Gophers' nice assist numbers

[LM21]

I haven't posted on GH much, but enjoy keeping up to date with Gopher sports from other posters.

That being said, I was scrolling through ESPN this afternoon and came across a nice stat. Through 9 games, we currently rank 6th in the country in assists (19.3 per game). I was encouraged that even while playing mostly cupcakes, we're still sharing the ball instead of trying to go 1-on-1 vs inferior opponents.

I was also impressed by Little Dre's 3.9 assist/turnover ratio. When I was playing, my coaches would always tell point guards to shoot for above 2.0, so doubling that stood out to me. It will be interesting to see if he can put up similar numbers during the B10 season.

 

[ForecastingAWin]

"Team" basketball is much more fun to watch, and Mathieu is obviously the catalyst for the team this year. The player I have been most impressed with statistics-wise however is Nate Mason. As a freshmen, he is averaging 10 pts, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, and 1 turnover a game, all while shooting almost 50% from three. He accomplishes this even though he plays a mere 23 mins a game. Give me more Mason!

 

[Minnesconsin fan]

Mason has been a great addition. His composure and court presence is outstanding.

It seems to be like Lil' Dre is focusing on becoming more of a facilitator and getting other people involved earlier and some of that seems to come from him just slowing down. He had about 3 possessions last night where his patience turned an iffy opportunity into a dunk or another easy shot. There were a couple of moments like that in each of the last couple games and it seems like last year something would have been rushed and forced in that situation. It is good to see a kid grow into a role and get better all the time.