Isaiah Ihnen has suffered another season-ending knee injury, the U said Monday.

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Minnesota Jay said:
I feel like the sentiment, generally speaking, is not driven primarily by injuries but by this:

Last title for city with all 4 major pro sports:
LA 2020
DC 2019
Boston 2018
SF 2018
Philly 2017
Chicago 2016
Denver 2015
Miami 2013
NYC 2011
Dallas 2011
Detroit 2008
Phoenix 2001
MSP 1991

Last final four for each big ten school:
MSU 2019
Michigan 2018
Wisconsin 2015
OSU 2012
Illinois 2015
Maryland 2002
Indiana 2002
Wisconsin 2000
Minnesota 1997 (Vacated)
Ahead of Purdue, Rutgers, Penn st., NW, Nebraska

Last NY6/BCS/Playoff/Recognized Title for each big ten school:
OSU 2021
MSU 2021
Michigan 2021
Penn St. 2019
Wisconsin 2019
Iowa 2015
Illinois 2007
Nebraska 2001
Maryland 2001
Purdue 2000
Minnesota 1960
Rutgers, Purdue, NW....

Also this - Minnesota vs. Wisconsin since 2000
Major pro sports titles: MN 0, Wisconsin 2
Big Ten Bball Titles: MN 0, Wisconsin 6
Final fours: MN 0, Wisconsin 3
Big Ten Fball Titles: MN 0, Wisconsin 3
NY6 Games: MN 0, Wisconsin 6

Its a mindset that expects a loss, I think. And not without evidence. I dunno if get hurt more or not though

EDIT: Should add of course that the most important thing here is how much this sucks for Isaiah, and the rest of the guys as well. Wishing him the best in recovery
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You are correct... the most important thing is how this impacts the player. We can discuss the voodoo hexes and witches curses at another time.
 

Block M said:
Not surprised whatsoever. These guys are playing TOO MUCH BASKETBALL. Summers should be reserved for shooting, some ball handling, and cross training away from non-slip surfaces. These are devastating injuries; potentially career ending. Best of luck to Isaiah.
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Good article on the subject from a few yers ago.

www.espn.com

'These kids are ticking time bombs': The threat of youth basketball

In part one of a two-part series, ESPN explores the dangers of youth basketball -- and how the culture of perpetual competition is jeopardizing the futures of the very stars it hopes to create.
www.espn.com www.espn.com
 

As a Gopher hoops fan, every day is like getting a root canal.
 

PhiloVance said:
Try cross training. Repetitive stress caused by playing only 1 sport.
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Yeah. Can’t say it is this for sure. But I will speculate that this type of injury will become more common for 15-24 year old basketball players and basketball has become a year round sport
 

This may be a stretch but could it have something to do with the floors in the new practice facility?
 




The incredible part to me is that historically we never come close to having all 13 of our scholarship players available to play. (or 13 quality players to begin with) Yet, Ben thought 11 scholarship guys was a good idea. Fox gets hurt and we add a high school senior from the weeds. So now we have 9 and a half left and it's August.

Just recruit 13 of the the best players you can get in the country and let them compete. Do that and this probably doesn't happen.

Two most athletic guys going down does suck!!!!! Oh ya, and we got a guy in a neck brace, but it's precautionary.
 

60's Guy said:
The incredible part to me is that historically we never come close to having all 13 of our scholarship players available to play. (or 13 quality players to begin with) Yet, Ben thought 11 scholarship guys was a good idea. Fox gets hurt and we add a high school senior from the weeds. So now we have 9 and a half left and it's August.

Just recruit 13 of the the best players you can get in the country and let them compete. Do that and this probably doesn't happen.

Two most athletic guys going down does suck!!!!! Oh ya, and we got a guy in a neck brace, but it's precautionary.
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Betts made 12 so maybe that was the plan all along. No matter how you look at it there are not too many 9-13 players impacting college basketball game. Unless it’s on a 1 & done grad transfer that accepted a role using 13 instead of 12 isn’t a big deal
 



GopherPlaya said:
Betts made 12 so maybe that was the plan all along. No matter how you look at it there are not too many 9-13 players impacting college basketball game. Unless it’s on a 1 & done grad transfer that accepted a role using 13 instead of 12 isn’t a big deal
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Well, if you have 13 quality guys and you know who 9-13 are in August then something is wrong.
Garcia and Battle are likely our two best players...who is number 3? We won't know the answer for some time.
So if Ihnen was going to be 1,2 or 3...that's off the table. If Fox was 1, 2, or 3 that's no longer the case. If they were #5 or #7 ... your #9 is now already number 7 and it's August.
 

GopherPlaya said:
Betts made 12 so maybe that was the plan all along. No matter how you look at it there are not too many 9-13 players impacting college basketball game. Unless it’s on a 1 & done grad transfer that accepted a role using 13 instead of 12 isn’t a big deal
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And I'm sure there are others even if they are in the minority...but Houston and Texas Tech are two NCAA tournament teams that want to find 13 plus quality player candidates and play them. Musselman at Arkansas has absolutely done the same thing in recruiting this season.
 
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Gopho Sapiens said:
This may be a stretch but could it have something to do with the floors in the new practice facility?
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Are you insinuating that the Gophers put in a sub-standard floor at their facility, and their cheapness is causing a rash of injuries?

The Timberwolves (then new) practice facility was finished shortly before the floor at Athletes Village was designed. The basketball floor at Athletes Village is literally identical to the one used at the Wolves facility. If the Wolves trust it for the players they have hundreds of millions of dollars invested in, I’m guessing it’s perfectly cromulent for the Gophers.
 




forever a gopher said:
Are you insinuating that the Gophers put in a sub-standard floor at their facility, and their cheapness is causing a rash of injuries?

The Timberwolves (then new) practice facility was finished shortly before the floor at Athletes Village was designed. The basketball floor at Athletes Village is literally identical to the one used at the Wolves facility. If the Wolves trust it for the players they have hundreds of millions of dollars invested in, I’m guessing it’s perfectly cromulent for the Gophers.
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Exactly. I'm sure our practice facility floor isnt any different than the other 300 D1 schools. At this point though, let's take a different approach in the summer. More drills and shooting maybe. I dont know. I'm sure it's not the workouts, but right now somehow someway we need to get to november healthy in next few years.
 

On Fox it was his other knee and on Ihnen it was the same knee? Is that correct?
 


60's Guy said:
The incredible part to me is that historically we never come close to having all 13 of our scholarship players available to play. (or 13 quality players to begin with) Yet, Ben thought 11 scholarship guys was a good idea. Fox gets hurt and we add a high school senior from the weeds. So now we have 9 and a half left and it's August.

Just recruit 13 of the the best players you can get in the country and let them compete. Do that and this probably doesn't happen.

Two most athletic guys going down does suck!!!!! Oh ya, and we got a guy in a neck brace, but it's precautionary.
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And you know what? Next offseason, if Coach B.J. decides to carry only 11 scholarship players again, the usual apologists will say:

1) Coach knows what's best;
2) Lots of teams only have 11 scholarship players and many use only 8 players anyway;
3) You don't want players not getting playing time because that will make us look bad to future recruits AND/OR they'll transfer;
4) You don't want to settle by taking a lesser player from the portal (apparently roster vacancies are better).

I'm always amazed by people who appear to lack any semblance of negative historical memory and appear to approach each season with a fresh, naive optimism that all players will remain healthy, eligible, and productive throughout the entire year.
 

forever a gopher said:
Are you insinuating that the Gophers put in a sub-standard floor at their facility, and their cheapness is causing a rash of injuries?

The Timberwolves (then new) practice facility was finished shortly before the floor at Athletes Village was designed. The basketball floor at Athletes Village is literally identical to the one used at the Wolves facility. If the Wolves trust it for the players they have hundreds of millions of dollars invested in, I’m guessing it’s perfectly cromulent for the Gophers.
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Cromulent. Nice thesaurus usage! :)
 

cjbfbp said:
And you know what? Next offseason, if Coach B.J. decides to carry only 11 scholarship players again, the usual apologists will say:

1) Coach knows what's best;
2) Lots of teams only have 11 scholarship players and many use only 8 players anyway;
3) You don't want players not getting playing time because that will make us look bad to future recruits AND/OR they'll transfer;
4) You don't want to settle by taking a lesser player from the portal (apparently roster vacancies are better).

I'm always amazed by people who appear to lack any semblance of negative historical memory and appear to approach each season with a fresh, naive optimism that all players will remain healthy, eligible, and productive throughout the entire year.
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They lost two 4s on a team with about 8 of them. If anything they should have added another guard but teams rarely use 13 scholarships as anyone who follows college basketball knows. Not to mention Thiam transferred late in the process. Michigan State has 10 scholarship players this year.

Anyone who thinks teams can prepare for two players tearing their ACL in the middle of the summer are hilarious.
 

Johnnyboy18 said:
They lost two 4s on a team with about 8 of them. If anything they should have added another guard but teams rarely use 13 scholarships as anyone who follows college basketball knows. Not to mention Thiam transferred late in the process. Michigan State has 10 scholarship players this year.

Anyone who thinks teams can prepare for two players tearing their ACL in the middle of the summer are hilarious.
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I see that you didn't even wait until next offseason to repeat the same apologists arguments.

"If anything they should have added another guard but teams rarely use 13 scholarships as anyone who follows college basketball knows."

Yes, they should have added another guard. I don't care what other teams do. That's never a convincing argument when you're caught unprepared and end up suffering for it.

"Michigan State has 10 scholarship players this year."

In case you haven't notice, we're not Michigan State. Michigan State hasn't had a losing season since 1987-88. We've had three in a row. If Michigan State flops this year because of injuries or other attrition issues, that's just one of those unfortunate occurrences that happens once in a blue moon. Finally, if Michigan State has only 10 scholarship players, you can be confident that those 10 comprise a higher quality set than our 10.

"Anyone who thinks teams can prepare for two players tearing their ACL in the middle of the summer are hilarious."

What the hell are you talking about? That just happened last year and should be very fresh in the memory. This is very simple, you simply keep telling yourself: BAD THINGS ALWAYS HAPPEN and compensate accordingly. However, I don't think you're hilarious; you're just a sneering dope.
 

cjbfbp said:
I see that you didn't even wait until next offseason to repeat the same apologists arguments.

"If anything they should have added another guard but teams rarely use 13 scholarships as anyone who follows college basketball knows."

Yes, they should have added another guard. I don't care what other teams do. That's never a convincing argument when you're caught unprepared and end up suffering for it.

"Michigan State has 10 scholarship players this year."

In case you haven't notice, we're not Michigan State. Michigan State hasn't had a losing season since 1987-88. We've had three in a row. If Michigan State flops this year because of injuries or other attrition issues, that's just one of those unfortunate occurrences that happens once in a blue moon. Finally, if Michigan State has only 10 scholarship players, you can be confident that those 10 comprise a higher quality set than our 10.

"Anyone who thinks teams can prepare for two players tearing their ACL in the middle of the summer are hilarious."

What the hell are you talking about? That just happened last year and should be very fresh in the memory. This is very simple, you simply keep telling yourself: BAD THINGS ALWAYS HAPPEN and compensate accordingly. However, I don't think you're hilarious; you're just a sneering dope.
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Apologizing for what? The team having one open scholarship when 90% of basketball teams have equal or more?

I think they should have just kicked them off the team and filled their scholarships post injury. Easy solution dope
 

Johnnyboy18 said:
They lost two 4s on a team with about 8 of them. If anything they should have added another guard but teams rarely use 13 scholarships as anyone who follows college basketball knows. Not to mention Thiam transferred late in the process. Michigan State has 10 scholarship players this year.

Anyone who thinks teams can prepare for two players tearing their ACL in the middle of the summer are hilarious.
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Except the exact same thing happened to the same two players last summer. It also happened to Curry previously. Who could have ever seen it coming???
 

GopherWeatherGuy said:
Except the exact same thing happened to the same two players last summer. It also happened to Curry previously. Who could have ever seen it coming???
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How do you plan for that when building your roster? Should you kick those players off the team and fill those scholarships? Or should you assume they are going to be healthy and try to build a team around them.
 

Johnnyboy18 said:
How do you plan for that when building your roster? Should you kick those players off the team and fill those scholarships? Or should you assume they are going to be healthy and try to build a team around them.
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No, add depth when you have available scholarships. Don't make excuses saying 'it's hard to keep 13 players happy'. Assuming health is exactly how you continually have thin teams that finish near the bottom of the conference.

Even NBA players are taking longer than one season to recover from major knee surgeries.
 

GopherWeatherGuy said:
No, add depth when you have available scholarships. Don't make excuses saying 'it's hard to keep 13 players happy'. Assuming health is exactly how you continually have thin teams that finish near the bottom of the conference.

Even NBA players are taking longer than one season to recover from major knee surgeries.
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They have one available scholarship and would have none if Thiam didn't leave in late April.
 

Johnnyboy18 said:
How do you plan for that when building your roster? Should you kick those players off the team and fill those scholarships? Or should you assume they are going to be healthy and try to build a team around them.
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Misrepresentation of the facts so I can now add dishonesty to your character. Before anyone was hurt, there were 11 scholarship players leaving two roster spots unfilled (Thiam transferred in late April, not so late at all, so that's another dishonest claim). There was no need to kick any players off the team. We were reduced to asking a 2023 recruit to reclassify in late July. He might end up doing surprisingly well but that move seems like desperation for not getting insurance players in May or June.
 

cjbfbp said:
Misrepresentation of the facts so I can now add dishonesty to your character. Before anyone was hurt, there were 11 scholarship players leaving two roster spots unfilled (Thiam transferred in late April, not so late at all, so that's another dishonest claim). There was no need to kick any players off the team. We were reduced to asking a 2023 recruit to reclassify in late July. He might end up doing surprisingly well but that move seems like desperation for not getting insurance players in May or June.
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They tried to get a player to reclassify the prior year as well. I don't think it's desperation, it's a clear strategy to get under recruited players who have the credits to graduate before they blow up (see Zakai Zeigler).

Betts was planning on early enrolling prior to Ihnen's injury without a clear path to playing time, with about 4/5 players ahead of him at his position. How is that desperate?

How is transferring in late April not a late decision? I guess you clearly did not pay attention to the portal and when players entered. Not surprising though
 

GopherWeatherGuy said:
No, add depth when you have available scholarships. Don't make excuses saying 'it's hard to keep 13 players happy'. Assuming health is exactly how you continually have thin teams that finish near the bottom of the conference.

Even NBA players are taking longer than one season to recover from major knee surgeries.
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I don't follow other teams closely enough, but is struggling to fill all 13 scholarships with quality players a common problem now with the new transfer rules? I'm guessing if you are a solid player, but are 12th or 13th on your team, you're probably just going to transfer to a new team where you can have playing time.
 

Keyser Söze said:
I don't follow other teams closely enough, but is struggling to fill all 13 scholarships with quality players a common problem now with the new transfer rules? I'm guessing if you are a solid player, but are 12th or 13th on your team, you're probably just going to transfer to a new team where you can have playing time.
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It is, and it always will be going forward. The difference with the Gophers this season is they were counting on 2 players to play significant roles coming off of significant injuries and only had 11 scholarships filled until the Betts re-classify. And one of those was a previous walk-on. It doesn't sound like they are expecting much from Betts this season.

If there was any season to fill all 13 with more proven players, it was this season with the injury concerns from last season. If Fox and Ihnen would have stayed healthy and been good, then that's good for the Gophers regardless if a few players are unhappy. There was room to sell more transfers on immediate playing time due to the large number of freshman on the roster and the re-injury potential of Fox and Ihnen. That could have taken time away from some of the freshman, but I think several of them are projects, and they'll transfer in a year or two if they don't play anyways.
 

cjbfbp said:
And you know what? Next offseason, if Coach B.J. decides to carry only 11 scholarship players again, the usual apologists will say:

1) Coach knows what's best;
2) Lots of teams only have 11 scholarship players and many use only 8 players anyway;
3) You don't want players not getting playing time because that will make us look bad to future recruits AND/OR they'll transfer;
4) You don't want to settle by taking a lesser player from the portal (apparently roster vacancies are better).

I'm always amazed by people who appear to lack any semblance of negative historical memory and appear to approach each season with a fresh, naive optimism that all players will remain healthy, eligible, and productive throughout the entire year.
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We have one open scholarship for next season. If we get Winter, but we will be full. Now I don’t expect them all to be back and I’m sure we take more than two 2023 recruits. Then hopefully we can stop moaning about it and you’ll see some real depth and not just handing out scholarships. I hope people who struggled with having 11 guys in May (12 in July with one injured) will then come on here and admit Johnson’s idea on roster construction and building depth was better than just handing out to kids and projects.
 

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