Cut and paste from Illinois message board
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Where you see Minnesota fittin'?
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1. Ohio State
2t. Illinois
2t. Michigan State
4. MINNESOTA
5. Wisconsin
6. Purdue
7. Northwestern
8. Michigan
9. Nebraska
10. Iowa
11. Indiana
12. Penn State
OVERVIEW: Picked as one of my two dark horses to contend for a B1G basketball crown this season -- Illinois being the other -- just about everyone knows that Minnesota had devastating problems in their backcourt last year. Al Nolen's injury disrupted a very promising season, as the Gophers went on a huge slide to mediocrity, eventually missing out on even the NIT. When the season began, the Gophers were in the "Others Receiving Votes" category. By week two, they were ranked #15. By week six, they were at 11-1 and ranked #13 with wins over North Carolina, West Virginia, Western Kentucky and Siena. Blake Hoffarber attempted to take over most of the point guard responsibilities after Nolen's injury and Devoe Joseph's departure, but all that accomplished was to ensure that Minnesota didn't have a point guard or a shooting guard. It is my belief that because of the lack of depth at point guard -- the injury to Nolen and the transfer of Devoe Joseph -- the Gophers basically lost effective output from both their "one" and "two" positions.
KEY LOSSES: Al Nolen, Blake Hoffarber, Colton Iverson and Devoe Joseph.
KEY ADDITIONS: Julian Welch (Big West FOY), Andre Hollins (Mr. Basketball Tennessee), Joe Coleman (Mr. Basketball Minnesota) and Mo Walker (coming back from injury).
THESIS: Al Nolen was a great defender, but a less-than-average B1G point guard. Minnesota only needs (1) an average shooting guard and (2) a less-than-average point guard to contend in the B1G this season, someone who can handle the ball and deliver it to Mbakwe and Sampson in positions for them to score, and they could have that in transfer Julian Welch, or one of last year's freshmen might step up. If the guard play can be adequate, i.e., Welch handling the ball control duties, Andre or Austin Hollins keeping defenses honest from the perimeter, and the other guards providing some decent backup, the Gophers can be very, very good.
BEST STARTING LINEUP:
PG -- Julian Welch (JUCO transfer; spent first year as Big West Freshman of Year)
SG -- Andre Hollins (Mr. Tennessee basketball; possibly only long-ball threat)
SF -- Austin Hollins (Sophomore; Lionel Hollins' son)
PF -- Trevor Mbakwe
C -- Ralph Sampson, III
KEY RESERVES: Mo Walker (6-10; about 3 bills), Rodney Williams (starter from last year), a ton of athletic sophomore guards.
KEY QUESTIONS: Can transfer Julian Welch or one of the sophomores provide an adequate answer to the point guard situation? Can Andre Hollins or one of the sophomores provide an adequate answer to the shooting guard situation.
WEAKNESSES: Ball control; Three-Point Shooting; Off-the-Court Drama; Continuing the Rodney Williams Experiment; Proven Depth. Until someone steps up and commands the point guard position, ball control is going to be a potential weakness of this team. Julian Welch is a possible answer coming from JUCO where he played point guard. During his first year in college, though, he played at UC-Davis and was a top-five scorer for the team, averaging less than 2 apg. Welch was the Big West Freshman of the Year, but he wasn't UC-Davis' point guard. Austin Hollins is a second possibility. He is going to be a sophomore, and, as a freshman, he got 5 assists against both Illinois and Michigan. Sophomores Chip Armelin and Maverick Ahanmisi are also possibilities.
Three-point shooting could be an even bigger problem. Of the players returning who made at least 10 shots from threepointland last year, the best average was Austin Hollins' .260. Freshman Mr. Tennessee Basketball Andre Hollins might be counted on to bring it from deep, as he light up Findlay Prep for 46 last year and averaged well over 20 ppg for his high school team. From a group that includes Julian Welch, Andre Hollins, Austin Hollins, Chip Armelin, Maverick Ahanmisi and Joe Coleman, Tubby Smith must adequately fill two guard spots and provide some depth. He has the athletes to do it, but do those athletes have the skills and can they be consistent? I think Tubby will get the job done reasonably well with that group.
As for off-the-court drama, it certainly plagued Minny last year, but this season, at least so far, the only news has been good news: (1) Tubby Smith beat Prostate Cancer, and (2) the Gophers recruited the likes of Welch, Hollins and Coleman to fill obvious backcourt needs. With regard to the "experiment," Rodney Williams has been a near total disaster on the court. He came into the league with some hype, but he's been terrible at shooting, dribbling, passing and rebounding. He can sky, though. Will Tubby continue to play him and hope he eventually "gets it"?
The Gophers don't have proven depth. They will need their sophomore guards to make a huge leap this year. Additionally, the depth in the front court took a blow with the transfer of Colton Iverson. Man-mountain Mo Walker is coming back from injury, so he should help on the inside.
STRENGTHS: Rebounding; Front-Court; Blocking Shots; Athleticism; Playing in the Stupid Barn. Minnesota will have one of the best and bruising-est front-courts in the country with Trevor Mbakwe and Ralph Sampson, III. With just the three starters, Mbakwe, Sampson and Williams, the Gophers are returning over 20 rebounds per game. That is hugely significant, but even more so in a slower-paced conference like the B1G. This is also the "NBA tryout year" for Sampson and Mbakwe, so they'll be working towards a professional career from day one. From the top of their roster to the bottom, Minny will rival Illinois' incredible athleticism. Last year, the Gophers proved they were only a high I.Q. (or at least experienced) ballhandler away from winning a lot of games.
SIDE-NOTE: This might become known as the "Year of the Transfer Point Guard" in the conference. Depending on who outshines whom amongst Julian Welch of Minnesota, Sam Maniscalco of Illinois and Juwan Staten of Michigan State, a rival to Ohio State should emerge. Staten did a great job distributing the ball for Dayton, with excellent assist numbers (5.4 apg) and a sound assist-to-turnover ratio (2+), but he was a terrible shot from threepointland (.154) and was only .604 from free lunch. Welch was a shooting guard as a freshman, had great assist numbers last year in JUCO (5.0 apg), but was relied on to be a scoring point guard.
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http://mbd.scout.com/mb.aspx?S=169&F=2616&T=7922456&P=1
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Where you see Minnesota fittin'?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
.
1. Ohio State
2t. Illinois
2t. Michigan State
4. MINNESOTA
5. Wisconsin
6. Purdue
7. Northwestern
8. Michigan
9. Nebraska
10. Iowa
11. Indiana
12. Penn State
OVERVIEW: Picked as one of my two dark horses to contend for a B1G basketball crown this season -- Illinois being the other -- just about everyone knows that Minnesota had devastating problems in their backcourt last year. Al Nolen's injury disrupted a very promising season, as the Gophers went on a huge slide to mediocrity, eventually missing out on even the NIT. When the season began, the Gophers were in the "Others Receiving Votes" category. By week two, they were ranked #15. By week six, they were at 11-1 and ranked #13 with wins over North Carolina, West Virginia, Western Kentucky and Siena. Blake Hoffarber attempted to take over most of the point guard responsibilities after Nolen's injury and Devoe Joseph's departure, but all that accomplished was to ensure that Minnesota didn't have a point guard or a shooting guard. It is my belief that because of the lack of depth at point guard -- the injury to Nolen and the transfer of Devoe Joseph -- the Gophers basically lost effective output from both their "one" and "two" positions.
KEY LOSSES: Al Nolen, Blake Hoffarber, Colton Iverson and Devoe Joseph.
KEY ADDITIONS: Julian Welch (Big West FOY), Andre Hollins (Mr. Basketball Tennessee), Joe Coleman (Mr. Basketball Minnesota) and Mo Walker (coming back from injury).
THESIS: Al Nolen was a great defender, but a less-than-average B1G point guard. Minnesota only needs (1) an average shooting guard and (2) a less-than-average point guard to contend in the B1G this season, someone who can handle the ball and deliver it to Mbakwe and Sampson in positions for them to score, and they could have that in transfer Julian Welch, or one of last year's freshmen might step up. If the guard play can be adequate, i.e., Welch handling the ball control duties, Andre or Austin Hollins keeping defenses honest from the perimeter, and the other guards providing some decent backup, the Gophers can be very, very good.
BEST STARTING LINEUP:
PG -- Julian Welch (JUCO transfer; spent first year as Big West Freshman of Year)
SG -- Andre Hollins (Mr. Tennessee basketball; possibly only long-ball threat)
SF -- Austin Hollins (Sophomore; Lionel Hollins' son)
PF -- Trevor Mbakwe
C -- Ralph Sampson, III
KEY RESERVES: Mo Walker (6-10; about 3 bills), Rodney Williams (starter from last year), a ton of athletic sophomore guards.
KEY QUESTIONS: Can transfer Julian Welch or one of the sophomores provide an adequate answer to the point guard situation? Can Andre Hollins or one of the sophomores provide an adequate answer to the shooting guard situation.
WEAKNESSES: Ball control; Three-Point Shooting; Off-the-Court Drama; Continuing the Rodney Williams Experiment; Proven Depth. Until someone steps up and commands the point guard position, ball control is going to be a potential weakness of this team. Julian Welch is a possible answer coming from JUCO where he played point guard. During his first year in college, though, he played at UC-Davis and was a top-five scorer for the team, averaging less than 2 apg. Welch was the Big West Freshman of the Year, but he wasn't UC-Davis' point guard. Austin Hollins is a second possibility. He is going to be a sophomore, and, as a freshman, he got 5 assists against both Illinois and Michigan. Sophomores Chip Armelin and Maverick Ahanmisi are also possibilities.
Three-point shooting could be an even bigger problem. Of the players returning who made at least 10 shots from threepointland last year, the best average was Austin Hollins' .260. Freshman Mr. Tennessee Basketball Andre Hollins might be counted on to bring it from deep, as he light up Findlay Prep for 46 last year and averaged well over 20 ppg for his high school team. From a group that includes Julian Welch, Andre Hollins, Austin Hollins, Chip Armelin, Maverick Ahanmisi and Joe Coleman, Tubby Smith must adequately fill two guard spots and provide some depth. He has the athletes to do it, but do those athletes have the skills and can they be consistent? I think Tubby will get the job done reasonably well with that group.
As for off-the-court drama, it certainly plagued Minny last year, but this season, at least so far, the only news has been good news: (1) Tubby Smith beat Prostate Cancer, and (2) the Gophers recruited the likes of Welch, Hollins and Coleman to fill obvious backcourt needs. With regard to the "experiment," Rodney Williams has been a near total disaster on the court. He came into the league with some hype, but he's been terrible at shooting, dribbling, passing and rebounding. He can sky, though. Will Tubby continue to play him and hope he eventually "gets it"?
The Gophers don't have proven depth. They will need their sophomore guards to make a huge leap this year. Additionally, the depth in the front court took a blow with the transfer of Colton Iverson. Man-mountain Mo Walker is coming back from injury, so he should help on the inside.
STRENGTHS: Rebounding; Front-Court; Blocking Shots; Athleticism; Playing in the Stupid Barn. Minnesota will have one of the best and bruising-est front-courts in the country with Trevor Mbakwe and Ralph Sampson, III. With just the three starters, Mbakwe, Sampson and Williams, the Gophers are returning over 20 rebounds per game. That is hugely significant, but even more so in a slower-paced conference like the B1G. This is also the "NBA tryout year" for Sampson and Mbakwe, so they'll be working towards a professional career from day one. From the top of their roster to the bottom, Minny will rival Illinois' incredible athleticism. Last year, the Gophers proved they were only a high I.Q. (or at least experienced) ballhandler away from winning a lot of games.
SIDE-NOTE: This might become known as the "Year of the Transfer Point Guard" in the conference. Depending on who outshines whom amongst Julian Welch of Minnesota, Sam Maniscalco of Illinois and Juwan Staten of Michigan State, a rival to Ohio State should emerge. Staten did a great job distributing the ball for Dayton, with excellent assist numbers (5.4 apg) and a sound assist-to-turnover ratio (2+), but he was a terrible shot from threepointland (.154) and was only .604 from free lunch. Welch was a shooting guard as a freshman, had great assist numbers last year in JUCO (5.0 apg), but was relied on to be a scoring point guard.
"
http://mbd.scout.com/mb.aspx?S=169&F=2616&T=7922456&P=1
