Grayson Grove a Gopher!!


GopherPlaya

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Could it be Groves was ready to commit ? Is it possible we offer Mckennon or Johnson yet? Maybe they see Groves in a specific role like a stretch four. I know Michigan signed a player from Stewartville a couple years ago that I didn’t think would play for them and he’s gotten some playing time as an example. The summer of Groves junior year so I’d think he also has some upside potential.
Like I said I don’t fully understand it. I do like Grayson’s competitiveness. Kind of reminds me of Tschetter. Tschetter was a surprise to a lot of people but he had a couple times where he went head to head with Treyton and others who were sort after & destroyed them. I hope Groves work out but I’m just surprised we offered so early in the process
 

Johnnyboy18

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I don’t know what you have been watching but if that’s what you believe then okay. The only site that has both ranked is prephoops & Mekonnen is still above Groves
I've watched both enough to see Groves has skill and can shoot. Mekonnen is a better athlete. RJ has given his rankings and ranked Groves above him.
 

GopherPlaya

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I've watched both enough to see Groves has skill and can shoot. Mekonnen is a better athlete. RJ has given his rankings and ranked Groves above him.
Groves is a worse ball handler, defender, and passer. Shooting is his skill. He goes right most of the time & is still undersized to play the 4 in the Big Ten. Mekonnen can play both forward spots and game is still developing. As far as skill, I don’t know what Groves does that is more skilled than MeKonnen
 




short ornery norwegian

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a school in MN's position (lack of recent success, lack of NIL) is not going to land a lot of kids who are finished projects. any HS recruit they land is going to need development in some area. If Evans would have stayed at MN, he was going to need development.

so the idea that Groves needs development should not surprise anyone.

the question is how much development does he need, and how long will it take for him to become a productive player?

the alternative - of course - is to go for all portal players who are presumably older and more developed.

Johnson is going the traditional route - sign HS kids and develop them.

If Groves doesn't pan out, then Johnson - or the next coach - will have to deal with that situation down the road.
 

Bad Gopher

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a school in MN's position (lack of recent success, lack of NIL) is not going to land a lot of kids who are finished projects. any HS recruit they land is going to need development in some area. If Evans would have stayed at MN, he was going to need development.

so the idea that Groves needs development should not surprise anyone.

the question is how much development does he need, and how long will it take for him to become a productive player?

the alternative - of course - is to go for all portal players who are presumably older and more developed.

Johnson is going the traditional route - sign HS kids and develop them.

If Groves doesn't pan out, then Johnson - or the next coach - will have to deal with that situation down the road.
Good post. People who advocated bringing Eli King in (which included me) were doing so based on him being someone who needed to grow and develop. You're always looking for those high-ceiling guys who aren't quite the finished product yet.
 




Bob_Loblaw

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Where is Groves ranked higher? I don't think either one is ranked. Also, this is McKennonen's first year playing with a shoe team. His recruitment will be similar to Pharrell's. He has been the best player on D1MN 17s. I would even say Isaiah Johnson-Arigu has been better than Groves as well. I don't see how it is crazy to be surprised by this if you watch them play.
I like Groves more than you. I've seen him play against Kapke and while they run a lot of zone, that didn't really change the fact that every time Kapke touched the ball, Groves was on him (and got kind of bullied by him). I actually thought their defense was kind of based around Groves being pretty dominant inside (much more dominant than I thought).

Personally, I like Groves more than Mekonnen, but Mekonnen is kind of a freak athlete. He really reminds me of Jericho Sims. He is raw but it looks like he's playing on a 8 foot rim at times. I think the difference might be that he never grows to 6'9"/6'10" like Sims. But if the staff had offered Mekonnen, I'd have had zero issues with that.

I will say this though, I might like Johnson-Arigu more than either of them. I've only seen clips online, but he is probably the only one of those three with some wing skills. He could be one of those players big enough to guard 4s and athletic/skilled enough to play the wing. I just don't see how he doesn't play high level D1 basketball.
 

formerlybis

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Wacky idea alert.

In professional soccer, team A can "loan" a player to team B. For team A, this allows the player to get playing time they wouldn't otherwise get, and they develop. For team B, it generally fills a need at lower cost (the player is under contract to team A, though team B pays a loan fee).

It would be really innovative to try to do something like that with a player like Grove. Loan him to NDSU and bring him back for sophomore year.

It's not even half-baked and it's certainly outside the rules as they currently exist. But it would be an alternative to competing in the portal...
 

leib0039

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Wacky idea alert.

In professional soccer, team A can "loan" a player to team B. For team A, this allows the player to get playing time they wouldn't otherwise get, and they develop. For team B, it generally fills a need at lower cost (the player is under contract to team A, though team B pays a loan fee).

It would be really innovative to try to do something like that with a player like Grove. Loan him to NDSU and bring him back for sophomore year.

It's not even half-baked and it's certainly outside the rules as they currently exist. But it would be an alternative to competing in the portal...
Idea is good, but in soccer those are professional players under contract. Can't do that with a kid in college. Guessing not too many kids would be excited thinking they got signed to say OSU only to have to play in front of 1,200 people at say Vermillion for a year or more.
 

Bob_Loblaw

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Wacky idea alert.

In professional soccer, team A can "loan" a player to team B. For team A, this allows the player to get playing time they wouldn't otherwise get, and they develop. For team B, it generally fills a need at lower cost (the player is under contract to team A, though team B pays a loan fee).

It would be really innovative to try to do something like that with a player like Grove. Loan him to NDSU and bring him back for sophomore year.

It's not even half-baked and it's certainly outside the rules as they currently exist. But it would be an alternative to competing in the portal...
How are Gopher fans concerned about the Groves scholarship?

We are giving a scholarship to Jack Wilson, Ogele, Samuels, etc. Even if Groves struggles as a FR, he would still likely be in the top 1/2 of our best uses of a scholarship.
 



formerlybis

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Idea is good, but in soccer those are professional players under contract. Can't do that with a kid in college. Guessing not too many kids would be excited thinking they got signed to say OSU only to have to play in front of 1,200 people at say Vermillion for a year or more.
With the bolded, I would say the lines are already blurred. In my world, there's no bait and switch - player can refuse.
 

BleedGopher

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Per Sam:

Growing up in Minnesota, Grove has been watching the university's athletic teams a lot, and having a family full of Gopher fans was a big motivating factor for making a college commitment.

"I watched their basketball, football, and volleyball teams, and I come from a family of Gopher fans," Grove said in a phone interview with the Echo Press on Monday. "It means a lot to me to be able to play for a home-state school."

"I took my official visit this weekend, and coach Ben Johnson, coach Dave Thorson and the rest of the staff were with me all weekend, and I was able to build a really good relationship with all of them," Grove told Gopher Illustrated's Ryan James. "They showed me around the facilities, and they were just incredible. I like what Ben Johnson has set up for the program over the next few years. I think they are building up to be one of the better programs in the Big Ten. There is a lot of winning coming their way which is what I like. They are a staff that believes in me, they gave me an opportunity, and I think I really fit the way they play."


Go Gophers!!
 

Gopher_In_NYC

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Per Sam:

Growing up in Minnesota, Grove has been watching the university's athletic teams a lot, and having a family full of Gopher fans was a big motivating factor for making a college commitment.

"I watched their basketball, football, and volleyball teams, and I come from a family of Gopher fans," Grove said in a phone interview with the Echo Press on Monday. "It means a lot to me to be able to play for a home-state school."

"I took my official visit this weekend, and coach Ben Johnson, coach Dave Thorson and the rest of the staff were with me all weekend, and I was able to build a really good relationship with all of them," Grove told Gopher Illustrated's Ryan James. "They showed me around the facilities, and they were just incredible. I like what Ben Johnson has set up for the program over the next few years. I think they are building up to be one of the better programs in the Big Ten. There is a lot of winning coming their way which is what I like. They are a staff that believes in me, they gave me an opportunity, and I think I really fit the way they play."


Go Gophers!!

Sounds like a winner 🏅 to me
 

Rockraven

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How are Gopher fans concerned about the Groves scholarship?

We are giving a scholarship to Jack Wilson, Ogele, Samuels, etc. Even if Groves struggles as a FR, he would still likely be in the top 1/2 of our best uses of a scholarship.
Yep. And Battle had one too!
 



Rockraven

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Of course, he's one of the best players Ben has ever recruited.

Do you think this screen name will make until January?
Battle was the best of the worst the first year. Then catastrophe struck.
 


Spaulding!No!

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Grosvenor is pronounced grow-vee-nur. Should save you some embarrassment at Interlachen.
 

golfing18now

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Highly doubt he was offered because he was from Minnesota. The recruiting from Minnesota thing is far more an observer reality than a coaching one.

As has been noted, this staff has identified guys early and worked on them. Talent evaluation doesn’t seem to the problem. Closing the deal has been.

I should probably clarify. I'm not suggesting the only reason he was offered was because he was from Minnesota. But I do believe the floor and ceiling of recruits (talent/rankings) pursued by this coaching staff and frankly endorsed by many on this board is different based on where a recruit resides. I just hope the floor of Minnesota recruiting isn't too low. Filling the roster with Michael Hurt/Jarvis Omersa types isn't helpful in this age of portal recruiting.
 

Rockraven

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I should probably clarify. I'm not suggesting the only reason he was offered was because he was from Minnesota. But I do believe the floor and ceiling of recruits (talent/rankings) pursued by this coaching staff and frankly endorsed by many on this board is different based on where a recruit resides. I just hope the floor of Minnesota recruiting isn't too low. Filling the roster with Michael Hurt/Jarvis Omersa types isn't helpful in this age of portal recruiting.
Yeah, CBJ really blew it on those two.
 

golfing18now

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Yeah, CBJ really blew it on those two.

I was using those two as an example @diehard, not as commentary on BJ's recruiting. Specifically tried to dance around commenting on this particular recruit. My frustration is with the stupidity of thinking the only solution out of the box with this dumpster fire of a program is to fill the roster with Minnesota kids, at all costs.
 

Johnnyboy18

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I was using those two as an example @diehard, not as commentary on BJ's recruiting. Specifically tried to dance around commenting on this particular recruit. My frustration is with the stupidity of thinking the only solution out of the box with this dumpster fire of a program is to fill the roster with Minnesota kids, at all costs.
Literally no one has ever advocated for filling the roster with Minnesota kids just because they are from Minnesota. The frustration with the prior regime was the program was bad and the coach seemingly let players that were good from Minnesota leave the state and contribute to winning teams. If the prior regime would have won, it wouldn't have been a talking point.
 

Rockraven

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I was using those two as an example @diehard, not as commentary on BJ's recruiting. Specifically tried to dance around commenting on this particular recruit. My frustration is with the stupidity of thinking the only solution out of the box with this dumpster fire of a program is to fill the roster with Minnesota kids, at all costs.
We are getting terrible analysis on Grove on this board. Terrible. He is fluid and smooth. Very deceptive to people with low BB IQ. He is going to be another star player and a fit for the team. He is also a junior in HS and I think getting taller. He needs nutrition, strength, and conditioning. They all do. He gets the defensive rebound and goes coast to coast for the jam. If we have better Minnesota kids I hope we can get them too if they make our roster unbalanced again. BTW, I do not prefer a Minnesota player over better out of state e prospects. They are all prospects until they hit the court at the barn.
 

golfing18now

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Literally no one has ever advocated for filling the roster with Minnesota kids just because they are from Minnesota. The frustration with the prior regime was the program was bad and the coach seemingly let players that were good from Minnesota leave the state and contribute to winning teams. If the prior regime would have won, it wouldn't have been a talking point.

I don't understand this logic. Players get to select where they go to college. I've had three college-aged daughters and two of them wanted no part of the University of Minnesota. They just wanted to try something different. Why do we think 18 year olds when given the option to go anywhere feel some sort of obligation to stay here? Or if we only had better relationship with their coaches, then they would somehow get delivered to the University? Or if only coach X had gotten in on them earlier? Some kids have an innate desire to stay home and have commented on that in interviews -- Michael Hurt, Daniel Oturu, Treyton Thompson, maybe this kid. Others, not so much. We also tend to overlook the ones that "got away" that didn't amount to much, the Alex Illikainen types.
 

golfing18now

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We are getting terrible analysis on Grove on this board. Terrible. He is fluid and smooth. Very deceptive to people with low BB IQ. He is going to be another star player and a fit for the team. He is also a junior in HS and I think getting taller. He needs nutrition, strength, and conditioning. They all do. He gets the defensive rebound and goes coast to coast for the jam. If we have better Minnesota kids I hope we can get them too if they make our roster unbalanced again. BTW, I do not prefer a Minnesota player over better out of state e prospects. They are all prospects until they hit the court at the barn.

Quite possible he is undervalued. Prospects outperform their rankings all the time and others do the opposite. It's not a science. I understand that.
 

bga1

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Quite possible he is undervalued. Prospects outperform their rankings all the time and others do the opposite. It's not a science. I understand that.
I recall when Jon Leuer was not highly regarded as a junior. The Gophers didn't get in until late and his stock rose big time as a senior netting Wisconsin a terrific player. I think we have to give our coaches credit here and hope their bet is a winning one.
 




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