Hey! Look at who is back in the transfer portal and who else just entered it

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GopherWeatherGuy said:
I think people are making too much out of needing a traditional center. Many teams run with 2 guards and 3 forwards, or 3 guards and 2 forwards.

Baylors 8 man rotation was 5 guards and 3 forwards. Ohio St's tallest starter was 6'8" last season.
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Thamba is 6’10. JTT was 6’8 250 and 6’5 255 and played bigger. Baylor had size.
 


Would both A&M guys be eligible? Miller is another forward who is not a three point shooter. Fox, Johnson, Ihnen, possibly Miller and Mitchell bunch of forwards with not much three point potential.
 

Bob_Loblaw said:
I'd really like to add Mitchell. I think I might prefer him to the North Dakota guy.

His a good defensive player and kind of a stat stuffer. They dipped last year but he averaged 3 assists per game prior season. He blocked more shots in a much better conference.

I'd be stoked to land Mitchell. He could possibly be one of our better players.
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I like the guy too. He didn't have such a great game against us this past season but he had a really good game two years ago as a soph against us.

The serb from UND would have been a better scorer but we might have enough scorers. We could use a true blue collar forward who does the dirty work.
 

Fact ...Steffon Mitchell is barely 6-7 and a non physical 200lbs, he is forward, maybe he could play center in D-2....He is a decent all around average player, similar to a 6th man off the bench on a good team...solid, blue collar, but far from the wow factor....
 


xxxdog said:
Fact ...Steffon Mitchell is barely 6-7 and a non physical 200lbs, he is forward, maybe he could play center in D-2....He is a decent all around average player, similar to a 6th man off the bench on a good team...solid, blue collar, but far from the wow factor....
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Yeah, ideally we could add a true C, rim defender type. I'd like to bring Freeman back too.

All of that said, I don't want to shoehorn a player into the rotation that shouldn't be in the rotation because they are a C.

Is he a bit redundant? Sure. But he's redundant in things you can never have too much of (defense, energy, rebounding).
 

I honestly think Ihnen could play the 5. If he gets introduced into the weight room, and improves his rim protection, with his shooting he could be a deadly player for us.
 

PeterMac05 said:
I honestly think Ihnen could play the 5. If he gets introduced into the weight room, and improves his rim protection, with his shooting he could be a deadly player for us.
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I do this think could be an option too. He might get abused this year but hopefully grow into it a little bit.
 




xxxdog said:
Fact ...Steffon Mitchell is barely 6-7 and a non physical 200lbs, he is forward, maybe he could play center in D-2....He is a decent all around average player, similar to a 6th man off the bench on a good team...solid, blue collar, but far from the wow factor....
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I only saw him play against the Gophers in December and, if I remember, he got into foul trouble and was a non-factor. However, this is cut and pasted from his page on the BC MBB site:

AS A JUNIOR (2019-20):
  • Earned spots on the All-ACC and ACC All-Defensive Team
  • Became the first BC player to be named to the league's All-Defensive team
  • Was the only player to average 7.8 points, 8.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 2.2 steals, and 1.0 blocked shots per game, while posting a 1.92:1 assist/turnover ratio
  • Finished ranked 19th nationally in steals - the tallest player (6-8) among the top 30 nationally
  • Ranked fourth in the ACC in rebounding, second in steals, 14th in blocked shots, and sixth in assist/turnover ratio
  • Started all 31 games in which he appeared
  • Posted seven double-doubles in points and rebounds and one double-double in rebounds and assists
  • Set new career highs in scoring (21 points at Virginia Tech), rebounding (15 boards at Virginia Tech), assists (10 vs. Syracuse), and steals (6 vs. CCSU)
  • Had 21 points, 15 rebounds, six assists, and two blocks at Virginia Tech
  • Posted consecutive near-triple-double performances down the stretch, with 12 points/11 boards/9 assists against Notre Dame and 7 points/11 boards/10 assists versus Syracuse
  • Scored in double figures in 10 games and grabbed 10 or more rebounds on 13 occasions
  • Ranked among the national leaders in offensive rebounding (3.1 OR/g)

I don't know about you, but that looks--largely--objective and... REALLY GOOD. I'd love to have him, even if he is actually shorter and lighter than advertised.
 

CYW5 BornGoph said:
I only saw him play against the Gophers in December and, if I remember, he got into foul trouble and was a non-factor. However, this is cut and pasted from his page on the BC MBB site:

AS A JUNIOR (2019-20):
  • Earned spots on the All-ACC and ACC All-Defensive Team
  • Became the first BC player to be named to the league's All-Defensive team
  • Was the only player to average 7.8 points, 8.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 2.2 steals, and 1.0 blocked shots per game, while posting a 1.92:1 assist/turnover ratio
  • Finished ranked 19th nationally in steals - the tallest player (6-8) among the top 30 nationally
  • Ranked fourth in the ACC in rebounding, second in steals, 14th in blocked shots, and sixth in assist/turnover ratio
  • Started all 31 games in which he appeared
  • Posted seven double-doubles in points and rebounds and one double-double in rebounds and assists
  • Set new career highs in scoring (21 points at Virginia Tech), rebounding (15 boards at Virginia Tech), assists (10 vs. Syracuse), and steals (6 vs. CCSU)
  • Had 21 points, 15 rebounds, six assists, and two blocks at Virginia Tech
  • Posted consecutive near-triple-double performances down the stretch, with 12 points/11 boards/9 assists against Notre Dame and 7 points/11 boards/10 assists versus Syracuse
  • Scored in double figures in 10 games and grabbed 10 or more rebounds on 13 occasions
  • Ranked among the national leaders in offensive rebounding (3.1 OR/g)

I don't know about you, but that looks--largely--objective and... REALLY GOOD. I'd love to have him, even if he is actually shorter and lighter than advertised.
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He wasn't much of a factor against the Gophers this year but two years ago as a soph he was: 8 points, 13 rebounds, 2 block, 4 assists with no turnovers. He had 11 free throw attempts in that game so he obviously forced more than his fair share of fouls.
 

I've seen Mitchell a lot over the last few years. He's limited offensively and not much of a post presence. They had him along the outside setting picks and facilitating the majority of their sets. He's a small 6'8, and by that I mean he doesn't have a big frame. He is a very good passer and and took care of the ball. Seemed like a good team player. Plays within himself and doesn't try to do too much. The offense flowed through him quite a bit, even though he typically didn't put up a lot of shots. His calling card is defense. He has the ability to guard the 2 and 3 in a pinch if the defense breaks down.

I would be fine taking him if BJ makes the call.
 
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I hope we do offer and he accepts, but as a forward, Mitchell would be devoured & abused as a center in the Big Ten....Ben Johnson must uncover a couple sizeable bodies to at least protect the rim somewhat and maybe challenge for a few rebounds...The Big Ten is loaded with 6-10- 7-0 centers & physical forwards on almost every team, our present roster as of now would easily be manhandled inside at will ....
 



Alright, it's that time where I unload my musings on recent developments in the portal to you all, whether you ask for it or not!

* The new entries into the portal seem to be slowing pace, which really, how couldn't it? We are over 1450, so 1500 seems like it will be easily eclipsed. What seems to be predominating lately is end of the bench type of talent.

* I mentioned earlier this week James Akinjo entering into the portal, but it'd be likely he's aiming higher than the Gophers and I proved to be prescient-he announced today he was headed to Baylor.

That Big 12, particularly deep in the heart of, is shaping up to be really something. Texas and Oklahoma have been very active in the portal, Baylor's the reigning national champs, Kansas will be Kansas until the NCAA puts the hammer down (thank you, thank you , you've been a great crowd! You can find me every Friday night at the Ha Ha Hole on Pico) and you have veteran, perennially well-coached at Kansas State, TCU, and West Virginia. Oklahoma State's got bushels of money and no compunction about hiring family members of top prospects to sit on the bench. So that leaves Texas Tech and Iowa State.

TJ Oltzenberger, Eli King, and Tamin Lipsey--let me extend my "good luck, you're going to need it" handshake.

* It's really interesting to see absolutely no buzz whatsoever about where Emanuel Miller may be headed. You'd think a forward who averaged 16 and 8 in the SEC during his sophomore year would have a lot of speculation swirling, but I am not seeing it. Compare it to his former teammate Jaxson Robinson who just finished an unspectacular freshman year, but there's an article up on 247 about the schools he's spoken to, tweets about who's reached out, etc. etc.

I take it as a really positive sign that all seems very quiet on this front.

* Now that the head coaches have settled into their respective positions, following the travels of the well-known assistants is fascinating in its own right. As nitramnead posted, it appears Kentucky is going to add Orlando Antigua unless the Dr. Evil salary keeps him in place at Illinois, to replace one of the assistants who headed off to Arizona State to be the top assistant there. Danny Manning has joined his old teammate Mark Turgeon at Maryland, after Shaka Smart poached DeAndre Haynes from the Terrapins, who was given a lot of credit in developing guards' Aaron Wiggins and Eric Ayala.

And I have to say, the more we wait, the more fascinated I become about Jaime McNeilly leaving Buzz Williams' side after 11 seasons and the title as associate head coach, and that's not even taking into account that he may be bringing along two very talented players in his nephew and Miller. Until the ink is dry, I don't want to get ahead of myself, but if he joins the staff as all signs seem to point to, it really seems like a hell of a staff that Ben Johnson is starting his head coaching career with.

* Another MN kid, Pine Island native Broc Finstuen, found a nice landing spot moving from Pacific to Cleveland State. I thought he might have ended up being a Gopher, but he instead will be a Viking.

* Feeling like you have an overabundance of animosity towards the Badgers and you'd like to direct your ire in new directions? You could set your sights on Valparaiso, who have added Joe Hedstrom and Trevor Anderson from Bucky's roster. They've also brought on board Kevion Taylor, who was a four year standout with Winona State.

* Do you remember that episode of Friends where Joey and Chandler started receiving free porn on their TV? I think I've reached a level similar to this with the portal.
 

xxxdog said:
Fact ...Steffon Mitchell is barely 6-7 and a non physical 200lbs, he is forward, maybe he could play center in D-2....He is a decent all around average player, similar to a 6th man off the bench on a good team...solid, blue collar, but far from the wow factor....
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Mitchell played C last year in the ACC. He’s not ideal, but he’d play C for us too because of what we lack. He’d probably split time with Fox I’m guessing? OSU got a 2 seed this past year with Liddell as their big man
 

manderson1984 said:
Mitchell played C last year in the ACC. He’s not ideal, but he’d play C for us too because of what we lack. He’d probably split time with Fox I’m guessing? OSU got a 2 seed this past year with Liddell as their big man
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Liddell is listed at 240 pounds though. I wouldn’t compare him playing the 5 to Mitchell playing the 5. Having said that, we may need to play small ball and play someone like Mitchell there. Would be interesting to see.
 

Liddell had Kyle Young as a sidekick dude was strong. OSU was a two seed but got beat playing real small ball when Young was out verse Oral Roberts. Parker Fox would get buried guarding true bigs in the post. One good thing is the Big 10 lost some good bigs so it won’t be as tough as last year hopefully
 

You don’t guard good bigs with one guy alone anyway. Liam couldn’t do that. He usually got abused by good bugs when left alone, and there was rarely teammates making it difficult to enter the ball with the exception of Gabe. You guard a good big ias a team, most importantly by putting pressure on the passer making it difficult to deliver the ball. Plenty of really good teams have done that without a 6’10 big. It’s called team defense and it’s just been awhile since we’ve seen that consistently.
 

xxxdog said:
Fact ...Steffon Mitchell is barely 6-7 and a non physical 200lbs, he is forward, maybe he could play center in D-2....He is a decent all around average player, similar to a 6th man off the bench on a good team...solid, blue collar, but far from the wow factor....
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Did Steffon take it to you in high school or something? You are speaking pretty strongly against him in a couple posts, and are simply wrong on his size. He did well in the ACC, all-conference defensively, excellent passer unlike anything we have had from a 4/5 in recent years, can knock down an open look, and a great teammate who doesn’t need any coddling from the staff. Can’t go wrong with a kid like him on the team. Won’t lead the team in scoring or be flashy, and he won’t make dumb, lazy plays to hurt the team.
 

Roland Brooks said:
Liddell had Kyle Young as a sidekick dude was strong. OSU was a two seed but got beat playing real small ball when Young was out verse Oral Roberts. Parker Fox would get buried guarding true bigs in the post. One good thing is the Big 10 lost some good bigs so it won’t be as tough as last year hopefully
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Besides Dickerson, the traditional bigs in the conference have mostly depleted. It’s gonna be guys like Trayce Jackson Davis, which are guys that will not overpower Fox imo.
 



I watched Mitchell's highlight tape from last year.
  • He gets most of work done around the basket. Lots of scores on putbacks where he positions himself well, or drives across the lane and kissing it off the glass.
  • Surprising number of his highlights were assists. Kickouts from the post, finding guys in transition, no look passes, he's got impressive vision for a big guy.
  • Also watched him back down and bully a 6'8" 230 guy from Louisville.
  • 4 straight highlights against Matthew Hurt (blocked his shot, and then stole the ball from him after he got a defensive rebound, then blocked his shot, then threaded a pass into a teammate in transition who scored on Hurt).
  • He can make open 3s well enough (29.4%) to be a complement to a guy like Parker Fox out there. FWIW Liam shot 32.7%, Brandon Johnson shot 25.5%.
  • The release on his shot looks janky to me. Also he's a lefty.
  • He's a pretty good shot blocker. Not in the traditional sense of the rim protector with long arms swatting it into the 3rd row. He's pesky with quick hands and it seemed like half of his blocked shots came from the side or behind the shooter.
  • Several highlights of him pushing the ball up the floor in transition. Good skill to have in a big.
  • He played the middle bottom when BC was in a 2-3 zone. Usually seemed to be in the post on defense, guarding the opposing team's big man (usually 6'8"-6'10" 220-240 guys).
I think we'd be lucky to have him. Definitely undersized against bangers in the B10 but I would take him against a reach/project center who isn't very talented. At least this guy is a stat stuffer and keeps a scholarship free next year. And I'm one of those homers who likes having Minnesotans on the roster. Who knows, maybe having a team full of 5th year players can lead to a surprising result. Kinda like when we see those senior laden teams from low-majors beat more talented teams in the NCAA tournament. Bring him home, BJ!

 
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The more I see of this kid's game, the more I like it. Love the tough, smart defense, the good ball handling and great passing--unselfish.
One observation to add to 'eked's' excellent breakdown: he is the guy who sits down in the middle of the zone against Syracuse and executes the offense from the top of the key. That confuses the majority of teams, but he seems to have the role mastered.
 

While reading about Emanuel Miller and Cashius McNeilly, I noticed that Kevin Marfo was also in the portal. We made his final 5 last year when before getting Liam Robbins. He was a transfer from Quinnipiac and ended up at Texas A&M. Averaged 13 minutes, 3 points, 4 rebounds per game after leading the NCAA in rebounding the year before.
 

eker0016 said:
While reading about Emanuel Miller and Cashius McNeilly, I noticed that Kevin Marfo was also in the portal. We made his final 5 last year when before getting Liam Robbins. He was a transfer from Quinnipiac and ended up at Texas A&M. Averaged 13 minutes, 3 points, 4 rebounds per game after leading the NCAA in rebounding the year before.
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Interesting info. there. We'll have to see what happens with Steffon Mitchell but I wouldn't mind Marfo as a potential backup option.

EDIT Sounds like Marfo is headed back to Quinnipiac to finish up his career
 
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Minnesota had reached out to him.

 


xxxdog said:
I hope we do offer and he accepts, but as a forward, Mitchell would be devoured & abused as a center in the Big Ten....Ben Johnson must uncover a couple sizeable bodies to at least protect the rim somewhat and maybe challenge for a few rebounds...The Big Ten is loaded with 6-10- 7-0 centers & physical forwards on almost every team, our present roster as of now would easily be manhandled inside at will ....
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Who are the 6’10+ guys in the B1G next year? I can think of the Purdue kid.
 

UpAndUnder43 said:
Who are the 6’10+ guys in the B1G next year? I can think of the Purdue kid.
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Is Dickinson back for Michigan? I think he is.

I'm pretty sure Illinois and Michigan St probably have someone in the wings - maybe new recruits.

I thought I read Maryland just got a new transfer big.
 

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