Gophers target: Morehead State PG Ta'Lon Cooper (5.9 APG)

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leib0039 said:
With the portal you never really know but I think the best thing about this class thus far is we should have this team for a few years. Dawson/Battle/Cooper/TT/Thiam/Freshman all have 2+ years left. Assuming you pick up 2 more guys that are in their last year to make room for guys in 2023 and that is a nice thing to look forward too with that B1G tournament coming here!
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I doubt Garcia will play two more years in college. There is a better chance that Battle does than Garcia in my mind.
 



I dunno folks, but it's starting to look like that Ben Johnson guy might actually know what he's doing - contrary to some of the opinions posted on this site.

Sure - we need to see what it looks like on the court next year.

But this roster already appears to be vastly deeper and more talented, and there is still room to add more talent through the portal.

and - maybe the most encouraging factor - talent attracts talent. If players see that other good players are committing to MN, that is going to make them take a closer look.
 



We are now a top 10 team in the country,Big Ten favorites and final 4 bound.Expectations are high for a group of guys who just like last year,have never played together.
Let's see what Coach B can do !!!
Go Gophers !!
 

Cooper and Garcia are the kind of players that really will allow Ben to play some versatile lineups. This is also the kind of player who really helps a player like Payne.

I really like this signing and we can go in a number of different directions at the other two spots now.
 

I’m hoping that the last two signings (if used) are spot up, Akeem Springs type shooters.
 




per Marcus:

Ben Johnson landed a potential immediate impact point guard with Morehead State transfer Ta'Lon Cooper, who committed to the Gophers on Wednesday.

Cooper was scheduled to visit Minnesota's campus on Friday and Saturday, but he couldn't wait to join the Gophers' incoming class, which includes North Carolina transfer Dawson Garcia.

"Out of all the head coaches I talked to me and [Johnson] text on a daily basis and all the time," Cooper told Zach Schumaker after announcing his decision on Instagram Live. "Just about leading the team to victory and bringing winning to that program."

www.startribune.com

Gophers land Morehead State point guard transfer Ta'Lon Cooper

Needing guards, Minnesota added Cooper, who ranked seventh in Division I basketball with 5.9 assists per game.
www.startribune.com www.startribune.com

Go Gophers!!
 






Bob_Loblaw said:
You're a really dumb person.

I said worse case scenario, what would be worse?
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Real classy. Starting with an insult reflects more on your intelligence than mine.

You could have easily said that the least is he will be on a B1G team.

There is no way they will be a bad team with the incoming players and injury returns!

It is like your son getting engaged to a girl from the U and you tell him the worse he can do is marry some ugly girl from the U. He may not take that the same way that you think. You have a consistent trait of making boarder line statements and then insulting those that do not read it the way you think it should be read. This one is a very minor example.
 

alchemy2u said:
Real classy. Starting with an insult reflects more on your intelligence than mine.

You could have easily said that the least is he will be on a B1G team.

There is no way they will be a bad team with the incoming players and injury returns!

It is like your son getting engaged to a girl from the U and you tell him the worse he can do is marry some ugly girl from the U. He may not take that the same way that you think. You have a consistent trait of making boarder line statements and then insulting those that do not read it the way you think it should be read. This one is a very minor example.
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C'mon man, don't derail it. Let's enjoy the addition.
 

alchemy2u said:
Real classy. Starting with an insult reflects more on your intelligence than mine.

You could have easily said that the least is he will be on a B1G team.

There is no way they will be a bad team with the incoming players and injury returns!

It is like your son getting engaged to a girl from the U and you tell him the worse he can do is marry some ugly girl from the U. He may not take that the same way that you think. You have a consistent trait of making boarder line statements and then insulting those that do not read it the way you think it should be read. This one is a very minor example.
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He didn't say they would be. Every team has a best case, worst case, and most realistic case scenario. His point was that even if the worst case happens to play out here, he'd still be getting a ton of playing time in a big time conference. In other words, this is a good place for him no matter what.
 

What a difference a year makes. At this time last year we had no idea what the team was going to be like. Now we potentially have an experienced PG who was one of the best in the country in assists last year to go along with Battle/Fox/Garcia front court which should be a very solid unit. Going to be fun to see how this squad looks when it is all said and done and then see what they can do on the court.
 



MNVCGUY said:
What a difference a year makes. At this time last year we had no idea what the team was going to be like. Now we potentially have an experienced PG who was one of the best in the country in assists last year to go along with Battle/Fox/Garcia front court which should be a very solid unit. Going to be fun to see how this squad looks when it is all said and done and then see what they can do on the court.
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Agree. I'm excited for the season to start.
 

One thing I liked about Cooper as opposed to Honor is the 6'4" compared to 5'10"
Like that length. Wish he hit a higher % on his free throws. Should work out good for the next couple of seasons. Good job by Ben thus far. Couple more players....
 





Wanna watch me make Barn Burner's head explode.....:)

As long as Garcia is allowed to play next year this is a tournament team. I know there are still spots to fill but feel confident they will get some guards to fill them to go along with what is already in place.
 

MNVCGUY said:
What a difference a year makes. At this time last year we had no idea what the team was going to be like. Now we potentially have an experienced PG who was one of the best in the country in assists last year to go along with Battle/Fox/Garcia front court which should be a very solid unit. Going to be fun to see how this squad looks when it is all said and done and then see what they can do on the court.
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I was thinking the same thing. Fox and Ilhen, of course, are the wild cards but it seems like we are on so much better footing than last year when I was just happy that practically anyone agreed to come here after all those demoralizing transfers out. It'll be interesting to see who else Johnson will pick up. Hoping a couple of players who really weren't considering us take notice and think, "They've got a chance to be pretty decent. I want in on that."
 

Roland Brooks said:
Need another ball handler
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Yeah, I'm kind of wondering about this. It makes a guy like Isaiah Thompson more intriguing to me. He can really shoot but not an ideal PG. Having Thompson as another shooter and a secondary/backup ball handler is an entirely different discussion. Josaiah Strong is actually a decent ball handler too.

The fact that Cooper isn't small also makes it possible to play those guys together quite a bit (if need be).
 

MNVCGUY said:
Wanna watch me make Barn Burner's head explode.....:)

As long as Garcia is allowed to play next year this is a tournament team. I know there are still spots to fill but feel confident they will get some guards to fill them to go along with what is already in place.
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If these three "ifs" come true, I actually think we have a really good shot at the tournament.

(1) If Garcia is eligible;
(2) If Payne is ready to play in year 1 (he gives us something we just don't have yet);
(3) If we add two more solid rotation-level players.

I think there is a good chance all those happen. This could be a fun year for the Gophers.
 

Bob_Loblaw said:
If these three "ifs" come true, I actually think we have a really good shot at the tournament.

(1) If Garcia is eligible;
(2) If Payne is ready to play in year 1 (he gives us something we just don't have yet);
(3) If we add two more solid rotation-level players.

I think there is a good chance all those happen. This could be a fun year for the Gophers.
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I think all 3 of those are pretty much slam dunks to happen. Don't see how Garcia doesn't get a hardship waiver given his situation, Payne is physically ready to at least be a role player off the bench, and based on guys we have been linked to in the portal it seems very likely we will get the additional guards we will need to fill things out.
 

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