Game #5: Gophers (4-0) v. Wofford (1-2) [BTN 6:00PM]

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Wally reminds me a lot of Isaiah Dahlman and his days at MSU. Dahlman came in with a lot of promise, but by his Jr. year, Izzo was asking him if he wanted to transfer. Dahlman ended up as the best practice player and towel waver on the team. Wally looks and plays a lot like Dahlman did. I too wouldn't be surprised to see him concentrate on track & field.

Buggs on the other hand simply looks like a guy at the YMCA who is trying to figure out how to play basketball in the midst of a pick-up game. He seems both mentally and physically slow to react and looks to have bricks for hands. I'm not sure what Tubby saw in the kid, but perhaps the basic athleticism can be coached up and he'll surprise me. Right now, however, he looks like a wrestler trying to play a pick-up game with the basketball team.

RochesterHammy said:
I think Wally will eventually see the writing on the wall that his future is Track and Field. I expect after the season that Wally will sit down and realize that basketball isn't in the cards and will concentrate on track full time and will be moved to a track scholarship freeing up another scholarship. I just don't see him playing a whole lot once big ten season starts. He doesn't really have an offensive identity. I think he got away with being such a great athlete in high school and can't at this level.
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gopherncostarica said:
I would have to disagree with part of this. A lot of people on this forum write about how we don't have the athletes to press for a full game. Well... Wally is the best athlete on his team. I do agree that he does not have an offensive identity but did Rodney ever really have one until his Jr. year? Wally still has plenty of time to develop and that would certenly help if he is on the team once his brother's recruitment comes around.
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Wally's an athlete, but he's not much of a defender. He got completely twisted up on two inbound plays that resulted in Wofford layups. After the second defensive lapse, Pitino called the timeout and chewed him out, which was a great timeout for him to make.
 

GopherWeatherGuy said:
This is the first game I've seen the Gophers play this year and I agree. I am very impressed by Mathieu. Love the way this team plays with more confidence and they will be a lot of fun to watch through the year. The Syracuse game will be a good measuring stick of how good this team can be this year.
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With no Mo and possibly no King, I'm not sure about that.
 

Buggs should start looking to transfer. He looks completely lost out there like he doesn't know where he belongs. I just don't seem him ever being a big contributor.
 

Good thing Oto didn't listen to all of the Gopherhole experts last season.
 


Wally could have a little Vince Grier in him if he could just calm down and get some arch on his shots. Buggs best-case at this point is probably Andre Ingram. He looked awful for the first 3/4 of his first season and then suddenly found something. It still wasn't anything great, but at least he could contribute something. I hold out a slim hope for that.

In any case, Tubby's last Fall recruiting class was clearly his worst and reinforces that it was probably time to go.
 

RochesterHammy said:
Buggs should start looking to transfer. He looks completely lost out there like he doesn't know where he belongs. I just don't seem him ever being a big contributor.
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Wow. Extremely premature. He already has valuable traits that can't be taught. The things he lacks right now can be improved through experience and coaching. He is freshman. Give him some time to develop.
 

First game I've been able to watch this year and liked a lot of things I saw. EE looked like a much improved player from last year, much more athletic and better with the ball. Good time for Austin to start to heat up on the offensive end heading into some tougher games. I liked what I saw from Mathieu and think Malik can be a spark off the bench at times this year too. Oto looks like a completely different player, much more confident and comfortable on the floor. As for Wally and Buggs they both kind of just seem nervous and lost when they get on the floor and look like they need to find their role, they may contribute eventually but we will have to deal with inconsistency and struggles from them especially early on as they gain experience.
 

I like what I see of McNeil, although it's been very limited. Good take to the hole, solid looking three (didn't fall, but looked confident and solid) and had a diving tip to start the break on Wally's dunk.
 



howeda7 said:
Wally could have a little Vince Grier in him if he could just calm down and get some arch on his shots. Buggs best-case at this point is probably Andre Ingram. He looked awful for the first 3/4 of his first season and then suddenly found something. It still wasn't anything great, but at least he could contribute something. I hold out a slim hope for that.

In any case, Tubby's last Fall recruiting class was clearly his worst and reinforces that it was probably time to go.
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Yeah. The sophomores aren't impressive at all. Regardless, today's game was predictable but impressive. Hopefully we can keep it close on Monday.
 

One of the fun things about watching Gopher sports is seeing players develop from year to year, or sometimes from game to game as they figure it out. That's why I enjoy college sports so much more than the pro version. You've got Oto who quite a few people were ready to run out of the country last year, being a solid contributor so far this year. Now some folks are ready to write off two guys who are even younger. Give it a rest and let the season develop. They might or might not make it, but you sure as hell don't know at this point. Give your opinion on where he is as a player, but this "let's get rid of him," attitude some people spout gets old.
 

tinyarch said:
Wally's an athlete, but he's not much of a defender. He got completely twisted up on two inbound plays that resulted in Wofford layups. After the second defensive lapse, Pitino called the timeout and chewed him out, which was a great timeout for him to make.
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Yeah but these are typical errors that happens with any 3 star-ish qualities who are freshman. They have to get exposed to the speed of the game with minutes and Wally didn't have any time last year.
 

Is it just me, or does EE remind anyone else of Nic Cage in Valley Girl?

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Good god, I don't think I've ever seen a game thread as unreadable as this one, particularly for a blow out win. Not every kid is going to be a super star 10 games into their career. Both Wally and Buggs have a lot of potential AND a lot of eligibility remaining. Let the kids play. Honestly, both look much, much better and more useful than Mav in his first 2 or 3 years, so things could definitely be worse.
 

gopherncostarica said:
I would have to disagree with part of this. A lot of people on this forum write about how we don't have the athletes to press for a full game. Well... Wally is the best athlete on his team. I do agree that he does not have an offensive identity but did Rodney ever really have one until his Jr. year? Wally still has plenty of time to develop and that would certenly help if he is on the team once his brother's recruitment comes around.
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Fair point, but I don't think Rodney ever had one. Unless dunking is an identity. Wally could become a player someday, but he's definitely not there right now.
 

GophersOnTheRise said:
Wow. Extremely premature. He already has valuable traits that can't be taught. The things he lacks right now can be improved through experience and coaching. He is freshman. Give him some time to develop.
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Raw untapped talent, if he ever figures it out he could be special, may never happen but it is worth it to wait.
 

RochesterHammy said:
The problem with both Wally and Rodney is that in high school both probably played the four. Rodney was completely lost when he played the three in college and wasn't until Trevor's injury where they started playing him at the four where he started to look more comfortable. I think the same thing is happening with Wally. He played around the basket in high school and is now being asked to play more on the perimeter at the 3 with occasional time at the 4 which isn't the strength of his game. Will he get better? Probably! Most players do as is evidence with Eliason. Will he be around long enough to experience it. I think probably not. The kid has a chance to go to the Olympics in the high jump. You need to be more than a part-time athlete if you want that chance. That's why eventually Wally will switch to Track so he can train properly year round.
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I remember Rodney playing the 5 when I saw him at the Target Center representing the Hawks. Excellent point if it's true about Wally.
 

station19 said:
Sorry, I just don't see it happening.
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People said same about ,any young new players. People were ready to pack Oto's bags many times last year. Give it a rest.
 


MadtownGopher said:
Good god, I don't think I've ever seen a game thread as unreadable as this one, particularly for a blow out win. Not every kid is going to be a super star 10 games into their career. Both Wally and Buggs have a lot of potential AND a lot of eligibility remaining. Let the kids play. Honestly, both look much, much better and more useful than Mav in his first 2 or 3 years, so things could definitely be worse.
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Well said. Pathetic stuff from some posters.
 

RochesterHammy said:
The problem with both Wally and Rodney is that in high school both probably played the four. Rodney was completely lost when he played the three in college and wasn't until Trevor's injury where they started playing him at the four where he started to look more comfortable. I think the same thing is happening with Wally. He played around the basket in high school and is now being asked to play more on the perimeter at the 3 with occasional time at the 4 which isn't the strength of his game. Will he get better? Probably! Most players do as is evidence with Eliason. Will he be around long enough to experience it. I think probably not. The kid has a chance to go to the Olympics in the high jump. You need to be more than a part-time athlete if you want that chance. That's why eventually Wally will switch to Track so he can train properly year round.
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Did you ever watch Wally play in HS? Problem with your point is that it isn't accurate. Wally had Elwood and Henry who played more around the basket. Wally played more of a wing as a three.
 


Fun to finally watch the team on television (live). Great first half performance, though you knew the 71% fg would have to come back down to earth in the second half. Continue to be impressed with the strides Eliason has made physically, he's just a much more athletic guy this year. How about little Dre going among the trees and grabbing an offensive board plus the put back? Probably won't see that too often. Austin Hollins played a great game, but I worry about counting on a guy with his frame to continue to rebound consistently as the opponents get more physical.
 

Mulligan said:
One of the fun things about watching Gopher sports is seeing players develop from year to year, or sometimes from game to game as they figure it out. That's why I enjoy college sports so much more than the pro version. You've got Oto who quite a few people were ready to run out of the country last year, being a solid contributor so far this year. Now some folks are ready to write off two guys who are even younger. Give it a rest and let the season develop.
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Thank you.
 

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