned off by the vast turnover that ALL programs will have. Some really enjoyed watching kids grow, improve, become a team. All things change and those that adapt best will thrive. Gabe may very well be looking around but still return. Top programs are losing highly ranked recruits that do not want to sit, want a different campus, etc.. Players have the right to look around and they should but for some fans all the movement will be a turnoff and it would be hard to believe that new fans will come to the sport attracted by all the turnover. Some schools are considering doing away with the 4 year scholarship so that way if they do not you after a year your out so they can plan recruiting and roster management.
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Eliminating the four year scholarships is a recipe for disaster for the vast majority of players. If it is about education and it really is for a vast majority of guys in the system, putting them on at will is terrible for them. This whole thing is for the most part about creating advantages for the high end players in high demand. Most of them aren’t. The system should protect their education too. One year scholarships don’t do that.
 

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